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There is usually an O-ring where the air cap meets the AB body .
The needle gland ( on the bushing that the needle runs thru ) is usually nylon or PTFE .
I don't own an Iwata so hopefully someone here can help you with the particulars .

The O-rings wear out because they are continuously compressed and decompressed during assembly / disassembly .

I use isopropyl alcohol to clean it when using acrylics and mineral spirits or xylene when using alkyds ( enamel )
No lubricant is needed .
The needle bushing is self lubricating and the air valve is sealed ,,, although if you develop leakage past the needle bushing and onto the air valve you will need to clean it which , depending on the size of the mess , may require you to disassemble it

Often you'll miss resin in the spray tip that you can remove with a soak in solvent for acrylic or you can soak it in something like Super Clean that contains sodium hydroxide that will remove both acrylic and dried alkyd .
Your degradation in performance is most likely from dried resin in the spray tip .
Components like needles and tips only require replacement when damaged . But , over time the repeated insertion of the needle's tip into the spray tip can expand the spray tip's opening since the wall thickness is super-thin .

Tamiya's AB cleaner is the same as their Thin Cement .
1/2 acetone and 1/2 butyl acetate .
You can get ethyl acetate from Home Depot which works just as well as the butyl acetate for dissolving resin .
It's labeled " MEK Substitute " .
MEK ( butanone ) works too of course .
That Super Clean is easier on your nervous system though .

<blockquote data-quote="urumomo" data-source="post: 213287" data-attributes="member: 13239">There is usually an O-ring where the air cap meets the AB body .The needle gland&nbsp; ( on the bushing that the needle runs thru ) is usually nylon or PTFE .I don&#039;t own an Iwata so hopefully someone here can help you with the particulars .The O-rings wear out because they are continuously compressed and decompressed during assembly / disassembly .I use isopropyl alcohol to clean it when using acrylics and mineral spirits or xylene when using alkyds ( enamel )No lubricant is needed .The needle bushing is self lubricating and the air valve is sealed&nbsp; ,,, although if you develop leakage past the needle bushing and onto the air valve you will need to clean it which , depending on the size of the mess , may require you to disassemble it Often you&#039;ll miss resin in the spray tip that you can remove with a soak in solvent for acrylic&nbsp; or you can soak it in something like Super Clean that contains sodium hydroxide that will remove both acrylic and dried alkyd .Your degradation in performance is most likely from dried resin in the spray tip .Components like needles and tips only require replacement when damaged . But&nbsp; , over time the repeated insertion of the needle&#039;s tip into the spray tip can expand the spray tip&#039;s opening since the wall thickness is super-thin .Tamiya&#039;s AB cleaner is the same as their Thin Cement .1/2 acetone and 1/2 butyl acetate .You can get ethyl acetate from Home Depot which works just as well as the butyl acetate for dissolving resin .It&#039;s labeled &quot; MEK Substitute &quot; .MEK ( butanone ) works too of course .That Super Clean is easier on your nervous system though .</blockquote>

[QUOTE="urumomo, post: 213287, member: 13239"] There is usually an O-ring where the air cap meets the AB body . The needle gland ( on the bushing that the needle runs thru ) is usually nylon or PTFE . I don't own an Iwata so hopefully someone here can help you with the particulars . The O-rings wear out because they are continuously compressed and decompressed during assembly / disassembly . I use isopropyl alcohol to clean it when using acrylics and mineral spirits or xylene when using alkyds ( enamel ) No lubricant is needed . The needle bushing is self lubricating and the air valve is sealed ,,, although if you develop leakage past the needle bushing and onto the air valve you will need to clean it which , depending on the size of the mess , may require you to disassemble it Often you'll miss resin in the spray tip that you can remove with a soak in solvent for acrylic or you can soak it in something like Super Clean that contains sodium hydroxide that will remove both acrylic and dried alkyd . Your degradation in performance is most likely from dried resin in the spray tip . Components like needles and tips only require replacement when damaged . But , over time the repeated insertion of the needle's tip into the spray tip can expand the spray tip's opening since the wall thickness is super-thin . Tamiya's AB cleaner is the same as their Thin Cement . 1/2 acetone and 1/2 butyl acetate . You can get ethyl acetate from Home Depot which works just as well as the butyl acetate for dissolving resin . It's labeled " MEK Substitute " . MEK ( butanone ) works too of course . That Super Clean is easier on your nervous system though . [/QUOTE]

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