Hobby Cheating 213 - How to Clean Your Airbrush Fast

[@anonymousdictator]

This video taught me how to clean my airbrush and also that i'm not thinning my paints nearly enough.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thinner is usually better, it's easy enough to do two thin coats, especially with the airbrush. :)

[@atomic1019]

This video taught me I've been doing my airbrushing wrong for 3 years.....damn it

[@HasteHobbies]

yeah, I just finished deep cleaning my airbrush and i'm thinning more than I used to. Even though the stynylrez primers say "no thinning necessary" I find if I don't thin I get a clog.

[@Eazfb]

This so much this, I think I think enough, but clearly not.

[@kamilkordas7103]

@@VinceVenturella I struggle with either having the paint too thick and clogging the nozzle or so thin that it the paint runs on miniature (in a spider web manner), even at sub 1 bar.

[@Prizzlesticks]

Was about to start using my airbrush with no real instructions. I mean , compared to a finicky sewing machine, with so many moving parts and variables, how hard can it be? Then I remembered the horrors of broken threads, bobbin tension, gnarled masses of string on the fabric back, and I decided to use my brain and look for some tips. Because even simple things can go wrong quickly, and I want to enjoy my time away from work. Very glad this video was recommended on a reddit thread. I think this will turn painting my restored bird feeder from a chore into a relaxing time. I'm so glad I didn't jump into it with nothing but the barely coherent instruction manual that came with the airbrush. 😅

[@idiealot9958]

Sir, you’ve convinced me to buy an airbrush. A cheap one, but it works. After watching this movie, I’m able to do 15 minutes (looking at the clock, not in my head) sessions, and had no clogging issues yet. While I admire other artists, I find you to be a true scholar and teacher in the “ways of painting minis”. Thank you. Truly, thank you.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help

[@yannisS]

Funny how I have been a hardcore airbrush user for the last 4 years and Vince proves there are still tons of things to learn. You are a pillar to this community Vince. The amount, quality and worth of your content is really second to none.

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, happy to help as always. :)

[@GarvialLoken]

Been airbrushing for years. Watched this and realised how much work I've been creating for myself all this time. Followed the advice last night and airbrushed better and spent less time cleaning. Thanks!

[@Adrenalined1426]

Only comment I'd add would be to rotate the needle while it's still fully seated to check for paint underneath. You don't want to remove the needle through the seals if paint is in fact stuck under it. Pulling dried paint through the seals is equally as bad.

[@VinceVenturella]

Good tip for sure. :)

[@TheAegisClaw]

I always take the needle out of the front for that reason. I have once ruined a seal set by taking it out of the back.

[@timbob1145]

So glad I watched this, really illuminated what I was doing wrong... Not thin enough!! Straight to the point golden knowledge. Cheers

[@VinceVenturella]

Very happy to help!

[@kingjoshwa1]

This really should be required viewing for all new airbrush users. Well done, Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, glad it was helpful.

[@LangJones]

Great video. I'm obviously not thinning my paints enough. The not spraying paint to clean the brush tip is gold.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@manifest40]

VINCEY V IS THE MAN. #1 most helpful airbrushing video I've found for getting me starting wielding the airbrush. Thank you, Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

I appreciate it, glad I could help!

[@debbiedeneese]

This is without a doubt the best airbrush tutorial I have seen so far. I'm just getting started, and I'm glad I saw this before I started playing. Thank you so much. And by the way, your delivery is very entertaining LOL

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, glad to help. :)

[@NapGod]

i've been airbrushing for about 6 months now, always cleaned/flushed through the nozzle, never made the connection between that and drytip. *facepalm* once again, you have enlightened me. Your knowledge and this channel is an invaluable resource. thank you.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it helped :)

[@aonjmj]

Might be *the* single most useful airbrush tutorial for the beginner. After a weekend Imperial Knight class, I can confirm two 8+ hour sessions of this being the only way this man swaps colors/cleans with his airbrush.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you! Which class were you in (hard to tell from Screen name. :) )

[@aonjmj]

@@VinceVenturella The one in Holt MI (near Lansing). I was the complete neophite in the back, Marco. There were 2 other cool guys and we came up with a goofy team name (that I now forget). I was over my head, but my painting improved exponentially. Thank you!

