I’m looking for advice on the best way to extract paint from a spray can that will be then used in an airbrush.
I tried it last weekend by inverting the can and punching a small hole in the bottom (advice from my local hobby shop). Obviously this is not a very safe technique and I was wearing some protective gear to be safe. Anyway, it was a big mess and I probably lost about 1/2 the can when all the air escaped. After all the air was released I put the contents into a glass bottle for storage. Later when I went to open the glass bottle I gave it a good shake first and when I opened the lid it started gushing out again. Even when I tried stirring it with a straw its started bubbling up. Whats up with this spray can paint? Any suggestions?
The liquid contents of the can are more than just paint - it also contains propellant in solution. Even after extracting the contents of the can, the liquid paint will continue to release dissolved gas. This is one of the causes of bubbles and orange peel when you lay spray can paint on too thickly.
After extracting the paint, put it in a paint jar with the lid placed on, but not tightly sealed, and allow to stand for at least an hour to allow the dissolved propellant to escape before trying to use it.
Thanks Phil for the tips! It was exactly what I was looking for. I think I did everything wrong when I decanted without doing enough research. My work bench and hands were a complete mess, paint on all my tools! Luckily none splashed onto my model… Now I’m looking forward to my next attempt!
Someone suggested putting one end of a straw up to the nozzle and the other end down into the receiving container. This worked better than my first method but I still had a mess. I had trouble with paint billowing out of the receiving container and keeping the straw aligned with the nozzle.
I know what kind of mess you had. Not long ago I “pitched” a claw hammer onto my workbench in the garage and turned around. I then heard a hissing sound. I thought “What the he**is that !!!”. Finally I saw a mist gathering over my workbench. Silver paint everywhere!. Evidently the hammer hit the seam on the top of the can around the nozzle and caused a leak.
"The best way to start it to modify the nozzle of the spray can by drilling it out with a quarter-inch drill, this way you can push a small drinking straw into it. "
I’ll have to try this next time. I wish Tamiya would start selling TS series paints in bottles too!