Dried paint problem

[FJ and G]

Well, the hound was clamoring to chase rabbits yesterday on my day off and I was in the middle of painting my backdrop so I thought, what the heck.

We went off into the woods and several hours later when we returned the paint had dried in my airbrush (latex paint).

Anyone have good ideas for removing dried paint? I got a lot of it out by dipping in warm bucket of water but some remains in the tiny nozzle. Maybe I should have used warm soapy water?

I'll try again tonight.


BTW, painting is going very well but want to airbrush in some sunrays and make a gradation change on the sunrise from red to yellow so it is not abrupt. I sponged the clouds in w/drywall sponge but the highlights will do w/airbrush

[nitroboy]

My Dad gave me his airbrush he used in the 70's and 80's and it had dried enamal in it. I soaked it for a few days in laquer thinner and it works like a champ now. Maybe soak yours in mineral spirits or very hot soapy water for a while. Try and disassemble it as much as possible first.

[lionelsoni]

Latex paint is very different from oil-based paints and very hard to clean after it has dried. Of the sites that I googled that offered any hope, no two recommended the same cleanup.

[Roger Bielen]

If the parts are metal there's always acetone or possibly xylene. Both should be available at Home Depot or any paint store.

[FJ and G]

Bob N.

Didn't want to hear that!

Antonio,

The pastic part inside the tip piece is the most prone to clogging and might be suseptible to lacquer thinner & other things?!

Part of the reason it clogged, I suspect, is that I didn't mix the water and latex and the thick gooey latex got inside. I used a 14ga copper wire to clean it out of the plastic tube but the tip end is a whole nother story

Aztec airbrush.

[wrmcclellan]

Hello Dave,

I don't know about others - but I learned early on to instantly clean the airbrush (I have an old Badger) as soon as I was done spraying. These things with their tiny tolerances do not handle any paint sitting for any time at all.

Also note that many airbrushes typically use model paints where the pigments and binders have been ground finer than that used in other paints. Other paints not intended for airbrushing will clog it easier.

Regards,
Roy

[pbjwilson]

I'm a painter by trade. I've had latex paint dry up on my brushes and have found that Tide detergent or other brand liquid laundry detergent will soften up latex paint. DO NOT USE LAQUER THINNER! Laquer thinner turns latex paint into a gummy gluey mess. Take some laundry detergent diluted about 50/50 with water and soak your airbrush overnight. That should soften the paint so that you can clean your airbrush. Good luck.

[wrmcclellan]

PBJ,

Thanks for the tip. I assume that the lye in Tide is what does the job.

And now I understand why laquer thinner didn't seem to work so weel on latex and some other water based paint.

Regards,
Roy

[FJ and G]

I successfully cleaned one bottle spout and both tips but one spout is still gummed up. I need something strong (like a 14 gau wire), but flexible enough to curve around (like snake devices in toilets).

I encountered yet another problem spray painting. The paint has been splattering. I gave up and used a brush and sponge to finish my backdrop and mountains. I'll post pictures today or tomorrow.

The air brush so far has been an exercise in frustration, but I'm a neophyte surely making neophitic mistakes.