Airbrushing Enamel Paint

[PeteA1979]

When I started airbrushing I only used acrylic paints and have done for a number of years. I do however have a stockpile of enamel paints. This might sound daft but is it simply a case of thinning with say Humbrol thinners to get the consistency and using thinners to clean my airbrush? Might sound silly but I don't want to make a beginners mistake and ruin my airbrush. Any ideas or help most welcome.

[K5083]

I would say yep, pretty much. I find enamels easier to clean than acrylics because they don't cure in minutes to the point where thinner becomes ineffective, as acrylics tend to do.

August

[PeteA1979]

I'd never thought about that, I guess you have alot longer to clean the brush out too?

[fredk]

Not a great deal longer. Don't use too strong a thinner to clean the airbrush. Some seals dissolve in some strong thinners. There are dedicated airbrush cleaning fluids but I've never used one.

[splash]

Don't forget there are a lot more fumes when using enamels, so sprey in a well ventilated area.

Regards Splash

[ShaunW]

I airbrush both acrylics and enamels Pete. To thin enamels I have always used cheap DIY store white spirits (they were good enough for Ted Taylor etc ) and I clean the brush using the same white spirit, cotton buds, old electric toothbrush heads and tissues. At least one member on here that I know of - AndrewR - uses an ultrasonic bath, designed to clean spectacles, for cleaning his airbrush - Andrew only sprays acrylics and I have no experience of using one of these devices but I'm sure he will be happy to advise you. Occasionally I will also use a squirt of aerosol airbrush cleaner for more stubborn paint deposits when I feel too lazy to use elbow grease. Aerosol cleaners can be aggressive however and some rubber airbrush seals ain't too happy about that. I don't know what model your brush is but mine is a Badger 100 and has a more durable polypropylene o-ring seal between the airbrush body and the tip assembly (which is a harder white coloured o-ring as opposed to the softer black rubber seals) that can take on more aggressive cleaners.

As alluded to by Splash, I would advise that, as a minimum precaution, you spray in a well ventilated area and I would also strongly recommend the use of a decent respirator mask when spraying either acrylics or enamels.

[Dazzled]

I use an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning my Aztek. As far as enamels go I only spray Alclad but I do have a reliable cleaning process. First I hold the brush in a jar of white spirit. The jar must, obviously, be big enough to get your hand in (and please wear rubber gloves and a mask when doing this). Then I spray the brush through while it's submerged. This pulls most of the paint residue out. Then it's dismantled and dropped into the ready and waiting ultrasonic bath for an 8 minute cycle that leaves the airbrush as clean as a whistle.

Of course, as Splash said, you must do this kind of thing in a well ventilated area and it's only been an option for me since I started spraying in the garage. Winter might encourage a change of methodology.