what is the best way to clean a airbrush when using acrilyc water based paints ?rambo1........
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First, remove the paint jar and clean with plan water or even with some detergent added. If you only have the one jar, this has to be the first step....
Then put on a jar of clean water and run it through the brush, getting as much paint out of the brush as possible. Put your finger over the tip and let it bubble back a bit too. This sounds odd, but it helps in cleaning the internal parts. You may have to change out the jar with fresh water, more than once!
Once I have a clean spray, I'll either use a jar of alcohol or lacquer thinner, running this through also.
Acyclic paints tend to dry on the needle inside too, so very often the brush needs to be taken apart and the needle cleaned off, either with a solvent (water or alcohol) on a cloth or even a pink pencil eraser, when it's really stubborn....Be careful not to damage the tip!
I also run pipe cleaners through the dip tube and clean the tip with a "Q-Tip" making sure there is NO PAINT anywhere.
If I have taken the brush apart, upon reassembly I always give the needle a drop of "Needle Juice" before sliding it back in. This is a lubricant available from Badger and as far as I can see, worth its weight in gold. I have never had any trouble with needles seizing.
With any paints a clean airbrush is a must. Personally I won't use Acrylic paints in my airbrush. The stuff dries to quickly and clean up is a pain.
To clean up solvent based paint such as Floquil or Scalecoat I use paint store "Lacquer Thinner" I flow some through the Airbrush opening and closing the paint needle several times. The Airbrush is then taken apart and the parts cleaned and then the airbrush is reassembled. Clean thinner is then flowed through to make sure all is working OK.