How Often Do You Clean Your Spray Gun?

[Frank Drackman]

I recently started spraying my finishes again after many years. I used to spray a lot of lacquer which dried so fast that we often didn't clean the gun between coats. Our primer gun was cleaned at the end of every day. I have switched to water base and have had good luck with the Target WB Acrylic Lacquer.

I have been cleaning the gun between every coat, but it is getting old cleaning so often. I am using a turbine HVLP pressure system. What is your protocol for cleaning? How long will you go before you break it down and clean?

Thanks - Frank

[Mike Henderson]

I clean it between each use, not between each coat. I've occasionally left product in the gun overnight if I'm going to use it in the morning - but that's not a good thing to do.

I mostly shoot dewaxed shellac and waterborne "lacquer". I have a gun for each.


Mike

[John TenEyck]

I'm pretty much like Mike. I clean at the end of the day when I'm spraying shellac or WB clearcoats, unless it's a flat sheen. In that case, I clean after every coat. For WB paint I've found I have to clean after every coat or stuff tends to coat onto the needle (inside) and screw up the pattern. No fun having to clean so often, but better than messing up what I'm spraying.

John

[Mike Henderson]

I will add that cleaning waterborne is not very difficult. I dump the product back out, spray what's left in the gun, and then remove and rinse the inside of the container. Then I take the nozzle off, including the part that you have to use a wrench to get off. I flush the gun with water and rinse all the parts well. I use a hose to do all of this. Then reassemble.That's about it. Only takes a few minutes.

Mike

[Cleaning the shellac gun is a bit more difficult. I dump the product back into the can, spray the remainder in the gun, then disassemble as described above. I wash the inside of the container and the top with alcohol. I flush some alcohol through the gun. I store the nozzle parts and filter in a small glass jar filled about half way with alcohol. On next use, I reassemble the gun. Don't store the container with the top on tight. Enough shellac will remain to make it hard to remove it next time.]

[Jim Becker]

I clean between different finishes (shellac and water borne, for example), but do not clean between coats. Once a day if I'm using the same finish. Theoretically, I could leave it overnight with the water borne, but I prefer not to. This is outside of an occasional "super thorough" cleaning where I get a little deeper in the cleaning to "refresh" the gun and get rid of extra gunk, splatters and overspray.

[Chris Fournier]

Define clean. I run solvent through my gun at the end of the day every time. Tear down and fussy clean? When performance falls off enough to motivate me or I am procrastinating on another project. I used to clean my gun so that it looked like new. It made me feel good but my spray finishes were no better than they are now with my above regimen.

[Frank Drackman]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I cleaned the gun five times yesterday by taking it apart and cleaning between coats. I have a few more coats to spray today so I will clean when I am done at the end of the day.

[Prashun Patel]

I don't clean between coats (lacquer, shellac, WB). Overnight, if it's shellac or lacquer, I just put the gun into the refrigerator.

With WB, because it's so easy to wipe, rinse and spray clean water (with a little detergent) through it, I clean eod.

Before each use, I pick the nozzle clean before firing. Especially with the WB Enduro Clear Poly I've been using lately, I do notice that it's quick to set up there.

[Mike Ontko]

I have an Earlex 5000 HVLP but up to now have only used it for water born top coats. Because of the simple cleanup, I don't mind (much) cleaning between successive coats because it helps me get a closer and repeated look at how the equipment is holding up over time--watching for wear, loosening parts, aging plastic, lubrication points, etc. I don't know how much this affects the quality of the finish I apply, but on the couple of occasions when I just left it sit between coats of GF Endurovar I found that I had to clear out the spray nozzle with a few test passes before I could begin using it again.

[Jim Tobias]

HVLP here. When I spray, it's mostly water based (Target). I clean at end of the day(which can be after numerous coats). I just empty container, fill with warm water and spray into a rag in a bucket. It dissolves any water based residue in the gun. Then, like Chris, if I start to get a bad outcome, I tear it all apart and do a thorough cleaning of the gun.

Jim

[Troy Turner]

When I'm using WB finishes, I have another on hand with water, and will run it through in between coats. Don't break it down until the end of the day.

[David Pascoe]

I also use primarily Target EM6000 with hvlp guns. You'll say I'm nuts but I only clean about once a week. Use a small brass brush to remove tip clogging. My finals are always wet sanded and polished, so that last coat is not critical, and neither are the interim coats. If I'm doing varnish I can usually get away with overnight but that's risky. I do build up finishes so my guns are used many times per day.

[John Blazy]

I have three accuspray guns - each for different colors etc. My quart gun always has black lacquer in it ALL THE TIME, and I never clean it unless switching out to another coating. Seems that the lacquer self cleans everytime I spray through it, cuz it sprays great every time.

One thing that helped me realize how important it is to clean, or at least run solvent through, is that you have to think "I am spraying glue" which is essentially what all coatings are. So one trick that I always do (my smaller guns are screw on cups, pressurized, not gravity HVLP guns) is wipe the threads with solvent, and DONT TIGHTEN the cup - leave loose.

Several times I have left catalyzed 2K urethane in the gun overnight, and had to do a full teardown. Drilling through the fluid tube is no fun.