Airbrush cleaning for lazy and easily bored artists! 

Haha - for us it's a good product if it still cleans up well with the lazy and easily distracted! You're our benchmark! W

Absolutely Andy - there is so much content out there trying to make out like cleaning an airbrush is an expedition of such magnitude that it needs camels and a Sherpa to do it properly, but it's really quite simple if you stick to the right basics! W

Thanks so much Geoff!

For the Ultra, always pull out through front and insert from back. Preserves the seals and ensures you don’t pull debris back through the brush.

Hi Henry... did you watch the video? ;-) we don't mind if you pull it out through the front OR the back... just don't have paint in the airbrush when you do it. It has no impact on the seals at all, either way.

Thank you Simon.

Thanks very much Mike!

Thank you Greg!

Our pleasure!

Thanks very much for joining us!

More to come!

Can't speak to glycerine as I haven't tried that. The significant property that the SuperLube has, is that it does not harm a paint film (i.e. fisheyes etc)... so it's a "safe" product to have on the bench when painting. With regard to your "sticky" comment - you're right - but I find that this is usually due to an over application. It really only needs the thinnest film. A tube is almost a lifetime supply!

It's not as easy - you're right... But if you grab it with a wet cloth, it blocks the air pretty well, and does the bubble back. But we are working on something specifically for that, which makes it MUCH easier. Keep in touch and you'll see it!

Hey Bill Just loosen your needle nut, and tighten your head assembly a bit until it’s a good finger tight - that’s all! Then tighten up your needle nut again a bit 😊

Hi Peter... thanks for the question. If you're referring to the needle packing, then yes, it can be replaced, but most H&S needle packings live for many years! However, if you would like to replace it, the part is 123450.

I don't agree :-) (unless for teeth - then excellent)... better is a good quality number 8-10 brush. Gets into everywhere without risk of hitting things with the ferrule.

We're here for you man.

Hey buddy - I think that every airbrush is improved with a little lube... So I tend to put a touch on the following parts: Needle guide; middle piece; needle spring; excenter; trigger shaft and base. I don't bother much with the needle itself tbh. But the only thing I'd say is don't overlube. This can deaden the feel a touch.

Thanks! (Awesome that you're still answering questions on earlier videos by the way). I'm hoping you could do a video one day with a step by step visual demonstration on the end-of-session clean and a more thorough end-of-project cleaning. Many of those seems to vary spectacularly in what they do at TLC, and this seems like one of those delicate mechanical instruments that don't appreciate too much of a good thing either. Anyway, keep up the good work, your channel's been a great help and inspiration already

Hey buddy - actually, this pretty much covers what I do end of anything cleaning wise. The key really is the between colour clean. If this is good, then end of anything cleaning is just as easy! But yes, we can do the practical demos.. Having said that, I do run through my cleaning procedures in both the ULTRA Painting Process video and also the Age of Sigmar painting videos... Hope that helps in the meantime! W

Hi Claudio - we prefer to keep it in the airbrush. It's very safe there :-)

EXACTLY 💯🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻

...I wish this was true

Iwata Airbrush and Harder & Steenbeck Airbrush are both now owned by Anest Iwata, a very large corporation based out of Japan. Upon the purchase a lot of thought was put into how the two companies should interact, and the decision was made, and has been stuck to every since, that both brands should continue to compete as entirely separate entities, as this would lead to more innovation, better products, and therefore a better customer experience. Both brands understand that an ever better customer experience is good for everyone. Hope that deepens your understanding, and gives the context for my remark about competitors :-) W

@@harderairbrush yeh I was mostly poking fun. It's apparent that the operations have remained separate. 👌 Although cooperation as well as competition can lead to better outcomes, I imagine it at least makes it less awkward treading on each other's toes with patents.

