The micron has a Teflon packing ring, and will NOT be affected by ANY solvent.
Even the Buna rings in other Iwatas will stand up pretty well to solvents, Just don't leave it sit in there, and rinse with water when done.
Windex and Fantastic are amonia based and will over time eat away at any weak spots in the chrome plating. Methel alchohol should be avoided for the same reasons, it will eat metal over time.
The C-tex cleaner is a detergent based product and WILL break down the binder in any water based paint, sometimes you need to leave it sit in the brush for a few minuites if the internal drying is real bad. It will not hurt the brush. C-tex also makes an airbrush restorer for badly clogged guns, and it will break down any acrylic.
Also Dawn dishwashing detergent works well. It is the strongest DW liquid around.
I use 6 drops of Dawn dishwashing detergent to 16oz. of water for thinning and cleaning, it works very well with C-tex.
Also Liquidtex Flow Aid is great stuff too, it's made to thin tube paint for use in an airbrush.
As for tip dry it is a fact of life and you gotta live with it to some extent.
I use a leather strop to polish my needles to a mirror finish. This cuts tip dry tremendously.
You can also hear when the tip starts to dry, the sound changes from a smooth sound to a kind of fuzzy spitting sound, this can be a cue to run your fingernail around the needle and get the dried crud off of it. And if your'e shooting with the crown cap on, take it off!
Lastly C-tex white and yellow (opaque) are the worst offenders, they have a lot of pigment in them and will give you fits until you find the right mixing ratio. Sorry I cant give you a recipie for the paint mix cuz I just mix by eye, I just know when it's right.
