straining the tamiya spray cans

hi guys,

long time reader, not frequent poster....so after reading many of the tutorials, i can see that my modelling skills are FINALLY beginning to get a little better. Still nothing compared to you gurus, but atleast i'm seeing small improvements each time.

So I have a quick question, and I would love to search for it myself, but i'm not actually sure what the "term" is called, so I didn't know what to search for... :(

I have a spray can of Tamiya TS-36 (or 39) in flourescent red. This colour only came in spray can form and not the little jar forms. So I made my model now, and there's some small parts that i would like to touch up on, but I dont know how to get that colour. I've tried mixing a few, but no cigar....A friend told me last week, that it was actually possible to drain the paint out of the tamiya spray can and into a bottle, so i can brush paint some small parts. Is he lying?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and again, sorry if this is posted before, but i'm not sure which term to search for and thus i'd ask...

Thanks in advance.

Gary

hi guys,

long time reader, not frequent poster....so after reading many of the tutorials, i can see that my modeling skills are FINALLY beginning to get a little better. Still nothing compared to you gurus, but at least i'm seeing small improvements each time.


that's a good attitude u have there! putting in the hard yards ( reading tutorials ) and recognizing your improvements

as for decanting the spray cans, it most definitely true, and not to hard to do

there's a few ways of doing it, one way i use is, using a drinking straw cutting in half attaching it to the outlet of the spray can, seal around the straw and the nozzle with some silly putty/blu tac.

get a small jar, cover the top with masking tape so its air tight. make a small hole in the masking tape just enough for the end of the straw to fit into, also make a couple of "breather" holes in the tape as-well to let air out

then spray the paint into the jar

WARNING!! no matter how well i seal the straw to the nozzle i always make a bloody mess!! so do this out side the house!

BTW the term your looking for is " decanting " look it up in the search and you'll get a better explanation and maybe some pics!

hope this helps

whenever I needed a little paint from a can for spot touch-up, I've just sprayed directly into a empty Tamiya acrylics jar.
It doesn't depend on how much paint you need though.

There's a sure fire way I've developed to decant spray cans. It works so well that I don't even need to wear gloves anymore or make a mess of any kind!

You'll need the following:


One of those triggers that you can place on top of the spray can to turn it into a spray gun. These can be found at most auto or hardware stores.
An airtight container to put your paint in.
An old-school can opener -- the kind that used to pierce the top of the can so that you can simply pour the liquid out. Don't go cheap, get a strong one.
Some tape and newspaper.

Attach the trigger to the top of the spray can. Turn the can upside down and hold the trigger down. This will get rid of most of the propellant. Holding the spray can button down with your finger is very tiring. The trigger makes this operation much more comfortable. You can use the tape to hold the trigger down for you. If possible find a place where you can steady the can in the upside down position. That way you can leave it alone to expel the propellant while you go do something else. Do this for about a hour at least to ensure that the propellent is mostly gone. That is important! When you come back the can may be covered in water. This is normal and hasn't affected your paint, just be sure to dry the can when you're ready for the next step.

When done remove the trigger and carefully punch two holes on opposite sided of the bottom of the spray can. You might get a slight fizzy sound. If the can suddenly leaks paint then it needs more propellant to be removed. Do this outside! I haven't had a problem yet with paint splattering everywhere but better safe than sorry.

Once the hole are punched then slowly poor the paint into your container and there you have it.

Note: You will not be able to use the spray can afterwards so this is only if you want to decant the entire can. Be sure your container will hold all of the paint. Each spray can will hold about 2/3 the volume of the weight listed on the can. For example, an 8 oz can will yield about 5.5 fl oz of paint. Finally, residual propellant may be left in the paint so take care when stirring the paint or it may bubble over. Be sure to use the newspaper under the paint when mixing. This will go away with time if it hasn't gone away already.

Hope this helps.

Also, when pouring the paint from the can to the container use a straw or bamboo skewer to pour the paint along. This "bridge" will keep the paint from running down the can.

Every time I read about someone poking holes in spray cans I cringe. Some kid is going to not read everything, get impatient, and...big mess plus worse. Oh, and adults too. One guy who passed away awhile back (age/health, not because of puncturing a can) had paint spraying all over his bench, his projects, his car, his garage floor...the walkway he took to try to get the can out of there after he punctured it...

Yes, I know it can be done by someone careful who has experienced it before. But really, is it necessary at all, unless you have a can of paint that won't spray because the propellant is gone? If there is propellant, there is absolutely no need to decant paint by any other method than the can's own spray nozzle.

You can decant any spray can by simply pointing the nozzle into a cup...spray as much or as little as you need. There is absolutely no need to decant an entire can of paint all at once. Hold a straw up to the nozzle and shoot...do this in an area where splatter won't be an issue; there might be some minor splatter but not much, even into an open cup. I spray directly into a mixing cup.

DECANTING TAMIYA SPRAY (http://public.fotki.com/grdeyed/model_cars-1/decanting-spray-paint/)

I'll second that and modify what I've said above... Be absolutely comfortable with what you are doing and prepare for a disaster, it could happen. After a few tries I've gotten very good at this technique, but it may require trial and error for others.

thanks for the help guys. I wish i knew it was called "decanting" so i wouldnt have to waste you guys' time in writing it up as now i see there's many tutorials on it hahaha.

but thanks a bunch!!!

oh by the way guys, since we've opened the topic already. I have another silly question.

When i decant the can into a jar...how long do i have before it dries up? (assuming i spray the entire can into the jar)...DOES it actually dry up, or will it act similar to a jar paint where if the lid's closed then it wont dry?

Thanks again

I read a tutorial on the tamiya website a while ago on decanting their paints. Said to leave the paint uncovered for 24 hours min to to gas off fully. It won't dry up. I've forgotten how long it said it will last but it was long enough that you don't have to worry about it.

I've stored decanted paint for years as long as the lid is tight on the container.

With the container lid loose I've never had problems with the paint drying out but you may lose some of the solvent due to evaporation if this is done long term. For me this is easily fixed with a refill of acetone, but follow your paint's recommendations for solvent or thinner for this.

The lids should be left loose to allow for any residual propellant to gas out and this will help prevent evaporation, but be sure to remember that the cap is loose! I've forgotton more than once and instinctively shaken the bottle only to fill my hand with paint.

Also, with the Tamiya or automotive grade paints I've never had a problem with skinning, where the very top layer of paint in the bottle dries up. This has happened with my oils and acrylics, though.

Also, remember, that the decanted paint is essentially carbonated, due to the propellent, just like a can of soda that is already open. So, immediately stirring or shaking decanted paint can result in it bubbling over. This is why the paint should be allowed to gas out overnight. Just like the soda, after a while, the paint will get "stale" and not have anymore fizz if you leave it open for a while.

PS. Drink the soda not the paint!

there should be a tutorial on using blue tac and a drinking straw to decant paint on here somewhere. This is the method I use and is hands down the best/easiest for several reasons:

1. no damage to the can/nozzle
2. no mess/no fuss, just make a ring of blue tac and put it around the nozzle and insert the straw
3. you can decant as much/as little as you want
4. when the spray can is almost empty and sputters there is still paint you can get out of the can! saves you money!

also, someone told me another great trick, if you add some laquer thinner to the paint it will not bubble over nearly as much! the same is true for simply putting a wooden toothpick in the jar (i dont know why it works, but it is awesome!)

hth

stu