cleaning your gun

basicaly X2 what otakar said: dump the remaining paint out of your gun. If it is a siphon feed gun, pull the trigger to let down the paint trapped in the siphon tube. After that, clean out you cup. I do this by putting in a small about of the correct thinner for the product being sprayed (MEK and acetone works just fine too), put the cap or cup back on and shake vigorusly. Do this until the thinner in the cup is clean. Next, using the clean thinner still in the cup, pull the trigger and start spraying the thinner out. It will chase out any residual paint still inside the gun. Finally, I place my finger over the nozzle of the gun. Not enough to block it, but just enough to deflect the material comming out, and shake vigerously while spraying. This will help clean any residual paint around the cap. Like otakar said, make sure you're not around anything that the thinner can damage. Once these steps have been taken, I spray my hand with thinner to make sure it comes out clean. If its clean, I check the cup to make sure the thinner in there is still clean. If it isn't, dump it out and replace it with clean stuff. I leave about 1/8 cup of thinner in the gun then put it away for storage.

Great info guys.
i have a HLVP gravity feed gun. it came with its own blower motor , rather than a compressor.

Just to clarify, please correct this if needed.
Step #1. put clean mek (or suitable cleaner)in it , shake it spray it dump it.
#2 clean cup, then repeat step 1, until clean.
store gun with cleaner in it.
can i store the 1st batch of mek and reuse it for the 1st cleaning next time? will the paint just settle to the bottom, and leave clean mek above, so i can reuse it?
how do u guys, safely dispose of mek, or used cleaners?
we have a hazardous waste disposal drop off site, but it is only open a few days a year.

you should just use jack. works prettty good. sorry im drunk, please ignore me

How long do the rubber orings and such hold up when you store the gun with the MEK or general purpose solvent in the cup? I assume that this causes no undue harm to seals. Excellent info here!

mark1122 wrote:

Great info guys.
i have a HLVP gravity feed gun. it came with its own blower motor , rather than a compressor.

Just to clarify, please correct this if needed.
Step #1. put clean mek (or suitable cleaner)in it , shake it spray it dump it.
#2 clean cup, then repeat step 1, until clean.
store gun with cleaner in it.
can i store the 1st batch of mek and reuse it for the 1st cleaning next time? will the paint just settle to the bottom, and leave clean mek above, so i can reuse it?
how do u guys, safely dispose of mek, or used cleaners?
we have a hazardous waste disposal drop off site, but it is only open a few days a year.

Pretty much everything you said is correct. Just use very small amounts of MEK in the cup for each flush. I only use about an Oz or two for each blow-threw. This way you will never have any old or dirty MEK laying around. The Oz of MEK you will leave in the gun, you will spray threw before the next use. If you use MEK only, you will not have to worry about solvent incompatibility, the next time you use the gun for a different paint (With the exception of H2O based paints, than you have to flush with Acetone before use and after use) MEK is compatible with ALL solvent based paints. If you use other solvents or Thinners you will always have to re-flush the gun before each new use. Believe me, I've been doing this for 32 years and have made every mistake that was possible to make im the learning process.

I used to use the turbine HVLP system and I would use a seperate gun for primers, paint and clears. Otto's method is what I have done for years. Sometimes I would pull the cap and needle and throw the cap in the cup with the solvent for storing and clean the needle thoroughly.
I have found that multiple guns is the way to go. Primer takes a different size needle than paint and clear so I use a gun just for primer otherwise I have to change the needle for each step.
As far as a different gun for color and clear I learned the hard way. I would use the same gun for color and clear because the same needle size was used. That was until I was shooting clear and some metal flake from the paint I used before ruined my clear job. I had to go buy a gun just for clear so now I dont have to worry.

I also do like Otto and buy the cheap guns and have had no problems. Once dialed in they are great for what I do. If I painted everyday I would have the $500.00 guns.

Awesome info! I have two guns and never thought to choose one for clear and one for color...now it's more of a "duh!" moment.

Thanks guys!

I agree with Kawickrice about multiple guns. I use three also. The MEK will not affect the seals. I used the same guns for two years on about a weekly basis. Sometimes the guns go on sale for $14.95 and I pick up one or two for reserve. I normally have three siting in reserve. Think of it, sale or no sale. $100 4-6 guns. As I mentioned, I use the same guns for 2+ years and I rotate them. I start with using the new one for clear. The older one that I was useing for clear gets shifted for pigments (paint) (basecoat). The one I was using for basecote gets shifted for primer. The old primer gun gets washed and thrown into a parts-bin.

Never store guns in thinner or solvent. Not a good idea. Most DIY\'s can do things that pros won\'t but that doesn\'t make it correct. MEK is dangerous to use s well. It absorbs through the skin very easy and will hurt or kill you in large quantities. A good clean up thinner is sufficient. Wonder though why you encountered a gummy mess. Did you leave it in the gun for an extended period ? Urethanes when catalyzed have a pot life that changes upon temps. Basecoats usually are not reactive and can be reduced and used later. What paint system did you use ?

richard head wrote:

Never store guns in thinner or solvent. Not a good idea. Most DIY\'s can do things that pros won\'t but that doesn\'t make it correct. MEK is dangerous to use s well. It absorbs through the skin very easy and will hurt or kill you in large quantities. A good clean up thinner is sufficient. Wonder though why you encountered a gummy mess. Did you leave it in the gun for an extended period ? Urethanes when catalyzed have a pot life that changes upon temps. Basecoats usually are not reactive and can be reduced and used later. What paint system did you use ?

I was making $75,000 plus bonuses using my guns. If that makes me a DIY than I would like to know what the Pros make.

Triple that bro. Of coruse you know better.

Boy if a painter makes $225K a year where you live I'm moving.