discussion Clearing varnish through AB?

[pjgtech]

Another noobie AB question....
How do you know when you have suitably cleaned / flushed through the AB enough when using clear varnish?
Obviously with any sort of pigment/paint, you can see if any paint is left after cleaning/flushing, but not so with anything clear!
I assume its just a matter of making sure you give it a good clean and flush, and then hope for the best? Or is there something else I have not considered?
Cheers

 

[PaulTRose]

What sort of varnish?

I just use loads of airbrush cleaner then water then cleaner a few cycles

 

[pjgtech]

Mostly Tamiya (flat and gloss) and Humbrol (gloss) plus some others...eg: Mig/Ammo Lucky varnish

 

[pjgtech]

As an addendum to this, (see above) I've only used varnish once through my AB, and am about to use it again.
First time I used my 0.3 needle, should I use a larger (eg: 0.5) needle instead for varnish?
I did find that I had to do several coats of varnish first tyime round, presumably cos they are thinner coats?

 

[flyjoe180]

First time I used my 0.3 needle, should I use a larger (eg: 0.5) needle instead for varnish?
I did find that I had to do several coats of varnish first tyime round, presumably cos they are thinner coats?

Your 0.3 needle should be enough Peter, unless you need a larger spray pattern for a large scale kit. Yes, the coats are thinner, but you should be able to apply it in thin layers in one session as you would with paint.

Re cleaning, a generic airbrush cleaner solution should do it. I use Tamiya's airbrush cleaner. If any doubt, spray some lacquer thinner through, it removes everything.

 

[LeytonO]

If you use lacquer thinner it might be a good idea to check the seals afterwards, its quite potent stuff.
I only use acrylic varnish, but find for larger areas a bigger needle size works better for me.