[@tietoppers]

@@VinceVenturella are you still offering classes?

[@VinceVenturella]

@@tietoppers I will return to classes in 2022 when we are hopefully on the full other side of the pandemic.

[@theredwizard9634]

Since this video I have had 0 clogs- Vince is the man, respect the man

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help as always. :)

[@AcropolisGames]

Honestly the most underrated hobby series on KZbin! A real shame that it has taken so long for a straight forward how to clean the airbrush video.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, I am not sure how I didn't come to this one sooner.

[@AcropolisGames]

@@VinceVenturella Did not mean it as a criticism, this series has helped me a lot in the hobby!

[@VinceVenturella]

@@AcropolisGames Didn't take it as one, I am genuinely curious myself. ;)

[@PedroMidwest]

I have been brush painting as a hobbyist for years because I just don't want to clean an airbursh. You sir have just blown my mind. Buying one tomorrow! Thanks a million!

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome! Happy to help. :)

[@germaN87AC]

I love your Hobby Cheating videos and applying your techniques to airbrushing my model railroad. This video made me enjoy airbrushing even more as I can change colors and work on multiple models while the others are drying

[@VinceVenturella]

Wonderful, happy to help as always. :)

[@SandyKay65]

This is very helpful! Have avoided using my airbrush because I fear clogging it up and not being able to put it back together. Plus all the work changing colors. This video makes me feel more at ease now. I'm just starting out using an airbrush in the last week or so.

[@VinceVenturella]

Fantastic! Always happy to help.

[@lostsanityreturned]

The pot you spray into is to stop vapors getting into your lungs. If you paint with lacquers it is important

[@DungeonMasterJohnny]

you wear a mask anyway. no pot needed

[@elliespohr]

​@DiceLifeJohnny it lingers in the air for quite some time afterward when your mask is off

[@eetennak966]

Hello Vince! I got an airbrush AND HATED the amount of cleaning so much that I almost never used it.only for priming when I had to do a huge amount of Minis. So many videos told me to clean in x way and I followed their advice that it took up to 15 minutes every time to change a color. Also Vallejo model thiner says that you should use way less thinner than you did. Turns out your areright and I will pick up my airbrush more often from now on. Thanksa lot! You probably hear this a lot but you changed my hobbying a lot

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome to hear!

[@Ziforigin]

Just like everyone else here I want to sincerely thank you sir! I have h&s evolution silverline and it's imposible to close it's nozzle with fingers, so i grabbed a cap from a pen and it worked great. I didn't got a single clog through the evening and had not to clean my airbrush with IPS every freaking 20 minutes. I poured like 2 liters of this stuff just to clean my airbrush, for like 20 miniatures in past couple months.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad to help :)

[@Boingnania]

Thank you so much for this tutorial and information! I recently bought a full airbrush kit and paint and I was really anxious and scared of accidentally ruining it so quickly, and the instructions that were packaged in weren’t the clearest. And this video helped a lot! Thanks!

[@Thanos730000]

Video Suggestion: Sealing a model with varnish through an airbrush. Heard so many methods on how to do it. Add thinner, don’t add thinker, use floor polish with thinner etc. probably a quickie video but could be helpful to people.

[@VinceVenturella]

Good idea, I have a sort of super varnish video planned at some point in the future.

[@derekgarcia3069]

I was directed to this video after discussing how my airbrush had just arrived, and already I'm feeling more confident in getting started. You also saved me a few dollars as I was definitely going to grab one of those pots! Haha Thanks Vince!!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent

[@matthewwerner3656]

Vince, thank you for being such an amazing wealth of information to this community of miniature painters. I dropped some serious dollars on an airbrush setup and struggled. Thanks to this video and your hobby hangout a few weeks(?) ago where you talked about you 80:20 thinner to flow improver ratio I am getting stunning results ( at least for this novice with this device).

