Gunked up my airbrush nozzle

[Heavy 7]

It was Ammo Mig acrylic, but thinned with Tamiya X-20A. I know that's adding thinner for an alcohol based paint to a water based acrylic, and everyone says use the thinner produced by the same brand of paint. But all these products get expensive and it seems to do the job just fine.

Having said that, I do plan to pick up some Vallejo acrylic thinner. I'm moving away from Tamiya paints and trying to go to all Vallejo/Ammo for airbrushing. I just find them easier to work with on all levels. Plus they're less toxic.

 

[plastickjunkie]

My suggestion is to use lacquer thinner to dissolve the gunk. I use LT to clean my airbrushes and it removes all types of dried up paints without any issues, quick and efficient.

 

[styrenemachine]

I think what Jakko shows above might be the same. This is how it is packaged where I buy it. Be careful. It tells you not to soak in a plastic container.
It definitely unclogs my air brush nozzles. But be wary. I decided to just leave a little in the paint cup between paint jobs it seemed to work so well. After I was away a week, I emptied the cup and it had removed some of the chrome finish. I think it eats anything.
Come to think of it, I haven't seen the neighbors cat in a while.

 

[Littlemarten]

My suggestion is to use lacquer thinner to dissolve the gunk. I use LT to clean my airbrushes and it removes all types of dried up paints without any issues, quick and efficient.

The only problem with using lacquer thinners is that some of them contain solvents that will attack air brush seals over time. Lacquer thinner is not a single chemical, it is a blend of solvents and can contain anything.

 

[Littlemarten]

I think what Jakko shows above might be the same. This is how it is packaged where I buy it. Be careful. It tells you not to soak in a plastic container.
It definitely unclogs my air brush nozzles. But be wary. I decided to just leave a little in the paint cup between paint jobs it seemed to work so well. After I was away a week, I emptied the cup and it had removed some of the chrome finish. I think it eats anything.
Come to think of it, I haven't seen the neighbors cat in a while.

It might have ammonia or another strong base in it.

 

[styrenemachine]

True. Ammonia will attack the chrome plating. But I couldn't smell ammonia.

 

[Littlemarten]

True. Ammonia will attack the chrome plating. But I couldn't smell ammonia.

Doesn't have to be ammonia (ammonium hydroxide). Most strong alkalis will do it. Ammonia just happens to be easy to identify.

 

[styrenemachine]

Ah ha! It does have a very high ph.
Looks like the original problem was solved. But I also learned what ate my chrome lining. Good group here!

 

[49thStateRT]

If it's this stuff:

View attachment 180052

… you can download a safety data sheet from Winsor & Newton's web site. However, the only real information I can get from that is that it's a base, as it has a pH of 9 to 10 — it doesn't say what's actually in it.

I thought SDS were regulated to have to show ingredients? That seems very odd to not have that basic information, especially if it is obviously haz mat mix of some kind

 

[Jakko]

That's what I thought as well, and why I went looking for it. Looking at it again, perhaps this line at the top explains the reason:

A safety data sheet is not required for this product under Article 31 of REACH. This Product Safety Information Sheet has been created on a voluntary basis

 

[Littlemarten]

That's what I thought as well, and why I went looking for it. Looking at it again, perhaps this line at the top explains the reason:

Requirements are different in Europe and the US. In the US, "proprietary" ingredients may not be listed, or are listed without quantity. That makes them less useful than they might be. At least you know the pH, and at 9-10, don't leave it on your skin or get it in your eyes. Remember that the pH scale is logarithmic.

 

[Jakko]

I thought W&N was a British company, so I looked up what REACH is — it's the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, which is a:—

European Union regulation dating from 18 December 2006, amended on 16 December 2008 by Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.

 

[49thStateRT]

Probably trying to protect people from recreating it with bulk chemicals. It is very expensive stuff in art supply stores.

 

[49thStateRT]

Google AI: Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner & Restorer is a specialized, water-soluble, and low-odor liquid primarily composed of
1–10% Ethanol (CAS 64-17-5). It is used for cleaning dried acrylic, oil, and Alkyd paints from both synthetic and natural brushes. The formula works to restore stiff brushes, though it should be kept away from plastic surfaces and painted handles.

Sounds pretty weak. Not sure how it would really damage plastic, unless the other 99 to 90 % is super strong solvents

 

[Littlemarten]

Google AI: Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner & Restorer is a specialized, water-soluble, and low-odor liquid primarily composed of
1–10% Ethanol (CAS 64-17-5). It is used for cleaning dried acrylic, oil, and Alkyd paints from both synthetic and natural brushes. The formula works to restore stiff brushes, though it should be kept away from plastic surfaces and painted handles.

Sounds pretty weak. Not sure how it would really damage plastic, unless the other 99 to 90 % is super strong solvents

If you trust AI, you won't want for amusement, or stupidity. Ethanol is essentially neutral pH, very close to 7. This substance has a reported pH of 9 to 10, making it alkaline, so there is something else in it, probably a soap or soap-like component of some sort.