Cleaning my Airbrush, problem solved

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

I use an Aztec airbrush, usually with Tamiya acrylics.
I never seemed to be able to keep it clean and spraying smoothly. I’d flush it when done and follow with cleaner. I tried taking the nozzle apart and leave it soaking in water until the next use.
No matter what I tried it would quickly clog and my spray would be hard to control.

Yesterday, I had a brain fart. I decided to try an ultrasonic cleaner I use for another hobby. I took apart the nozzle, threw it into warm water, and fired up the ultrasonic cleaner for 30 minutes.
When done the nozzle was spraying as if it was new.
Now I wonder what took me so long to think of trying this

2

Glad it worked out,its pretty discouraging to have a paint session messed up by a mal functioning airbrush

3

You can soak dried Tamiya or any other brand acrylic in water till the cows come home and it won’t clean a dirty tip. If you soaked it in lacquer thinner overnight that would do it. Alcohol probably would too.

Glad the ultasonic cleaner worked for ya though !

4

Yep, lacquer thinner, isopropyl or even denatured alcohol, or, I also use SuperClean to clean my old Paasche VL.

5

Leaving it soaking in cleaner didn’t work for me. But using the ultrasonic is now how I end my session. After doing this a couple of time all residue has disappeared and the tips look and run as new. I can’t believe it took me so long to think of this.