[@VinceVenturella]

That's wonderful to hear, I am happy to help. :)

[@DavidLawyer]

Best video on airbrushing I've seen so far. Just starting out learning aribrushing and the one daunting aspect for me has been watching some users completely pull this apart to its smallest compenents to clean. I rather clean a brush after working since its so much less time consuming. That is until I watch THIS video! HUGE eye opener for me. Nicely done!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JimmyBlimps]

I just finished my very first airbrushing session and using the info in this video it went extremely smoothly and I now have a happy little squad of zenithal'd marines and a nice clean airbrush ready to go for next time. The 20:1 airbrush cleaner to distilled water works perfectly, and will make the little bottle of cleaner I bought go way further than I initially thought. Thanks!

[@VinceVenturella]

Fantastic, happy to help as always. :)

[@thevuntzer]

20:1 airbrush cleaner to water or water to airbrush cleaner?

[@ransolmcasterfo8864]

New to the hobby…was struggling with tip dry/clogging. I followed these recommendations and just had the best painting session…no issues at all. Thanks for the tips!!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Great to hear!

[@Miketar2424]

Vince, this was an AMAZING tutorial. I have been learning to spray for 8 months now, just for models, and I have been disassembling my H&S airbrush and cleaning between paint sprays sometimes multiple time between color changes. Even then I was always getting clogs and chunks of paint all over my work when it wasn't clean enough. I was even about to order a new nozzle for the airbrush, blaming the equipment and not the nut behind the trigger. I tried what you just demonstrated, and for the first time I changed colors within 30 seconds , without a clog and perfect spray consistency! SUBSCRIBED *\0/ *

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help as always and glad it's working out for you. :)

[@maxwellrpower]

Possibly your most useful video ever, this stuff is not self explanatory and you just saved me and I bet a whole bunch of people a ton of trial and error! Cheers Vince 🖒

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help as always. :)

[@emilymegan40]

I love this. It’s such a simple useful skill that you don’t know until you know. Thanks for always sharing your knowledge to help us all out:)

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help as always. :)

[@mikeschnobrich1807]

Thanks for the great video. I'm new to air brushing and some of the complaints mentioned in the beginning was exactly what I was thinking. I purchased a couple of cheap plastic models to learn air brushing and rhe first one was a pain changing colors, I can't wait to try this new way on the next model and see how it makes thing more fun. Again, thanks for the great informative video.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Grumdy]

Vince literally could have doodled anything on that paper, yet his muse guided his brush to paint an Ogor portrait.

[@danielklinglesmithv2732]

100%

[@VinceVenturella]

What can I say, the ogre is in my soul I guess for Tutorials.

[@brentcox6201]

older video, but thank you sir, as I dive deeper and deeper into airbrushing which I am really starting to love, I thought there has to be a faster way to clean between colors, and you have provided it, thank you

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help

[@davidallinson8248]

This was absolutely vital to my airbrush experience. Thank you!

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help as always. :)

[@mainehouse3789]

I'm just getting back into painting minis after 6 years or so off. I can't like your content enough, thanks for all the information you've provided.

[@HorridCross571]

What would be ideal PSI for priming and base coating with the airbrush? Great content! Thanks!

[@VinceVenturella]

I go at 18 PSI and it's my perfect medium.

[@marknchristy]

Depends a bit on the style of air brush. Gravity fed, like the one in this video, usually around 15-20. Siphon-fed usually needs a bit more, like 22+.

[@markmih]

@@VinceVenturella you dont get spiderwebs at 18psi with paint that thin? Idk what im doing wrong then, im trying it at like 8 and use way less dilution and still get tons of spidering or speckling

[@ambrosearts]

Thank YOU.....VERY informative....only the second video on cleaning I have seen....never cleaned an airbrush as yet...just getting the idea before I even touch my airbrush in the weeks to come. Thanks again.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it helped - I have lots of videos on the airbrush and if you have any questions, I am always happy to help. :)

[@AlarienEvenstar]

Vince turns his hand to test his paint on the glove and ... what colors do we see on the glove already? :) ... Of course we do.

[@brib9716]

Heretical tones of excess!

[@VinceVenturella]

All the excess, all the colors you would expect. ;)

[@NordboDK]

@@VinceVenturella try a spray bottle, even faster for cleaning the pot

[@johnpierce9075]

I really do not know how far I got into this hobby without finding your videos. Thank you.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you like them! Always happy to help. :)

[@BringerXofXTruth]

Hey Vince! I've been struggling so much with inks through my airbrush - especially white - granted, I was assuming that I didn't need to thin it. Does the psi/needle size seem to make a huge difference or is the thinning really the key to getting those nice, smooth coats with no beading/runniness and splatter from inks? My goal is to dial in my technique for applying a highlight undercoat with the white.

