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Hey all,

So, after having been at this mini painting hobby now for just shy of two years, I’ve decided to take the plunge and ask my beloved for an Airbrush for Christmas.

The model I’ve selected is the Harder and Steenbeck Ultra 2024. This has received generally positive reviews by various airbrush users and seems a good choice for beginners.

Now, the main query I have for any regular airbrush users is as follows:

Is back flushing necessary, or even the best, way to thin paint and or assist with cleaning?

I have seen many videos online where users seem to mix the paint in the cup by adding thinner/flow improver into the cup first, then paint, and then back flush to mix. These same people then empty the cup by rinsing with water and back flushing to clean between paints.

Another artist, Marco Frisoni, advises against backflushing and seems to mix his paints in a separate tray first and then spray the unused paint directly into a cleaning bowl before adding airbrush cleaner to the pot and flushing that directly out of the nozzle to clean between paints.

Interestingly Vince Venturella (who is my favourite online tutor) advises strongly against emptying unused paint by spraying it out into a cleaner and uses the back flush method.

The airbrush I’m (hopefully) getting actually has many holes in the nozzle which some say makes backflushing difficult.

So, I understand this might seems unnecessarily complex and/or trivial to regular airbrush users but… what in your experience would you say… backflush or don’t backflush?

Thanks.

I think backflushing is more of a requirement for airbrushes with screw-in nozzles, as the nozzle is very delicate and it means you don't have to take the nozzle off to clean it so often. The H&S has a floating nozzle that is just held in place by the nozzle cap, so can be easily removed and replaced for cleaning.

I do sometimes still backflush my (original model) H&S Ultra, either for cleaning or for mixing, and as far as I can tell it's fine. Not seen it cause any problems.

As for the holes in the nozzle - you can buy an official cap to pop over the end of the airbrush to seal it, or you can do what I do and either use a wadded-up paper towel or squidge a bit of blu-tack around the end...

My experience with airbrushes is that you need to experiment a bit to find out what works for your workflow and the specific equipment you have. some airbrushes will be more or less sensitive to different approaches using different paints of different pigment and solvent types.

Its one of the more irritating things about airbrushing in my experience, but then I might just not be very good at it

Ultimately, what you are trying to avoid is paint drying in the critical narrow parts of the brush, such that you don't need to totally disassemble the thing and soak the contamination out. And also maybe pushing paint back up the needle

My experience is that mixing in separate cups allows more control over the colour and consistency of a paint in an easier to control environment, before putting it in the cup. I used to just mix in the cup, but was having difficulty when mixing.

I picked up a set like the link below, so the cost to try out both methods for yourself is pretty low

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Palette-Diameter-Droppers-Watercolors-Water-Based/dp/B0CGL4VBTT/ref=asc_df_B0CGL4VBTT?mcid=eeb35a8582eb38c4afd7850fe550d77c&tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=697290150407&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15602085811752390936&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9220740&hvtargid=pla-2274657507771&psc=1&gad_source=1

I bought a packet of about 50 plastic disposable shot-glasses from Asda for about a quid, I do my paint mixing in them...

I use small plastic syringe to mix paint. The scale helps to get the right proportions of mixture, plus it is easy to mix by adding some air and shaking. The only downside is that it takes some time to clean it up inside.

Thanks for the replies.

So it seems the preferred method is to mix separately. Makes sense to me.

How do you guys generally clean between paint changes then? Flush the cup out into a bowl and then fire some cleaner through the nozzle? No backflushing…

Just curious

I'll add another vote for not blackflushing to mix paint, I find that it tends to force paint up in to the body of the airbrush all the way to the trigger. These days I just mix in a small metal dish and then pour into the cup.

As for cleaning, I pour any excess out then flush the cup out with water, then some airbrush cleaner or ipa before doing anything else. I use an old bursh to get anything at the bottom of the cup around the needle loose. After that I'll shoot some cleaner etc though and maybe back flush if it seems like there is anything chucky in there that will clog up the nozzle.

I'd also like to add that at some point you will have to disassemble it to deal with a clog in the nozzle, when it happens you should take the need out the front of the brush rather than the back. You don't want to pull the paint covered needle back through the body of the airbrush.

The last thing I'd add is that while water based acrylic paints are perfectly capable of being put through an airbrush, they are always going to cause more issues with clogs in the nozzle. I find alcohol based acrylics like the Tamiya range are much nicer to work with though an airbrush.

Bencyclopedia wrote:
I'll add another vote for not blackflushing to mix paint, I find that it tends to force paint up in to the body of the airbrush all the way to the trigger. These days I just mix in a small metal dish and then pour into the cup.

As for cleaning, I pour any excess out then flush the cup out with water, then some airbrush cleaner or ipa before doing anything else. I use an old bursh to get anything at the bottom of the cup around the needle loose. After that I'll shoot some cleaner etc though and maybe back flush if it seems like there is anything chucky in there that will clog up the nozzle.

I'd also like to add that at some point you will have to disassemble it to deal with a clog in the nozzle, when it happens you should take the need out the front of the brush rather than the back. You don't want to pull the paint covered needle back through the body of the airbrush.

The last thing I'd add is that while water based acrylic paints are perfectly capable of being put through an airbrush, they are always going to cause more issues with clogs in the nozzle. I find alcohol based acrylics like the Tamiya range are much nicer to work with though an airbrush.

Thanks for this. I think what I’ll go with is what you all seem to be primarily suggesting and mix my paints in little trays before adding them. I’ll then clean the cup with distilled water and flush through distilled water between paints and airbrush cleaner then water at the end of the session.

I have a routine in mind now so thanks. Seems keeping backflushing to a minimum is the safest route.