Hi Marty, try polishing your needle with some aluminium polish. It keeps it smooth and your paintflow is a bit better. Keep up the good work.

Thank you, Marty, for your in-depth guide to cleaning airbrushes. As with most of us fiddly restorers, I appreciate the extra details for clarity.

Hey Marty, A couple of useful pointers... 1 - Use a medium size soft brush (10 /12 Humbrol's work well) to agitate the thinners in the bowl rather than lots of bits of paper or make up pads, this works far better and longish bristles will work down into the bowl, and tip the dregs out of the bowl, don't spray through the AB as any bits of dried paint you dislodge can jam in the nozzle and damage it as the needle re seats as these can be quite hard. 2 - The needle Nozzle needs to be removed from the front section and the inside of the front section cleaned with interdental brushes (you can get packs of these from $ / £ stores for pennies) or airbrush cleaning brushes or Q Tips etc... paint will dry in that area and cause blockages. You need to use the very small spanner that came with the Air brush to do this. You can also get paper dental points for pennies that are great for very carefully cleaning inside the needle nozzle, and never use one of those awful needle nozzle reamers that are sold!! Just designed to kill your Nozzle!! 3 - Looking at the general condition of your brush it could do with most (not the air valve) of the components being stripped down and soaking in thinners / air brush cleaner (there are many air brush cleaners on the market and they are more aggressive than just using thinners) then cleaning thoroughly with brushes and Q tips etc. If soaking for a while its better to remove the seals and clean these separately as depending on the seal material they may swell. 4 - As mentioned below in another comment, its always better to push from the back and then pull the needle out of front when the AB has been used and is dirty as pulling backwards may pull paint into the internal needle stem seal area. Also good on the cheaper AB's to polish the needle (carefully) with a piece 3000 / 6000 wet and dry or small piece of 6000 Micro mesh... 5 - Use of an AB lubricant such as Badger REGDAB or Iwata Super Lube is also a good idea, helps to improve operation and performance and also helps to stop paint sticking to the needle... I have found REGDAB to be the best. PS. Don't "Hose" this stuff on, a little goes a long way on all the key movement points. Also as mentioned below, the red ring on the regulator is for mounting it though a hole and is not a locking ring for the pressure setting, that is done by lifting up and pushing back down on your model. Looking at the moisture in your moisture trap I would also suggest cleaning that out and checking the moisture in the tank by pressurising it then slowly opening the drain valve on the bottom and tilting back and forth to get any built up water out of the tank. The tanks can be cleaned but I won't go into that detail now. In Australia I am guessing your humidity level can get high which is where the moisture comes from, its all about Dew Point... If its that bad it may be worth adding an additional moisture trap at the AB, several companies sell these and you can get on eBay etc.. Hope these help Buddy.. :-) :-) Keep Up The Good Work.... and watch out for Kevin!! I don't think he has your best interest at heart!!!

There's no way I can explain to my wife how satisfying this video was. Thanks, Marty!

i like that you left out the music thank you

Your new instructional videos - well received Marty. No giggling...

As it goes for all the filming, cutting, editing, voice-over, greenscreen, etc. work - the viewer generally does not see the overal effort and time involved in the prep work neccessary to complete a makeover. Thanks for sharing, Marty! Best regards from Germany, Volker

Ahhh thats cool. Makes me wanna go buy an airbrush and compressor to paint a STAR WARS model or two. Thanks Marty!

Marty, that is so very generous of you to let us into the backroom and share the current set up. I can't even afford this but I just found a load of water skis that my Reptile Store owner friend has volunteed to be my test pilot for once motorised. Getting him to test weight distribution is so funny.... he is a skateboard dood but he still made the crazy step to run such a venture. Chicks dig scars

Dude...Wow. I was just looking at airbrushes, and was wondering who I could look to, to find out how to clean these things. I RANDOMLY came across your video without actually looking for it. Crazy.

Very nice review. Could be a Pasche? One important safety note is to release the pressurized air from the tank BEFORE you unscrew the sump drain plug! Or it will fly all around the room like a ricochet!

Hey Marty!! I've recently bought an airbrush, this video will come in handy! Thanks a lot!!!!

