I just bought my first airbrush, a Badger 150. The instructions are pretty vauge on cleaning. They say to fill side cup, or bottle, with thinner and spray till no more paint comes out. I'm thinking there should be a little more to it than that? Don't want to ruin it by lack of cleaning. Does anyone have any tips on cleaning?

I guess I'm just going to have to experiment with amounts of paint to mix and add to side cup. I'm not sure I would ever do a job that prompted me to fill the siphon jar? That seem like a lot of paint.

I know, stupid questions from a complete novice...... I'm just trying to learn from the pros.
Thanks for any advice you can give....

I dont have a cup, mine has a bottle but heres what i'd do-
I would try get as much of the excess paint out of the cup using kitchen roll or the like.
Then spray at a piece of white paper until i can see there is no more paint going on to the paper, then i would spray airbrush cleaner or the appropriate thinner for the paint into the cup. This should forces excess paint out. I then carefully take the nozzel of and the needle protecter and again spray and wipe all the areas clean. I take my time at this because you really dont want to leave any paint behind to harden.
Its a good idea to have a clean piece of kitchen roll next to your airbrush so you can place the pieces down that you've cleaned and ensure that they dont pick up any dirt etc.
I suppose the main thing is to be thorough when cleaning your airbrush.
if you find that you do have excess paint left you could always pour it into a new jar and save it for the next time your using that colour.
Hope this helps.

I have a badger 175 and my cleaning routine is this
1. Paint.
2. Remove the cup and spary out all the paint in the airbrush, turn the brush upside down and spray till the excess is out.
3. Use thinner/cleaner and spray through the airbrush till that looks clean.
4. Remove the noozle, needle cover, and needle and clean each with thinner and QTips or towel.
5. Clean the paint cup with thinner and qtips.

The only time I deviate is when I am doing a series of paint colors that go from light to dark and then I may increase step 3 and skip step 4. I don't do it vary often because of potential color mixing in the AB.

Hi Wardster

Flushing the airbrush with thinners is fine between colours but, sooner or later, you'll have to take things apart and give the pieces a really thorough clean. :-)

If paint has really dried, I soak the pieces in cellulose (laquer) thinners for a while. For cleaning, I use the same stuff with a cotton bud, tooth-pick, pipe-cleaner and a tiny interdental brush.

Be careful not to damage the tip or the needle - these are what make the airbrush spray accurately. The needle can be bent very easily, so go easy...

Cleaning is boring, but essential for good airbrush performance.

Hope this helps :-)

Rowan

:-) I have a Badger 200 single action. It is correct that you must keep you airbrush clean and your needle damage free. Don't get paranoid you can repair your needle, I have several times. To ensure my brush stays free of paint, after painting and flushing through with thinner, I strip it down and store the body, nozzle, paint tip, syphon tubeand jar connector in a jar of cellulose thinner. At my next painting session, while the paint is warming :-) I clean the parts using tissues, cotton buds, pipe cleaners etc. :-)
Mal