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Cleaning Future from an airbrush


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I heard windex works well.   FWIW, if you aren't sold on Future, I got a tip here to use Tamiya X-22 clear gloss.   I tried and love the stuff, I'll never go back to Future which to me, was difficult to use.  Always ended up with issues.

 

Regardless, good luck!

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6 hours ago, airmechaja said:

Ammonia is what works to clean Future from your airbrush. Windex without ammonia won't work.

I thought the ammonia was what would tear the seals up so that's why I bought the ammonia free version.

 

Tim

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On 12/23/2019 at 3:42 PM, 11bee said:

I heard windex works well.   FWIW, if you aren't sold on Future, I got a tip here to use Tamiya X-22 clear gloss.   I tried and love the stuff, I'll never go back to Future which to me, was difficult to use.  Always ended up with issues.

 

Regardless, good luck!

How did you find it difficult to use?

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On 12/30/2019 at 1:09 AM, ElectroSoldier said:

How did you find it difficult to use?

Always got uneven finishes, had issues with the extended drying time causing dust particles to get stuck to it and honestly, found that to get a truly high gloss finish, it took numerous coats.

 

Compared to X-22 which goes on easily, dries quickly and at best, requires 2 coats for a very smooth, hard, glossy finish.    I know other folks are disciples of Future but for me, I'm never going back.

Edited by 11bee
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Alcohol will work in cleaning Future from airbrushes. I would use either that or water. Ammonia will react with the brass that most airbrushes are made of and you will see the chrome finish come off and eventually damage to the surface. At the very least rinse the airbrush with water after using anything with ammonia.

 

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  • 1 year later...
On 12/23/2019 at 3:42 PM, 11bee said:

I heard windex works well.   FWIW, if you aren't sold on Future, I got a tip here to use Tamiya X-22 clear gloss.   I tried and love the stuff, I'll never go back to Future which to me, was difficult to use.  Always ended up with issues.

 

Regardless, good luck!

Yeah I never thought Klear was all that good either.
Great for dipping canopies but as a gloss coat it was quite a learning curve to get it to work well. I always much preferred Tamiya X-22 gloss to decal over and for cars gloss coat (changed these days with buffables)

 

On 12/23/2019 at 9:18 AM, hawkwrench said:

Getting ready to shoot future on my HB F-14D and I've never used it before. I've bought the ammonia free windex to clean it afterwards. What's the steps so that I don't ruin my Patriot?

 

Thanks

Tim

 

Any airbrush cleaner will do it.
Vallejo "acrylic" airbrush cleaner, Tamiya Airbrush cleaner, Gunze Mr Tool cleaner... Cellulose thinners can be bought by the 5L for buttons.

 

A paint cup full of water to flush it then any old cleaner will do it. I dont know why people are obsessed with Windex... Use that on your windows 

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I prepare a small tub of hot water with an extra squirt of dishwashing detergent in it.  When finished, the airbrush goes in, cup and all, to be flushed out.  Leave it in to soak and go for a coffee.  Comeback and blow air through it and wipe the brush body dry.  Seems to work just fine.  Best of luck.

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On 4/28/2021 at 12:37 AM, ElectroSoldier said:

A paint cup full of water to flush it then any old cleaner will do it. I dont know why people are obsessed with Windex... Use that on your windows 

Windex has ammonia, which is the recommended solvent for Future.

 

Vern

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Understand that Windex Original Glass Cleaner has only 5% of Ammonium Hydroxide, which is just a diluted form of ammonia.  The airbrush will be fine if people flush the ammonia out with water or IPA immediately after use.

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Maybe you could look up the science before hand.

 

Ammonia starts attacking the brass as soon as it comes into contact with it.

That is scientific fact and beyond debate.

The effect of the ammonia is cumulative. Which means the more you do it the worse it gets.

 

Given most peoples attitudes towards cleaning their airbrushes on here I couldnt recommend any ammonia based compounds at all because Ammonia attacks brass at the molecular level on contact.

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No. Ammonia does attack brass, it will destroy your airbrush in the end.

 

Given most people have their airbrushes and uses then for 20 odd years it will kill it in the end.

 

A nobody guy on youtube telling you ammonia doesnt really attack brass because the time its exposed to it is so shohrt blah blah blah means nothing at all.

 

If you leave the ammonia in it afterwards then the ammonia sits on the brass and attacks it. And then if you clean the airbrush again after the windex with something like IPA then WHY BOTHER with the Windex at all because the IPA will do just as good a job as the Windex ever could, in fact it does a better job of cleaning it out, it doesnt attack the brass and you wouldnt have the useless expense of buying the Windex at all.

Edited by ElectroSoldier
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A long time ago I read the hint to use ammonia-based cleaners in an airbrush and started doing that on my Iwata. It took a few months, but the chrome started getting stripped from the cup and it turned a golden color. I switched to other cleaners when I realized what was happening. It's not some kind of instantaneous reaction, but it will happen. I stopped before I got any pitting, but the brass is softer than the chrome and I can see lots of small scratches in the cup even though I only use soft tools to mix and clean. If you keep using ammonia long enough to get pitting or deep scratches then it's going to be hard to clean the airbrush.

 

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On 5/1/2021 at 2:56 PM, ElectroSoldier said:

Yeah I understand that. But then I also understand that the internals of an airbrush is unfinished brass.

Yeah... That... The ammonia will attack the chrome, but I didn't know it would attack the brass. 

Edited by admiralcag
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2 hours ago, admiralcag said:

Yeah... That... The ammonia will attack the chrome, but I didn't know it would attack the brass. 

 

Yeah ammonia is known to attack brass.

The Chrome is fine, it flakes off like it does when you use ammonia based cleaners because the brass underneath is being attacked and the chrome covers up the problem until it flakes off then people think the problem is the chrome not the brass

 

2 hours ago, RichardL said:

 

Might want to read this link:  Physical and Chemical Properties of Chromium

 

Ammonia_and_Chrome.jpg.a6d9dcc2b9f2e6cb01da621401d0ef58.jpg

 

Chromium is resistant to Ammonia, but brass isnt and the brass isnt completely covered by the cromium which is why you get the chrome lifting off because the brass is being attacked by the ammonia.

 

You are arguing against established metallurgical science and peoples actual use experience here RichardL

Edited by ElectroSoldier
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On 5/8/2021 at 8:53 AM, ElectroSoldier said:

Chromium is resistant to Ammonia, but brass isnt and the brass isnt completely covered by the cromium

 

Why isn't the brass completely covered by chrome when the entire part is submerged in the plating bath during the electroplating process?

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