[@VinceVenturella]

So ABT (Always Be Thinning). You use thinner on everything. Everything. Everything. (Everything). My thinner is actually an 80/20 mix of Vallejo Thinner and Flow Improver. I use generally about a 1:2 ratio for that with inks, keeps everything flowing smooth and reduces spatter.

[@Justlegos]

@@VinceVenturella when I notice that the inks are spider webbing via the airbrush - what should I do? Increase pressure? Decrease pressure? Shoot less paint? All of the above?

[@VinceVenturella]

@@Justlegos Lower air pressure and less pressure on the trigger.

[@darthjunkus1088]

Thank you so much. You got me to finally start airbrushing today and I'm having a blast. So fast and easy to get a bunch of work done and looking great. Honestly had an airbrush for yrs and never used it as it was daunting and now I don't know why. Thanks again

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help!

[@darthjunkus1088]

Update. I broke the tip off the airbrush haha. But I am not discouraged and will get a machine that is not 30 bucks. Thanks again

[@dafruk1]

I disagree in the "you don't need this" waterpot. That is still the best place to lay my full of paint airbrush down in when I've forgotten a part in another room and need to go get it!

[@danielklinglesmithv2732]

David Fraser you don’t have an airbrush holder? I feel like the benefit of a brush holder is if your running with the tip guard off it’s less risky then having to slot it in to that little blow out pot. Thoughts?

[@VinceVenturella]

A fair point, I wasn't considering that I have a brush holder rack attached to my desk where I do the same. ;)

[@coralinealgae]

I learned this cleaning technique from Vince a while back from one of his other painting tutorials. It helped so much. Made using my airbrushes so much more pleasurable. So glad he made a video dedicated to it. Now I can link it to people who ask how to clean their brushes. Thanks Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, happy to help.

[@ramza813]

holy shit this is the video i needed. thanks man! never figured out how NextLevelPainting changes colors so fast in the hobo sink!

[@VinceVenturella]

This is the key for sure, it's so fast and easy.

[@richardclowes6123]

Hi, recently bought myself an airbrush kit etc but have been a little nervous of actually using it. Came across your video and you seemed to have made the daunting thought of cleaning between colours a no-nonsense approach. Going to get it out tomorrow and give it a go, not on anything particular, just mess about getting the feel of it. Thanks a million. Cheers, Rick the Bulldog

[@VinceVenturella]

Have fun! It's an amazing tool, nothing to be afraid of. :)

[@SheepWaveMeByeBye]

PRO TIP: If you watch this video without sound it's the worst painting tutorial in the world. :)

[@jameswilson5087]

Hold my beer...

[@VinceVenturella]

hahahaha, I imagine it would be. A fun video on how to badly paint a smiley face.

[@mikeschnobrich1807]

After a few beers, if you squint your eyes and turn your head sideways, this is the best smiley face ever. Do I hear an opening bid for $1 million?

[@chadblood6496]

The way ignorant art being a reality..this guy is Banksy...without the sound obviously

[@Oyxopolis]

Going for my first time airbrushing this afternoon. This video is probably my most watched on YT

[@VinceVenturella]

That's awesome to hear - you can do it!

[@Oyxopolis]

@@VinceVenturella You know what's awesome, that you replied to a ..5? year old video :D Yeah thanks! To be honest, I don't know if I did very well. I had some issues with backflowing my Harder & Steenbeck, because of the beak. I was also afraid of pinching it too hard, but then it wouldn't backflow at all and I think I did actually already clog it a bit (it backflows even when I'm not deliberately doing it) , even though I went out of the gate practicing cleaning and literally dropping in 15 drops of thinner for two medium brushes of GW Warpstone Glow. I think it is, because I didn't use the correct soap in the beginning. When you said Windex, I looked it up on Google and it also said Glassex, which I had at home..but that didn't feel like it was working, so I moved to regular handsoap. I'm thinking I may have messed up in the cleaning part there. Either way, I'm not going to give up. I'll consider this a learning needle and the Infinity came with two sizes, so I can always defer to the .4. For now, I'm practicing control, messing up some Assault Intercessors, of which I will have many more, whether I want to or not. Thanks for all the great videos

[@thegoodearth7]

This video was incredibly helpful. I am just beginning to learn airbrushing, and with it, all the necessary maintenance. Your approach to cleaning makes the most sense. To be sure, it seems counter-intuitive to blow everything out the nozzle. I am really really glad I came across your videos. Thank you!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@blastpop]

A man of many talents- an "air brush artist" 8:49 and a comedian as well. The complete package... lol. Thanks for the video.

