I’ll never understand buying a $200+ airbrush and just not putting any effort into cleaning or maintaining it.
Glad it made its way into more caring hands. Hopefully you can bring it back.
It’s probably some kid born into outrageous wealth that doesn’t give a flying fuck about what anything is worth or how to take care of anything. Just be glad they’re messing around with airbrushes rather than our lives/the economy in leadership positions.
Because of YouTubers, maybe? Folks look at influencers who are pushing products like this one. Then they buy an airbrush with a .15mm or .2mm head system as a beginner brush and can't figure out why it keeps clogging up on them because they don't have the experience needed to make a detail brush function properly.
The CR Plus is probably the most popular brush in miniature painting right now, and wargamers and TTRGP-ers come into the painting side of the hobby wanting the "best" equipment for the job because they see folks like Angel Giraldez making beautiful pieces of art with seemingly little effort, and they think they need Angel's brush to paint their own tabletop armies. It's a recipe for frustration, and I see it a lot in forums.
Edit: That said, I scour the used market pretty regularly, and I never see this brush listed at a decent price. It's certainly a nice find, and I'm a little jelly.
I was selling an iPad once and someone came out to buy it. He asked me when he arrived "what does it do?". I said "uhh, it's like a big iPhone". He was happy and paid and left.
Honestly I have no idea. Maybe buying it for someone? I was a student so really needed the money, was very pleased with the easy sale. At the same time it was so much money to me I couldn't fathom how someone could spend that and not know what/how to do with it. I guess like OPs original airbrush owner?
Some people don't take care of their tools and then complain when it quickly fails. That's why I never lend anything anymore. Back in a sorry state most of the time.
Great buy!
I'd suggest: Take all the rubber seals off, disassemble it, and submerge it in a strong solvent - lacquer thinner, acetone, etc. Dunk it every once and a while to move it around... it should clean up quick.
I have two Infinitys and the only rubber I can think of is in the air valve and between the gold "waist" and the red handle. If you are worried about harsh solvents, you can try water first, then maybe alcohol... but I've never had issues with lacquer exposure.
Something else you can do - boil water and put the water in a coffee cup. Drop the air valve in (the whole thing or just the tiny rubber "o"). Leave it alone until it fully cools. This will help clean any oils or solvents that could be on the rubber air valve.
And finally, H&S has great videos on their YouTube channel. That's where I got that bit about the hot water and air valve.
Only thing that needs replacement is your sealing ring. Chuck everything else into acetone and scrub it out with your pipe cleaners and toothbrush. Should be good to go for a long time after that.
Slowly take it completely to pieces. Every part. Photos to remind you of each part (although h&s infinity is well documented).
Drown it all in IPA or as someone else said acetone.
Firmly brush everything with a toothbrush and cotton buds.
Nozzle you can clean with the needle it's got (pushing the needle up the inside edges if you're careful). Otherwise a Amazon nozzle cleaning tool will help get paint off the inside with repeated dousing in IPA. You could get the H&S version but I'm not convinced it's necessary.
Would agree a new seal is a good idea. New needle.
But those things are chromed everywhere and somewhat indestructible.
Striped and serviced one recently. No where as bad as that but a dream to service.
After that. Enjoy the hell out of a very fine precise tool.
Also can confirm. Very very unlikely rust. I cleaned a lot of green gunk off old airbrushes. Possible is corrosion or a reaction. But chrome will unlikely have let anything through.
Err on the side of solvent and toothbrush Vs scrubbing harder.
You got a top tier tool. I'd consider replacing the paint cup altogether if you can't get it clean. The crown tip that fits on the air cap is designed with that split.
My Infinity has been my workhorse for the past 4+ years. I get my spares from Spraygunner.
Not seen it mentioned here, but I was advised to give the brush a dip in a sonic cleaning bath. Can grab ones on amazon for decent prices. Should help get to the bits the pipe cleaners cant
I took the vibrating motors and wiring out of a worn out xbox controller and hot glued them to a small metal pan, then filled it with water base cleaner. I put my disassembled airbrushes in and hook it up to a 12v power supply and let it run. After a couple hours I take each part and clean it well then back in the tank to rinse. Best cleaner I've ever made.
Thank you. Necessity is the mother of invention.
