Airbrush quick-clean: Cleaning between colors

This is a short video detailing how I clean my airbrush between colors or if I'm going to set it aside for a short period of time before picking it up again.
FYI - I'm using one of my gravity feed airbrushes for this demo. This is not going to be the same procedure for a siphon feed.
All content created by Jay Adan - www.jayadan.com
Video recorded on a Sony A6000 - amzn.to/1vOy69G
Edited with Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD - amzn.to/18E5PEb

[@Valkelek]

The process seems trivial, but when you're not accustomed to using the airbrush these basic videos really help. Thanks for sharing.

[@JayAdan]

No problem. I sometimes forget that I didn't know this stuff at one point.

[@josh1674]

This is the number one thing I need to learn as a beginner, because without knowing it, I can't paint! So thanks!

[@marcoherreras6536]

+1 very useful for a total newby

[@thedave8972]

Thanks boss. This is stuff experienced modellers just take for granted but I am an absolute airbrush n00b and seeing it demonstrated is incredibly helpful.

[@PiedmontCentralRailroad]

New to airbrushing and I thought I was cleaning well...I wasn't. I found this very helpful and I'm very appreciative.

[@JayAdan]

Awesome to hear. Airbrushing is simple. Cleaning, not so much.

[@Sange4499]

mate thats all i needed, im new to air brushing, just got my equipment finally sorted - cleaner and paints as well and its painful to find a straight forward 'here's how you do it' for mid painting. cheers

[@barbd5607]

Maintenance should be the number one priority when using an airbrush for the first time. Of course I went straight in, just rinsing with water, blowing it through, until the spray was clear, but then my brush started to lose power. I followed your advice and it works! Thanks so much for doing this.

[@mateusz_0]

I did it also. All videos just show deep clean and not quick clean

[@creative99855]

Yeah I’ve ruined a couple airbrushes before learning 🥲

[@sandrajohnson2489]

I clean my airbrush pretty much the same way in between colors. However, I do a back flush after I've removed most of the wash. It's amazing how much paint is still in the airbrush.

[@sylvestarrr]

What do you mean by back flush?

[@readysetnogo]

@@sylvestarrr Put your finger on the tip of the airbrush to plug it and blow air through it. It will force bubbles back up into the cup bring small debris particles with it. Some people do this as a way to mix the paint that's in the cup already of they're trying to blend or color match some paints. It's just a quick and dirty little trick. It's sometimes called back bubbling depending on who you're talking to.

[@EleventhHourPower]

@@readysetnogo couldn't have put it better, thanks dude!

[@mostloudest7544]

Hi there thank you very much for the vid it was very helpful. One question do you have to clean the needle ? Great vid

[@pronz72gh85]

Thank you guy! And really like the Space Hulk Terminators on your desk 😉

[@43rocket]

what about taking out fluid zozzle and clean it out how do you do this?

[@andyspoo2]

This might be an old video, but it was just what I was looking for. Thanks!

[@JayAdan]

It's old but the information remains the same. Glad I could be of help.

[@redwaterfilmworks7210]

@@JayAdan if I’m using the brand model colors or Vallejo would this cleaning method be useful? Is this cleaning method ok for not the airbrush using overnight?

[@AudaciouslyDeluded]

Thanks for the video. It looks like a very long procedure, especially if you go through many colour schemes.

[@anothervoyager9654]

I'm not an expert any any means, but if you want to change colors, you don't need to make that many steps if the change is inmediate. I usually rinse with water and drops of thinner with a brush fast and the next color works perfect. What he is doing in the video is what I usually do when I finish my work.

[@wolfgang2007aaaaaaaa]

What is in the "cleaner"?

[@sinner13halloweenfiend76]

What if you don't have the air brush cleaner will water be ok ?

[@shandyyful]

hello, where is your airbrush from?

