Epoxy Gun Cleaner?

C

Chris111

So with the SPI Epoxy can I get my gun clean enough with laquer thinner or do I need some specialized product? Keep in mind its a Harbor Freight purple special. I just need to make sure its clean enough for the next coat.
 
So with the SPI Epoxy can I get my gun clean enough with laquer thinner or do I need some specialized product? Keep in mind its a Harbor Freight purple special. I just need to make sure its clean enough for the next coat.

Gun wash, laquer thinner works, if you have acetone it works even better to clean epoxy.
 
The lacquer thinners you buy from the paint stores to clean your guns are not lacquer thinner; they usually contain two or three solvents made to clean guns.

Most work right, but we do run into some that do not clean like they should, as you must remember, this is all about pricing to the jobber store and nothing else.

Here is what I found to work cheaper because I use about 50% less than usual lacquer thinners.

At home I use fast urethane reducer, I first put in about a half a cup of a coffee saucer, give the gun a shake and spray out, then I put in about a half of the original amount and shake and spray, done.

At the plant in the paint gun cleaner, we use 870 mostly for less evaporation.
 
Acetone is made for epoxies. You can make your own gun wash by using a percentage of acetone with lacquer thinner. The problem with just using acetone is the evaporation rate and no oil in the solvent (good oil) that lubricates your needle after the cleaning is done. I would get it from the home depot for 14-16 a gallon. When I have to pick up paint from the PPG industrial store, its usually always 50-55 for a fiver of either.
Dont know if any old timers still use turpentine or mineral spirits after they clean their gun to lubricate it, there are alot of oils in there you need to spray it out before starting a job.
 
Well if making your own, forget the lacquer thinner, HD, lowes would have acetone and MEK, mix 50/50
 
I buy 5 gallon containers of cleaner grade lacquer thinner from a local auto paint store.

Being cheap, I save my used thinner in an old reducer can. I will poor this through a paint strainer into the gun for the initial rinse. Shake the gun, pull the trigger to get it to flow and then dump the remainder in the used mixing cup.

From there I pour fresh lacquer thinner in a small cup and remove the cap and spray tip and soak them while wiping the gun, cup and lid with fresh thinner soaked shop towels. The fresh thinner is used for a final rinse and then everything put away.

I also use the old lacquer thinner for cleaning my body filler spreaders between mixes.
 
I've always taken the gun apart for every clean, even if just between coats. There is enough flash time to strip the gun and clean with a brush and paper towels before next coat. Same with incubating epoxy, I mix one gun full at a time. I've always used cleaner grade lacquer thinner from the jobber, abt $20 for 5gal. Am I missing something? I did find an old gallon of dupont reducer recently and used it to clean, worked pretty good with less evaporation.
 
Btw... lots of stainless steel bowls, cups and pots available at the local cheep household stores like Big Lots, Roses, and Dollar Tree types for cheap money! Yard sales too... They work great for gun cleaning, carb cleaning etc...
 
Used a paint supplier's lacquer thinner this past week on a titan turbine sprayer gun. I also have in spray bottle to spray & brush nozzle, inside of cap threads , & exterior of gun before residue has time to start setting .The 6 stage turbine sprayer does do pretty good with epoxy.
 
Back
Top