Cleaning it the iwata way with fingernailspolish remover:
How To Clean An Airbrush - Airbrush.TV - YouTube
Hi DiToni,
There are so many things wrong with the cleaning method this guy is showing us in the video that I strongly recommend that everyone ignore it.
Before you start dismantling the airbrush shoot warm water through it until clean, then a couple of times with cleaning solution.
1. Don't use Q tips as fibres can get stuck in the airbrush and cause problems. Use a soft artists paint brush with bristles long enough to go from back to front of the nozzle.
2. Don't pull the needle back through the body of the airbrush, take off the front end of the airbrush and push it through the front. This way you get no paint pulled back into the body of the airbrush.
3. Use Denatured Alcohol or proper Airbrush cleaner and not Nail Polish Remover, it is very harsh and will damage your O-rings in your airbrush. You can get Denatured Alcohol from the Drugstore and mix it 1/3rd Denatured Alcohol to 2/3rds Distilled Water. This is a good homemade cleaner if you can't afford the proper airbrush cleaning solution.
4. The front end of the airbrush is off to pull out needle so now you can clean needle and nozzle caps and nozzle with the artists paint brush dipped in Denatured Alcohol/Cleaning solution. Also clean the needle with a cloth (micro fibre) dipped in the cleaning solution and run it down the needle twisting as you go.
5. Ken Badger says never use dental/airbrush cleaning brushes as the metal middle section can damage the inside of your airbrush. This guy pushes one inside the nozzle and that is simply crazy!
If you follow this simple clean at the end of every painting session your airbrush will never be as bad as his was and cleaning will be very easy every time. You will not get clogging from loose fibres left in the airbrush, you will not get damage to the inside of your airbrush from the dental/cleaning brushes, you will not pull paint back into the body of your airbrush and you will not damage your O-rings.
This is just my opinion and it is what I do to clean my airbrushes but I think the video above shows such bad practise I just had to say something.
Cheers Mel