hey,

I recently purchased this great airbrush from Lucky Models.

I'm very happy with the results this piece can yield but I'm not sure how to clean it considering it has the finest needle tip I have ever seen.
it would really help if someone who has this airbrush (or a similar airbrush with a very fine needle end) can share their cleaning methods.

also, where can i buy replacment needles (just in case...)?

First, get yourself a piece of brass wire the same diameter as the fat end of the needle.

Rinse out the brush.

Take off the color cup. I usually drop it into a container of water (I spray acryllics) so I can concentrate on the body and nozzles.

Then fill the small resivior in the body and 'backflush' the brush by covering the nozzle end with your finger
and pressing and rocking the trigger.
Be careful this will bubble paint/thinner out of the opening in the body.

To disassemble and clean it, first take off the back end.
Then loosen the locking knob for the needle, slide the needle out and slide the brass rod in just far enough to engage the trigger assembly, but not so far as to block the paint channel at the front end.
.
This keeps the trigger parts from coming out while you are cleaning the rest of the brush and prevents you from damaging the needle while cleaning as well.

The front end has two layers of covers.
Unscrew both and drop them into a small continer of thinner.
Use the supplied wrench to take off the tiny nozzle and drop it in as well. Be REALLY careful with this part! It costs US$42 to replace here in the states from Coast Airbrush!
I speak from experience here having dropped/bumped the partly disassembled brush with the nozzle and needles still in place. Replacement cost US$70!


Now that these parts are safe from paint drying on them, you can clean the needle and brush body.

I wipe the needle with thinner and set it aside inside the foam storage unit for the brush while I am cleaning the rest of the parts.

I use microbrushes to 'scrub' the inside of the brush body and flush it with a laboratory squeeze bottle of thinner -rubbing alcohol in this case-.

The covers are cleaned with a Q-tip or 'ear bud' if you're in Canada/Europe. Those little sticks with the cotton on both ends to clean your ears with.. what do they call them in Israel?

A white micro brush is about the only thing I've found small enough to clean INSIDE the nozzle , again, be careful and work over a clean area. you WILL drop this part several times.

Re assemble in reverse order, nozzle, covers, THEN needle, and rear end of the brush.

I can scan the tamiya instructions from mine if that would help.

Any more questions,. drop me a line.

HTH
Mike

Called Q-tips here....

hmm.. sorry bout that.

My friend in the Canadian military was always going on about 'ear buds' and I thought it was a Canadian-ism too.

Mike

they're called "Applicators" in Israel.

thanks for the comprehensive instructions, Mike.
do you apply this routine after every paint session or only once in a few weeks/months?
also, when shooting two different colours in the same seesion, do you clean before loading up the next colour or do you just spray the next colour and only clean when finished?

I do not get to paint all that often, so yes. I do a 'full clean' every time I use the brush.
I clean the inside of the brush every time, but often let the nozzle and covers sit , submerged in rubbing aclohol for a day or so, mostly when I forget...
There are no rubber gaskets in these parts, so it should not hurt them to soak in thinner either.

If I am changing colors, I flush out the brush as if I am cleaning it. Cover the tip and spray to bubble back up into the cup.
rinse w water
and spray through a few cc's of water onto white paper to check to see if paint is left.
Then add the new paint.

I'll also use a q-tip 'applicator' soaked w rubbing alc, retract the needle -pull back- , and then clean the cover end and nozzle tip too.

HTH.
Mike

Thanks Mike, I'll try this method next time I use my airbrush!