How to Clean an Airbrush: Color Changes, End of Day and Deep Cleaning

What you need

• Airbrush cleaner made for your paint (see airbrush cleaners).
• A cleaning pot to spray into, such as the Master 3-in-1 cleaning pot.
• Small cleaning brushes and pipe cleaners for the cup and paint passage.
• The wrench that came with your airbrush (Iwata's Eclipse uses its own head cap wrench).
• Paper towel or a lint-free cloth, and somewhere safe to put the needle.

1. Between colors (two minutes)

1. Empty leftover paint from the cup.
2. Brush the cup with a little cleaner and wipe it out; repeat until the cup is clean. Iwata uses its washing brush and Medea Airbrush Cleaner.
3. Fill the cup with cleaner (or water, for water-based paint) and spray it through into the cleaning pot until it sprays clear.
4. On a siphon airbrush, swap the paint bottle for a bottle of cleaner and spray through until clear.

Createx lists water, its 5618 Airbrush Cleaner or 4011 Reducer for rinsing colors out while you paint. Iwata suggests its Medea cleaner with a 360 degree nozzle for a quick flush.

2. End of session: needle and nozzle

1. Disconnect the air. Remove the back handle and set it down safely.
2. Remove the needle. Loosen the needle chucking nut by hand and slide the needle out. Wipe it with a little cleaner, only from back to front: Iwata says this keeps you from puncturing yourself, and it protects the tip.
3. Remove the nozzle. Unscrew the needle cap and nozzle cap by hand. Threaded nozzles come out with the airbrush maker's nozzle wrench, turned to the left. Iwata's Eclipse is different: remove the head cap with its own wrench, never separate the nozzle from the head set, and never use the nozzle wrench on it.

3. Soak and scrub the small parts

This is where makers differ, so follow your cleaner's maker:

Maker	What to soak	How long
Iwata (Medea Airbrush Cleaner)	Nozzle, needle cap, nozzle cap (and Eclipse head cap)	No more than 10 minutes
Vallejo Airbrush Cleaner 71.099	Valve and nozzle, not the whole airbrush	Several hours, for thorough cleaning
Createx 4008 Restorer	Metal parts: nozzle, needle cap, needle, cup	At least 10 minutes; overnight is fine

After soaking, scrub the parts with a small brush dipped in cleaner. Createx says cured paint then brushes off with soap and warm water, and to flush thoroughly with water afterward because even traces of 4008 affect paint. Createx also warns that 4008 dissolves soft plastics, so keep it away from stencils and from O-rings that are not PTFE.

4. Clean the paint passage and body

Dip a small brush or pipe cleaner in cleaner. On a gravity airbrush, push it down the cup's paint passage toward the front; on a bottom-feed airbrush, push it up through the bottle joint. Scrub back and forth, twisting, then clean from the front, until no paint comes out. Wipe the outside with a little cleaner.

5. Inspect

Iwata recommends checking under a magnifier for a cracked, dented or distorted nozzle, a bent needle and paint left in the passages. Damaged parts are replaced, not repaired; Iwata suggests keeping a spare needle and nozzle if you airbrush often.

6. Reassemble and lubricate

1. Threaded nozzle: a light dab of thread sealer on the threads only (Iwata uses Medea Thread Sealer), then screw it in with the wrench until snug, not tight.
2. Eclipse: seat the nozzle in the head base, screw on the head cap and tighten gently with its wrench.
3. Fit the nozzle cap and needle cap finger tight.
4. With the trigger held down, slide the needle in gently until it stops, tighten the chucking nut by hand, and refit the handle.
5. Lubricate only when needed: Iwata suggests one drop of its lube at the base of the main lever if it is slow to rise, or one drop where the needle taper begins if the lever is stiff.

7. Test with water

Put water in the cup and press the trigger down only. Air alone should come out; if water sprays, the needle is not fully seated. Pull back and water should spray. If not, check the assembly and clean again.

Never do this

• Never soak or immerse the whole airbrush, or leave it standing in cleaner ("wet docking"). Iwata and Vallejo both say so.
• Never store paint or cleaner in the cup.
• Never force the needle in. Iwata says to reinsert it gently, with the trigger held down, until it stops.
• Never spray Createx 4008 through the airbrush; it is a soak, per its data sheet.
• Never over-tighten the nozzle. Iwata warns about the small spanner that comes with some airbrushes.

When cleaning does not fix it

Bubbles in the cup point to a loose nozzle cap or a cracked nozzle; spatter after cleaning often means paint still on the needle tip or in the needle cap. Iwata's troubleshooting steps are summarized in how to use an airbrush. Thinning paint correctly reduces how often you need a deep clean: see the thinning chart.