Unblocking Aerosol Nozzles

[IanN]

Started using a previously unused - but admittedly 3 or 4 years old - spray can of Flair Satin fuel proofer. Hadn't got very far at all and it just stopped

I''ve been out and bought another. £10.20. Ouch!! Covering and finishing has GOT to be the most expensive part of any build these days

It goes against the grain to ditch the blocked can without at least trying to save the contents. Does anyone have any remedies for rescuing it?

[John Privett]

Can you not just use the nozzle from the good can on the old one?

[dbflyer]

At a push you could look on ebay and buy 50 replacement nozzles for about just over £3. The down side is they are from Canada!

[Delta Whiskey]

try just poking a needle up it, and shake well before trying again?

[Ben B]

I'd soak them in some cellulose thinners for a while and then blow them through with an airline and if that fails use a needle on them.

It's also worth collecting used ones from air fresheners etc- they often fit.

[Ben B]

Or these might fit- can't remember what nozzle/cap the Flair cans use:

Ebay 221124345027

[Jonnor]

I have a small jar, half filled with thinners, and all the spray nozzles go in there..give 'em a good shake now and then and there's never a blockage. Some nozzles are slightly different in size, so it's a good idea to build up a little stock.

[Chuck Plains]

I picked up an almost unused 3 yr old spray can the other day, and it blocked within 2 seconds!

I'll have to try the thinners method myself.

Just out of interest, check out Dark Streets Store on Ebay. Forget precise graphics on your planes, go freehand!

[Erfolg]

I cannot believe there can be so much demand for these items, that dark street stores can be viable.

But given they do exist, then there is a definite design issue with nozzles that block.

I must admit i often unblock nozzles by poking with wire and anything else I think might work. Often it works, other times the lot goes in the bin.

[Chuck Plains]

I believe that those 'various' spray can nozzle sizes are for, hmm, how should I put it, graffiti artists. And obviously studio artists will use them as well.

 

I will try a single bristle from a wire brush, before I bring thinners into the house.

Edited By Chuck Plains on 23/05/2013 19:08:43

[Chuck Plains]

Posted by John Privett on 05/05/2013 23:47:57:

Can you not just use the nozzle from the good can on the old one?

John makes a valid point.

[Clive Parsons]

Mate, soak it in either thinners or acetone and poke a pin or needle through it, works for me everytime.

Cheers

[BikerDon]

Great ideas there, could save a lot of money....

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Ian Swadling]

I soak the nozzles in some acetone and blow them out with some “canned air”. If nescessary, I pry the nozzle centre bit out with a pin or sharp knife, then soak it in more acetone then blow it clean and reinsert.

Sometimes the paint has settled in to lumps and just keeps blocking up. The best solution for this is to find the nearest garbage bin and process it through that. Problem solved, next job coming up!

[Cuban8]

Encountered this problem before and in my case the cause was that the aerosols had been languishing on my model shop's shelves for many years. Not surprising when you think how little building goes on now in comparison to how things were and the need for paint and a good turn-over of stock.

I managed to recover some rattle cans (large Flair ones) by putting them in luke warm water for half an hour and then gave them a thorough shake and agitation for as long as my boredom threshold allowed and the can rattled freely. Obviously, the pigment clumps in the can and as has been said needs more than the usual minute's shake. I should say that it's not a surefire cure, two of my three cans were OK but the third still gave the occasional blot towards the end of its propellant. If I'd only just bought the cans I'd taken them back to the shop, but as is often the way, I'd got distracted on to something else and put them to one side for a few months.

[Engine Doctor]

Cuban 8 raises a very valid point about the solids clumping together prolonged shaking just might break them down but don't hold your breath. The satin or matt finish is made buy the addition of solids almost like talc . Warming the can and contents gently before shaking it might help break them down again . When you have finished go buy a fresh one

[Andy Stephenson]

How many people ever do what they used to advise on the can when only having used a bit of the contents, which is to hold it upside down and spray until only gas comes out. Storing a half used can upside down until needed again would also seem a good idea.