I had a can of Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer (which I LOVE, BTW) that was mostly empty and had been sitting for some time.

Not surprisingly, it wouldn't spray. The usual fixes (ream out the nozzle, soak it in thinner/acetone) didn't work, so I thought I'd try something read on the InnerWebz. Hey, they can't put it on the web if it doesn't work, right?

So I drilled a VERY small hole in the top to let the pressure off. That part worked much better than I feared, pressure bled off, no paint squirting all over the place.

Then I drilled a larger (about 3/16) hole to pour the paint into a container so I could brush it onto the project. I intended to spray some in a container and apply it with a brush anyway.

This is where the weirdness started. When I first tipped the can to pour it out, it actually came out under pressure. Not MUCH pressure, but enough to make a small mess. I did manage to get most of it out okay.

A minute or so later, I decided to make sure the can was empty and a bit more came out.
When it hit the paint in the container, it foamed up bigtime and overflowed the container. Exactly like pouring a Coke too fast over ice and the carbonation makes it foam over the top of the glass.

As an experiment, I stirred the container with the paint in it and again with the foam. The longer I stirred, the less it foamed until it seemed inert.

So I painted what I set out to paint, lightly capped the container (allowing for more outgassing or whatever was causing the foaming) and wandered off to do something else.

A couple of hours later, I decide to do a little more painting and the paint has separated so I cap it and shake it to remix.

HORRIBLE idea, Genius Boy. MASSIVE pressure buildup, paint all over hell's half acre and much of me.

So my question is...What the hell? Where is this pressure/foaming coming from? The only thing I can guess is residual propellant mixed in with the paint that activates with shaking/stirring.

This thread is useless without pictures!

How much is a fizz bomb of Rustoleum going for these days?

I remember seeing warnings “do not puncture or incinerate”. On rattle cans. Be careful, eyesight is precious. How’s clean up goin’?

I used to shoot ‘em with my old .22 & watch ‘em do crazy things

No idea but Ill offer a WAG...
Liquid propellant that out-gasses when agitated?

I have started saving all the nozzles off all my empty cans, if removable type. Could save the day sometime.

It's ironical that you take two full cans of spray paint and still cannot get 100% coverage on a thimble, but poke a hole in a damn near empty can, and you can cover the world.

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
No idea but Ill offer a WAG...
Liquid propellant that out-gasses when agitated?

I have started saving all the nozzles off all my empty cans, if removable type. Could save the day sometime.

That's the only answer that occurs to me, but I've never heard of such a thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Sailor1911:
This thread is useless without pictures!

My friends...I have a host of friends...

Surprisingly, I was more interested in getting it cleaned up before it dried than I was in documenting this little experiment.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
It's ironical that you take two full cans of spray paint and still cannot get 100% coverage on a thimble, but poke a hole in a damn near empty can, and you can cover the world.

I know, right? One of the Mysteries of the Universe.

Being serious for a second. When you’re done spraying, always turn the can upside down and trigger the nozzle a time or two, the propellent and solvent will clean out the valve.

The more expensive fizz bombs have a nozzle that changes the spray pattern. It’s called the DANVERN valve. You can spray horizontal or vertical.

Put it on You Tube. The Rustoleum Challenge!

I have saved spray can nozzles for years.

I also use Rustoleum. Recently I was re-painting steel targets and the can quit spraying. No pressure left in the can but still had about 1/3 paint left. I placed the can on top of a post backed off about 25 yds. and shot it with a .22 magnum. The can exploded and sprayed black paint for 10 - 15 yards. I have shot lots of paint cans with and without paint but never had one explode like this one.

I'd have paid $7.00 admission at the door to watch that happen.

Not laughing at you, but with you.

It sound like that script was written for one of my shows.

quote:

Originally posted by AJM:... I placed the can on top of a post backed off about 25 yds. and shot it with a .22 magnum. ...

How much does a new can of spray cost?

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
How much does a new can of spray cost?

That’s not the point...us cheap bastards know, K N O W there is some paint in the can....

So one thing that you all may not know about, is you can buy tips for your cans.

Graffiti. It has spawned a new world of paints and tips. Montana is a paint that is sold online and at my local Ace Hardware. They have great colors and incredible coverage. It’s quite good paint. I prefer it far more than rust-o-leum or Krylon. It’s without question some of the best rattle can paint made.

But the tips are where it’s at. You can get high volume, low volume, wide, round, super thin (outlines) you name it, there is a tip with the right spray pattern for what you wish to paint.

I use rattle cans to paint all kinds of random stuff. I always buy Montana, and I have an assortment of tips. The results are stellar.

Pro Tip, when you’re done painting, flip the can upside down, spray until no paint comes out. You’re purging the paint from the lines. Toss out tip. Can will be good to go next time with a new tip suited fir what you’re painting.

Here’s a link to the tips: https://www.montana-cans.com/en/accessories/nozzles/
And : https://www.montanacolors.com/en/spray/caps/

Here’s a link to the paint: https://www.montanacolors.com/en/
And: https://www.montana-cans.com/

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
How much does a new can of spray cost?

That’s not the point...us cheap bastards know, K N O W there is some paint in the can....

Oh. Right. Well if it's the Rube Goldberg method of cheapskate project completion, then what I would do is buy another can, take the spray nozzle off an put it on the previous can. Spray out the old can and put the nozzle on the new can. Finish the job and get a little glass jar with a lid. Pour some xylene into the jar and place the newly used nozzle into the jar. Place the jar out of the way somewhere for next time. When next time rolls around and you can't find the jar, repeat the process.

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
How much does a new can of spray cost?

That’s not the point...us cheap bastards know, K N O W there is some paint in the can....

Oh. Right. Well if it's the Rube Goldberg method of cheapskate project completion, then what I would do is buy another can, take the spray nozzle off an put it on the previous can. Spray out the old can and put the nozzle on the new can. Finish the job and get a little glass jar with a lid. Pour some xylene into the jar and place the newly used nozzle into the jar. Place the jar out of the way somewhere for next time. When next time rolls around and you can't find the jar, repeat the process.

Great minds think alike.