Isopropyl Alchohol

[Guest]

I was just looking at that as my fall back option Laurie

You will not go wrong Garry.

For a deep clean I have little plastic shot glasses, pound world.
Put the nozzle & the bit shielding the nozzle needle (probably got a name)
in the shot glass & cover with Pro-Color leave a couple of hours.

After a session I just fill the cup with ProColor & the paint immediately starts
to run off the cup. Even Stynelerez, the very devil, sucombs.

Laurie

[topgazza]

I do it slightly differently as I use cleaning brushes and cotton buds to clean ot all the nooks and crannies straight away. Either is good

[Guest]

I do it slightly differently as I use cleaning brushes and cotton buds to clean ot all the nooks and crannies straight away. Either is good

Yes we all have our different ways Gary.
Also I have different ways for varnish & Tamiya FX.

Also I have H & S & Iwata brushes. H & S I use for varnish & primer as they are easily
to dismantle. 4 mins my record dismantle & spring clean.

Iwata great brush but what a pain to dismantle. So just give loads of ProColour. Sometimes
I just leave the cup full to soak a bit. Always take out the needle & flush through.

But Iwata to take apart & those minute nozzles with my ancient fingers. Always wear a
butchers apron to catch the thing.

Laurie

[rtfoe]

See if you can get some lacquer thinner from a hardware shop. That is strong stuff that will clean the airbrush even better than ipa. Make sure that you have solvent resistant seals on the airbrush though, but you should have done that for ipa use anyway. Alternatively try Mr Tool Cleaner....

I don't know about you guys but I'm with Barry and have used commercial thinner(lacquer thinner) bought at a local hardware shop just down the road all these years and it dissolves most paint that has collected in the airbrush. A dash of it on a piece of cloth and rubbed to clean the exterior even. My seals are teflon so it's ok. RM2.50 for 400ml.
I don't use any fancy named cleaner as they will ultimately cost more attached to a brand.

Cheers,
Richard

[topgazza]

I worked in KL for nearly 3 years on and off in the mid 90's Richard. I must be due a trip just to pick up some thinners for 2.50 ringgit

[rtfoe]

Gary, even cheaper at Mr DIY a chain of stores thats giving the local DIY shops a run for their money. Make the trip when Corona has died down. :smiling2:

Cheers,
Richard

[topgazza]

I usually stayed in PJ as I had a factory there as well as a few suppliers. I do remember finding several, what we would call DIY stores, independantly run. They could get absolutely anything you wanted often within a couple of hours. Good times, great people

[rtfoe]

I usually stayed in PJ as I had a factory there as well as a few suppliers. I do remember finding several, what we would call DIY stores, independantly run. They could get absolutely anything you wanted often within a couple of hours. Good times, great people

Cool, which part of PJ? (you're nearly local for not calling it Petaling Jaya:smiling2 ...Old Town, New Town, SS2, Sunway, Sungai Way, Subang, Section 14...these were the suburbs nearer factories in PJ that I can recall. Yup, the independant DIY's are stocked with nearly everything but you first have to describe sometimes animated to get past the language barrier for what you need then presto they'll lead you to it. Can't compare with lets say Bunnings in Australia but they can surprise you.
Glad that you enjoyed your 3 year stint here.

Cheers,
Richard

[topgazza]

It’s a long time ago Richard but it was New Town I think but Sea Park rings a bell as well. I rented a new apartment from a friend who was pretty flexible with lets as he had about 20 apartments on his books

[Guest]

I mentioned this the other day, from £ 18 odd in 2018/9 to £125 for 5 ltrs. !
I use mine for surface tension release on dios, occasionally for the AB if no proper cleaner when I do a deep clean /. Also for general cleaning mixed at 30%.

These days like Dave I used water and some washing up liquid in the ultra sonic bath. I used to use screen wash but the fumes became a no no , unless you wanted a head ache.

[rtfoe]

It’s a long time ago Richard but it was New Town I think but Sea Park rings a bell as well. I rented a new apartment from a friend who was pretty flexible with lets as he had about 20 apartments on his books

Gary, SEA Park apartments yes...nice although we have gone off topic for a bit...back to IPA. It's hard to find at DIY shops here...pharmacies perhaps but with the current situation anything alcohol seems to have spiked up. Can it be used as a sanitizer?
I guess cleaning the airbrush has many options and what's best depends on what suites you and budget plus the level of clean up expected either an overhaul or just a quickie. :smiling2: I prefer the quickie and save it for a yearly overhaul.

Cheers,
Richard

[AlanG]

I don't use alcohol sanitisers. I've been using Virkon S. Designed for the farming industry (and DEFRA approved) but safe to use around the house. 5g makes 500ml of disinfectant. Great for spray bottles

[topgazza]

I clean my airbrush each time with water, cotton buds and cleaning brushes. I'm sure finishing off with IPA is probably overkill but it always removes traces of the paint so I presume is the right thing. As you can see from the thread people use a variety of materials but IPA works well for me.

I guess you could use it as a sanitiser but mixed with an agent like glycerine as a moisturiser. 50/50 is a fair average. As Alan says there are commercial products that work well. But for domestic use any soap and hot water will do. I tend to use washing up liquid for my hands. These are strange times we live in.

[Tim Marlow]

IPA is the active ingredient in hand sanitizer Gary. The gel part is usually Glycerine and Aloe Vera.
It is a very good Sanitizer if diluted to 70%. The pharmaceutical industry uses a 70% IPA spray as a standard for hand sanitising prior to entering high grade clean areas. Personally I use a 30% solution for cleaning vinyl records prior to first playing.......diluted with distilled water of course.

[topgazza]

That's the one Tim. 70/30 I remember reading that and the Aloe vera as well. I'm interested to see if my 5 litres arrives tomorrow or the next couple of days.