How long can it sit?

[Greywolf74]

So when airbrushing I've been cleaning everything the minute I'm done spraying something. If I'm using a hair dryer to dry the coat of paint can I let the airbrush sit while doing it without cleaning or will the paint start to clog up in that amount of time? I figure Its easier to ask than find myself cleaning up a worse mess after trying it out.

Also whats better to use to dry the coats a hair dryer or a heat gun?

 

[Candyman]

I assume you mean the airbrush is sitting and loaded between coats of the same color. If you're using water based paints it won't be a big issue. First, use a hair dryer to dry your coats. A heat gun is way too hot and will melt and deform the plastic and possibly bubble the paint. A hair dryer on normal setting will dry the paint quickly. And the paint you have in the gun will be fine for the minute or two you're drying. Any longer than that and definitely drain the gun and run a fair amount of water through it. The water based stuff tends to be kinda thick and gummy when it dries. Like latex paint. And it can be a pain to get out of the airbrush tip especially.

 

[Greywolf74]

Thats exactly what I was talking about.

whats the fastest and most effective way to clean your airbrush? It seems to take forever to get all of the old color out of it when switching paints. I've been rinsing out the cup and then spraying airbrush cleaner for acylic paints through it into a airbrush cleaning pot. Just seems to take long than i would expect but maybe there are so tricks to doing it faster?

 

[Phins Fan]

Windex. Its a great cleaner and some will use it as a thinner too (I havent). I typically pour the paint back into the jug and wipe the cup as clean as possible with a papertowel. 5-6 squirts into the cup and another towel to wipe it up. I usually do this 3ish times with a little backpressure to feed air back into the cup and get rid of the paint in the crevices. Ill remove the tip and give a quick wipe to the needle and on to the next color. Once I'm dome for the night I always use simplegreen and water (warm/hot) with a brush and full dismantle for a thurough final cleaning.

 

[Greywolf74]

Thanks for the input guys