mark poulson Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 I'm guessing lots of TU people do this, but I've never seen it posted, so I have dibs on the idea! I've been air brushing for a few years now, with Createx-type water based paints, and a light bulb finally went on during my last painting session. I always have a tupperware full of water next to my painting station that I use to clean my brushes. I would typically dip a cup full of water out with the air brush, and back flush and clean over another tupperware several times. Then I'd leave the brush in the second tupperware, tip down, to keep the tip wet until I was ready for the next color. Well, the last time I painted, I did something different. I dipped the dirty brush into the big tupperware water tub, and held it underwater in that tub while I back flushed it, instead of dipping water out and doing it over the second tupperware. Wow, is that easy!! Since I change that water after each painting session, so I'd have clean water for the next session, the water never gets dirty enough to not work. And I back flush longer, so it cleans better. As long as I keep both the tip and cup underwater, there is very little backsplash and mess, and I think it really helps me keep the brush cleaner between colors. I keep the trigger assembly out of the water, and just dip the tip and cup into the water when I backflush. It sure makes cleaning between colors fast and easy. My forehead is flatter now. Doh!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 (edited) Thank you much for that one Mark! Just in time too! You know, there are times when I wonder if you live next door. When Grey Ghost was asking about airbrushes I danced over to ebay and found this listed by the SPCA in your state. Thought it would be nice to send a few animals to camp summer. Bought it because it has a cup on top. Good reason, huh? Came in the mail today so I weighed it before destroying it. 113 grams is a heavier than the VL at 87 and the Badger 200 at 61 grams. Don't know who makes it. It came with a hose which makes me think it was used with a makeup or nail kit. Wont fit the compressor. With that little work around it fits the Badger hose but it has a leak around the air inlet. Pushing the needle back a bit and back flushing like you said produced this booger...... Dug some pink and black flakes too. The green looks like a good lure color so I'm tempted to take it to Lowe's and ask for a color match. Now that I have a good clean air brush I can't wait to go out this afternoon and catch me a bunch of little animals. Gonna paint their toenails orange and purple and chartreuse. Do some hot pink squirrel tails. Thanks for the tip Mark! Edited May 17, 2012 by garyo1954 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G Posted May 17, 2012 Report Share Posted May 17, 2012 I've got some baits to paint tonight or tomorrow. I think I'll try this. Thanks for the tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 It works for me. Just be sure to clean/drain any water out that might get into the trigger area when you're done. It won't take the place of the final cleanup when you've finished painting, but it's great for quick between color cleanings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltshaker Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 That's what I been doin'. Didn't know if it was the proper way or not, but, like Mark said...it's fast and simple. I need to dump my pail more often, tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 Salt, when the water turns grey, I know I've reached a happy medium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firechief Posted May 21, 2012 Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I do the same thing Mark and I keep a small glass container that came with the set filled with Windex / water solution. I run a little through the gun before and after every session. No problems as of yet. I really need a new gun but cant make up my mind so I'll just keep cleaning the one I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2012 I guess we'll never see it in one of the videos on an air brush site...there is too much money to be made in air brush cleaning products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freon1112 Posted May 23, 2012 Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 when you talk about "back flushing" do you mean that you are putting water in your bowl and spraying it out until all of the paint is out of the bowl and gun Mark? thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted May 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 23, 2012 (edited) freon, By backflushing I mean putting my finger over the tip with the paint cup full of water, and pulling the trigger all the way, both for air and for paint. This forces the air/paint/water mixture back through the brush, and cleans it. I also loosen the nozzle assebly a little and back flush again. This helps clean the little holes in the nozzle. By doing this while holding the tip and cup of the brush underwater in the bigger water tub, I can really flush the whole thing. I have a soft, cheap artist's brush that I use to kind of scrub both the cup and the tip, too, to loosen any paint that's dried there, and then I backflush. I still pull the needle out and wipe it off after each color, too. Edited May 23, 2012 by mark poulson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norwegian Wood Lures Posted May 24, 2012 Report Share Posted May 24, 2012 Recently I finally got 100 body's ready for paint and started to paint again . I have been using a piece of foam to make the airbrush back flush . I works really good , and then I have a tupper ware with the top still on it and I cut a hole in the corner of it so water doesnt shoot all over the place . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freon1112 Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 Mark, sorry I didnt see your answer until now, thanks for the info though, that rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
