A deep clean involves fully disassembling the airbrush — removing the needle, nozzle, air cap, and needle cap — and cleaning each component individually. This goes beyond the quick backflush and spray-through used between colors.
When to deep clean:
- End of each painting session (if using acrylic)
- After using any paint that dries hard and fast (lacquers, enamels)
- When spray quality degrades despite color-change cleaning
- Whenever paint has dried inside the airbrush
Process:
- Remove the needle cap and needle (pull gently straight back).
- Unscrew the nozzle with a nozzle wrench — carefully, as nozzles are fragile.
- Remove the air cap.
- Soak all parts in appropriate cleaner (acrylic cleaner for acrylics, lacquer thinner for lacquers).
- Use a nozzle cleaning brush, pipe cleaners, and cotton swabs to clean each part.
- Rinse with clean water or solvent, dry, and reassemble.
Related: Backflush · Nozzle Wrench · Needle · Ultrasonic Cleaner Learn more: How to Clean an Airbrush