My personal rule is: Don't put it off.  I never let the brush sit empty more than a few minutes.  The first thing I do is to wipe out the paint cup and then shoot some thinner to get rid of most of the paint residue.  Thinner for me means lacquer thinner.

I shoot into a large plastic jug with a 1/4 inch hole in the side and an old mask filter on top to keep the spray in. When the spray comes out clear, I remove the paint cup and drop it in a container of thinner.  Then I turn the brush over, put thinner in the paint input opening with an eye dropper, and spray until it comes out clear again.

Many will say that this is all that is required. I would agree if you're going to use the brush again right away.  But, I have found that if I stop here, I will often have a stuck needle the next time I try to airbrush.   I suspect that a little paint leaks inside the needle bearing, just enough to cause it to freeze when it drys.  At any rate, to be safe, I need to at least remove the needle and wipe it off.  This only takes a second, so it's not a big deal.  I usually go ahead and  remove the head and wipe out the body and tip with thinner too.  It just takes a couple minutes more, and I'm sure of having a clean brush. Some people use inter-dental brushes for this.  I've found that a pipe cleaner bent double fits nicely in the front and bottom openings in the body of the 155, does a good job, and can be used several times.  Also, being bent over means that there is no sharp wire on the end that might damage the needle bearing.  I use the other end of the pipe cleaner to clean the paint cup spout.  I've read that some people run a pipe cleaner through the needle bearing.  They must have thin pipe cleaners because the hole in the bearing is only 0.05" in diameter.  The only thing I push through the needle bearing is the needle.

To clean the tip, I take the corner of a paper towel and roll it into a point.  Then I dip it in thinner and poke it in the large end of the tip and twist until I can see a bit of it on the small end.  
Hint:  It's easier to shape the towel if you do it before you put on gloves and begin airbrushing.




So, how do I hold the tiny tip for cleaning while wearing gloves? Here's what I came up with.  I modified a wooden clothes pin by cutting it off and filing a little groove next to the ends.  Using it, I can easily pick up the tip from the bench and hold it securely.  It eliminates a lot of fumbling.

If there is any paint on the front of the head assembly from bounce-back, I clean it with an old paint brush and some thinner.

I keep a special bottle of thinner for cleaning, and pour a small amount in a glass cup for use.  When I'm done, the excess goes back in the bottle.  By the next cleaning, most of the pigment has sunk to the bottom.

When I re-install the head, I barely tighten it then back off a fraction of a turn.  Then I tap the brush head-first lightly on the bench.  Then I go ahead and tighten the head firmly, but not killer tight.  I've found that, on my brush, this makes the floating tip line up more concentric with the head.  I have read that some airbrush heads are prone to cross threading.  I've never had this problem with the Badger, but it doesn't hurt to be careful.

A caution about re-installing the needle:  I make sure the trigger is fully in place before trying to run a needle through it. Also, when I insert the needle into the body, I hold it in my open hand.  That way, if I miss the hole, the point won't be damaged. I push the needle in until I can feel it bump against the nozzle.  There should be some drag going through the needle bearing. You don't want to push too hard or you may distort or split the tip of the nozzle.  I tighten the needle chuck and work the trigger to see that it feels right.  For me, the needle is the first thing out and the last thing in.

As a final touch, I turn the brush upside down, put a little clean thinner in the paint supply hole and shoot it out.  And that's all I ever do.  I've read that some folks regularly disassemble their brushes and soak them in cleaning solutions and some even buy ultrasonic cleaners.  I've never seen a need for this, but maybe that's because I'm more thorough each time I clean the brush.

Some people hate cleaning an airbrush. Maybe they are going to too much work.  There's no need to clean the areas that are not touched by paint.  I don't mind it at all.  The way I do it, it only takes a few minutes, and I can feel confident that the next time I use the brush, it will spray like it should.  

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