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Extremely Dirty Airbrush Cleaning


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Hey guys. I was given a used airbrush by a friend that was into war gaming figures. It's a nice double action Iwata Eclipse HP-CS but he left it with paint in it after spraying (only ran water through it after spraying and not really cleaning it) so now the whole thing is clogged with the needle stuck into the body. He says he can't remember if it's Games Workshop paints or Vallejo but it is an acrylic paint. What would be the safest and best way to unclog all of that without damaging the finish? I tried soaking it in windex hoping that would loosen it up enough to get the needle out but it's a no go. Anything stronger and I'm afraid to damage the chrome finish. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. It would be awesome to have a second brush to work with but if it's junked...oh well.

Bill

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You could try Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer. Non-toxic and does an amazing job cleaning acrylics, dried or not, off brushes. Be aware, though, it's deadly to plastics.

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How about your friend buys You a new one? (Lesson has to be learned).

While that would be AWESOME! I think you misunderstood what I typed. He gave me HIS old airbrush. I don't think I could convince him he needs to buy me a new airbrush because he didn't take care of his. I may try that though! :woot.gif:

Thanks for the help guys!

Bill

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My go to if nothng else works is laquer thinner. Cleans out the crud and hasn't had any effect on the chrome. Just make sure you are in a well ventilated area. My 1.50 cents(CDN).

CheersPaul

Edited by MacStingy
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Lacquer thinner is your best bet. And it's actually safer than Windex...at least to the finish of the airbrush. I picked up the "clean it with Windex" thing years ago and over time it absolutely destroyed the finish on my HP-CS.

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ok, good to know. I don't think I would have soaked it all but who knows, I might have gotten impatient and just dunked it in. I'll likely fill the cup up with it and hopefully that will loosen the needle enough to slide it out the back. I don't want to take anything else off until I get the needle safely out of it. I know I can get a new needle cheap enough but would rather try to minimize any extra cost if I can.

Thanks again guys!

Bill

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ok, good to know. I don't think I would have soaked it all but who knows, I might have gotten impatient and just dunked it in. I'll likely fill the cup up with it and hopefully that will loosen the needle enough to slide it out the back. I don't want to take anything else off until I get the needle safely out of it. I know I can get a new needle cheap enough but would rather try to minimize any extra cost if I can.

Thanks again guys!

Bill

Loosen things up enough to take the needle out the FRONT!! If you drag it out the back you will probably drag a lot of that junk deep into the guts of the A/B. I have the same A/B and I usually twist a small piece of paper towel into a point and run it from the front into the hole behind the cup and drip thinner onto it to clean that area. It seems to want to go in better dry.

Bob

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Loosen things up enough to take the needle out the FRONT!! If you drag it out the back you will probably drag a lot of that junk deep into the guts of the A/B. I have the same A/B and I usually twist a small piece of paper towel into a point and run it from the front into the hole behind the cup and drip thinner onto it to clean that area. It seems to want to go in better dry.

Bob

That's what I would do, after soaking it in lacquer thinner (LT) for at least an hour. The seals on Iwata airbrushes are really tough and I haven't had any issues with LT on mine. Using the small wrench that should have come with the airbrush, unscrew the nozzle, pull it off, then push the needle through the front. After that you can use some small scrub brushes to clean out the central barrel.

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Try Paul Budzik's trick. He even has a youtube post of this process. Simply google: Paul Budzik. Paul strips his airbrush down to basically the metal parts on the front end of the airbrush. He then takes a single action Paasche H, loads it up with lacquer thinner, and sprays away at the airbrush that he is cleaning. Again, before spraying, remove all rubber "O" rings, any plastic parts that can melt, etc. Good Luck.

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Yep, lacquer thinner is what you use to clean an airbrush. Break it down as far as you can and soak for an hour. If you can get more parts off but not all, soak it some more. As previously mentioned try and get the needle through the front rather than dragging any gunk through the mechanicals. You want to then rinse in alchohol to ensure the o rings don't get eaten by the LT. I've also used nail polish remover to good effect for cleaning. You might be able to find a 'no-acetone' version for acrylic users.

hth

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