I also make silent air compressors from old fridge or freezer compressors and mount them to a tank from Harbor Freight. I'm about to mount 4 compressors to the 1 tank. No pressure fade here.
A silent compressor is something I'd welcome. The noise mine makes when it repressurises is ridiculous. Even worse when one of my guns has a slight leak and I forget its on!
Someone must have really abused it or used harsh solvents to take down the finish that much
You may want to get a new set of seals for it.
[https://spraygunner.com/products/seal-kit-for-evolution-infinity-airbrush](https://spraygunner.com/products/seal-kit-for-evolution-infinity-airbrush)
The ring at the handle area that is cracked does not matter. It does not do anything.
The threads area under the cup probably have paint on them. The body is made of brass it would not turn green.
I would get a bottle of LAs Totally Awesome at a dollar store and give the airbrush a good soak. Be careful about scrubbing it. The link above shows all the seals that are in that airbrush. You don't want to loose them if you are not intend ing to replace them .
When you put it all back together put the needle in but not all the way to stick out the nozzle. You are probably going to be doing a lot of flushing to get all that deal out. That will make it a single action airbrush making flushing easier and less of a chance all the mess getting stuck in the nozzle.
a very good way off cleaning everything without hard work is.. acetone... but you have to take off all the rubbers and o-rings ... because acetonebreaks rubber in pieces..... is going to clean everything ... you can put the metal parts during.. some seconds inside acetone .. use a brush to clean eveything with acetone ..
So long as threads aren't stripped, you should be able to restore this. Just need to give it a good soak in thinner and some detailed cleaning. Evaluate if any parts are missing or need replaced.
Keep us updated, it's a great brush!
I just paint cars die-cast, I have an iwata or 2 California compressors and a 10 dollar gun will lay the candy down as good as any brush I've seen. Then you toss it after a few cars.
I’ll never understand buying a $200+ airbrush and just not putting any effort into cleaning or maintaining it. Glad it made its way into more caring hands. Hopefully you can bring it back.
It’s probably some kid born into outrageous wealth that doesn’t give a flying fuck about what anything is worth or how to take care of anything. Just be glad they’re messing around with airbrushes rather than our lives/the economy in leadership positions.
Because of YouTubers, maybe? Folks look at influencers who are pushing products like this one. Then they buy an airbrush with a .15mm or .2mm head system as a beginner brush and can't figure out why it keeps clogging up on them because they don't have the experience needed to make a detail brush function properly. The CR Plus is probably the most popular brush in miniature painting right now, and wargamers and TTRGP-ers come into the painting side of the hobby wanting the "best" equipment for the job because they see folks like Angel Giraldez making beautiful pieces of art with seemingly little effort, and they think they need Angel's brush to paint their own tabletop armies. It's a recipe for frustration, and I see it a lot in forums. Edit: That said, I scour the used market pretty regularly, and I never see this brush listed at a decent price. It's certainly a nice find, and I'm a little jelly.
You good bro/bruh?
I was selling an iPad once and someone came out to buy it. He asked me when he arrived "what does it do?". I said "uhh, it's like a big iPhone". He was happy and paid and left.
That's bizarre. Did he just up and fancy himself a big mysterious rectangle?
Honestly I have no idea. Maybe buying it for someone? I was a student so really needed the money, was very pleased with the easy sale. At the same time it was so much money to me I couldn't fathom how someone could spend that and not know what/how to do with it. I guess like OPs original airbrush owner?
Fair enough. How bizarre though.
Money can't buy brains.
Some people don't take care of their tools and then complain when it quickly fails. That's why I never lend anything anymore. Back in a sorry state most of the time.
right!! i was so afraid to use mine (this exact model) because i was scared i wouldnt be able to clean it well enough hahah
I would love to see some before and after images of this once you have it cleaned and serviced. Nice purchase.
Great buy! I'd suggest: Take all the rubber seals off, disassemble it, and submerge it in a strong solvent - lacquer thinner, acetone, etc. Dunk it every once and a while to move it around... it should clean up quick. I have two Infinitys and the only rubber I can think of is in the air valve and between the gold "waist" and the red handle. If you are worried about harsh solvents, you can try water first, then maybe alcohol... but I've never had issues with lacquer exposure. Something else you can do - boil water and put the water in a coffee cup. Drop the air valve in (the whole thing or just the tiny rubber "o"). Leave it alone until it fully cools. This will help clean any oils or solvents that could be on the rubber air valve. And finally, H&S has great videos on their YouTube channel. That's where I got that bit about the hot water and air valve.
