Sticking needle?

[MillenniumFalsehood]

I've had this happen so many times that I question what I'm doing wrong.

When I finish a paint job, I usually break my Iwata Neo airbrush down to all of its individual components and then take some fresh airbrush cleaner and go over them with q-tips, trying to get every speck of paint off the parts. I also use an airbrush cleaning wire brush that I clean the inside of the body with. When all the parts have been individually cleaned, I reassemble the brush so I don't lose any parts, then put it back in its box.

The problem is, when I go to use it again, the needle is usually stuck to the inside of the gun, and it takes quite a bit of careful finagling to get it to move. Any idea what I might be overlooking? Or is this normal for a double-action airbrush?

[zysurge]

Do you do any cleaning *before* removing the needle?

If not, and you're pulling the needle from the rear, you're pulling paint into the back seal, where it's very hard to clean from.

Also, after cleaning, I generally leave my needle out, and re-assemble just before using again.

[Rocketeer]

Dick Blick sells airbrush lubricant; I often put a dab on the needle before reassembling my Grex. Seems to help.