I’ve been looking on amazon for a cleaning kit for my airbrush. Most have an assortment of small brushes and what looks like some small (picks). I do have Q- tips and pipe cleaners,cleaning fluid. I also would like to know about a lubricant for it. What kind and where to use?I have an Iwata TRN1 with .35 and .5 needles. Not looking to spend much, just some basics. Thanks for any advice.
I have just put together my own useing coton buds (Q-tips i think you call them) a reaming tool and those smal brushes for cleaning between the teeth. The only tool i have thats designed for airbrush cleaning is a set of fine wire brushes.
Very similar to my approach, many of the same supplies.
I bought an airbrush cleaning kit or two back during the excitement of re-starting airbrushing. To this day I have no idea what some of the ‘tools’ would be used for.
About the only thing I’d add to Bish’s list is an old hairy toothbrush and a can of lacquer thinner. (and plenty of ventilation) I do use one thing from the cleaning kit, various size pipe-cleaner-looking things which I use to clean out the back end of the brush where the rear seal is meant to prevent paint from ever getting to, but it does anyway.
I’d second Bish’s suggestion of a proper airbrush reamer. Note that ‘reamer’ is a misnomer, and I wish they wouldn’t do that. A reamer is designed to remove metal, and we certainly don’t want that to happen on the inside of our nozzles! Don’t worry, they don’t.
I have one of these kits, but all of the brushes are too large to usefully clean any small spaces in my airbrushes, and the metal cores of the brushes might damage polished surfaces. Since I use tissue paper & cotton buds to clean the inside of my paint cups, these brushes are redundant & have never been used.
When I’ve removed the nozzle cap, nozzle, and needle, I use cheap interdental brushes to clean the (now empty) paint canal at the front of the brush. The nozzle cap & the nozzle itself are immersed for a few minutes in the appropriate solvent (usually IPA, since I mostly use acrylics) and then the apertures carefully cleaned using a bristle from an old shaving brush. So, cotton buds (Q-tips), tissues, an old shaving (or decorating) brush and cheap dental brushes - we’re talking pennies.
For lube, I have a small tube of Iwata airbrush lubricant, which I apply lightly to the needles about every third cleaning session (I read somewhere overuse could damage seals in the brush).
Hutch,
Have you ever experienced the Iwata lube turing to a sticky gel? Don Wheeler wrote about it on his website. I tried it with my Iwata lube and found the same.
This is good stuff
Badger Regdab Needle Juice
No, not so far. It’s kept in a cool, dark place with a steady temperature, not subject to any major changes in conditions. It does have a gel-like consistency out of the tube - if it was a thin liquid they’d have to put it in a tin or a bottle, I suppose - but it hasn’t turned sticky yet. I’ll look out for that, thanks for the warning.
Don says he applied the lube to all working parts, I only lightly coat the front half of the needle, maybe that’s a factor?
I’m not sure if it’s an issue either. If it’s water soluable, I can’t image it would be a problem. I used it the same way as you do and never had issues with the needle sticking or trouble shooting paint.
A cleaning kit?
Save your money.
Here’s how I go about it.
Spray/clean out with laquer thinner as needed and using a pipe cleaner;
Blow it out with 91% alcohol… maybe twice.
Rinse and blow out a few times w/distilled water on a folded ('bout six layers) old newspaper until nothing comes out but air.
Wipe it all down with a paper towel and alcohol.
THEN ~ I pull out the needle, add a drop of clp on my .2 needle and re-assemble.
DONE.
Sometimes, if needed I’ll leave the cap and cone in a labeled plastic film container to soak in alcohol or laquer thinner 'till the next time. No scrubbing ever needed there.
To use next time, pull the needle out and give it a quick wipe then reinsert and shoot a drop or two of alcohol to clean off any of the clp that might still be in the main body.
BREAK FREE clp
cleaner*lubricant
preservative
#1 in gun maintenance.
Always works great for me.
Greg, i am not sure why they use the term reamer either. I also use a an airbrush cleaner which is called a liquid reamer.
I use the Iwata stuff as well and have never had any problems with it.
Huthc, is this the set of brushes you mean. I do find these very useful, i just don’t use the very largest one. I mainly use it on the spout on the paint cup and on the threads where the head assembly screws into the body of the airbrush.
Ken S at Badger Airbrush cautions you against using those spiral ‘bottle brush’ type cleaners. The wire can scratch the interior brass surfaces
I use some inter-dental toothpicks with rubber projections on the pick. Less likely to scratch.
You could spend a fortune on the eye-wateringly expensive Iwata airbrush cleaning kit. Top-line kit, but… Link included as it has tutorial.
Or…
These are the usefull tools I have, and USE. (examples only, other vendors available).
Harder & Steenbeck Cleaning Brush Set, small & fine brushes that won’t scratch.
Airbrush Spray Gun Wash Cleaning Tools Needle Nozzle Brush Glass Cleaning Pot Holder
I use the pot ALL the Time, obs.
The ‘pick’ is sometimes usefull, (be gentle), & only the smallest brush is usable on my Iwata CH or Badger Omni.
Needle Packing Screw Drivers, (bottom) essential to replace/tighten the teflon needle packing seal & air valve spring (top), but not used often though.
Yes, that’ looks like the one I’ve got (somewhere!) - maybe I’ll cautiously give the smaller ones a try.
I’d like to second that.
And I have had trouble with the Iwata lube turning to goo. I think I tossed mine. No such issues with the Badger Regdab.
I also use pipe cleaners. Not the “craft sticks” they sell at the dollar store, but the real thing that I get at a smoke shop.
Just a NOTE;
This from an old guy that has used both Professional and Hobby level Airbrush gear. As told me by my old De-Vilbiss dealer. NEVER !! use spiral WIRE brushes of ANY size on an airbrush unit! You just don’t wanna know how much damage can be done in four or five cleanings. Stick to nylon or even the teensy rubber ones made for computer work.
Next-Question Time: If Acrylics are so great then why all the B.S. with Air -Brushes? The stuff should just flush and wash up with warm water and Dawn. Also, And I have asked this before. If it’s so simple to use, then why all the different Cleaners ,Thinners, Retarders and Equipment cleaning products! I thought it was simple cleanup and thinning with plain old water!
I binned the Iwata blue goo, rarely use the Badger REGDAB, & prefer to use Berts’ Bees Lip salve (HIGH BEESWAX content) on threads & needle, not the air valve.
Minty Fresh as well! [:P]
Thanks so much for all the replies. Sorry it took a little while. Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend.I keep forgetting about these little brushes I got from Scalehobbiest from Flex-I-File. Getting older I guess. Regular size to extra fine,all would work great. Also, somewhere I saw said you can use glycerin on the needle. Is that o.k.? Again thanks for all the replies.