Gun washers
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Can someone describe to me how a gun washer works—Ive never been around one-How long does the solvent last? What is the proper way to dispose of it when it needs changed? etc. etc. For someone who only paints occasionally as a hobby, would it make sense to get one?
well ta be honest if ya aint painting a whole lot i wouldnt bother 😉 they are like a dishwasher for your gun
do you guys take your guns all the way apart to clean them after you finish? I always take the cap and the part that the cap screws to off and the needle out and flush it out really clean. My guns look like new with no paint at all on them.
Would it be safe to just spray acetone or some type of cleaner through it and call it done?
i disassemble like you said Jinx… it takes only a couple minutes to do it that way and you keep the gun looking and operating like new each time you use it. i wouldnt just squirt thinner through it unless it was a cheap gun i didnt care for.
never used a gun washer b4 but i bet it would make the whole process a whole lot easier and like bondo said as long as its hobby work it prolly aint worth buying
They are great if your spraying ten jobs / day but for 1 or less it seems unneccessary to me. I think you’d be best buying a mixing system like 3M PPS, Norton mixing cups, Devilbiss..etc. A lot easier to keep your gun clean and much less solvent needed to do it. But like bondo said, its a dishwasher for your gun, you still need to preclean it a bit before tossing it in. The average for us is about 3 weeks before needing to replace the solvent in it. It has a 5 gal used solvent side and a 5 gal new solvent side. We also have large drums of solvent for pre-rinsing, I still use the PPS and don’t use much solvent for that, especially compared to the other painter without a mixing system.
Mine is similar to the one on the right, open the lid and toss er in. Mine has three pedals, not two. Ones for a used thinner manual scrub, ones for a new thinner manual spray, and the third is for an auto wash cycle with used thinner.
[img]http://www.safety-kleen.com/SiteCollectionImages/Products/paintcleaners_main.jpg[/img]
I just rinse it out a little and then take it all apart clean and reassemble For painting maybe once sometimes twice a day I dont see the expense for a washer justified.
I like Han’s way rinse it out and sprayer down inside and out with Carb cleaner or Break cleaner 😉 I use that process for my Airbrush seams to work really well.
As with Jimmo, we have a gun washer because of the number of jobs we get through, but I can’t see the need for one if you’re only painting occasionally.
Ours is very similar to the one pictured below:
[img]http://www.spraygunsdirect.co.uk/images/masterrandug5000.jpg[/img]
It’s double sided – one water, one solvent – with each side having a 5 gallon drum of fluid that recirculates for the main cleaning, then a smaller drum of fresh stuff for final rinsing. It can either be used in manual mode with the built in brushes, or just throw the gun in and set it on automatic. Ours also has two blow guns fitted to blast the last bits of cleaner out of the gun.
When I (eventually) give my guns a good clean, they go through the auto cycle first to remove the worst, then get stripped for a manual scrub, before a good rinse with the clean stuff.
We have a company come and clean/service it every 6 weeks, but I usually have to top up the solvent every week, then change it every 3.
Oh, and I’d definitely agree on the PPS system too. There is a bit of initial investment involved, but the benefits of a tidier working environment and much less cleaning far outweigh that in my opinion 🙂
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