Air Brush Newbie How To Use And Clean

Decorating By shandidandi Updated 16 May 2009 , 4:11am by crazycakes22

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shandidandi Posted 15 May 2009 , 1:57pm
post #1 of 10

Ok Im so happy i finally got an air brusher for mom's day. icon_lol.gif My issue is that there are really no instructions. It says to use a cleaner, But what kind of cleaner? There are no stores that sell stuff like this by me and my second question is that it says to mix your coloring but how? I got a kit of 12 colors from americolor do you have to mix them? icon_redface.gif

9 replies
-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 15 May 2009 , 2:04pm
post #2 of 10

I'll leave your questions to be answered by air brush experts--but my little comment is try not to stick yourself with that friggin needle in there!! Omg!!

Like if you're spraying away, the sun is shining, birds are singing and then it gets clogged and you are stressed and you take it apart and zowie!

So watch out for that--so so rude and long and sharp.

You will want to hurt Mr. Airbrush very very badly but you need him to finish the cake. grrr.

icon_biggrin.gif

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Kiddiekakes Posted 15 May 2009 , 2:08pm
post #3 of 10

Kopykake sells blue alcohol based airbrush liquid cleaner..Most online cake sites sell it.Other have said to use a mixture of vinegar a water...I use the cleaner myself!I only mix the colors if they have sat for a while.Shake everything really good before you use it especially the metallic colors or pearl.I sometime mix colors with other to get different hues which is great also.For example..I like Lavender purple so I have to mix alot of white with dark purple to get a Lavender color.It sprays on blue but turns lavender after it dries a bit! Use the cleaner between each color to clean it out really good.I alternate between cleaner and water.then I damp the tip dry!

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Loucinda Posted 15 May 2009 , 2:24pm
post #4 of 10

I took an airbrush class and she told us to use windex to clean it out (run some vodka or water through it after the windex) She also said it was VERY important that if you are using a "metallic" color (silver, pearl, etc.) every 3 fills of the color clean it. And ALWAYS clean it after each use.

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shandidandi Posted 15 May 2009 , 3:11pm
post #5 of 10

Thanks for your replys I have been looking for answers for three days, and then realized that members from cc would know. duh where was my brain dunce.gif Ya that needle looks super sharp.

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-K8memphis Posted 15 May 2009 , 5:34pm
post #6 of 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by shandidandi

Ya that needle looks super sharp.




Hope you never find out!

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BakingJeannie Posted 15 May 2009 , 7:04pm
post #7 of 10

I got one in April and I am still learning. I went on You-Tube and found bunch of videos on how to use the airbrush, plus a techniques. I recently bought the clearner from KopyKake and found it worked great. The first time I used my airbrush, I forgot to clean it out and you know what? I got clogged up. That was the hardest thing to clean. Eventually when I got it clean, I did not tightened the head that protects the needle tight enough, so it was splashing paint all over my test paper.

One thing, have a test paper (I use paper towel handy to spray on before you spray your cake). It's a big help because I hate having to color the fondant and buttercream all the time. The guitar in my photo gallery I done using the airbrush. I will be getting better.

You are going to love it and wonder why you never got one before.

Happy brushing.

JJ

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Cakepro Posted 15 May 2009 , 7:14pm
post #8 of 10

If you are a good airbrush owner, you will run vodka through your airbrush after rinsing in water and blowing out all the residual color. Vodka will cause any water remaining in the airbrush to evaporate so you don't get stuck with hard water deposits, which can happen over time.

If you are not a good airbrush owner, like me, you put it away "dirty" (with color in the airbrush) and then have to rubber-band the trigger down, turn the air compressor on, and immerse the airbrush in a bucket of hot water to run continuously for about 15 minutes to clean it out. icon_biggrin.gif

Either way works just fine. LOL

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samiam22 Posted 15 May 2009 , 7:25pm
post #9 of 10

Can anyone tell another newbie an approximate start up cost for basic colors and equipment just in general and do you think that overall it is worth it if you are only selling about one cake a week for fun? I haven't got the time to go pro as I have a demanding full time job but I do love to decorate.

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crazycakes22 Posted 16 May 2009 , 4:11am
post #10 of 10

Samian22---I know my airbrush was the best investment I made because it saves so much time and energy. I got my airbrush and compressor off of ebay for about $80 for both items and that included shipping. All I wanted was a good starter airbrush for me to see how I would like it and also I was not sure if I would get the hand of it but I did. I buy my airbrush colors from Country Kitchen Sweetart. They have a chefmaster airbrush color set for about $25 and it is the perfect amount to start with. There website is below.

Shandidandi---You should check out country kitchen sweetart for your airbrush colors and cleaner (www.shopcountrykitchen.com). They have good prices and ship quickly. Also, they have alot of other great items to offer for the cake decorator. They send you a catalog of all the items they sell when you purchase something from them. But to answer your question about mixing--Well I never had to mix my colors but you do have to shake up shimmer colors before you use them. One tip is to mix some pearl shimmer in with your basic colors to give them a little sheen when I spray them on.

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