Well the reason why we went with competition rather than co-operation is that there is very little room for getting lazy if the environment is one of competition, rather than co-operation. We try to build progress INTO the structures rather than relying on anything else. Hope that makes everything as transparent as possible as to our decision making process in that. W

Honestly, I never do it. Ever. If you NEED to, then you have something in your painting process which could improve. Cleaning with the removal of all parts, too, is something which I very rarely do, as I simply don't need to, because of the painting process. Watch our painting videos for the EVOLUTION and the ULTRA and hopefully they will give you an insight to our cleaning processes DURING painting. Your end of day really should just be the same as a colour change, but with a couple of extra flushes. If you keep the back end of the airbrush lubricated slightly, then cleaning those parts is really just a wipe, as nothing will have stuck, even if paint did get there (which it shouldn't anyway)... Hope that helps!

Well hello, Ryan! Nice to meet you! W

Hi Andrew - we are in the process of exactly this. Thanks for reminding us how important that is!

Hi there - please watch this video - we answer that question there. ALWAYS stick to this advice :-) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OWTU9BjVJgI.html

@@harderairbrush hi, not sure if you meant another video? I was asking about specific cleaning agents used in the airbrush, not how to clean it.

@@mezmerizer0266 Hi Mez. The video (and some others in the series) recommend always using the manufacturer's recommended cleaner. So if you're spraying Vallejo paint, use Vallejo cleaner, or for Tamiya paint, use Tamiya cleaner and so forth. It's good advice, because the manufacturer knows what's in their paint and the best stuff to clean it with. All paints are formulated differently, there's no 'best' cleaning product, in fact, some cleaners will react quite badly with competitors paint.

@@billyclement5141 that doesn't make sense. A lot of paints don't have specific cleaners. Citadel, Scale 75, P3, AK, and more don't have their own cleaner. I asked a specific question about using harsh solvent based cleaners, as I would like to know how the airbrush and it's gaskets hold up. Please, in the future, read and comprehend, so you do not waste both your time and mine with frivolous words to try and sound important. Thank you.

@@mezmerizer0266 Please, in the future, 'read and comprehend' the replies of people generous enough to answer your poorly worded, non-specific question. You didn't mention 'harsh solvent based cleaners, as I would like to know how the airbrush and it's gaskets hold up', you asked 'What kinds(sic) of products are safe to use as cleaner'. You were pointed to a video explaining what kind of products are safe to use in H&S brushes. You don't appear to use English as a first language (me either) so I attempted to clear up your obvious confusion. If you don't want replies, don't ask questions, that way people won't waste your oh so precious time trying to help you out.

haha from YOU! Hey everyone - this is my son, the drummer :-) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F9jYs4BRFPE.html

I'm too lazy to say that many syllables.

OK - be on the lookout next year! Great suggestion!

Cleaning my airbrush in the washing machine went well, it went wrong when I dried it in the microwave.

Great to hear Jeff! Thanks for choosing us!

Very much zero chance of hot water damaging the airbrush. As I've said before, airbrushes are made from elements which are present in the Earth's crust. They are pretty robust :-) HOWEVER, is it necessary to keep hot water in a thermos in order to clean your airbrush? I think your performance will be increased much more substantially by keeping a nice supply of hot tea/ coffee (to your preference) in the thermos!

Thanks for the reply! That would be tea in my case. 😄 BTW, I've had the Ultra 2024 for about a week and I'm friggin loving it. Still blown away by the effects I'm getting after using it just a few times, and how much faster it is than brushwork. These videos and the Ultra 2024 convinced me to take the plunge. Glad I did! Yeah, had a couple clogs, but learning how to manage that.

It's OK Chaz, yes, BUT I would encourage you to develop a routine such as the one shown (and also used in all our demo videos) which means that you do not NEED to use an ultrasonic bath. If you NEED one, it's a sign that your cleaning processes during the painting session aren't good enough, and this can only mean that you'll be getting some performance problems during your session. Hope that helps.

Ok thanks what i normally do is pull the needle out the front one I’ve sprayed the paint out etc but sometimes I’ve done it out the back and it’s had problems once fully cleaned with bubbles appearing in the paint cup.@@harderairbrush

@@chaz01br Bubbles in the cup are almost always just that you didn't get the head tightened up well enough - just a good finger tight does it. W