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Hey all,

What does everyone use to clean their airbrush after using citadel colours? I have a badger patriot 105 and I can get regular citadel colours to spray nice, but cleaning the airbrush after is a nightmare. I normally use tamiya acrylic and afterword I run tamiya airbrush cleaner through and it gets everything. With citadel there’s always paint stuck under the needle and in near the tip. The only way to get the leftover paint is to remove the needle and scrub the paint away with a paint brush dipped in cleaner. Even then it’s a workout getting it clean. Any tips on maybe a different cleaner or technique? I have been using tamiya x-20a as my thinner. Maybe this is a problem?

Lightswitch wrote:
Hey all,

What does everyone use to clean their airbrush after using citadel colours? I have a badger patriot 105 and I can get regular citadel colours to spray nice, but cleaning the airbrush after is a nightmare. I normally use tamiya acrylic and afterword I run tamiya airbrush cleaner through and it gets everything. With citadel there’s always paint stuck under the needle and in near the tip. The only way to get the leftover paint is to remove the needle and scrub the paint away with a paint brush dipped in cleaner. Even then it’s a workout getting it clean. Any tips on maybe a different cleaner or technique? I have been using tamiya x-20a as my thinner. Maybe this is a problem?

Never had a particular problem with Citadel paints. Most of my airbrush cleaning problems result from the color of paint (blue/purple/green/brown are the worst) rather than the brand.

I mostly use Vajello Thinners and cleaners, if that matters.

I seem to recall Tamiya thinner working well with Tamiya paints, but turning things like Citadel or Vallejo a bit gummy. It's been a while, though, so I may be talking out of somewhere other than my mouth...

I always use an old, bushy brush to help get the stubborn bits (tip-dry, as well as under the needle and near the nozzle inside the cup) out - just spraying mild solvent through never seems to be enough, even with a bit of intentional backflow. It's an extra step, but far from a workout. The sooner you clean, the better - dried stuff takes soaking, then scrubbing, and comes off in flakes and chunks instead of liquid that can be drained and rinsed away.

As for the actual solvent, I've used Vallejo cleaner, isopropyl alcohol (both 70 and 90%, generic drug store fare), and glass cleaner (Windex and generic - both with and without ammonia). Balancing cost and efficacy, I generally stuck with generic, store-brand glass cleaner with ammonia. Couple of bucks at Walmart or the like for an amount that will last years, unless you're airbrushing an insane amount. I have a (weakly) filtered spray jar for cleaning and decent ventilation, though - in tight quarters, the ammonia vapors can build up. Nothing that ever caused ME to fuss, but the onus of health and safety is on the user, in these cases.

Go to the automotive section of your local dollar store and get some windshield washer fluid. Best airbrush cleaner I've ever used, and the cheapest. It's basically just premixed distilled water, glass cleaner, and isopropyl alcohol in pretty much the perfect ratio for cleaning out acrylic paint. Run it through the brush after painting and then run some distilled water through afterwards to rinse. I don't think I've bothered using my ultrasonic cleaner since I switched over to it a year and a half ago.

I've heard stories of the amonia in glass cleaner eating through chrome, but have never actually seen any evidence of it

Make your own cleaner. Use distilled water, windex, iso alcohol, and Glycerine.
45%,45%/9%/1%
I mix it in a 16 oz spray bottle, just put about 20 drops of glycerin in it.

As far as actual cleaning.
Dump paint. Then spray cleaner in the cup. Then backflow and dump painty water again.
Then spray some more cleaner, dump paint. Should be fairly clear/clean at this point.
Spray the last little bit of water through the tip.
Then use finger or towel to wick away any residue on the sides.