Stovebolt.com Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop OOPS - Don't do this

I have a shelf full of rattle can paint. I know there's paint in those cans but something is stopping the paint from coming out (clogged valve or propellant lost). I think it's time to get rid of them...

I've ALMOST got the procedure for getting paint out of clogged rattle cans down pat.
I have one that's not available in the same color, and have a part that's not quite done when it clogged. It's the next victim. (Or I am )

I have a similar problem (rattle cans with paint that I can not get out). I am too cheap to throw them out but can't seem to find a way to get them to dispense paint either so they sit on the shelf until the next brainstorm comes along.

Looking for a Tech Tip are we? Hmmm?

We'll need a high rez of that image.



But in truth ... now we know what you look like, sorta. And glad the fender was only slightly sprayed.

(Not as good at this as Mark. John comes on late night.)

I'd've left it just like it is in your picture. People would stop picking on you and leave you be.
There's real value in that, why, one day I sat down at the dinner table fresh from the shop where I had been wire wheeling some parts on the bench grinder. I had one of those 3/4" wires sticking out of my forehead. My wife and kids were scared to talk to me.
Finally, I could sit and eat dinner in peace...

Almost every can of paint I have used, gets turned upside down after usage and I push the nozzle letting the paint that was still in the tube drain and clear out the nozzle. Those cans that I forget to do this to is heavily subjected to plugging up making it impossible to use next time. Another idea is to after usage pull the plastic nozzle off the can and let it soak in acetone or whatever for a couple minutes followed by some compressed air blown thru.

One problem with expelling the paint from the nozzle with the can upside down is it exhausts the propellant before all the paint is used up. Latest ones just say wipe the nozzle off after use. I've had OK success with that. I have also soaked the nozzles in paint thinner as well.

Many years ago I had some painted cast Irin heat vens that I wanted to strip. On a shelf next to my truck was a rusted half full can of stripper, I picked it up and shook it. Unfortunately one of the rust spots was a pin hole and the methylene chloride stripper sprayed out of the hole just as pretty as if it was atomized out of a spray gun - all over my ‘51's left front fender.

You mean like this rusted half full can?
Found among the debris that was all over the floor of my garage after an earthquake a few year back.
Rust wins eventually.

$1.29 at the pay n save?
That santa snow IS old😆
On the spray paint subject, I’ve wanted to bring up, that I also
hate spraying out and wasting the paint and propellant to clear the nozzle cap.( the frugality gene many of us suffer from).
I also believe the paint makers sell more paint that way, thus they recommend it.
After bothering for years to soak the nozzle in a solvent and blowing it out, as mentioned by klhansen,
It recently occurred to me to simply give it a spritz with carb cleaner, in place right away.
Seems to work. Seems so obvious to me and yet I didn’t think of it till 2 months ago!
So, got that off my chest😁