Getting thinner out of gallon cans without making a mess.

I have kinda come to the conclusion that I can use lacquer thinner for almost anything, at least it works for me. I also have a can of low odor paint thinner which I really haven't tried to use much yet.
Biggest problem is pouring the liquid out of the cans without maing a mess.
I thought that I saw somewhere a dispenser pump that would screw onto gallon can and let you dispense small controlled quantities. Obviously it needs to be solvent proof.
After a little googling all I can find is
http://www.harborfreight.com/sta-lube-gear-fluid-oil-pump-40714.html
I'm going to go look at it in person, anybody have a similar idea or seen something? I did look in art supply stores on the web. I have a Micheals and an AC Moore nearby and I thought I'd check them out even though I didn't see anything on either site. I already checked Lowes and Home Depot, I can swear I saw one at the Lowes in Kentucky but of course, dumbass didn't buy it then.
I have plastic and glass droppes but they extract minute amounts at a time making filling even small jars a chore and the lacquer thinner seems to damage the platic ones after a bit, though the rubber bulbs on the glass ones seem to have held up. Mainly I want to fill up a brush bath, several ounces,or the 1/2 to 1 oz jars for airbrush cleaning or for thinning paint paint.
I use a funnel for getting used thinners and paint into empty gallon cans for disposal but that doesn't work for getting clean thiiner out into smaller jars.
I also use glass cleaner from gallon jugs. For the airbrush for oil base thinner than glass cleaner than maybe a rinse with water. Brushes get a rinse out with lacquer thinner then glass cleaner then maybe water then I use Pink Soap to treat the brushes. Obviously for acrylic/water base I skip the lacquer thinner.
Seems to work except for the mess I make pouring the stuff out. One guy suggested drilling a hole in the corner of the top of the can, but unless you seal that back up it will always reek and I doubt I could get that into a 1/2 oz jar anyway.

On Saturday, March 31, 2012 3:12:00 AM UTC-4, ftauss wrote:
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About the only immediate aid I could think of is the "step down" method, where you decant from the gallon jug to a quart bottle to a pint (or smaller) bottle. I did this several years ago, wanting to have a handy type bottle for pouring turps and other thinners, so I stepped down from the gallon jug to a salad dressing bottle (cleaned of course). These bottles are in the shape of an upside-down funnel (I used "Wishbone" salad dressing) and are easy to fill using a funnel, and easier to use pouring the contents into old recycled Tamiya or Pactra paint jars. I was even able to pour it into the little Testors paint jars without making a mess. The Wishbone bottles are labeled as to contents and the lids have a piece of waxed paper (or two) between thne glass and the top, to help protect the plastic top. If I ever find one with a metal top, I'll let you know.
Regards, John Braungart

I'd be wary of the HFT pump, since it's advertised for oils. The fluids you're wanting to use it in me eat the seals in it or lock it up, since they're much 'dryer' than oils. It'd be worth a try, tho. What I think I'd look into would be either a kerosene pump, sold in accessories for kerosene heaters, or a gasoline siphon. They're both basically the same but made for fuels so should tolerate thinners better. The flows on them may be a bit high so you may want to transfer to at least a pint or quart bottle first, but that's the rouyte I'd go.
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snipped-for-privacy@wahoo.com says...
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Have you tried siphoning?

<Jessie_C> wrote in says...
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No, but I would expect for the small quantities it would simply displace the mess.

ftauss wrote:
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Any sort of push-pump should work...like even one from a Windex bottle - just put a longer tube on it, like a chunk of R/C fuel line.
Just drill a hole in the cap on the gallon bottle and install the finger pump in it, add a length of feed line, screw it on - presto.

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Not bad. But you need a dispenser pump, not a sprayer pump. Think more soap dispenser than Windex sprayer.