[@VinceVenturella]

You bet!

[@PBeer-op7iw]

This has really helped me to save time, I was doing it all wrong for many years! Thank you Vince

[@VinceVenturella]

Always happy to help. :)

[@ZSpark62]

I know this video has been out for a while. But I got a cheap airbrush set mainly to use for priming since I live in a hot humid environment. I really struggled with it at first and decided not to use it again because it just required too much effort. This video gave me inspiration to try again and the difference is amazing! I went from just priming to also doing some of the base coats as well and it has really sped up my painting! Truly a great video. Thank you!

[@PMGeuze]

Sir, Thank you very much for this video. It has been such an outstanding idea that it has changed my hate-hate relationship with my airbrush. I had been previously trying to blow out the excess into an airbrush pot, only to find that any combination of cleaner would just congeal the paint into a stringy mess. I eventually just use my ultrasonic cleaner after full disassembly to clean between colors. Now, just using distilled war, spray window cleaner, and a final blow through of denatured alcohol has made color changes a five minute process. This has made my Zenithal in-house priming an ease which now allows me to actually get to some painting my war-dollies as my wife calls them. Thank you again. Pm.

[@VinceVenturella]

Yeah, this method gives you roughly 30 second paint changes, makes the whole thing so fast. Glad it was helpful.

[@someguy2441]

Vince, thank you as always. Because of what you have taught me, I put in over 200 hours on my airbrush before getting clogged and then doing a deep clean. I followed your protocol when switching colors and that’s all it ever took, besides a needle clean. No deep cleaning in all that time. I’ll be doing deep cleanings in the future, infrequent as they may be. 😊

[@MarcinEstkowski]

I've tested it today, and it's a gamechanger! Pure gold! Thanks Vince!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you like it!

[@ZombieApocalypse09]

Thanks for this! I was cleaning my airbrush in a similar manner but then someone recommended the spray container you showed and I thought I had been doing it wrong and started doing it the other way (the wrong way). Very happy to have seen this video and know I can go back to the much quicker and (it turns out) more effective method I had been using. The squeezy bottle tip is great too. Got one ordered.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, welcome back to the good size.

[@VinceVenturella]

Good side. Sheesh.

[@aln.8466]

Finally, an airbrush cleaning video that makes common sense. Thank you Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SteveT-0]

Wow! I wish I'd found this video before. I was told I had to disassemble my airbrush each time and I've already lost the nozzle once and had to buy a replacement. Your method is so much better, I'll do it like this from now. Thank you!

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help!

[@somerandomclown5576]

Thanks for the video man! I'm glad I learned the proper way to clean an airbrush before I started causing any real issues! You're a life saver!

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help!

[@lordransoul8693]

Vince, I was ready to throw my airbrush in the trash before I watched your airbrushing videos. I cannot thank you enough for the lessons! You really helped me a lot with airbrushing frustration. I just primed 3 models back to back to back using your methods and it was actually enjoyable for a change. Thank you again!!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad to help!

[@WolfTau]

Been airbrushing for years but still learned a few things. Thanks, great video.

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad to help

[@cronevald]

I'm about 5 minutes in and this already feels like it's going to being lifechanging (or at least airbrush painting lifechanging.) That first cleaning tip makes so much sense.

[@VinceVenturella]

I hope so!

[@cronevald]

@@VinceVenturella I'm one of those frustrated self taught airbrush users. I've developed many of the bad habits you highlight here. It's easy to see and understand how the practices you describe will improve my airbrushing.

