dochollow Posted June 9, 2012 Report Share Posted June 9, 2012 what do you users of folk art paint use to clean your ab? i have tried windex, dn alcohol, lacquer thinner, alchohol, dawn & h2o, & h20. am not impressed with any of it. just wondering if there something i havent tried thanx, doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 It would help to know a little about your airbrush Doc. What size nozzle are you spraying it through? Is it clogged or acting like it's trying to? I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think Folk Art is actually meant to be used as an airbrush paint. Especially if your using a nozzle size that's .3mm or smaller. The pigments in airbrush paints are ground to a smaller size than other paints so they can be sprayed through the smaller nozzles commonly associated with airbrushes. That being said I'm pretty sure that Folk Art paint is an acrylic so cleanup with soap and water should work. Createx makes something called Airbrush Restorer that dissolves any old, dried out paint that is left behind after cleaning. Not sure if it works on anything other than acrylic (water based) paint, but it's well worth the money when your having to deal with an airbrush that's not spraying properly. All you have to do is soak the front end of the brush in it for a few hours. Or overnight if the airbrush is really dirty. Then just clean it as you normally would. And the Airbrush Restorer can be used multiple times. I keep mine in a small jar with a screw lid on it. You can find it at any of the places that sell the Createx line of paints. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 What Ben said. It would be helpful to know what type airbrush you are using. I've sprayed Folk Art through a single action Badger using their pure orange mixed with nutmeg for Longhorn burnt orange on an RC airplane. It seems like the whole line is heavy base. That is just my feeling, I could be wrong. It is a pain the clean up. Soaking, (back flushing like Mark posted), and gently cleaning with a toothbrush is good.Try running a bristle through the nozzle both ways. Much easier if you have a floating nozzle. It is hard enough to keep your fingers on the tiny screw type. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dochollow Posted June 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 i use a paasche vl & a hf brush. i can make it spray through all sizes of tips, i was just wondering if anybody had come up with a better cleaning solution i 1st strain it through panty hose, & thin with future thanks, doc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crankpaint Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 I spray it thru my ab and just clean it with windex and water and i thin it the same way you do and have'nt had any prob.I do use a small fine tipped paint brush to help clean out the bowl thou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saltshaker Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 FolkArt is listed as "craft" paint. That would say to me that it is not designed for an airbrush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 During color changes I first use plain tap water to backflush the brush repeating until there are no signs of paint blowing back into the bowl. Some colors are harder to clean up because of the type, and amount, of pigments used. White seems the hardest for me. Depending on how many color changes I make, the color of paint, and the amount of paint used, I will run a small amount of acetone through the airbrush and use the same backflushing procedure as with water. Backflushing with acetone is used after the brush has been flushed with water first. With certain colors you will be amazed at how much paint the acetone will knock out of the brush even after backflushing with water. Hope this helps. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 Something I forgot to mention is that you need to be careful when using Windex. I don't have first hand knowledge of this, but have read in numerous places that the ammonia in Windex will take the chrome off of your airbrush. Just make sure your using the ammonia free version. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny.Barile Posted June 10, 2012 Report Share Posted June 10, 2012 I use a bottle type sprayer and when Im done with a color I plug an extra bottle on that is filled only with cold water. Blow it through into an open bowl with some paper towels in it until it runs clear. I then remove the bottle and blow just with air. This takes 20 seconds.........I use FolkArt paints all the time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooklineandsinker Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 I do the same with a separate bottle filled with water. I also backflush then spray again. I have found that an empty one gallon Arizona Tea jug with the cap in place and a 1/2" hole close to the top is a great way to capture this flushing and even a great recepticale for getting colors started between colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted July 20, 2012 Report Share Posted July 20, 2012 (edited) Future works great but "There is no free lunch". If you're using Future floor polish to thin paint, one thing you don't want is dried paint inside the airbrush. Future is formulated to wear well on floors, and so it's tough stuff. I rinse out my a/b and backwash the tip after every paint shot but like most, I'm not always good about cleaning the whole brush after a painting session. I've sometimes left paint back in the barrel of the a/b around the needle packing. When that happens, the next time I use the brush, the trigger is stuck solid and will not move backwards because the Future set so hard in the barrel that it glued the needle in the packing. Takes needle nose pliers to rip the needle out of there! So do a very good cleaning before you store your a/b, if you use Future. The more volatile the solvent you use to clean an airbrush, the faster it works. Acetone works better/faster than most. Edited July 20, 2012 by BobP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyo1954 Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 Big hand for you BobP. Thought I'd try Future since it has been a few years since the last time. Couldn't find it, so picked up some Acrylic Floor Finish at the Family Dollar. Says on the label "Compare to the Performance of Future." Don't get me lying, I'm not a chemist so I don't know what Styrene-Acrylic Copolymer, Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether, Dipropylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether, or Tributoxyethyl Phosphate are, much less what they do. I mix the floor finish with water 50/50. Then I mix 3 parts paint to 1 part of the solution. (I strain my paint before adding the floor finish.water solution) Last couple of days I've shot both Anita's Metallics and Folk Art colors no dry tip. The paint shoots smoother too. I was spending quite a bit a time trying to get Anita's, Apple Barrel, and Folk art ratios right and often still got dry tip. After a couple of days of this, I'm actually enjoying my airbrush. (on the other hand, it could be just the fumes making me happy) I've been backflushing between colors and then shooting the GREEN Windex (w/winegar) between color changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
