Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I have been using my airbrush a lot recently and I have noticed that the Createx cleaner I picked up doesn't seem to do much more than water. It definitely smells chemically and I spray into a cleaning pot but I feel like I have to scrub the cup a lot and it doesn't do a good job of dislodging/dissolving any paint left in the cup or the tip. Comments and advice are welcome.

I mix equal parts Simple Green (medium dilution) and 91% rubbing alcohol in the cup for use as a cleaning solution. Once the airbrush is clean, rinse thoroughly with distilled water.

I use this method because everything is readily available cheaply in large quantities and it works fine.

I use Vallejo cleaner. It's not very aggressive either, but with some rubbing it will clean the cup nicely.

+1 for vallejo cleaner, but I'll also frequently use isopropyl as well (it can gum up the paints though)

+1 for Vallejo from me too. Vallejo cleaner is super duper awesome, as far as I'm concerned

It's a little pricey, though -- at least in my part of the world. We must be the Australia of Vallejo products, because I think I live about the only place where Vallejo actually costs more than GW (and, well, every other brand of just about everything).

But anyways. I airbrush a reasonable amount and change paints a lot, so I only use Vallejo cleaner at the end of the session, or if I've used a particularly thick paint, or a metallic and I want to ensure that as much of it is gone as possible.

During the session, I use Iwata cleaner, which is NOT as good, but it costs, like 1/5 the price of Vallejo. Ironically, I pour the Iwata cleaner into an old Vallejo cleaner bottle (the 200-ish mL one), because the Vallejo bottles are way, way better. The Iwata cleaner also has less of an odor (I think it actually has no odor at all, but my nose isn't great for such things).

Anyone tried the Minitaire stuff? That's cheaper than Vallejo, but I've never tried it.

Anyway, my vote also goes to Vallejo Airbrush cleaner, isopropyl is also good but it makes some paints (including vallejo) go gummy. It'll still remove them, but just not as nicely as the Vallejo stuff.

My approach is basically....

Acrylics like Vallejo: Rinse with water, final clean with Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner.

Acrylics like Tamiya: Both rinse and final clean with isopropyl.

Enamels: Rinse with white spirit and final clean (just a couple of drops) using whatever enamel thinner I'm using (either Testors or Humbrol).

I find that the Vallejo cleaner also flushes out quickly and has minimal reaction to paints you use after it, no worrying about whether it's all out of the system.

But yes, it isn't cheap. Where I live, I can only find the golf ball sized bottles of it.

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
But yes, it isn't cheap. Where I live, I can only find the golf ball sized bottles of it.

For some reason out here the 85ml bottles are cheaper per volume than the 200ml ones Go figure.

AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
But yes, it isn't cheap. Where I live, I can only find the golf ball sized bottles of it.

For some reason out here the 85ml bottles are cheaper per volume than the 200ml ones Go figure.

LOL. It's like the mini cans of coke. They cost more than the big ones \

One other thing -- the Vallejo airbrush cleaner is really nice for wiping down the needle after. It takes stuff off that you don't even know is there. I think it's also easier on things like seals and such than isopropyl. I use a rinse bottle (one of those things with a hooked straw thing on the top) to rinse out all the loose paint first, and use a nail tee (basically a pointy q-tip) to clean out the cup *before* I use the airbrush cleaner.

Any tips for cleaning the chamber around the trigger on an HP-CS, Talys? I've tried everything from soaking to a professional
Ultrasonic cleaner, but there's yellow paint caked in there from the first owner.
It doesn't affect the action, but I know. It's there.

 Buttery Commissar wrote:
It doesn't affect the action, but I know. It's there.

I feel your pain, the crazy is real here too

Just stopping in to say thanks for all the advice guys! Great discussion.

I have had a lot of success with either 91% or 99% alcohol.

Now, you need to check and see how it reacts with your paints - some paints it just makes gummy (tamyia I think????).

Anyway, regular cleaning is the key - I spray some alcohol quickly through my brush after every color, and if the paint was thick - I pull and wipe the needle. But the most important thing is to give it a better cleaning at the end of the session - that really helps.

best of luck!