[@motorboot2822]

This video helped me bite the bullet and get an airbrush, after 1,5 years of messing with rattlecans. Thanks so much Vince. I've already zenithal primed well over 60 models, and no clogs or other mishaps. By the time all my beastmen have been primed I'll have saved myself at least 40 bucks in cans too

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome. :)

[@jimphillips6532]

Thank you, with little time to paint i took your advice to get an airbrush. Saves so much time and gets a better result on base costing to be worth the cost.

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, it's my best hobby investment ever for sure.

[@GeoffreyofCastille]

Thanks for the super easy and down to the basics tutorial. These vids and taking the CK 101 class really have been a lifesaver!

[@VinceVenturella]

Excellent, happy to help as always. :)

[@TM-hf6cr]

Just bought my airbrush, didnt before because of the "maintenance". This video is gold! Thank you for all the amazing content for any possible mini-painting related question!

[@VinceVenturella]

Great to hear!

[@vee_tinymoose]

Wow!! I wasn’t actually expecting this to be game changing but it was! Thank you so much!!!

[@jesse-got-dolphins-into-heaven]

not sure you will get this 4 years later, but this is really helpful, i realize i have been under thinning my paints and using the spray out pots.

[@VinceVenturella]

Happy to help

[@scoutlaceharding]

I got an airbrush for Christmas and I've always been wary of them because I've heard they clog really easily. This gives me so much more hope, lol. Honestly, just knowing that I want to dump rather than spray the excess is probably going to be invaluable, because that never would have occurred to me. I've been a fan of your hobby cheating videos for awhile now and I'm excited to re-watch the airbrush videos and actually have the opportunity to use those tips. :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Yes, your airbrush will clog, but that's okay., Cleaning it like this AND storing it in water (always, always, always have water in the cup) will go a long, long way to preventing the clogging.

[@caronamala438]

Am thinking of buying my self one for my birthday. And I am loving the information. Thank you for shearing

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@WolfGirl930]

Thanks Vince. I’m pretty sure I’ve just knackered my airbrush (body blocked). This has been really helpful for it’s easy practicality

[@SKAtholisch]

i have my first airbrush and used it 3 times and i was wondering why its clogging. now i know why! i push my cup totally dry through the nossle! one of the best videos on dont mess up your airbrush!

[@sunderedpsyche4289]

I have been looking for someone to explain this, this easily, for ages. That's it, I'm subscribing.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help and happy to have you along on the hobby journey. There is lots in the playlist to explore. :)

[@johnlehman3406]

Thank you so much for this tutorial. I just finished a session using 6 different colors. I got through it in half the time and one tenth the fuss. You saved me.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

[@quondamreveries7258]

Oh, wow. I just learned so much about airbrushing in the last 15 minutes. The most important thing I learned is that I’ve been cleaning my airbrush wrong all these years!

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you, happy to help as always. :)

[@karljones9357]

I’ve been saying the exact thing about those pot cleaners. I use an old jellybean tub with paper towels in it. No lid, so I can wash and shoot in the same tub. Showed my wife this video and I got ok, your right. Vince I’m now getting that tattooed on my chest. I’m right. It even sounds strange to here her say it. Love you.

[@VinceVenturella]

Right on. :)

[@boot_leg_ramen_noodle]

Bro, you are a life saver - Thank You !!!!

[@johnmcglinchey]

Thanks very much . This was the part that put me off airbrushing for years . Wish I'd seen this video sooner

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it helped

[@lucky6666]

Thank you for the advice. I watched a couple of your air brush videos and am already feeling much more confident about starting on this journey!

[@VinceVenturella]

Fantastic to hear! Always happy to help.

[@glenyshanlon5112]

Great video especially for a first time user of the air brush thank you 😊

[@theVariedLife]

Thank you for this video. I recently started using an airbrush and this is really helpful. Keep up the great work.

[@thefeb7920]

I've been using your cleaning technique for several months with my crappy ebay airbrush and it's served me well, thank you! I just decided to upgrade to a proper airbrush, got an Infinity CR Plus and wanted to re-watch this - wow you thin your paints so much more than I do. I usually did like a 50:50 mix of thinner to paint + a drop or two of flow aid and it does work ok but I would still get clogs. It seems I should be going much more thin :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Thinner and a few more layers is always better.