On Saturday, March 31, 2012 2:38:06 PM UTC-4, ftauss wrote:
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Some dispensers have trigger sprays that are either/or, with just a twist of the dial. I have one from a Tilex cleaner bottle. And I've thrown out a LOT more than I've kept (I use them for spraying Future). Now if you couple rig up the tube from a WD40 strayer to direct the flow into a small jar.....
Regards, John Braungart

ftauss wrote:
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Yes...some sprayer pumps are adjustable, though - from spray to stream, but a hand soap dispenser would be more appropriate. Just a matter of choosing the right one. You could even press a hunk of tubing over the end to make it easier to get the paint into the small bottle.
As an aside, you can do a similar thing to make an airbrush adapter for paint bottles - just get a short brass bolt (because it's easier to drill/cut), drill and tap through the center to match the threads on your airbrush receiver. Then drill a paint cap to accept the bolt size and secure it using the mating brass nut. You also need to drill a breather hole in the cap and cut a chunk of delivery tube to proper length. Works great for Badger bottom feed types, and you can use it on any bottle/cap/paint combination you like.

Model Airplane fuel pump? Or are they all electric now?
T2
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Rufus wrote:
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solid tube 1/4 inch id use like a buret insert put thumb over end transfer liquid

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I use plastic drinking straws from McDonald's - dip it into the thinner, put my finger over the end, hold the straw over the jar and release. Repeat as necessary - the amount you transfer each time would depend on how deeply into the main container you dip the straw. Each transfer takes a couple of seconds so it wouldn't take long to fill up a 1oz jar.

wrote:
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Here you go Don't know how well it will hold up with lacquer thinner
(Amazon.com product link shortened)

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or how about this http://www.webstaurantstore.com/nylon-turkey-baster/nylon-turkey-baster.jpg

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Possible, too. I'll check the local big box store.

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Very nice.

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This turned out to be pretty cool. I bought 2. So far they fit on the gallon refill of Windex I had and the gallon of paint thinner.
Paint thinner is Crown brand sold at Lowes. It's there "Next" formulation that is low VOC and supposedly friendlier. The container is plastic and the pump screwed directly to the cap threads. Only thing that bugs me about this thinner is there is some white particulate in suspension in it. They advise to shake well before using, If it sit for any time in a glass jar you can see that it clears up and the particulate settles to the bottom. Think I need to check thier site and see what that is.
http://www.packserv.com /
The low VOC lacquer thinner doesn't have the warning on it.
Also found some glass soap dispensers and a hard plastic dual dispenser. Have the lacquer sitting in them now to see how the insides hold up. RC fuel tubing may be the way to go.

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If you go RC tubing get some tygon its for gas RC engines. It may hold up better than the silicon stuff you get at any RC store

On 02/04/2012 00:13, ftauss wrote:
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Does this low-VOC thinner work well with your paints? I've always found that most model paints are incredibly picky about thinners and don't work well with anything but the original. The only exception I've found is Hannants Xtracolor, which works with generic White Spirit (Ithin you call it mineral spirits). Revell enamels react very badly to any non-Revell thinner. Humbrol will accept white spirit but works better with Humbrol thinner.

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Honestly, my experience has been everything works with everything.
Over time I acquired Floquil for RR Floquil for military Testors Airbush Aeromaster Humbrol even some Pactra
I've also bought gallon cans of reqular hardware store paint thinner and quarts of lacquer thinner.
I've yet to find something that doesn't work. The lacquer thinner and paint thinner are more likely my universal as that is frequently what is in the small jar when I am mixing small quantites for the airbrush. I have never detected any real difference between the generics and the "name brands". BUt that's just me.
I have a lot of different kinds of paint and my thoght is I want to reduce the number of thinners/cleaners I have to stock, until I can reduce the brands.
Lacquer thinner has been my universal cleaner. That is what I shoot throught the airbrushes. Paint thinner and lacquer could be in the was in the brush bath at any given time.
As far as this new green stuff goes, the label says the particulate will not affect the dried color. It may lighten the ;iquid paint a bit, but it should dry fine. Personally I have mixed feelings about this. I have no one to blame but myself for not checking more carefully when I bought it. I will probably not buy it again as I don't like what the sediment looks like when it settles out.