Avery interesting video,didn't realize how many small parts there are in the airbrush.Thankyou Marty for your demo of servicing one. Keep up the good work.

I think you covered the cleaning of the airbrush really well. I learned a few things from you that I had not thought of. Your airbrush looks like an Iwata style. I use the needle stop in my Grex airbrush all the time since I do camouflage and weathering on model tanks and I have never been able to master one without the stop. Thanks for sharing these great tips.

I've sometimes used an ultrasonic cleaner to make sure all the parts are clean, I place the tiny parts into a jar lid on the bottom of the tray so I don't lose them. A very informative video all the same.

Thanks for the information Marty, maintenance is a must when airbrushing as much as any of us do. Keep the videos & the unboxing videos coming & take care, from Maryland U.S.A. 😎👍👍👍

Nice how to video Marty! Those compressors with the attached tank are the best to use for any hobby work, they're basically a scaled down version of workshop compressor. I'm glad you have an inline water trap attached to it, if you've ever worked in an industry that uses air tools you know how important it is to have them and empty them every morning (or several times a day). The black crud that come out of the drain hole on the tank is usually a mix of water, algae and compressor oil, it should only have corrosion mixed with it if you're really lazy and don't drain the tank for years lol.

Very cool. I have been wanting to try air brushing for a while now. But never really understood the difference between single and dual action air guns and how they worked. Your video did a nice job of explaining the dual action. Thanks much. Keep it up, your one of the best to watch and learn from.

Been watching you for quite a while now, thank you for the video break down of cleaning the airbrush! Love watching your work. Cheer's from the US!

Very imformative Marty . I will be using my air brush once we've moved I got a couple of cars l kept to restore /customise myself , so this video on cleaning your air brush is of great value . Keep up the great work 👍

So much cleaning after painting for 1 minute :-) Thanks for the how-to!

I've been wayching your videos for like 7 months now, you're videos are very satisfying like melted cheese, awesome work topnotch videos now your on 99k subscribers! Cheers mate from the Philippines

Thanks for the knowledge Marty !!!!

Ha, air compressor twinsies! One thing, you should unscrew the moisture trap and give it a wash every once in a while. It shouldn't be brown at the bottom. In Houston I have to have two in line to take out the moisture from the air and it's still not enough!

Interesting video, mate. 😁👍 To say it with the words of "the gambler" (Kenny Rogers): "In your words, I found an ace that I could keep"... 😁👍👍👍 Greetings from Cooks-hah-fen (Cuxhaven) northern germany.😁

Regardless of what you do Marty, I find your videos completely engaging. Thanks once again!

Very helpful Marty. Thanks!!

Now I have the confidence to start airbrushing! Your up-close videos make me want to inspect my models from a scale-driver's view, so I can perfect finishes and remove flashing as if it were a real car. Sounds obsessive, but I've got lots of time since I'm retired. Best wishes on 100k viewers!

Hi Marty. Superb. Thank you so much. Someone who tells it straight and to the point, pardon the pun.......!

A lot of work involved. Thanks for the information

Already knew how to do this but still watched! 😎

I'm Happy with that!

Thanks for this Marty!

This was a very helpful video, Marty. Thanks.

I never use my Iwata without the adjustable tail piece.. I find it very difficult to maintain good control with a tail-less air brush. Given that I do large O scale RR models and also very small tiny detailed areas and weathering, having the setting for max flow is very useful to me.. In full size spray guns, this adjustment is used all the time to set specific flow for the area being painted... and its just the same in miniature on dual action air brushes. My first airbrush, a 1940s Thayer and Chandler model A, super fine artists photo retouching airbrush lacked this feature, but we had a new tail machined up to add that feature. Later I got Iwata HP-BCS with an adjustable tail piece from their Super-Micron series. As we do larger models, I always use siphon cup airbrush that allow enough paint to be carried that one does not have to stop and reload. Glass jars can also simply have a lid screwed on when done, so extra ready to spray blends can be stored for later use. Polishing the tapered tip of the needle and maintaining perfect shape is critical for good pattern and fine droplet.

Thank you sir.

