OT: How to clean clogged paint spray can nozzles?

try soaking in acetone

I keep a small baby-food jar half full of nitocellulose tinners. When I'm done spraying I remove the spray tip and drop it into the jar. Even when the spray can is empty and I've thrown it away, I keep the spray tip as a spare, so i always have several clean ones.

Just in case you've never removed a spray can nozzle just twist it and pull it straight out. Watch out when replacing the nozzle, it helps to put a bit of cloth or poaper towel around it as it's likely to spray a bit when it snaps back in.

If you don't have any solvent around, try cleaning the nozzle hole from both ends with a sewing needle. If If all else fails, you can always "borrow" an unclogged nozzle from another can.

After I do the "invert and spray" thing I always wipe off the front of the nozzle with a cloth or paper towel. That prevents the wet paint around the nozzle hole from getting drawn back in by capillary action and clogging it. IIRC I haven't had a clogged spray can nozzle in years.

Good Luck,

Formulations on spray paint changed a lot after CA's CARB banned all available spray paint formulations about 10-12 years back. Too many hydrocarbons emitted, no spray paint for about 1 1/2 years, just empty shelves, and what finally made it was pretty putrid for ease of application. That stuff clogged nozzles regularly, even with constant agitation. I used to use some fine piano wire to do the unclogging, most pins are just a little too large. You're supposed to do the invert can bit when you finish up and do it until no paint comes out, then you don't have dried paint in the nozzle. The only source I know for new nozzles now that my favorite paint chain folded is Brownell's, they've got them in with their Alumi-Hyde paints. I've used lacquer thinner with mixed results on plugged nozzles, a lot depends on the paint type. Keep the good nozzles, you can always use them later.

Stan

Formulations on spray paint changed a lot after CA's CARB banned all available spray paint formulations about 10-12 years back. Too many hydrocarbons emitted, no spray paint for about 1 1/2 years, just empty shelves, and what finally made it was pretty putrid for ease of application. That stuff clogged nozzles regularly, even with constant agitation. I used to use some fine piano wire to do the unclogging, most pins are just a little too large. You're supposed to do the invert can bit when you finish up and do it until no paint comes out, then you don't have dried paint in the nozzle. The only source I know for new nozzles now that my favorite paint chain folded is Brownell's, they've got them in with their Alumi-Hyde paints. I've used lacquer thinner with mixed results on plugged nozzles, a lot depends on the paint type. Keep the good nozzles, you can always use them later.

Stan

Yes. HD carries spray tips that fit Rustoleum spray cans.

If I were going to try cleaning old tips, I would try TSP in hot water. Acetone might disolve the spray tip. Indeed TSP might also, but may be less likely to do that.

Dan

TIA Dave

If you are like me, you probably have a shelf full of miscellaneous spray cans, including some that are not paint, such as WD-40, anti-static spray, release agents, etc. If you can get your paint spray nozzle to fit one of these cans, the spray will clear it out with a non-drying liquid.

Another technique, and I DON'T know why this works. Maybe someone can tell me. When I'm spraying, and a nozzle plugs up, I pull it off, put it back, and try again. After several cycles of this, it almost always starts to work again.

I soak them overnight or longer in brake fluid then 100 PSI air. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Another thing to check is that the metering slot in the bottom isn't clogged. Other than than, appropriate solvent soak.

Maybe it is easier this way :

Buy another can of the same stuff. Use the good head (maybe the good can first). Then clean it with inversion and blow out method - clean the face and blow again

- in case you pushed some back into the hole. Then put the tip into the old one and see if it goes.

Martin

I use my ever faithful (and rather bent) torch tip cleaning reamers

Gunner

No 220-pound thug can threaten the well-being or dignity of a 110-pound woman who has two pounds of iron to even things out. Is that evil? Is that wrong? People who object to weapons aren't abolishing violence, they're begging for the rule of brute force, when the biggest, strongest animals among men were always automatically "right". Guns end that, and social democracy is a hollow farce without an armed populace to make it work. - L. Neil Smith

I soak the tip in carburetor cleaner, or O'Reilly's brake cleaning fluid. The brake cleaning fluid has toluene and acetone in it. Other brands might have the same concoction. The cleaners with tricho-like solvents aren't any good for paint nozzle cleaning. The O-Reilly stuff is also an excellent paint remover for some kinds of paint on machinery. Don't clean your lathe with it... At any rate... spray a puddle in a baby food jar, drop the tip in it, and wait a while. Then put your air compressor nozzle on the hole where the spray comes out and blow the gunk out the tube that goes to the can. The reverse the nozzle and blow through the nozzle from the can side. NEVER throw away old can nozzles, make a spot and keep them, but only after cleaning them. Put the little tubes that come with carburetor cleaner and WD-40 in the same spot.

Brownnsharp

After reading this thread, I thought I would point out

I wrote that, I've abonded the jars and now use soup cans. When the paint job is done, I clean the gun as stated in the article and toss the soup can.

After much experimenting, I found the best filter for paint is old panty hose. Cut of a bit, stretch it over the top of the can and pour the paint through. I've tried a number of other filter media but all were either horribly slow, poor filters or both.

I sent Will Gray a PDF update but I don't think it appeared on MWN.

By actual test, the set up plus clean up time with this arrangement is less than with a rattle can and the paint is _enormously_ cheaper in quart or gallon cans than in rattle cans.

I have found the gun to work well at any pressure from about 30psi up to

90psi.

I have also made some extra paint jets. I now have .018" (#77 drill) for up close and personal fine work, .026" (#71 drill) the original general purpose one, .038" (#62 drill) for larger volume like painting the side of the house and .055 (#54 drill) for Melamine paint which is not supposed to be thinned.

I also use this with epoxy paint and seldom have any nozzle problems. Once or twice I was sloppy on the claena up but I just took the nozzle off the gun and ran the original drill size through it.

I have used both brass and alluminum for the nozzles with equally good results.

Ted

I use the same method as Gunner but follow up by putting the nozzle on a can of spray carb cleaner and giving it a couple of shots.

-Dean

soak in acetone or lacquer thinner then blow out with an air hose. I pull off the spray nozzle when done painting and blow out with air hose. Also as others have noted save old spray nozzles also save spray tube from oil and grease spray cans. I recently bought a can of spray oil. The cap had a clip built into it to store the spray tube, not a bad idea. I'll keep that cap to use on other cans

Scp

If you need a fine wire to help, try a bristle from a wire brush. Don Young

One thing that would probably work would be automotive spray starter fluid, which smells like lacquer thinner mixed with Raid. Horrible stuff. >.<