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My airbrush finaly arrived (I opted for a very cheap version that is only realy fit for basecoating since compresors are more expensive here and the buying power isn't great either) and am wondering what you would recommend for cleaning it? Right now I have an acetone free nail polish remover that has served me well for removing paint from models, but is it strong enough to clean an airbrush? Should I just get the acetone one? Also solutions branded specificaly for cleaning airbrushes aren't an option (I haven't found a store that sells them) and simple green is not sold in Croatia either.

An airbrush contains rubber seals. So you need a solvent that will remove paint, but not damage the seals.
I suppose acetone will have an adverse effect on the seals (although I haven't tested it myself). Also it's a bit toxic and I wouldn't want to aerosol it.

In the cheap/easy to find category, you have rubbing alcohol (usually isopropanol) which is decent. You can probably pick a 70-90% concentration bottle for very cheap at your local supermarket or pharmacy.

Yeah most paints will clean up just fine using a water:alcohol mix.

The new GW Air paints won't though fyi if that's what you're using.

 Gunzhard wrote:
Yeah most paints will clean up just fine using a water:alcohol mix.

The new GW Air paints won't though fyi if that's what you're using.

The acetone free nail polish remover should work in that case, it's mostly made out of alcohol and it's cheap.
I will be using waterded down citadel paints since that is what I have.

For regular (thinned) GW paints alcohol will still work, it's just that new "Air" formula they have, that's so tough to clean.

Look online for the formulas for airbrush cleaning solutions, then take a trip to the local chemical dealer or pharmacy. One online recipe I saw was 2 parts distilled water, 1 part rubbing alchohol, and a few drops of dish detergent.

If you use anything with ammonia, be sure to flush with water after cleaning as ammonia will react with paint you put into the gun afterwards. Don't use anything with acetone as it will eat your rubber seals.

I use a 50:50 mix of SImple Green (1 part Simple Green to 9 parts water) and 91% isopropyl alcohol. Rinse with distilled water. You can also dip a cotton bud in it and use it to clean off tip dry.

I use IPA 91% and an ultrasonic cleaner. Little heat, little shake - good as new.

Oil with Hopps #9 (firearm oil) for a smooth action.

What would you do if say you forgot to clean your airbrush or didn't do it properly? How would you clean it from hardened acrylic paint? This didn't happen to me, but it might in the future.

Power Elephant wrote:
What would you do if say you forgot to clean your airbrush or didn't do it properly? How would you clean it from hardened acrylic paint? This didn't happen to me, but it might in the future.

Let it soak in solvent (like isopropanol) for a while to soften the paint deposit, than use a brush to remove it.
I tend to do that regularly for my nozzle, as I sometimes have dried-up paint build up in it.

Folow up question. What is the advantage of branded airbrush cleaners? Compared to nail polish remover MIG airbrush cleaner is 150% more expensive. But is it worth trying out anyway?

Alcohol will dry out your rubber O rings in your brush. Depending on how much you paid for your airbrush you might want to take care if it.

This the only cleaner that I use. It is a little expensive but it works the best out of all the ones I've tried. It's made specifically for airbrushes. Iwata Media Cleaner.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Iwata-Medea-Airbrush-Cleaner-32-oz-Standard-Packaging-/152590672232?hash=item23871ce168:g:pWIAAOSwPWRZRntj

From what I've tried:
Nail polish remover - NO. The thing killed the rubber O rings.
Isopropyl alchol - kinda OK, still have to unscrew from time to time and clean it with needle/cotton dipped in the same alcohol.
Window cleaning solution, mixed or not mixed with water - NO. I just didn't get it to clean.
MiG airbrush cleaner - works like a charm.
Still have a bottle of H&S branded cleaner to try.

Tl;dr, I'd rather buy a special cleaner than try alchemy at home.

I will definitely buy the branded stuff in that case, though I plan on using up what I already have.
Thanks on all the input.

It depends what kind of paints you intent to shoot via your airbrush.

Are you painting with acrylics? If yes then - Vallejo Airbrush Thinner
Are you painting with laquer paints? If yes then - Iso, Acetone, Or even Mr. Hobby thinners can do the work.

The second option will surely destroy your rubber O ring, so you either make sure your airbrush does not have one or follow this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkqCwc5-tbA

For now I've only used acrylics. I'm still not sure what these O rings are but I checked to see if my airbrush has any rubber and it does. I've also checked to see the exact ingredients of the stuff I use and it says: ethyl acetate, alcohol denat, aqua, simmondsia, chinesis seed oil, sodium sulfate, sodium chloride. So no isopropyl or acetone. Does any of that stuff damage rubber? It would really suck if it does, going from 3 to 7,5$ per bottle.