Hi Marty, nice and simple. Thanks. See ya Saturday.

Thanks for the tips!

Meant to add your makeovers make it all the way to Scotland.....Have a great day.

i recall buying one exactly like that a fair few years back, it was an airfix or tamaya air brush i got from a small family run model shop when i went on holiday however due to a lot going on at the time my builds took a back seat and i gave the air brush to a close friend of mine, tbh I need to get a new one though and i thank you for uploading this useful video cos one of the other reasons why i gave it to my mate was I was new to builds at the time, and that i had no idea how to maintain the airbrush itself... been brush painting since i started with the exception of canned spray paint when i want to just give a base coat or if my builds have been 1 or 2 colours

THANK YOU...for sharing. Nice review. Keeping it clean.

Glade you did this video, I am planning to get a air brush, and no have some idea how to clean it. I would like to see behind the scene things like your light set up, camera mounts and green screen I know there must be lot that goes into getting ready to do video.

OK, you know I must be pretty far gone when the first thing I think about when he shows how the locking mechanism secures the compressor's maximum air pressure setting is: "Oh crap! Now Kevin knows how to do that!"

Marty, I think you’re better at airbrushing than you think you are. Wonderful, informative video.

Very helpful and explanatory procedures for the spray gun, thanks for sharing!

When you spoke of the pot that keeps one from getting woozy, I thought sure you were going to say, "but I like getting woozy!"

Hi Marty, when you pull the needle out you should pull it out from the nozzles end . Other wise you will drag the paint through the gun . Great video Marty

Its a fengda airbrush setup... i have the same one... Nice video mate! Greetings from Holland 😊

I think it's easier to buy a new brush for every project ;) But seriously, great job with the vid. I also use the no-brand brushes, get them for around $10-$25 online.

Thank you sir, you did help me!

Just a finicky note on parts terminology -- the retainer for the needle you referred to as "kind of like a chuck" is not a chuck at all. It's a collet. A chuck is a unit with three spring-loaded jaws like you have on your drill press. A collet is simply a split threaded tube with a threaded retaining collar like on an x-Acto knife. Your videos are outstanding. Keep up the good work and watch that Kevin!

Another informative Video thank you Marty

I've learned something today 😀

Thanks for sharing this information

Thank you, Marty, very informative.

Thanks for the Video

Very interesting, ☑️ Thanks Marty

Thanks great video. Was looking forward to this one and it helps some of us a lot. I've watched many air brush videos and there snooze fest. But yours did not disappoint... thanks again Marty keep up the great work..

not sure how easy it is for you to get mentholated spirits but is brilliant for cleaning plus its cheaper than thinners and also can be used to strips paint from plastic. thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much, I've avoided working with an airbrush as I understood it's a lot of work to setup, clean up and use. After watching loads of your videos I think i can manage the use part and now I think I can manage the clean up as well.

Well done. TY for sharing.

Great video. Thanks for the info. Perhaps you'll consider a video when you use Sketchup to 3-D print a part. Creating an item from a drawing fascinates me.

An interesting video, clear explanation.

Very informative video Marty, I myself stopped using an airbrush years ago due to all the hassle that came with them and just use Tamiya and other spray cans that can be quite expensive!! You may just have convinced me to try again with an airbrush? I have just posted a small budget video on KZfaq on spray cans, it will be in several parts due to me being a numpty with media skills! Anyhoo great stuff and cya Saturday.

Thanks for the tips Marty. I'll try them out with my new air brush although it's a siphon feed not a gravity feed like yours. I'll have to practice taking it apart properly.

I am a fan, Marty keep on. Very good attitude and good vive. Very fine work. My comment (That air brush some may call it tripple action. because of the air that can go through the screw below just before the nozzle. I have 1 air brush just like that is very good and not expensive. . some other air brush dont have that final screw below, those are double action literally speaking. that screw is very unpopular because for some people is only trouble). Share good vive all way through México.

Always interesting, Marty. See you on Saturday.

Great video Marty and love your restorations. One note of concern you should never direct compressed air through your skin it can cause all sorts of health issues. Maybe some other barrier should be used when back flushing. Keep up the excellent videos, Mitch

Marty thanks for the video. I've always wondered about how to clean the airbrush...... 👍

Thank you for your important practical presenttation, very helpful. Best C...

When you were having the splattering paint problem, Marty, my first thought was that you probably had a bent tip on the needle of your airbrush, or that the nib of your airbrush had cracked from shoving the needle in too forcefully. I only thought of that because I did the very same thing with my airbrush, and since it happened during pre-internet days, my airbrush languished for years because I couldn't get the replacement parts.

Great vid Marty, i am looking to get a relatively cheap airbrush and came across your vid, i think your airbrush is a kkmoon dual action airbrush.... awesome explanations on cleaning btw...

When you replace the needle its better to put it in from the nozzle end, it prevents you bending the tip of the needle, use a bit of green scotchbright scrub to clean the needle and it helps the flow of paint, also polishing the needle helps with flow, an airbrush will always work better than when it was new after a few polishes.. i always use airbrush brushes as well to keep the chamber clean, it helps preventing buildup around the needle, its ok cleaning the needle but the chamber needs a good cleaning quite often as well, you will be amazed how much sh#t comes out and how the airbrush performs better, plus clean the swirl cap as well, it looks like you have grey paint dried up on it and that helps the air flow when atomising the paint Funky

Excelente vídeo, saludos desde Toluca, México.

Very interesting Video Marty, didn't realise that there was so much to the cleaning process.

100k 100k 100k!! So close!

Hi Marty, nice demo am thinking of getting one soon handy tips , Many thanks ,( love the picture of your wife), All the Best Brian 🤗

Love your video s . Thanks for showinn cleaning

I am happy with thay. 😄

Buen vídeo Marty eres el mejor. Deja tu like hermano. Gracias y que Dios te guíe y te bendiga siempre Marty. 👍😁🖒

Keep the handle on. I dropped mine without the handle on, and it hit the needle from the back, and punched it straight through the tip. R.I.P.

Normally, when I finish painting, I put on a bottle of clean thinner, blow it through and back-flush it

Great information Marty and I am looking to get hold of an Airbrush myself soon for my own Matchbox Restores. Awesome video as always buddy ATB GL & HH LittleJohn_MD 🇬🇧

These types of video's are great and very helpful. Next I would like to see your solution for repairing posts on hot wheels and matchbox cars. I tried metal putty but the drill just forces it all out.

I picked up one of those compressors at a yard sale for $5USD about two years ago, I think I got a great deal. 👍 Came with an airbrush and hose but no tank.

Thx Marty for your many intresting Videos. 💪MMM Fanclub Germany

Hi Marty, thanks very much for the tutorial. Could you also advise me on how far in or out the needle should be set when re-assembling. Also what effect do different sized needles have? Cheers.

Everyone may find that having a small can of Laquer thinner to clean airbrushes handy it attacks all forms of sediment from paints inside the airbrushes.

Also, recommendation, get from Amazon or wherever in Australia, a thing of microfiber clothes. I got a big thing of 72 of them which are about 12 inches by 12 inches, and reusable. I toss them into the washer when I'm done. I did it mostly to try to use less paper towels, and it works out well for cleaning my airbrush. One towel should get the job done, then throw it in the wash and re-use it.

Intresting

I use the lid for storage so no dust gets in there when I'm not using it.

99k.....comeon guys, step up!😉

It looks like your airbrush is an Iwata. Perhaps specifically the "Iwata Custom Micron CM-C Plus Gravity Feed Dual Action Airbrush". Your example appears to be missing the rear shroud assembly and reservoir cover. Thanks for the awesome videos!

Well that works for me.

Have you tried taking the paint gun outside and just using the pressure from a hose to wash out the remaining paint?

Marty, I believe that you have Iwata Custom Micron air brush.

Looks like a good job opportunity for Kevin.

I think I will stick with rattle cans! This might be a bit involved for me.

Which size needle/nozzle do you normally use?

Easiest and quickest method is to use a vibrating jewelry cleaner with paint thinner in it. The sonic vibrations get all the paint out without having to use paper towels/makeup pads, etc.