Morris Minor Owners Club

I have been using some spray paint cans (several different colours and brands) and quite a few of them no longer spray anything when the nozzle is pressed, yet the can is still heavy and they seem about half full! I have tried clearing the nozzle but doesnt seem to make any difference. I usually find that spray cans last until almost empty. Am I missing something??

Picky

If I use aerosol spray cans it's good practise to turn them upside down once you've finished and spray for a couple of seconds until the paint no longer comes out. That means there is no paint in the tube or nozzle to go rock hard and waste the rest of the can.

so ive left it too late then? i dont usually bother doing that...

Not necessarily, soak the nozzle in a little thinners, that will clear that out. The tube should be clear. If you buy a cheapo drill set from somewhere like screwfix thay have a 1mm drill bit, you could drill out the spray side of the nozzle and a little bit of fuse wire to poke the c*!p out of it.

Wurth do some excellent nozzles which are direct replacemants for all spray cans, they give a far superior spray pattern and seem less prone to clogging. Lee's advice is sound

Always save the nozzles from all your spray cans and you will finish up
with a handy selection of the several different types for future use especially if you soak them for some time in Cellulose thinners before storage.

i've tried using dif caps but it still doesn't come out.

i'd thoughtr that it had run out of gas or something.

maybe if its an old can or been stored for a while before purchase the paint may have thickened or even solidified in the pickup. You can try and heat the paint in the can by placing in hot water for a few mins then shaking for atleast 3 mins.

I always stand my cans in hand hot water before use. It seems to give better reults with little or no bloom.

I find aluminium paint the worst for clogging up so I soak the nozzels as above

Agreed. Weld through and etch primer are just as bad

Sometimes the propellant can come out leaving the paint behind.
Often happens whan the nozzle is clogged as you get a vewry fine hiss (the propellant) and a gurgle (the paint).
Once the propellant has gone you wont get the paint out of it.

removed the nozzle and soaked in petrol, now sprays really well on all except the zinc primer, which doesnt do anything at all. so overall a success, loads of paint left now