[@thepicturemandannydannytho5711]

YOU JUST GOT A NEW FAN

[@hunnerhooker]

Very helpful! Quick tips that make you think. Why didn't I think of that haha

[@N.U.R_Music]

Dude you sound like Tony Stark

[@spincarez]

After reading your comment i was picturing Tony Stark giving a demo :D

[@jdoteasy]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jtrain3113]

What’s the Airbrush cleaner property?

[@wackaircaftmechanic2312]

Can I do this with both enamel and acrylic? or do I have to do a different process? Other than that, thank you for making the video! I always sprayed before and starting rinsing first and it helped a lot!

[@JayAdan]

You have to use the cleaners appropriate for your paint, but otherwise it would work fine.

[@coolrobert4335]

I'll be sure to try this

[@pine_appole7837]

Thank you a lot I just started to airbrush today and try and learn the ropes before I break the thing. I watched this before started to learn how to clean it and use it and thanks again:)

[@jinisteffani8035]

I've seen somthing about putting your finger on the nozzle and pressing air so the cleaner or water bubbles up....is that a good thing for color changes?

[@tonywharton5220]

Thanks for this. Very helpful 👍

[@easterlingsminiatures]

This might have been asked before but do you have a video on more detailed cleaning and do you know if it is the same process to clean an airbrush that does not have a gravity feed!

[@JayAdan]

I do have a more in-depth video - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hISyo3ywmrKEftk - but I don't have a video on cleaning non-gravity-feed brushes. I stopped using that type in the early 00s. They were definitely more of a pain since you had to add cleaning of bottles to the equation.,

[@ruhiansari356]

Airbrush cleaner kha se milega

[@Pauleazy420]

Hello Sir, would it be water for acrylic and Laquer thinner for enamels right?

[@JayAdan]

When cleaning acrylic you can use water but I like to add a little dish soap to it. For enamel I would use turpentine. Lacquer thinner is for lacquer.

[@Mark-yb1sp]

Jay, what is ‘airbrush reducer and extended base?’ It came with my new airbrush package. Thanks in advance.

[@JayAdan]

It's a kind of thinner for making your paints work better with the airbrush. Give it a try and see how it works.

[@lynnlane9468]

What else you use water and airbrush cleaner can you substitute something else besides airbrush cleaner

[@JayAdan]

Water with liquid soap

[@hectornumerordmejia8866]

Hello. Great video. I have a problem with my ab. It sprays alcohol, but it doesn't spray paint nor water. What should I do?

[@JayAdan]

Clean it. Really well. They only reason I can think that it would do that is because the alcohol is breaking down whatever is in there but when you switch, since it isn't gone, the stuff blocks up the passage again. The truth is that 95% of your problems will be solved with a good cleaning. A deep clean, not a quick clean.

[@hectornumerordmejia8866]

@@JayAdan thank you for your help.

[@thepicturemandannydannytho5711]

BEAUTIFUL!!! THANKS SO MUCH! WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD THE WATER BE?

[@JayAdan]

I've never really considered that question. Room temp is fine. If I could easily control the temp I would go with warmer rather than cooler. Like washing dishes.

[@memphisusmvmc6620]

Well damn… I’ve been doing it wrong. Thank you so much for this

[@fishnchips5826]

Will it actually work if i work with lacquer colours?

[@JayAdan]

Aside from using different cleaners the mechanical stuff is the same.

[@ElizabethRebolledoLizReb]

I am beginning to dabble in airbrush what cleaner is used can you use alcohol?

[@JayAdan]

I keep a bottle of water mixed with a little dish soap for my regular cleaning and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol for when it needs a deep cleaning.

[@nookieedelarosa9376]

What about acrylic sir? can we use water also?

[@JayAdan]

If you want to use water to clean then have a bottle with water with a bit of dish soap handy.

[@43rocket]

distilled water?

[@deetee-uk]

For cleaning...just normal tap water or filtered? deionised?

[@JayAdan]

Tap water works fine for me.

