How to clean Weldwood Contact Cement From a Paint Spray Gun????

[hdflame]

I wanted to try using a cheap Harbor Freight spray gun to spray contact cement with, but I didn't have the Spray gun formula, which is thinner.

So, I went to Lowe's Home Improvement and bought a gallon of Weldwood.  It sprayed, but not very good.  It splattered more than sprayed.  So I ordered a gallon of the Weldwood Landau Top and Trim Spray Grade.

I wanted to try to thin what I had and try it before I removed it from the gun.  So I added some mineral spirits to my gun to thin it some.  When I poured it in, it just made a goopy ball of glue!  I cleaned out the cup REAL good to remove any leftover glue and am starting with fresh Landau glue.

Here's my question.  What can you use to clean/thin contact cement with?  What can I spray through the gun to clean it out, without running the risk of globbing up the inside of the gun?

Any suggestions?  Yes, this is a cheap gun, but I'd like to get my moneys worth out of it and would like to occasionally clean it.

[Mojo]

Have you tried acetone or lacquer thinner ?

I would suggest Zylene as it will strip paint and anything else it touches,  but that stuff is nasty and is cancerous ( gene mutant ).

Being a firemen I am sure you know Zylene is also used by arsonists as one helluva accelerant.

Chris

[seamsperfect]

I do not know but I know I am going to bite the bullet and buy one of these guns.  Watch the video.
Kevin
http://www.spraygunworld.com/products/CAT/Laminator.html

[TimsTrim]

I shoot Weldwood every day out of a paint gun without thinning. Just play around with the adjustments. For cleaning (which I have not done in years) use lacquer thinner.I should add that it takes some practice to learn how to "feather" the trigger to get a good pattern.

[Moparman]

The very best way to clean it is to just take it apart and clean every nook & crany with laquer thinner.  Just spraying the thinner thru it won't throughly clean it.  Mine worked better than new after I put it back together.  Just my .02 worth. ;D

Bryan

[SHHR]

Soak it in laquer thinner. You'll want to disassemble the gun and remove all seals and packings too or the thinner will dry them out and could make a funny spray pattern. Probably not a big deal for just spraying glue, but if you ever use it to paint with the gun you'll notice it. get a spray gun cleaning kit which is nothing more than some brushes, toothpicks, and some lube for the moving parts. you can get one cheap at a parts store that sells automotive paint.
Thinner will thin the glue too, but use just a little (less than 10%) and stir the devil out of it to get it to mix well. You've already learned, but mineral spirits won't do a thing except make a mess. As I've told you before there's nothing wrong with  leaving the glue in the gun if you seal up the vent tube when storingb but you'll still want to give it a good cleaning from time to time. You'll know to clean when the glue starts spraying funny.
Kyle

[stitcher_guy]

I never clean my gun. Usually it's been dropped and banged around enough that by the time it starts to clog (year to year and a half) it's time to replace anyway. I spray the Landau top adhesive as well. What works for me is a high pressure, usually about 80psi. CAUTION: the regular, cheesey "adhesive" guns that they sell will tin can the bottom of the cup at that pressure. Scary when it pops out like that. I spend $49 and buy a cheapo auto paint gun. Those cups can handle the higher pressure. Also, those guns have setting for amount of material, AND fan spray setting.

When the tip gets blotchy from overspray, I use Acrysol or Ardex, other adhesive remover and scrub the outside of the tip. When it comes time to needing a full cleaning, consider that a gun like that costs $49. My labor rate is $49/hr and it can take a couple hours to get all that junk out and get the gun back together. I'm money ahead to buy new.

[TimsTrim]

Mines at least 15 yrs old, maybe 20. I have been romancing the idea of a paint pot from Harbor Freight. Seems a quart paint gun full of glue  gets my old bones tired on a long glue up.

[JuneC]

Hey Bobby, one of the guys on here, Andrew I think it was, up in Canada, used to fire his up - literally  :o  I personally take mine apart and drop it into a can of mineral spirits (I bought an empty metal paint can at Home Depot to hold the spirits).  Next day it's clean as a whistle. (Thanks, Darren, for this info about 4 years ago  :-* ) The can lid goes on to keep the spirits till next time.  If the glue is really thick and stuck on, sometimes it'll come out in globs, but it always comes out.  The spirits soften it enough to make it look like the blob.  I've never thinned glue for spraying - just upped the pressure.

June

[NDAV8R]

I use a Sharpe Model 775  or 75 and usually keep it topped off with Dap HHR year round with the vent hole plugged when not in use. On occation I clean of the air cap with lacquer thinner.
  Try to find a spray gun with a large spray tip and matching air cap.
A primer gun such as Sharpe's model PG (for primer and glitter) is also a good choice.  You might have to play around with the air pressure to get good results. This depends on the length and diameter of your air hose.

Gale.