ToP Tips, or Tale of Painters’ Tips is our regular Friday feature where we share quick tips or recommendations that don’t really fit into our tutorials or reviews. Today I want to share a simple trick for cleaning your airbrush faster.

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Cleaning an airbrush after use can sometimes take longer than the actual airbrush session. It’s imperative to keep the airbrush clean because a build up of particles can lead to clogs.

A simple trick I like to do when switching colours or at the end of a session and before I do a strip down deep clean is to tip any paint left back into the pot and give the cup a rinse. Then I half fill the cup with water. I take a wad of kitchen towel or tissue paper and firmly hold it over the nozzle end. Then I push down and pull back on the dual action trigger all the way. What should happen is you get air blow back into the cup and you’ll see bubbles. Any paint particles hanging around in the nozzle and barrel should be blown back into the cup. Tip out the contents and rinse the cup. You’re now ready for your next colour. I find this greatly reduces clogs and speeds up a strip down clean.

Bonus ToP Tip.

If you’re like me and you’re not on your first airbrush and have a few broken or clogged ones laying around from your 20 years of airbrushing. The old bent needles can be straightened and used to clean your good nozzles during a strip down clean. You don’t want to use your good needle for fear of bending the delicate point but those old needles are perfect for scraping and pushing dried paint out of a nozzle.

What tips do you have for cleaning your airbrush? Share in the comments.

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