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Paint Gun Cleaning - When and What

13K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  jb2wheels 
#1 ·
Hello Hotrodders,

Please help this newbie with a few silly questions.
When do I clean my paint gun and what do i use to do it?
Do gun parts get lubed and with what?

Obviously, clean before use and when changing materials like from primer to base to clear.
What about between primer coats or based coats?
If I'm waiting for 30 minutes or so between coats for flash time, do I just leave the stuff in the gun and cup beween coats?

Is all cleaning done with laquer thinner?

FYI - I am repainting an old ATC gas tank (metal) and fenders (fiberglass). I am new to paint guns and multiple steps of painting. I'm doing this for fun/practice/learning.
I plan to lay down SPI epoxy primer, followed by TPC poly white base coat, then SPI universal clear. I have all materials in hand now.

Thanks for any tips!
 
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#3 ·
....not sure that a full cup of thinner is needed, but to each his own :mwink: mine are 1000cc (34 ounces) - big!!!!

I'll put about an inch and a half in the cup, spray it out, wipe out the residue real well, do it again then disassemble the tip, pull the needle, clean that all up. You can buy regular spray gun oil, but I just put a drop of 3 in 1 on the packing, the piston if it has one, and another on each of the trigger hinge points - no more - you don't want carry over.

Most auto paint dealers have a cheap thinner that you can use to clean the gun, DON'T use the Home Depot/Lowes thinner as it has oils and a fair amount of entrained water.

This is how my well used good Iwata looks after cleaning:



Dave W
 
#4 ·
Irelands child said:
....not sure that a full cup of thinner is needed, but to each his own :mwink: mine are 1000cc (34 ounces) - big!!!!
mines a 20 oz cup and I shake it around while I spray it out. makes the cup nearly spotless by the time it's 'spent'.. I use martin senour lacquer thinner. costs about the same as klean strip lacquer thinner, but I get it local from Napa
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the tips.

I finally got over my apprehension and painted my ATC this weekend. This is the follow up if anybody is searching this later...

I only cleaned the gun after each "session". That is, when I sprayed 2 coats of epoxy primer with 30-45 minutes between coats, I just left the primer in the cup.
Same for the epoxy "sealer" session, then the base coat and the clear coat sessions.

I used a "gun wash" from a local paint store because it was only $15/gallon. Cleaned the gun great but tore up my nitrile gloves.
 
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