Spraygun Question

rebuild kits are available that include all the seals, etc. Contact your local shop (for me, it's finishmaster) that supports the auto body trade. They also have gun cleaner - don't know what's in it, I've never used it (I clean my guns after using them)

Ever used brush cleaner from the paint store?

If you're just spraying primer or thinned rustoleum, the cheapo guns work fine. The primary difference between them and a good gun is consistency from start to finish of a pot of paint. A spit or burp can really screw up a job that was good to that point with auto finishes, but it doesn't matter much with primer, rustoleum or woodworking finishes. Some auto finishes like clearcoat and Imron are shot "full wet coat" , as close to sag as you dare for best gloss. Uniformity of gun operation is critical to getting this right. A sag on a finish coat can really ruin your day.

It's well worth taking a good gun (like a Binks) to someone who knows what they're doing to clean and refurbish as necessary. Your positing of the question indicates that you don't know how to do it, and a complete answer would be neither short nor simple. I try hard to keep my good guns clean, but on the two occasions I blew it I took them to a pro for restoration and was glad I did.

You should only have to do that once if you thenceforth heed their instructions about good gun-cleaning procedure. That must be done with fanatic rigor, no compromise, every time. It's not hard to do but it must be done right.

The packing seal on the trigger can dry out and make the needle valve stick. That's what happened to mine anyway. I let it sit about 10 years between uses.

The old timer at the paint shop told me to put a little mineral oil on it, and only mineral oil. Anything else would maybe cause some fish eye in your paint.

It worked for me.

Good luck,

Randy

PS, this my first post to this group. I just found it the other day. I can see that there is a lot of experience floating around in here. I am not in the metal working field myself, I work with glass. But I have a great interest and desire to pick up any knowledge that I can. I hope to get a small lathe in the near future. I want to make my own torch tips.

So with a tip of my hat I'd like to say hello to all. For the most part I'll just be lurking in the bushes and I'll contribute where I can.

Welcome aboard.

Btw..there is a thread going about a fellow trying to cut lengths of tubing..if you want to add some of your experience Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell

Take it apart and soak it in laquer thinner.

I have been using a HVLP spray gun from Harbor Freight with very good results. It seems to be on sale often. Cost is around $50 or $60 dollars. I was lazy about keeping it clean so it plugged up on me. I gave it a thorough cleaning and plan to do that after each use from now on.

Gary Repesh

I found a BINKS #7 pro spray gun with extra cups in a dumpster that was left with the paint in it. I bought some gun cleaner, and MEK and in a few days had a spotless gun free of all residues from p[revious use. I had to buy a few O rings and seals etc at the local Automotive Paint and Body Supply shop but overall costs with chemicals was less than $25.00 for a gun worth much more than the total investment I made.

My preference is Devilbiss MBC510 guns, of which I have a few of them, as well as a Sharp which is a darn nice gun equal in every way to Binks or Devilbiss. Any gun can be cleaned and rebuilt, and it is entirely within the realm of the home hobby types. Its simple, and not really all that involved. Visit my website:

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||I have been using a HVLP spray gun from Harbor Freight with very good results. ||It seems to be on sale often. Cost is around $50 or $60 dollars. I was lazy ||about keeping it clean so it plugged up on me. I gave it a thorough cleaning ||and plan to do that after each use from now on.

I have one of those also, and have painted several cars with it. On sale now for $37.95. If I were the OP, I'd pay the $40 to have the Binks gun cleaned, and save it for critical jobs such as final finish on automotive and similar projects. I'd also buy a HF gun for non-critical uses, like primer, and painting machine tools (Sorry!) Texas Parts Guy

"SteveB" wrote in message news:...

