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cleaning airbrush cups


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Cotton fibers and airbrushes don't mix well. I had that problem too. If you are using off brand cotton swabs you'll find it worse than if you use the branded Q-Tip ones. I use dental brushes which you can find at the local drug store in the denture care aisle. Other things such as Microbrushes work well too.

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I also rigged up a wide mouth jar with a tin can as a parts strainer that I can drop the paint cups and other airbrush parts into to soak.

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A carb jet tool is also handy for cleaning of airbrushes...

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I use Q-Tips a lot for quick cleans but also I have a paint brush about 1/4" wide which stuck down in the bowl and swished around does an excellent job of cleaning, yank the needle, wipe it and keep going.

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Gerald and Larry have pretty much covered it like rugs.

For interim cleaning (between colors or refills for a single session) I wipe the cup with a lint-free paper towel (Sparkle is the only brand I've found.); Rinse the cup with tap water, then Windex. While the Windex is sitting in the cup, I use a long bristled disposable brush on the inside of the cup. Then dump the Windex, refill, and run a full cup of Windex through the brush at 40-50 psi, backflushing occasionally. This is followed by a water rinse or two, then a full cup of tap water. Finally, a brief rinse and spray of distilled water.

And I've learned the hard way that a complete cleaning at the end of a session is the only way to go. :thumbsup:

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My Iwata BCS stopped working a while back.

I have always cleaned using cotton swabs/(earbuds)/Q-tips and hobby store pipe cleaners.

the paint/air mix point was clogged up with 6 years of fibers from cotton swabs/(earbuds)/Q-tips and hobby store pipe cleaners.

Get the dental brushes listed above. My next stop is a real live smoke shop to see about real heavy duty pipe cleaners.

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For paint cup I usually fill with cleaner and clean up the dried stuff off with a cotton bud.

I then tip this out so it doesn't clogg the head.

Micro brushe are good for cleaning tiny areas, interdental brushes are also good.

H&S do their own small 'bottle brush' to clean their brush and a metal reamer for removing dried paint and clogs from the paint nossles.

Paul

little-cars.co.uk/airbrushes

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Do any of you guys use sonic cleaners to clean? I have an old Paasche VL that has a bunch of accumulated paint thats gotten back into the trigger area that I just cant get rid of. Even after soaking it for several days in Lacquer thinner, it wont get all the old paint out.

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