[@zaccampa4055]

I use distilled water. Only because where I'm from the water isn't very clean. Barely drinkable lol you don't want the minerals and impurities in your brush.

[@thedave8972]

@@JayAdan Would there be any benefit in running methanol or propanol or similar through it after the water? I've never airbrushed but I often use an alcohol (usually methylated spirits) after water to more thoroughly clean my brushes of acrylics.

[@gordongriffith9047]

How can I clean airbrush it's because I'm using Mr Color paint

[@JayAdan]

You can use their thinner to clean I think.

[@marcopena4990]

I love you Mr.Stark

[@raymondespera5161]

Is it applicable to lacquer based primer too??

[@private7195]

Did you find answer to your question somewhere else? Because im also wondering what happen if i mix water with lacquer

[@raymondespera5161]

@@private7195 nah, bcoz lacquer is a little bit harder to clean

[@private7195]

@@raymondespera5161 i see thanks man because im just new to gunpla and im starting to setup an airbrush booth but doesnt know much yet. Cheers

[@josecarlosxyz]

I see some videos for cleaning airbrushes with 15 minutes, wtf that's really needed to clean these things so many details?

[@ninjawithfishontheback]

wow how is your compressor so quiet?

[@JayAdan]

Video trickery

[@ninjawithfishontheback]

​@@JayAdan 😂😂😂

[@ryanrosser8520]

I use a plastic syringe to suck out the bulk of the paint then inject water.

[@joelynch1059]

I used my new airbrush for the first time. It's sprayed the last color forever running water and alcohol. I'll try this tequila. (I left that spell recommendation for fun) technology.

[@mccubbinaerial6000]

I had to go back and relisten because of the comments... but yeah good tips, but I dig a cleaner pot and back flow better... but yeah I totally hear it.. I AM IRON MAN> thanks for the video.

[@bernardcharlesworth9860]

Thanks

[@zeusjuice5639]

Can I use thinner instead of cleaner?

[@fredrikhinton]

No

[@brianpreston8483]

@@fredrikhinton stupid question but any reason?

[@EdgarGarcia-bc4gd]

Wish I watched this sooner. 😪 I hit the spray and the dry paint went inside. Now it's all clogged lol 😆

[@joelynch1059]

Oh! BTW I forgot to say thanks!!

[@gordongriffith9047]

A friend said i can use 91 isopropyl alcohol to clean my airbrush

[@JayAdan]

Absolutely.

[@lynnlane9468]

Any percent of isopropyl alcohol

[@qayyumchariff4357]

In your next video please say " I am Iron Man"

[@arandomyoutuber6634]

oh shit lol

[@sidthegamingsquid]

100

[@problemon]

Be honnest, Marvel contact you to be AI tony starks?

[@PahelBrunis]

you sound exactly like Tom Hanks.😂

[@JayAdan]

I don't think I've heard that one before. Most recently people were saying that I sounded like Robert Downey Jr. I don't hear either one of them myself but as I like both of those actors I'm pleased to be associated with them.

[@PahelBrunis]

@@JayAdan even better! I had to double check, because you sounded that much like him to me...

[@NoBody-ds6bj]

Tilt brush over container use Water in spray bottle, spray into cup till most paint out, fill cup, backwash and dump. Finish project, then do thorough cleaning if done for day. I REALLY like to spend time painting, not cleaning. Seems like most guys are REALLY LAID BACK, bro. And have all time in the world. BUT hey whatever works best for you, yes.

[@CharlesNolanArt]

New to airbrushing as so many here are, how the heck do you organize all this crap! I'm drowning in needed items!1

[@JayAdan]

I'm honestly not great at organization but I've been trying to improve that by setting up my shop with lots of places and ways to hang the things I need nearby. Drawers suck.

[@AlexMartinez-oi2mv]

That's iron Man talking

[@JayAdan]

I laugh when people say this because I don't hear it but I'll take it.