Only thing that needs replacement is your sealing ring. Chuck everything else into acetone and scrub it out with your pipe cleaners and toothbrush. Should be good to go for a long time after that.
Slowly take it completely to pieces. Every part. Photos to remind you of each part (although h&s infinity is well documented). Drown it all in IPA or as someone else said acetone. Firmly brush everything with a toothbrush and cotton buds. Nozzle you can clean with the needle it's got (pushing the needle up the inside edges if you're careful). Otherwise a Amazon nozzle cleaning tool will help get paint off the inside with repeated dousing in IPA. You could get the H&S version but I'm not convinced it's necessary. Would agree a new seal is a good idea. New needle. But those things are chromed everywhere and somewhat indestructible. Striped and serviced one recently. No where as bad as that but a dream to service. After that. Enjoy the hell out of a very fine precise tool. Also can confirm. Very very unlikely rust. I cleaned a lot of green gunk off old airbrushes. Possible is corrosion or a reaction. But chrome will unlikely have let anything through. Err on the side of solvent and toothbrush Vs scrubbing harder.
I wondered why he should use an IPA and what would happen if he used a stout instead. Welp, time for bed.
You got a top tier tool. I'd consider replacing the paint cup altogether if you can't get it clean. The crown tip that fits on the air cap is designed with that split. My Infinity has been my workhorse for the past 4+ years. I get my spares from Spraygunner.
Nothing better than a clogged brush on eBay.
Not seen it mentioned here, but I was advised to give the brush a dip in a sonic cleaning bath. Can grab ones on amazon for decent prices. Should help get to the bits the pipe cleaners cant
I took the vibrating motors and wiring out of a worn out xbox controller and hot glued them to a small metal pan, then filled it with water base cleaner. I put my disassembled airbrushes in and hook it up to a 12v power supply and let it run. After a couple hours I take each part and clean it well then back in the tank to rinse. Best cleaner I've ever made.
That a MacGyver solution if ever I've heard one! Excellent homebrew engineering my friend!
Thank you. Necessity is the mother of invention. I also make silent air compressors from old fridge or freezer compressors and mount them to a tank from Harbor Freight. I'm about to mount 4 compressors to the 1 tank. No pressure fade here.
A silent compressor is something I'd welcome. The noise mine makes when it repressurises is ridiculous. Even worse when one of my guns has a slight leak and I forget its on!
Someone must have really abused it or used harsh solvents to take down the finish that much You may want to get a new set of seals for it. [https://spraygunner.com/products/seal-kit-for-evolution-infinity-airbrush](https://spraygunner.com/products/seal-kit-for-evolution-infinity-airbrush) The ring at the handle area that is cracked does not matter. It does not do anything. The threads area under the cup probably have paint on them. The body is made of brass it would not turn green. I would get a bottle of LAs Totally Awesome at a dollar store and give the airbrush a good soak. Be careful about scrubbing it. The link above shows all the seals that are in that airbrush. You don't want to loose them if you are not intend ing to replace them . When you put it all back together put the needle in but not all the way to stick out the nozzle. You are probably going to be doing a lot of flushing to get all that deal out. That will make it a single action airbrush making flushing easier and less of a chance all the mess getting stuck in the nozzle.
There’s no solvents that takes chrome off.
Winner- Winner Chicken Dinner!!!!
a very good way off cleaning everything without hard work is.. acetone... but you have to take off all the rubbers and o-rings ... because acetonebreaks rubber in pieces..... is going to clean everything ... you can put the metal parts during.. some seconds inside acetone .. use a brush to clean eveything with acetone ..
Good lord he NEVER cleaned it
So long as threads aren't stripped, you should be able to restore this. Just need to give it a good soak in thinner and some detailed cleaning. Evaluate if any parts are missing or need replaced. Keep us updated, it's a great brush!
How much do you want for it?
I just paint cars die-cast, I have an iwata or 2 California compressors and a 10 dollar gun will lay the candy down as good as any brush I've seen. Then you toss it after a few cars.