paint problem

[ratrodder51]

i have cans of paint that are new?well never used that are a coppel decades old.my problem is the wont spray paint?ive tryed to sit them in hot water but still wont spray??any idea's on how or what i can do?thanks woodsman.

[Evil Appetite]

pull off the nozzle and let it sit in some thinner for a while..works for me

then again...it probably isnt the nozzle as they've never been used...I have cans of Plasticoat primer that were never used. Just last week i went to use one, and the only thing that came out was a gooey off-white substance that clogged the nozzle. Nothing I did fixed it

Edited February 14, 2012 by Evil Appetite

[Coned Tony]

Most of the time after that long the propellant just diminishes. If the water and thinner fail, I'd say it's no good

[Evil Appetite]

Thats too bad...I bought 10 cans on sale 4-5 years ago lol ahh well

[MikeMc]

So decant them young man...unless the paint is solid, you can get that paint out.

[Evil Appetite]

So decant them young man...unless the paint is solid, you can get that paint out.

"Young Man" hehe thanks..it's been a loooong time since I was called a young man..these days all I get is "Sir"...even my girl calls me Sir from time to time!

Anyway...decant them? I can hear the primer moving around in there..the bearing as well. When I try to spray...the nozzle get's clogged with that thick pasty stuff. I've read , somewhere here, that i can release the propellant by puncturing the top...then, make a hole at one of the low spots on the underside. I considered that...but is there a way to tell if the propellant has really diminished? Puncturing that can if there is still propel in there is not something I want to chance. Or Should I just send'em off to the local waste deposit depot? It's not like i,m losing much cost wise..they were after all on sale dirt cheap.

[Mike Kucaba]

If they are just primers then throw them away. I only really bother to decant unique colors.In your case these cans were cheap so not much loss.

If you decant,Shake and warm the cans then with the nozzle on, use one of those ratcheting clamps. Put the clamp on with the can upside down! Find a convenient place to hang this setup and walk away for a bit. This usually gasses out most of the propellant. Now you can reasonably safely tear the cap off the top. I use a large pair of side cutters. There may be a little hissing sound so toss a rag over that and just don't pick up the can at this time. This is the best way I have found to decant such as you describe,where it is too thick to remove thru the nozzle.

[Evil Appetite]

If they are just primers then throw them away. I only really bother to decant unique colors.In your case these cans were cheap so not much loss.

If you decant,Shake and warm the cans then with the nozzle on, use one of those ratcheting clamps. Put the clamp on with the can upside down! Find a convenient place to hang this setup and walk away for a bit. This usually gasses out most of the propellant. Now you can reasonably safely tear the cap off the top. I use a large pair of side cutters. There may be a little hissing sound so toss a rag over that and just don't pick up the can at this time. This is the best way I have found to decant such as you describe,where it is too thick to remove thru the nozzle.

Thanks Mike...I'll keep that technique in mind and just get rid of the cans. I was more disappointed at the fact that when I needed white primer, I had 5 cans I couldnt use!

Again, Thanks!