How to Rinse an Iwata Gx Airbrush Between Colors

Clean the paint while it’s wet and easy.  Then you won’t have to clean it when it’s dry and hard.

This particular method is called a Color Change Rinse.  It’s not always necessary to do it between every color though.  In fact I know artists who plan the order of the colors they spray based simply on how many times they’ll need to clean their airbrush.

Procedure

1. Remove the Paint Bottle from the Bottle Adapter
2. Attach another Paint Bottle filled with the appropriate Cleaning Solution
3. Spray the cleaner through the airbrush until it sprays clear.Note: Spray the Cleaning Solution into some kind of filter to catch the spray and keep it out of the air and out of your lungs. The filter can be a towel, a paper towel, a filtering system, etc.
4. Remove the Paint Bottle of Cleaning Solution
5. Spray until dry
6. Next color

The Guru’s Tips

• Use the right kind of cleaning solution

  Generally like dissolves like.  water for water, alcohol for alcohol, etc.  If you’re ever in doubt most paint manufacturers have their own brand of cleaning solution.

• Avoid Ammonia

  The die-cast aluminum body of a Gx airbrush almost eliminates this problem, but there are still brass fittings that the ammonia likes to attack.

• Don’t worry about your speed

  Beginners are always slower when they go through the instructions.  Your speed will come with time, but being thorough is more important.

• This is normally the first step when troubleshooting your airbrush

  The next step is to do an End-of-Session Rinse (basically pulling the needle out and cleaning it off, followed by a Deep Cleaning if the problem persists.