Harder and Steenbeck airbrush

[Guest]

I have two of these an Evolution and recently bought an Infinity.
Both are lovely ABs to use especially the Infinity for very fine detail work.
Both of these are easy to clean which leads me onto my issue.
At the end of each use I clean these by usual methods eg flushing plenty of Ultimate cleaner through and also back flushing.
Once left for a day or so I then find that the needle is very stiff and on pulling the trigger back it will not return under the spring tension. This will free up easily if more AB cleaner is introduced and sprayed through.
It appears that unless I fully strip down the AB after each use then this is always the same.
Any thoughts or ideas the paint does not appear to be passing past the tripple needle seals.
Please help cheers Alan

[Guest]

Hoping to be helpful and not intending to sound off.
There's a big difference between flushing, (what you're doing) and cleaning, (which involves a strip down).
There are many tiny crevices, nooks and crannies where paint can and will sit and dry.
As someone who used to use professional spray gun equipment in a garage something I learned early on was a proper strip and clean routine at the end of the day saves a much longer more tedious clean the following day plus time lost plus correction work, knowing that when you pick up your airbrush it'll work flawlessly is worth the 5-10 minutes it takes once the routine is there to strip and clean at the end of your painting session.
Flushing through is something that should solely be reserved for between paint changes or pauses while coats dry.
If you follow this guide below it'll show the routine I follow after every spray session, (one addition these days is that I ream the nozzle with a 0.6mm interdental brush to clean paint from the threads between nozzle and paint cup)

Excuse the volume it was filmed a few years ago in my hobby which was then above my young sons bedroom so I was trying not to be too loud.
Once the routine is down it takes 5-10 min max so there's no reason not to.

[col68]

Alan I had the same problem even after a good clean the needle would stick when using Tamiya paints.
After checking the needle and fluid tip I found that most airbrush cleaners did not remove the paint from the inside of the tip. So I started flushing with Tamiya thinners after I'd washed out the airbrush that seemed to cure the problem

[Guest]

Have to say I only strip down my Iwata Hi Line HP CH after a week. It only has one seal in the handle, one in the air chamber stem (where the air hose connects) and one in the micro air control. Never had any problems as Iwata airbrushes are designed so that there is no chance that paint will reach the seals if used properly.
Cheers, John

[Guest]

Just another thing, Ultimate airbrush cleaner is all very we'll, but I find it is too soft. The best airbrush cleaner I have used is the Mr Hobby Tool cleaner. Very efficient stuff, it cleans your AB very well
Back flushing isn't the greatest way to clean as it stirs up the paint and puts the seals under great pressure, sending the paint back into the AB. ABs are designed for air to go forward and by pushing it back, the seals loosen up over time
Cheers, John

[Guest]

Just one question: why wouldn't you fully disassemble and clean the airbrush after use?
I even do it between paints if I'm going from a dark to a light colour and it only takes 2-3 minutes to strip down, clean and assemble again.

I use both isopropanol and cellulose thinner to clean my airbrush but I've had to change one o-ring to one that won't dissolve with cellulose thinner.
I never backflush my airbrush since that has a tendency to push paint/thinner back into the mechanism of the airbrush, and that wasn't fun to clean when it did this with AMMO primer... Much easier to disassemble and just clean.

It's an expensive piece the airbrush and something I want to take care of.

[Guest]

I used to do that, but found that it was far less efficient. If I had a heavy day of spraying, I might do a full strip down. However, as mentioned before, the way Iwata airbrushes are designed maximises cleaning efficiency. In my opinion, stripping it down and putting it back together would simply be wearing the metal and seals down. It might be different with an H&S, but Iwatas are extremely dependable

[BarryW]

I do a strip clean at the end of nearly every session. If I was not doing much spraying, a quick touch up perhaps, of a quick 'half-cup' then I dont bother with a strip clean and just spray a cup or two of ipa. If I have a longer session, perhaps with several colour changes, I always strip clean at the end of the session. That is the beauty of H&S, they are just so very easy to strip.

[Guest]

I have an H&S.

Buy the little sharp tip cleaner. You probably have a wee build up there.

Use the blue super lube you can buy from all the ab suppliers every time you do a strip down. It's magic and makes a good difference.

I do a strip down every now and then. I used to do it every day I used it but I have become slightly lazy. When you strip it a lot you get very quick at it.

As above you are probably not getting all the paint out but... Maybe you are also pushing the needle into the end far too hard. When you reassemble just push the needle to the top with the lightest of touches. Otherwise you flare the seat open and destroy it. You just can't see it with the naked eye.

If you buy the cleaning tool use it with very little if any pressure. Also buy all the tools to remove the back seals and some spares. Always handy to have.

[Guest]

I too have a H&S and strip it down to clean after every session. It only takes a few minutes. My routine (for acrylics) is:
- Flush with water/thinners/IPA to remove the worst of the colour
- Remove the cup and wipe with IPA
- Remove the nozzle assembly
- Wipe the needle guard with a cotton wool bud or interdental brush, with IPA
- Clean the nozzle with an interdental brush and IPA (I have the reamer but hardly ever use it)
- Remove the needle (from the nozzle end) and wipe with IPA
- Drip a little IPA into the needle cavity and clean with one of those brushes that look like a long thin toilet brush, that you can get cheaply from an AB supplier*
- Reassemble and spray some IPA

* I always used to have the problem of the needle sticking. This for me was what cured it.

Reading through the above, I can't believe it only takes a few minutes, but it really does.

[Guest]

I too have a H&S and strip it down to clean after every session. It only takes a few minutes. My routine (for acrylics) is:
- Flush with water/thinners/IPA to remove the worst of the colour
- Remove the cup and wipe with IPA
- Remove the nozzle assembly
- Wipe the needle guard with a cotton wool bud or interdental brush, with IPA
- Clean the nozzle with an interdental brush and IPA (I have the reamer but hardly ever use it)
- Remove the needle (from the nozzle end) and wipe with IPA
- Drip a little IPA into the needle cavity and clean with one of those brushes that look like a long thin toilet brush, that you can get cheaply from an AB supplier*
- Reassemble and spray some IPA

* I always used to have the problem of the needle sticking. This for me was what cured it.

Reading through the above, I can't believe it only takes a few minutes, but it really does.

You and me have the exact same procedure!
Unless I've used a dodgy paint that really sticks it only takes 3-4 minutes, and that includes a proper clean of the airbrush exterior as well.
When using Tamiya paints thinned with ISO or cellulose thinner it's very easy to clean.
If I've done a lengthy paint run, like 1 hour +, with many different colours, it might take 5-6 minutes to get everything 100% clean, but I never leave the airbrush in any other state than looking brand new.

I've got an entry level H&S Ultra but it has learned me proper trigger control and currently I see no reason for getting a more expensive version with adjustable air & paint volume control - but it is a feature I wouldn't mind to have one day...
Having two with different nozzle sizes would be nice.