Airbrush cleaning

[scooby]

Finally ordered an airbrush, primarily to use with chestnut spirit stains. Im unsure what liquid is best for cleaning, so any advice would be much appreciated

 

[AES]

Depends on what paint (or ink?) you're using. Basically, the same as you used to thin the paint for spraying.

Provided you do NOT allow the paint remains to dry in the airbrush, whatever the thinner is needed for the paint that you're using will be fine - e.g. water; turps/white spirit; cellulose; etc, etc. Or (be careful of your skin), "Universal Thinner".

But especially if you do allow paint remains to dry in the airbrush, then most of the recognised airbrush & model paint manufacturers have their own airbrush cleaner. Try the shop or website where you bought the airbrush and/or the paint.

HTH

 

[Vulcan]

Finally ordered an airbrush, primarily to use with chestnut spirit stains. Im unsure what liquid is best for cleaning, so any advice would be much appreciated

You can buy cheap cellulose thinners called “Gun Wash” that spray shops use for cleaning spray guns. A cheaper alternative in smaller 1 litre containers might be the “Universal Thinners” often sold in Aldi and Lidl?

 

[bourbon]

Try putting IPA through it, works for me.

 

[Vulcan]

Try putting IPA through it, works for me.

That would work. Have you got a cheap source of supply for it?

 

[bourbon]

That would work. Have you got a cheap source of supply for it?

I got mine on e-bay, cut it 50-50 with water and clean it out as soon as you finish with your airbrush

 

[Robbo3]

Every pro demonstrator at our club has warned us to be wary of using gunwash/reclaimed spirits to thin the finish medium as it causes a multitude of problems. It's fine for cleaning but not for use as a thinner. To my mind a hobbyist is going to use thinners by the pint rather than by the gallon so no point in having two products on the shelf.

 

[stewart]

With the chestnut stains I usually flush out with water and then use meths for a final clean.

 

[imageel]

With the chestnut stains I usually flush out with water and then use meths for a final clean.

Makes sense - imho most similar stains are alcohol based and not cellulose - easy to tell them apart by their smell

 

[Sideways]

Isopropyl 99% pure is pretty cheap on ebay by the 5L.
Acetone is another option for cleaning cellulose type paints - it's less aggressive than cellulose thinners.

 

[scooby]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated