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Cleaning an Iwata HP-C


Woody V

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After spending a king's ransom on some fiddly "high-end" airbrushes (that hated me) I'm back to Iwata - HP-C Plus, but I've never quite figured out the best way to clean the chamber between the cup and the seal behind it. No matter how many times I flush, back-flush, squirt cleaner into that area with the needle in place, when I pull the needle to wipe it off and put it back in it pushes paint into the cup. Also if not completely clean, the paint in there dries and the needle gets stuck, but now I'm putting a little Iwata Super Lube on the needle which solved the sticking needle issue.

 

I thought about pushing a tiny brush into that area from the cup end but I'm concerned it will push paint behind the seal and cause a buildup and/or abrade the seal, which is no fun to replace. I know if I break the airbrush down I can give it a thorough cleaning but I'm not in the mood to go through all monkey business after every paint session.

 

Any suggestions?

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Do you use lacquer thinner as your cleaner? I also own an Iwata CPlus. After blowing lacquer thinner through the airbrush, I pass the needle all the way through multiple times, each time wiping down the needle with a dampened paper towel infused with lacquer thinner until the needle comes out clean of paint. Any residue left in the bottom of the cup I deal with a q tip soaked in the thinner. I rarely break my airbrushes all the way apart. My experience is that  it more than suffices. One thing as you probably already know: Lacquer thinner will strip any kind of lubrication from the needle and the tube; I just wipe the needle with a paper towel with a bit of vegetable oil on it. (very little). A question: Do you find Iwata's lube kind of gunky? I stopped using it as I found it gummed up the works a little bit. Maybe I used too much?

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Sorry, one more thing, and I apologise in advance for asking the question, do you remove the nozzle every time you clean? The reason I ask is that you want to pull the needle all the way through the body of the airbrush. Again, sorry for asking such an obvious thing.;)

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10 hours ago, Dainis said:

Sorry, one more thing, and I apologise in advance for asking the question, do you remove the nozzle every time you clean? The reason I ask is that you want to pull the needle all the way through the body of the airbrush. Again, sorry for asking such an obvious thing.;)

 

I should have mentioned that I use Mr. Color lacquer and clean my airbrush with hardware store lacquer thinner. You idea of passing the needle through is a good one, but it involves removing all the bits from the front including the microscopic nozzle, which I'd rather avoid. However, it makes sense and I'll give it a go. 

 

As for the Super Lube, the only reason I use it is that it keeps the needle from getting stuck from dried paint around the seal. As of today I've not had any issues with it. I put a tiny amount on the needle and slide it back and forth in the body a few times. 

 

I'm sure they have their reasons, but I don't understand why the seal is so far back from the bottom of the cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have the same airbrush and use mostly Mr. Color lacquer thinned with their leveling thinner or Tamiya thinned with the same. I also clean with hardware store lacquer thinner. I don't seem to have to take it down to clean it often as long as I flush it well after use but when I do I remove the tiny nozzle. I have one of those sets of airbrush cleaning brushes and scrub and flush the area between the nozzle and cup until it's clean. I don't use any lube and the needle never really sticks. Sometimes if it's been sitting a couple of days I'll do a quick spray with thinner to get it going.

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Remove the nozzle every time you're ready to clean the airbrush for bedtime. The nozzles are very tiny so remove them over a box (I use the Iwata box) so they wont fly away. Practice putting on the micro nozzles with your hands, then just a micro turn with the wrench. I say micro because I have ruined two nozzles threads on a HBC Iwata nozzle and a Mr Hobby Creos Iwata micron clone. But lesson learned. Removing the nozzle and cleaning after every paint session will eliminate almost all problems. Every once in a while I drop my nozzles into a jar of lacquer thinner for a few minutes to get any gunk out  that may have accumulated there. Hope that helps.

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12 minutes ago, Dainis said:

Remove the nozzle every time you're ready to clean the airbrush for bedtime. The nozzles are very tiny so remove them over a box (I use the Iwata box) so they wont fly away. Practice putting on the micro nozzles with your hands, then just a micro turn with the wrench. I say micro because I have ruined two nozzles threads on a HBC Iwata nozzle and a Mr Hobby Creos Iwata micron clone.

Great advice for sure. I always have a spare nozzle on hand too. You never know when you might damage it or it gets eaten by the carpet monster.

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7 hours ago, Dainis said:

The nozzles are very tiny so remove them over a box (I use the Iwata box) so they wont fly away. Practice putting on the micro nozzles with your hands, then just a micro turn with the wrench.

 

I made a little tool for putting the nozzle back on. I took a piece of styrene tube that is too small for the nozzle and split the end in four places so it spreads. Stick the nozzle in and the tube spreads gripping the nozzle. Very easy to get the threads started and then screw down by hand followed by a slight nudge with the Iwata wrench to tighten.  

These are tricks you come up with when you're an old fart with hands that have turned to boxing gloves.

Edited by Archer Fine Transfers
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'. . . I've never quite figured out the best way to clean the chamber between the cup and the seal behind it.'

After I've taken off the caps and nozzle I put a few drops of thinner in the chamber and run a small brass brush thru the front and chamber into the back opening.  I use a pipe cleaner to clean the back end.

 

Before I started using a brass brush I used to use a pipe cleaner.  This method is time consuming.  Stick it in the front, rotate it clock-wise until it passes thru the chamber into the back opening.  Rotating it allows it to follow the internal threads.  To remove, rotate it counter clock-wise.  You will never be able to simply push it thru because the opening is threaded.

 

Just my take.  Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Mark

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On 3/10/2020 at 10:55 AM, dodgem37 said:

After I've taken off the caps and nozzle I put a few drops of thinner in the chamber and run a small brass brush thru the front and chamber into the back opening.  I use a pipe cleaner to clean the back end.

 

Thanks Mark, Where did you find a brass brush that small?

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On 3/10/2020 at 6:43 AM, Archer Fine Transfers said:

 

I made a little tool for putting the nozzle back on. I took a piece of styrene tube that is too small for the nozzle and split the end in four places so it spreads. Stick the nozzle in and the tube spreads gripping the nozzle. Very easy to get the threads started and then screw down by hand followed by a slight nudge with the Iwata wrench to tighten.  

These are tricks you come up with when you're an old fart with hands that have turned to boxing gloves.

Great idea for putting the nozzle back on! I've used the method of holding the nozzle while turning the body of the airbrush to secure the nozzle back onto the body.  It works. Tried your method.:clap2:

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Cleaning the damn thing is the main reason I don't use an airbrush

 

I'll give this thread a careful read. I'd appreciate a really good, illustrated guide to airbrush cleaning if anyone knows of one

 

Richard

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I realised after completely dismantling mine that it was distinctly more effective to withdraw the needle from the front.  I know all the guidance says to take it out of the back but that just tracked paint into the seal and when I reinserted it, it picked it up again.  I was amazed at the amount of paint I cleaned off the needle after that, even after careful cleaning previously.

 

Lacquer thinner is fine for Gunze but be careful if you use water-based acrylics as it can turn some into horrible gunge.  Test first!

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I have both the HP-C Plus and CM-C Plus and this is what I do, which is quick (< 5 minutes), effective and I don't ever play with the front nozzle unless I'm doing a full tear down, which is usually after 30-50 spray sessions.

 

1)  Wipe out the cup with a rag, to minimize the amount of paint left in the cup.

 

2)  Fill the cup with hardware store lacquer thinner and spray a bit on a clean rag, then place the airbrush in/on a cleaning station pot.  BTW, I used to use the Iwata cleaning station, but found a Chinese made knock-off for half of the price ~ $13.00.

 

Iwata Cleaning Station Pot

 

3)  Pull the needle out the back and wipe it on the rag to clean it.  Paint will be stuck to the needle about halfway.

 

4)  Using a small dental brush for flossing, stroke the canal between the cup and the nozzle as the lacquer thinner drips into the cleaning station.  The brushes I use have a soft metal wire covered with plastic bristles, that are not harmed by the thinner.

 

Dental Brushes

 

5)  Spray the remainder of the thinner into the pot, which will be cloudy with paint.

 

6)  Fill the cup again with clean thinner, insert the needle back into the airbrush all the way, then stroke it back and forth gently.  This will cause paint still in the nozzle and chamber to come loose.

 

7)  Spray a bit more thinner on a rag, then the remainder into the pot.

 

8)  Clean off the outside of the airbrush with the thinner on the rag.

 

Done! - And my airbrushes spray perfectly for many spray sessions before a tear down is necessary.  Since the lacquer thinner is toxic, always wear a respirator and rubber gloves.

 

 

HTH,

Chuck

 

 

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