Cleaning HVLP

[David Huston]

Just got my HVLP last week so I am very new to spraying. In fact I have only had the chance to spray one coat of shellac on a changing table my wife wanted painted for the new babies room. I was wondering if anyone had any cleaning tips. I am not worried about clean up regarding the water borne finishes that I will mostly use, but the shellac seemed to be a real pain to clean. I went through almost a half gallon of denatured alcohol and still felt like I had not gotten it completely clean. Any thoughts?

[Scott Holmes]

I recycle mineral spirits and denatured alcohol. Save it when you spray it through your gun I use a 3 can system can one first then two, etc. The last spray or rinse (4th) is fresh cleaner into can three.
Then you need to take your equipment apart and clean it buy hand with small round tubing brushes, etc.

[Andy Pratt]

dave,

I'm new to it too but I've heard it helps to just soak the really difficult parts in a tub of the solvent (that you could keep re-using), then clean them after they have soaked a while.

[Jeff Monson]

Don't be too passive on the waterborne finishes, I find them to be very corrosive on my HVLP guns. Just make sure the gun is completely dry before you put it back together. Just food for thought.

[Andy Pratt]

Mine came with "all stainless steel fluid passages," do you still find a gun with stainless has problems with that? I'll blow out with air after cleaning in the future if it does.

[Darius Ferlas]

I have a Fuji with gravity cup so cleaning shellac takes as little as spraying roughly 10-15 cl of DNA and then a rag with DNA to wipe the cup inside and outside and then gun. After longer spray sessions I will remove the needle/tip assembly and run the little cleaning brushes that came with the sprayer.

[David Huston]

when you are spraying cleaner through the gun what do you spray It in? I tried a five gallon bucket and its right back in my face

[Bill Neely]

I made a lid for a bucket out of plywood with a 2" hole in the middle and 4 cleats to keep it centered. Having said that, if you are using a gravity gun you can disconnect the air, pull the trigger and just let the solvent run through the gun.

[Scott Holmes]

I spray back into the "used" can of DNA if shellac.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I went through almost a half gallon of denatured alcohol and still felt like I had not gotten it completely clean. Any thoughts?

Denatured alcohol is the thinner (extender) for shellac, not the solvent.

Ammonia is the solvent for shellac.

Denatured alcohol can extend shellac to infinity w/out ever really "tearing it apart".
Next time, flush w/alcohol, clean with ammonia & water, then rinse with alcohol to get rid of any ammonia/water left behind.