How can I open clogged paint can nozzles?

[Tony Zona]

For some reason I have horrible luck with spray can paint. I use a little, upend end the can, clear the nozzle and store it.

A month or two later when I try to use it, the spray tip is clogged.

How do you keep the tip open? And how do you open a clogged nozzle?

[Matt Day]

After you use the spray paint, turn it upside down and spray for a moment. It should help clear the paint and reduce clogging next time you use it. Also, buy good name brand rattle cans.

[Mel Fulks]

I remove the nozzle and drop it into paint thinner. Then re- install the re- conditioned nozzle when I’m ready to resume.

[Kev Williams]

Not sure about other colors or brands, but Rustoleum's 2X flat white paint cans are designed to spray no matter what direction. Just last weekend after using it I held the can upside down and sprayed it for over 30 seconds just to see if it would eventually stop spraying! -- nope. Just wasted a ton of paint! -- And I soak my nozzles in Xylene or 'Painters Solvent', stronger than plain thinner...

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I blame solids that form all too quickly in the can and pickup tube after the first use.

[Lee Schierer]

When ever I empty a spray can, I blow out the spray head with the remaining propellant and pull off the spray head. I store the spray tips in a small parts drawer. If a tip clogs on a can with paint remaining, I swap out the spray tip with one from my stored supply.

[Curt Harms]

Sometimes a pin works, usually it doesn't. Lee or Mel's ideas work for me. Turning the can upside down used to work, it no longer does in at least some cases. The idea is to be able to spray with the can in an other than upright position. The other thing that would probably work though I haven't tried it is to pull the nozzle off and blow some air thru it with an air compressor set to a low pressure.

[Rich Engelhardt]

When I was much younger, we used to save all the clogged spray cans (and the ones from the paint store I worked at that were marked down to zero value and stuck in the bone yard area of the store (I wonder what ever became of that after all these years?).

They used to make neat targets.

No question at all about a hit on one with a .30/30. ;)

[Myk Rian]

They used to make neat targets.

No question at all about a hit on one with a .30/30. ;)
Have you tried shooting at Tannerite? WOW!

[Rick Potter]

I simply take them off and store them in a small pimento jar full of lacquer thinner.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Have you tried shooting at Tannerite? WOW!I've never done it myself - but - I've seen videos of it.

Wow! is right!

[Jim Koepke]

When ever I empty a spray can, I blow out the spray head with the remaining propellant and pull off the spray head. I store the spray tips in a small parts drawer. If a tip clogs on a can with paint remaining, I swap out the spray tip with one from my stored supply.

+1 on saving old nozzles.

After turning the can upside down and spraying until clear, use a clean rag to wipe the nozzle and then hold upside down and give it another blast of propellant.

jtk

[Scott T Smith]

With most spray paint, ditto the recommendation to clear the nozzle by holding it down for 2-3 seconds after painting (until it flows clear).

For the all position Rustoleum cans, I'll remove the nozzle and clean it out with either spray carb cleaner (using the red plastic straw to force most of the fluid through the nozzle) or spray starting fluid, and then reinstall the nozzle.

[Alan Rutherford]

Every month I shoot in some rimfire (.22 caliber) rifle and pistol matches where the targets are cast iron. Every time we set them back up, we hit them with a little spray paint so they're easier to see and also so you can see where you hit them. We usually use the cheapest spray paint they have at Walmart. After the matches, everything including the paint cans is put away until the next month. The nozzles are never cleared but they never clog. Go figure.

BTW, even empty spray cans make satisfying targets for a .22. Maybe not like a chunk of tannerite or hitting a can with a .30-30, but there's enough pressure to make it pretty obvious when you hit one.

[Scott T Smith]

Every month I shoot in some rimfire (.22 caliber) rifle and pistol matches where the targets are cast iron. Every time we set them back up, we hit them with a little spray paint so they're easier to see and also so you can see where you hit them. We usually use the cheapest spray paint they have at Walmart. After the matches, everything including the paint cans is put away until the next month. The nozzles are never cleared but they never clog. Go figure.