If you're in a large city, someone usually handles Binks' line and the spares to go with them. The seals are pretty solvent resistant, some of the current automotive finishes have some really potent stuff in them. Get a can of gun cleaner from the auto body supply and soak it, it may degum your gun enough that you can finish getting it cleaned out. This stuff resembles the old-time carb cleaner you used to get in gallon paint cans and does a fair job of cleaning stuff out. A lot depends on what sort of finish the gun was used for previously. House paint you should be able to clean out with lacquer thinner, two-part urethane may take something a little more aggressive. I've used MEK on nozzles used with two-part urethane, but it wasn't completely hardened up yet. Start with the container first, see what dissolves the old stuff in there, try lacquer thinner first. Or, if you don't want to be bothered, take it in for a rebuild, shouldn't cost you more than half what a new one would run. Usually the guts of a spray gun are fairly simple, you just need some fine brushes to get into the various passages. There's gun cleaning kits with brushes available from a number of sources, HF is one, the auto body supply may have a kit, Car Quest stores can get them. Binks should have at least an exploded parts diagram avaialble for your gun. Keep it clean inside and out and lube the needle seal once in a while and it should last for years.

Stan

If you want something quick to set up and very quick to clean, make one.

I've been using this one for about ten years now and love it. I have three or four fancier ones somewhere but they are far too much hassle to use.

If you need restoration grade work on $100K classic autos, this isn't the one (see Don Foreman's post) but for everything else, this one is great.

I've made a few mods and accessories since then so if you decide to make one, e-mail me for updates.

BTW, I made one for a friend who used it to paint part of his house. Said it was faster and gave less overspray than his airless.

Ted

I also have Sharpe guns. They cost about half as much as DeVilbiss or Binks. I asked a guy at the Vo-Tech if they were any good. He said they work just fine, just aren't as rugged for use in a shop or school where they might get rough use. My guns don't get rough use so I went for the Sharpes. I reserve them for final finishes, shoot primer and such thru cheapo "disposable" guns. Primer has a lot of solids in it, can be hard on nozzles.

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Any suggestions for a gun which was left coated inside (and partially outside) with aluminum paint? It didn't cost much -- $2.00 IIRC at an estate sale, but that aluminum paint doesn't seem to want to budge. I currently have it soaking with a mix of acetone and MEK, and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

So -- is there *anything* which will cut the aluminum paint? I've got the valve parts moving freely, at least. I think that the previous owner dumped the contents of the pot, and sprayed it dry (perhaps running a cleaner through the mechanism -- or perhaps not.)

P.S. I don't remember the brand, but I think that it was something like "Vim", if anyone recognizes the name. Should I just toss it away as a bad $2.00 purchase? :-)

Thanks, DoN.

Methylene chloride (brush cleaner) will take off any ordinary paint. It won't work well on two-part epoxies, nor, I think, two-part polyurethanes. Aluminum paint that's made for rust protection can be slow to dissolve, because the aluminum flakes layer-up like shingles, which is why it's a good rust-protectant.

You will pay more for a can of it than you paid for your spraygun, however. And soaking your sprayer in it may not do any favors to the gaskets.

All in all, it's a questionable proposition. But it's worth a try. BTW, the methylene choride sold as paint stripper, rather than brush cleaner, generally is thickened with some kind of silica gel. It's generally a lot less convenient for jobs like this than the liquid version, which is sold for cleaning brushes.

Do yourself a favor and do it outdoors.

Ed Huntress

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O.K. I remember once dealing with pyradine, and a drop of it fell onto a painted windowsill. By the time my eyes caught up with it, it had already stripped the paint for 1/4" around the drop. But I have no idea where to get that stuff, these days. This was with the advantages of a good college lab within reach, and *much* more lax chemical control laws. :-)

Hmm ... most are just plain O-rings -- other than the one at the top of the pot/bottom of the head, and I think that I can pull that out before soaking it.

Absolutely!

I suspect that I could also accelerate things a bit with an ultrasonic cleaner.

Thanks much, DoN.

I would try some simple common paint stripper like strip eez, Kleen Strip etc, which contains methanol chloride (sp?) I would think given sufficient time these chemical strippers would help soften up the paint. Visit my website:

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Thanks -- I'll try that.

Thanks again, DoN.

It doesn't matter what you paid for it. What matters is what it will be worth after you clean it up. And what it will cost (effort & $) to do the cleaning. Bob