Soak the a/b body?

[hChris]

Hello, my first post here .

I have Iwata HP-B, which I was using for the last few years. Mainly with water based acrylics, very rarely with solvent based paints.

I've recently noticed two problems with it: air flow seems to be restricted (I set regulator at 20psi, but air comes out as if I had it at say... 10psi), and trigger has a definite sticky / spongy feeling. I stripped the a/b and cleaned it as well as I could; the trigger got better, but the air flow did not. I can see some old paint / gunk in the body (both in the trigger area and the front slit, where the air comes out) and wanted to soak it it some sort of cleaner.

What substance can I use for such task? I don't want to do any damage.

Also: I plan on soaking only the body, without nozzle, needle, air valve, etc. (I cleaned them well already). The only thing I can't seem to take out is the o-ring sitting behind the paint cup, separating front of the body from the rear. Would soaking the body with the o-ring in place damage it? Or maybe: how do I take it out to not to have to worry about it?

Any advice appreciated,
Chris

[BigDaddyCustoms]

Chris,

I use Auto Air paints all the time (water based). When I want to give my brushes (Iwata Eclipse BCS) a good soaking, Window cleaner has really worked wonders for me. The ammonia in Window cleaner actually breaks down the Auto Air, but doesn't damage any rubber seals. Hope it helps!

Big D

[KDSilverBrush]

Glass Plus works wonders, and it's amonia free.

[hChris]

Thanks! These seem easy enough to obtain - I'll give them a try.

Chris

[chucktx]

if using these products, rinse very well...........then rinse again!!!! the amonia will attack the chrome and remove it.........

[Bahamut]

It will also eat brass up

[fontgeek]

As it was already stated, avoid using the ammonia based products where you can, and rinse super thoroughly with plain water if you do end up using it.
Windex and other ammonia based cleaners were originally recomended by manufacturers to clean out the packing grease in your airbrush. At that time, they weren't really thinking of long term exposure on the chrome or the brass, but it will do the damage to them, and it tends to dry out the rubber seals and packing in airbrushes and spray guns.
Ideally, you should be cleaning your brush after EVERY use, not waiting til it no longer functions.
If you have lots of paint in the trigger well/area, then you may have worn out the packing or seals that keep the paint from flowing back past the needle towards the trigger well. In that case, you need to replace the seals and or packing.