BTW, even empty spray cans make satisfying targets for a .22. Maybe not like a chunk of tannerite or hitting a can with a .30-30, but there's enough pressure to make it pretty obvious when you hit one.

I like to use inverted marking paint to repaint my targets. It’s comes out 3x faster than regular spray paint, and the nozzles rarely clog.

[Thomas McCurnin]

I've tried a bunch of brands and Rustoleum (sp?) seems to clog the most, even when dutifully inverted and cleaned. I only buy for what I need and tend to use a brush and can for small applications.

[Ken Combs]

I believe, with no real science to support the belief, that cheaper paints have fewer solids and thus less clogging. IOW, good high solids and pigment content causes clogs. Along wit better paints seem to have faster drying solvents . I’m in the store all of them in lacquer thinner camp to.

And shake stuff out of them every time before use. I have some Rustoleum that is over 30 years old and still good. But it takes 15 minute of hand shaking or some mechanical assistance. To get it to spray.

[Tony Zona]

Thanks a lot, folks. I have a few things to try from this. :)

[Rich Engelhardt]

I believe, with no real science to support the belief, that cheaper paints have fewer solids and thus less clogging. IOW, good high solids and pigment content causes clogs. Along wit better paints seem to have faster drying solvents . I’m in the store all of them in lacquer thinner camp to.

And shake stuff out of them every time before use. I have some Rustoleum that is over 30 years old and still good. But it takes 15 minute of hand shaking or some mechanical assistance. To get it to spray.Having spent close to 25 years in the paint industry - I can tell you your right on target (no pun intended) about the solids.
Better than immersion in lacquer thinner is to store them in an airtight jar, with a small amount of thinner in the bottom and some sort of platform to put the tips on so they are in the vapors of the solvent and not the solvent itself.
Also - rattle cans should never be shaken on a machine. That's too violent of an action for them. They have a tube inside the can that goes from the nozzle down to the bottom. If you shake them on a machine it can detach that tube.

[Larry Frank]

I have a bunch of replacement nozzles that I bought on eBay. If my nozzles goes bad, I just replace it.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I save the rattles for slingshot amo. Occasionally I find a pretty one.

485095

[Jim Koepke]

I save the rattles for slingshot amo. Occasionally I find a pretty one.

485095

Are the ones that look like marbles actually from rattle cans?

Most of the ones from my rattle cans look like a ball made of plastic.

jtk

[Maurice Mcmurry]

1 or 2 of the smallest steel balls are bicycle ball bearings. Other than that these are all from spray paint cans. My supply is quite low right now because 2 does have had twin fawns in our back yard. I have been giving them gentle pops in the hindquarters to discourage then from devouring the garden. It's not working.

[Jim Koepke]

1 or 2 of the smallest steel balls are bicycle ball bearings. Other than that these are all from spray paint cans. My supply is quite low right now because 2 does have had twin fawns in our back yard. I have been giving them gentle pops in the hindquarters to discourage then from devouring the garden. It's not working.

The ways I know of to keep deer out of the garden is consist of tall fences, coverings or venison for dinner, a lot of venison.

jtk

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The ways I know of to keep deer out of the garden is consist of tall fences, coverings or venison for dinner, a lot of venison.

jtk

I am working on upgrading the fence and have added an electric top wire. The deer learned right away that it won't shock them while they are airborne. I on the other hand can't seem to learn to turn off the fence before working in the garden. Backing into the hot wire while holding the tiller with both hands should be a learning experience.

[Jim Koepke]

My recollection is a fence needs to be at least 8' tall to discourage a deer. I've seen one jump between wires that were about a foot apart.

jtk

[Maurice Mcmurry]

It is probably time to start a new thread regarding Urban Deer Bandits. A deer fence in the back yard is something I really do not want to look at every day.


https://youtube.com/shorts/SjOZk_6yQTc?feature=share

[Monte Milanuk]

I've never done it myself - but - I've seen videos of it.

Wow! is right!

Not quite Tannerite, but still pretty dang fun ;) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99HrACVnceE)