cleaning airbrushes & paintbrushes?

[High Lord Apocalypse]

AIRBRUSH
do you guys just run airbrush cleaner through the brush once or twice for cleaning?
do you remove the needle each time youre done for the day and clean the needle?
what is the proper technique so that the airbrush and needle don't get damaged?

PAINTBRUSH
how do you guys clean your paintbrushes?
do you clean the brushes used for drybrushing the same way?

thanks in advance guys.

[Danno]

AIRBRUSH
do you guys just run airbrush cleaner through the brush once or twice for cleaning?
do you remove the needle each time youre done for the day and clean the needle?
what is the proper technique so that the airbrush and needle don't get damaged?

Depends on the airbrush. A gravity feed airbrush, simply run cleaner through it until it's clean. Maybe once every 5-6 kits, I may pull the needle and give the brush a nice cleaning.

PAINTBRUSH
how do you guys clean your paintbrushes?
do you clean the brushes used for drybrushing the same way?

I just use Windsor and Newton brush cleaner, dip the brush and rinse off with water. All paint brushes I clean doing this.

[moon_knight1971]

I shoot water through my AB after each paint change. I shoot AB cleaner through it every 2 - 3 days or after approx. 3 hours of use. I will take the needle out and clean the head for dried paint at that point and wipe off any excess dried paint on the needle as well. For my brushes, I simply rinse it off in water and get good results since I never have paint on my brushes for longer than a minute.

[Elia Cid]

Originally Posted by Tony D

AIRBRUSH
do you guys just run airbrush cleaner through the brush once or twice for cleaning?
do you remove the needle each time youre done for the day and clean the needle?
what is the proper technique so that the airbrush and needle don't get damaged?

PAINTBRUSH
how do you guys clean your paintbrushes?
do you clean the brushes used for drybrushing the same way?

thanks in advance guys.

Tony,

I use IWATA airbrushes exclusively. I just think they are the best, so I like to take good care of my equipment.
I have a fleet of airbrushes and three compressors that I depend on to get my work out.

I create my own cleaner for acrylics paints, 1 part ammonia odorless 3 parts Windex or any widow cleaner with ammonia .
This stuff is strong make sure you do this in a well vented area. Pour only what you are going to use as I losses its punch exposed to air for a long time.

For stronger cleaning I use equal parts. I put this solution in a sprayer bottle and spray it directly into the airbrush flushing it out, on bottle feed airbrushes I just keep a bottle of this stuff around.

I also use Q-tips and cotton balls and every once and a while acetone for real stubborn areas .
I flush out the airbrush with this solution at every color change. But before I call it a day I take every airbrush I used apart for a detailed cleaning with this solution and lubricate the needle.

All my hand brushes are Winsor & Newton series number 7 kolinsky sables and Winsor & Newton white bristle ,I dip them in the same solution and rinse with tap water after ever use.

All my water dishes and solution bowls are made of porcelain for ease of cleaning.

Hope this helped Tony,

Alex (Trismegistus)

[High Lord Apocalypse]

thanks a lot alex!!!!

['Nuff]

mark

[DanPerezStudios]

Handy tip--they make these tiny little cylindrical bristle brushes (usually attacked to a plastic toothpick thingie) for cleaning dental work. These brushes are small enough to fit into the paint channel of your airbrush once it's been disassembled (needle and microtip removed). Dip it in thinner and push into the channel. Good for cleaning out the gunk.

I clean the brush and remove the needle after every painting session. I use the thing above about every five or six kits.

[riderV3]

Though I don't use air brush anymore but back then I literally dissemble the whole brush to clean each time after use.
I don't really use any special cleaner, just run the thinner through about 3~4 times, then run some water.
Then took the whole thing apart to clean the needle and other compartments and let dry.


As for brushes, just dip them into, again, thinner then rinse them with water, WALA!

[cap70]

Originally Posted by Danno

Depends on the airbrush. A gravity feed airbrush, simply run cleaner through it until it's clean. Maybe once every 5-6 kits, I may pull the needle and give the brush a nice cleaning.

THat's what I do.

[fenix v.2.0]

Originally Posted by DanPerezStudios

Handy tip--they make these tiny little cylindrical bristle brushes (usually attacked to a plastic toothpick thingie) for cleaning dental work. These brushes are small enough to fit into the paint channel of your airbrush once it's been disassembled (needle and microtip removed). Dip it in thinner and push into the channel. Good for cleaning out the gunk.

I clean the brush and remove the needle after every painting session. I use the thing above about every five or six kits.

Dan, where can I get that brush at? How small is it? Any pic?