[@BB-pn2qv]

Best painting video channel there is. Pro shit yo

[@VinceVenturella]

Well thank you, that means a great deal to me to hear that. :)

[@tobynmcnew3024]

This has made painting fun again. Best video I have seen.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Wijkert]

13:20 very much agree! I have my airbrush on my table ready to go in-between brushwork. I have a homemade portable booth that weighs nothing, which I place on my table in 10 sec, so after some work and put it away. The only thing I need to do is plug in the fan and I am good to go.

[@VinceVenturella]

Exactly, there you go. :)

[@matthewward1509]

Best airbrush video I’ve ever seen

[@VinceVenturella]

Thanks! Very much appreciated

[@dornjr]

Any Hobby Cheating tricks for something to use other than your finger to block the flow when backflushing? My new Mr. Hobby Creos 289 w/ Iwata needle guard pricks me every chance it gets. Thanks Vince! I look forward to using this video tomorrow in first airbrush session. :)

[@VinceVenturella]

Hmmm...a little soft bit of silly putty could work, as long as you were careful, but you would have to be super careful. You could use a little cotton ball on the tip of your finger. Hard to say, I think at this point, my finger is just calloused, I don't notice.

[@dornjr]

@@VinceVenturella That sounds like a good idea. I'm going to try putting some silly putty in the finger of a glove. That can't be any tougher on needle tip than my finger tip in a glove. P.S. I got a spare needle if it all goes horribly wrong though. :)

[@lat1n0_h0t]

This video got me to finally use my airbrush for the first time and I love it. Thanks for giving me the confidence to be like, don't like the color flush it out. Thanks again for these videos

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad I could help!

[@christopherrose478]

Thanks for this video Vince. I have just picked up an airbrush and watched lots of videos on cleaning and has made it sound like such a difficult task. This is probably the most useful and no nonsense video I have seen. Will be using this method going forwards. Also thanks for including some ratios too reference thinner and paints. Removed a lot of worries about jumping straight in.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, happy to help as always. :)

[@Wijkert]

I followed a airbrushing course last year (right before lockdown) and one of the most useful timesaver tips I got was to use an old towel next to my airbrush to spray on. So I get most of the paint out by forcefully spraying water in the cup of my airbrush like you do and dumping it in a open container (that I half full of water, so the paint gets diluted a lot and it's easy to dump in the sink later). The last bit I spray on the towel instead of in the cleaning cup (that I only use as a airbrush holder nowadays). I like this because a. its faster, b. I can see if there is paint coming out or not (and thus figure out if I got it all. The towel soaks up the paint/water/cleaner. This goes against your advice of never spraying more paint trough the front of your airbrush than needed, but I also never get clogs anymore. Maybe something you could give a go and see if you like this as well. The towel itself becomes a little random looking canvas (similar to your kitchen towels that you framed and put on the wall).

[@VinceVenturella]

Cool idea, a bright towel is a good test of how clean it is.

[@Wijkert]

@@VinceVenturella exactly! Forgot to mention the whiter the towel the better, but you already concluded that yourself.

[@CharlesNolanArt]

Actually, I believe you are a very good artist. When I was learning to create portraits, one lesson was to squint until the image became blurred, then check that it was symmetrical. I think you nailed it, my good man. A very good video, thank you. I'm going to subscribe.

[@VinceVenturella]

Thank you! Very happy to have you along on the hobby journey.

[@kb61496]

I am a barber and this helped me out so much thanks man

[@VinceVenturella]

Always happy to help. :)

[@mvellandi]

Hi Vince, thanks for sharing! When you mentioned that you use white "ink" and not acrylic because the latter dries quicker, what do you recommend we look for? In browsing around, I've found "acrylic ink", calligraphy ink, Tamiya liquid surface primer, Army Painter (expensive), Vallejo normal surface primer, and Vallejo Mecha white primer (which I ordered). I know in general we should be avoiding cheap acrylics and buy reasonable quality.

[@VinceVenturella]

Okay, so I use a lot of different white things for zenithal. If you want white primer, Pro Acryl makes the best. If you want white ink, then either Vallejo Artist Acryllic white or Daler Rowney FW White. That being said, just white/ivory paint properly thinned can be just fine too.

