cleaning guns

can anyone explain a good system to clean paint guns in a home shop that would only see occational use?
i am interested in trying my hand at painting.staring with gun kote on cases.i just dont want to have huge amounts of thinners and such going to waste,i'm not sure how to deal with it yet?.i know there must be good ways and bad ways to set up a cleanning system. any advice is wellcome.Thanks.

I have a gallon of MEK in a clean paint can. I disassemble the gun and clean the parts with a little MEK removed from the can. I use a smaller pint can and swish the parts around in it. Then I store all the metal parts (handle and all) in the big can submerged in the clean MEK.

I don't paint all that often (once or twice a year) and the gun is always flawlessly clean and I don't waste a lot of chemicals getting it that way.

Make sure no rubber or plastic contacts the MEK! It will dissolve plastic and rubber away...

I would always rinse out the can and spray pure thinner through the gun to clean out the passages also. Then I would usually store the tips,etc. in a small can of thinner. MEK may be better but I don't know what that stuff is, so..... What is MEK? Where do you get it? I can't find it around here but have heard of it.

doesnt the mek eat the spray gun seals??
are u spraying gun kote ?
racer i think it is Meathal Ethal Ketone ?? or something like that. it is used to thin Gun-Kote. a very durable gas proof , high heat finnish.awsome for motors.So i hear.

I talked to an engine builder who sayd he uses it to thin his sealant...yamabond, etc.....so he doesn't use too much. Never heard of it before then but he really likes it. Where do you get it....auto parts stores like Autozone, etc.?

Yup: Methel Ethel Ketone. Get it at the hardware store or your local auto paint and finish store. I get mine at ACE.

Fill up your paint pot with MEK and spray it through the gun to start the cleaning process.

Take precautions to avoid inhalation or absorption into the skin. High Ketone levels will damage the central nervous system. MEK might not be available in Canada or California...

Post edited by: andoman, at: 2008/01/06 00:04