Inrll Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 I have an Iwata Eclipse and have a lot of problems with it getting clogged (at least I think that's what is happening) and spitting paint vs a nice even mist. When changing colors I usually just empty the paint reservior, put in a little water, and then spray that out too to rinse everything. After two or three color changes I usually end up with a spitting/spattering problem. Any ideas or tips on what you all do to keep your airbrush running smoothly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Are you back flushing when you clean the airbrush? Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inrll Posted June 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 At the risk of looking goofy what do you mean by back flushing? I guess I don't. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassguy Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 I'm not sure if the Eclipse is a gravity fed brush, but what Ben is talking about is filling the paint cup full of water and holding your finger over the end of the brush and pressing the actuator for paint. Since your finger is covering the exit the only place the water will come out is the paint cup....Right Ben? Two or three times will dislodge chunks of dried paint. Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inrll Posted June 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 That makes total sense. I haven't done that but will have to give it a try tomorrow. Thanks! I've been getting pretty frustrated lately and I think his will be just the ticket! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) That's pretty much it Jerry. What back flushing does is it creates turbulence inside the nozzle area and it's this turbulence that helps knock loose any paint that is starting to build up in the nozzle. If paint has been building up in the nozzle over a period of time by improper cleaning it can be a little troublesome to get out. Once this happens back flushing is not going to thoroughly clean the airbrush. It will need to be soaked in something that will dissolve the dried paint. Personally I use Createx Airbrush Restorer for dissolving any water based paint that has built up over time. If your shooting lacquer paint or other solvent based paint then your going to have to soak it in the appropriate solvent. Some folks use acetone or lacquer thinner for this. My cleaning ritual goes like this. After every color change I run water through my brush and back flush until the water remains clear in the bowl and there are no tiny specks of paint in the bowl from back flushing. At the end of the painting session I repeat the above steps and then repeat the process with acetone. This includes back flushing with the acetone. Then the needle is taken out and given a good wipe with an acetone soaked rag or paper towel. Before replacing the needle I apply a small amount of airbrush lube to the needle and run the needle back and forth between my fingers a couple times to spread the lube and also get rid of any excess lube. After the needle is placed back in the air brush I pour a small amount of acetone in the cup and hold my finger over the nozzle and press down on the trigger. Don't pull back on the trigger. Only depress it. This will deliver air pressure to the nozzle, but not any liquid in the bowl. If the needle is seated properly there will be no bubbles coming back into the bowl. If the needle isn't seated properly you will see small bubbles in the bowl. This usually means the nozzle is not clean and still has paint residue in it. If this is the case then I would recommend pulling the needle back just far enough to clear the nozzle and then soak the entire front end of the airbrush in the Createx Airbrush Restorer overnight with another round of back flushing after the soaking. I have a small glass jar that the front end of my airbrush will fit into for this purpose. You can use the airbrush restorer multiple times. It will still work even after it's turned to a yellowish tint. The gunk from your airbrush will settle to the bottom of the container and as long as you don't shake it up so the gunk on the bottom starts swirling around you can continue to use it. One word of caution. If your having trouble getting the nozzle clean you will be tempted to try and dig out any dried paint with the needle. The tip of the airbrush needle is very fragile and if bent can cause you even more problems. If there's anything you don't understand, or if you have any questions about the above, just holler back and I will try to help. Ben Edited June 4, 2013 by RayburnGuy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brent R Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Ben you did a great job explaining how to clean and back flush..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBlaze Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Ben you did a great job explaining how to clean and back flush..... x2, thanks, I just purchased an Eclipse gravity feed, with this info I should be able to keep it in good working order. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inrll Posted June 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 You guys are awesome! I'm very impressed with the amount of knowledge thats shared here and really appreciate it. RayburnGuy once again you have explained it perfectly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetickhound Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) If you are interested.... Harbor Freight sells a set of micro brushes that have been a godsend fir me to keep my AB clean... Along with almost everything Ben said. I have stayed away from using acetone in my AB due to concerns about it attacking the chrome finish inside the bowl.. I use ammonia free (make SURE it's ammonia free...for the same reason I have mentioned about acetone....) windex for my backflushing... Edited June 4, 2013 by bluetickhound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobP Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Bluetick, I've only heard that cleaners containing ammonia strip chrome. I've used acetone for years without noticing any damage and I like it because it is one of the most volatile solvents and so dissolves paint very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetickhound Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 (edited) I use acetone for cleanup with all my regular bristle type brushes (it does a great job on D2T!) and for other non-luremaking tasks. Maybe I have been laboring under a false premise! My mind is pretty feeble so it's entirely possible I just misunderstood what I had read earlier. I know (from cruel experience.....) that ammonia is an airbrush killer.... I just somehow got it fixed in my mind that a hot solvent like acetone would be harmful also.... If Ben has been using it without ill effect then I feel pretty safe that its ok. I'm glad to be corrected on this because acetone will flat clean up some paint! Edited June 4, 2013 by bluetickhound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Thanks guys. Just trying to help where I can. BTH, I've been using acetone to clean my Iwata for a good while now with no ill effects. After cleaning the inside I give the outside of the brush a wipe down with an acetone soaked paper towel to keep any over spray from building up on it and the chrome is just as shiny now as the day I bought it. I can't speak for other airbrushes as I don't know how well their chrome plating process adheres to the metal, but so far it's not a problem with the Iwata. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravenlures Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Why not denatured alcohol it seems a lot safer then acetone Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Why not denatured alcohol it seems a lot safer then acetone Wayne I tried both before deciding on the acetone. The acetone just did a much better job of cleaning the paint out of my airbrush. Today's airbrushes use a Teflon needle packing that is impervious to all the solvents I know of and acetone, as far as I can tell after using it for several years, does not attack the chrome. So far me it wasn't a matter of using something that was safer than acetone since no harm was being done to the airbrush by using acetone. But that's just me. If anyone is leery of using acetone then by all means don't use it. I was just describing in the previous post what I do to clean my airbrush. It was not meant to mean that was the only way to do it. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluetickhound Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have an Iwata also... A High Line HP-CH... I'm sure I could spend more money on an AB but this one is so far beyond my current talent level that there's bo reason for me to get anything else... I love (as in LOVE!!!) my Iwata. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have an Iwata also... A High Line HP-CH... I'm sure I could spend more money on an AB but this one is so far beyond my current talent level that there's bo reason for me to get anything else... I love (as in LOVE!!!) my Iwata. I have the same brush and like you say it is so far above my level of talent I'll never need anything else. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcori3 Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Like above, after every color change i back flush till no paint is left. If there is a little then i take a q-tip and swab it out. Then i run a little more water through it. The backflushing makes a huge difference in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayburnGuy Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Like above, after every color change i back flush till no paint is left. If there is a little then i take a q-tip and swab it out. Then i run a little more water through it. The backflushing makes a huge difference in my opinion. Need to be extra careful with the q-tips. If you get any of the cotton fibers hung up in the nozzle and they get mixed with a little paint it can be a real p.i.t.a. to get it clean again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcori3 Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Thanks Rayburn, i will get away from the q-tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crzyjunyer Posted June 12, 2013 Report Share Posted June 12, 2013 my ritual is very similar to rayburn's but my first step is to take a paper towel over my finger and wipe the bowl out to get rid of most of the paint left with it. My first back flush is then with some of what ever thinner im using for the paint and then water. i found if i put my water in an old twist top honey mustard bottle (it was clear so i can see water level) i can add just a touch of water with out making a mess. After a paint session i break my gun down and then put my nozzle in a shot glass and then pour in some acetone to soak it and also dip into to clean my airbrush with. i have an old needle i use to help clean inside the nozzle with. I later added a piece of tape to the old needle to keep it separate (learned by mistake). You do have to watch using acetone around any non teflon o-rings though. It will stretch them out and cause them to malfunction (oops), but if you can catch it early and set them out to air dry out for a few days they are usually ok. My eclipse's (hp-cs and hp-bcs) both still have rubber o-rings on the nozzle cap and packing head for trigger. The latter one was a pain to find and figure out when it happened. One minute gun would work and then it wouldnt even get air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
