cleaning up paint gun
 

After each use of my paint gun I take it apart and clean it and soak the little parts in thinner all night. I even stick the gun down in a cup of thinner but it is starting to build up paint on the inside of it. I soaked it all night and day and then took the small brush to it but could not get all the paint to come off. Is there something I can put in it and spray through it to clean all the old paint?

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

Subb'ed

I'm new to painting and want to hear about how people clean guns.

I take everything apart and clean with lacquer thinner and scrub. I just seems like I use a lot of thinner to clean up.

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

I use paint gun cleaner. I get it in aerosol cans. I haven't had any issues with a build up of paint. I strip the gun down and clean it as soon as I am finished though.

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

I loathe cleaning paint guns, so much so that when I found a deal on one of those paint gun washing machines, I bought it!

prior to that, soon as I was done spraying I emptied the paint, and blew thinner thru the gun. I spray thinner till it came out clear/close to clear. then I'd clean the gun, finally I'd toss some thinner back in it blow it out again, should come out clear now.

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

What Tiger said!

Spraying it out with clean thinner after getting all the noticeable stuff is a MUST. If while you have the trigger pulled and thinner is spraying out you stick a rag over the nozzle stopping the thinner from coming out it will go back up into the cup. Putting the rag over the nozzle and removing it and back and forth a few times will move that thinner in and out of the cavities in the gun breaking loose paint stuck inside.

On most primer guns and stuff like that, this is all I do, have been doing it for years like this. On my better paint guns, that is different and the cap and nozzle come off and it's cleaned better with small bottle brushes. Then thinner is ran through again in the same way, and the gun is left with the thinner in it.

Brian

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

What Brian said... LOL
I have heard that referred to as percolate. Basically when you stop the thinner from coming out the spray end it will bubble up inside the cup. I always turn the pressure down some and if the top is off watch out as it could come out of the cup a little when doing this. Again like said always run clean thinner thru and it doesn't take much in the cup.

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

i use the dekups so the cup gets thrown away. takes 5 min or less to flush the gun, take apart, clean with a brush and reassemble

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

I also use disposable 3M paint cup liners. Then break apart my guns as soon as I get thru spraying. Mostly just clean with thinner and a small brush.

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

In addition to what the others have said, a tip I learned is to put thinner in a squeeze bottle (clean mustard bottle in my case) and use it to clean up the gun parts. This directs a small stream where you want it and can really cut down on the amount of thinner you use.

Re: cleaning up paint gun
 

THanks for all the replies. I have started taking it apart and soaking all the parts in thinner over night. I will try some of the other ideas here too