This may be old news to most of you…but as a newbie, I would like to pass this along. I spray acrylics - mostly Gunze (if they have the color I need) and sometimes Tamiya. Some colors tend to accumulate and dry on the needle more than others, especially if it is a larger job taking a little more time (or I’m just having a hard time, which is more often the case). After cleaning with Windex and a paper towel I rinse with distilled water and then rub a tiny bit of Zymol liquid car wax on the needle. Keep in mind, the first job car wax is designed to do is clean. Gently twisting the needle in a paper towel with the wax really cleans the needle without any hard rubbing or abrasion. Wipe it dry just like you were polising your car and rinse with cold distilled water. I tend to roll or twist the needle ( as opposed to a push/pull back and forth motion) when cleaning to avoid damaging the delicate tip. Now the second job for wax, creating a non-porous, slippery surface comes into play. Paint has a much harder time sticking to the needle. I use Zymol because that’s what I happened to have. I suppose most liquid waxes will work but the level of “grit” in the wax is critical. Zymol is incredibly fine.
I use enamels almost exclusively, but haven’t really had a problem with paint sticking to the needle in a while. I picked up a bunch of books from the library about airbrushing and airbrush maintenance. In a few of them there was a tip about putting a very light coat of petroleum jelly on the needle. As soon as I started that, the paint quit sticking altogether. Now every time I clean the brush, I put a very light coat on, using the rolling motion you’re talking about. It works like a charm, with no ill effects to the paint.
Madda, could you tell us a bit more about this technique with the petroleum jelly, I have never heard of it. How light a coat? I would imagine very very fine. Does thinner in the paint disolve the petroleum and make it get into the paint? How well does it work with acrylics, if you have tried it?
I’ve used it with both acryl and enamels, and had no problem with it disolving into the paint or anything like that. I just get a very small amount on my finger and thumb, and pull the needle between them while rolling it at the same time. I make sure there is no buildup, but just a fine coat. Every time I clean the brush I wipe the needle down and reapply. Since I started doing this, I’ve had no problem with paint drying or sticking to my needle at all. I thank the library for this tip, it was in several airbrushing books that I checked out.
I disagree with using petroleum jelly. It will work if done properly but there are other products that are much better such as Iwata’s ‘Super Lube’, Coast Airbrush’s ‘Airolube’ and Badger’s ‘Needle Juice’. Actually the cheapest thing to use is to go to a drugstore and get some liquid glycerine. I am told it is the same basic ingredient in all of the commercially sold products I mentioned above.
I personally have used Super Lube for years and it works great.
As I mentioned in another post before, I have left a bottle of Createx airbrush paint connected to the airbrush after spraying with it and let it set for 2 weeks and the needle still moves as if I just cleaned it. Try that with petroleum jelly. [:D]
I tried using glycerine, and it beaded up and didn’t coat the needle. My girlfriend has some for her opal ring, so after reading your post I tried to give it a shot. The next step was the petroleum jelly, as I didn’t want to spring for a bottle of super lube, and it’s worked perfectly. I’m going to try to keep from leaving the brush dirty for a couple of weeks, even if I proved a point, I don’t know that it would be worth it.
Also, I like to paint a bit more often than every two weeks.