[@calikingsos]

I just picked up the cordless airbrush that good ol Ninjonny recommended a while back ago. Im finding your videos incredibly useful in getting ready to have a successful airbrush journey lol. Wish me luck P.S. Ive found many of your videos to be very helpful through my year back in the hobby. Thank you for the great content Vince.

[@VinceVenturella]

Awesome, thank you!

[@TheBigAristotle1]

I credit this video with reinvigorating my interest in using my airbrush, I had done a ton of priming and basing, but I've branched out more because I use this superior cleaning method. Thanks, dogg!

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pjo1980]

This video made my airbrushing sessions fun instead of frustrating! Can't recommend this video enough 😊

[@VinceVenturella]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@zakhoskins6404]

I think a large part of whether or not things are a pain to clean is what paint is going through the airbrush. I've had zero clogs with the Warcolours layer paints, some Vallejo Model Color can be a pain depending on what specific paint in that line is used, and I pretty much have to clean the airbrush more rigorously when I'm priming a lot of models white with an acrylic-polyurethane primer. It's really making me consider trying lacquer primers as I've heard that they don't tend to clog as bad. That said, I'm still stunned at how thin you were able to go with the Pro Acryl. Usually when I paint with VMCs or thick paints in general, I have to thin at around 50/50 or 60/40 thinner to paint or I'll get spidering. I'd love to know what PSI you're using. I typically go at around 20, but I also have an Iwata Neo not a nicer airbrush. That said, I don't go full blast on the trigger, but I always use a tinier cup than what you're using. Maybe the cup is a factor here? I feel like if I use the larger cup, I'm going to waste more. I tend not to put more than 4-8 drops of paint in the cup to airbrush for a typical spoon test when I'm just trying to see what the paint will look like on plastic. I go with less paint on colors that tend to be more opaque, and more for things like yellows.

[@VinceVenturella]

I run at 18 PSI, but that airbrush also has a air flow control, i can turn that and run at something more equivalent to around 10 PSI, which that combined with trigger control will really help fight the spidering. I haven't really seen anything with the cup, but I will say I often go heavy thinner for stuff like inks, in the end, I don't worry about the waste really, as long as I get the results I'm looking for, it's worth it.

[@nemikan]

@ Vince Venturella After a few years of airbrushing and watching various airbrush videos and hearing you say you never know why everyone else clogs so much, I've figured out what my primary issue has been and don't think I've heard you or anyone else really talk about this much. My problem was I was too rapidly moving the airbrush around while spraying paint (instead of just holding it steady and moving the miniature around). This then caused the paint to clog up on the insides of the nozzle and couldn't figure out why even after thinning my paint down a ton. Stupid simple, but makes a major difference.

[@VinceVenturella]

Fascinating, I will admit, I've never even thought about the fact I tend to move the miniature around. Worth mentioning in a future video.

[@Giddoens]

I bought a Reaper Vex airbrush last year and my Masters series from ebay finally crapped out on me (over 7 years old!)! The Vex just primed about 40 minis and I used your method of cleaning and had no dry tip no clogs and all went well.... thanks this is how to do it!!!!

[@VinceVenturella]

That is great to hear - glad it worked out for you!

[@gsw0882]

Vince, great vid. I chuckled my way through because that is almost exactly how I clean my brushes. Great minds, right? LOL A couple things I'd add to the technique - feel free to steal, if you think they are worthy. 1.) Instead of a cup, I use an old very large pill bottle. That way, I can snap the cap on when not cleaning and no worries about spillage. It's big enough to hold a paper towel, some q-tips and a couple cleanings worth of water. 2.) Instead of filling the cup with my squeezy bottle then dumping, I hold the airbrush sideways over my pill bottle and shoot a stream of water into the cup, the cup drains into the pill bottle and I am guaranteed that no bits and flecks are left in the cup to clog the tip. I posted a couple pics to my instagram (GSW0882) to demonstrate - I don't know how well the text description translates. Thanks for all the hobby cheating tricks and tips!

[@VinceVenturella]

1) The pill bottle is a cool call, would have never thought of that. 2) Yeah, I know some people are a fan of the side spray, I like that method as well, just always went this way but both are equally fast and good for sure. You are right that is a great way to make sure no flecks are left.