Plastic Bottles

[Bob Heine]

Shine posted a great tip for cleaning your gun after every coat:
http://www.spiuserforum.com/showthread.php?2630-gun-cleaning&p=29453&viewfull=1#post29453"

gun cleaning

when using any high solids primer or even epoxy you need to keep the gun rinsed. if left in gun during flash time the solids will collect in the nozzle . this will slowly shut down the flow. ever seem like the second or third coat goes on dry ?? this is a trick i came up with years ago when i started using gravity guns.

get a ketchup bottle or something similar . i bought these by the box back when i was doing more custom work and using my airbrush for colors.
after a coat i empty the cup , wipe it out with a paper towel then insert the bottle full of thinner. pull the trigger wide open and flush the nozzle good. now i have a clean head ready for the next coat.

just food for thought and worth exactly what you paid for it .

I really like that idea and I especially liked the idea of the small plastic bottle for thinner. It’s especially handy not to have to pull out a gallon of thinner just to splash some on a paper towel.

I kinda got carried away when I found the U.S. Plastic Corp. web site and ordered ten 8-oz bottles with caps. While I was there I also ordered some quart bottles and sprayers that were supposed to work with solvents. After I filled bottles with all kinds of solvents, labeled them and started using them, I’d forget where the bottle was – it was always at the last place I used it. I decided to organize the bottles just because nothing else is.

I decided to make a rack to hold the solvent collection using some 2.25” exhaust pipe. I bought a couple of pieces from my local auto supply store and a couple of pieces of strap steel from Home Depot, along with a rattle can of Krylon Dual banner red-paint + primer.

I cut the exhaust pipe into 3” pieces and fusion welded them together with a TIG. A couple of notches for mounting it on my paint cart and it was ready for paint.

Having the collection of solvents stored in one place makes it a little easier to find them and an empty slot is a reminder that one of them is lost in the vortex.

 

[RodMan]

Bob that is very cool. I'm digging the rolling cart too. Very efficient. What all do you have on it?

 

[Bob Heine]

I don’t know if these bottles will hold up long term but I have been closely watching the one with Acetone in it. No sign of degradation or softening in the three months since I filled them.
I only used seven of the ten bottles for solvents so I had a few left over. In a stupid move I knocked a bottle of Mothers polish off the shelf and it cracked open. Saving Mothers is important so two of the bottles got used almost immediately. I actually like having the polish in these squeeze bottles because you can see if they have separated and they don’t seem to clog nearly as fast as those flip up caps.

For those who might be interested, I bought all of the bottles and sprayers from U.S. Plastic Corp. (http://www.usplastic.com/) and their prices are pretty reasonable. The bottles are made of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and come with a dispensing cap. The gray spray head is made of chemical resistant Viton with a 9-1/4” tube with strainer. Here are the prices for the stuff I bought.

Item #_________Description_____________________Price (ea.)
60144__________8 oz. Sample Bottle______________$0.81
60145__________16 oz. Sample Bottle_____________$0.97
66468__________28mm Spray Head_______________$1.29
180403_________32 oz. Handi-Hold Bottle__________$1.06
66059__________SprayMaster Bottle & Sprayer_____$7.45

I highlighted this last item because I think I was having a Snap-On moment (rare event) and thought more expensive must be better. Maybe they are but I have been spraying water- and solvent-based SPI Wax and Grease Remover with the $2.35 setup (66468 & 180403) with absolutely no problems for the past 3 months. I haven’t used the SprayMaster but for $7.45 you get just one silver (HDPE) bottle and a higher volume spray head. For $0.40 less you get 3 white spray bottles and 3 gray spray heads. Even though I quit drinking, I think there's still a lot of Scotch in my veins.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob that is very cool. I'm digging the rolling cart too. Very efficient. What all do you have on it?

It's kinda like a big Swiss Army Knife. The back side has two 24" fluorescent fixtures to help side-light the work area (all I have are a couple of overhead fluorescents). There's also a rubber glove (tissue) box holder and a shop towel rack.

On this end there's the bottle rack, light switch, duplex outlet and a 20-foot cord to connect up the electrical. A piece of flat aluminum stock makes a holder for the Harbor Freight 4" pneumatic grinder and 6-inch DA (also useful as a heavy plastic mallet).

At the opposite end there's a holder for PSA paper and masking tape and another aluminum stock holder for a HF 3" sander/polisher and a couple of 6" Dynabrade DAs. There's also a peg to hold a few throw-away brushes (I do a little fiberglass work).

The bottom shelf holds all kinds of sandpaper, Scotchbrite pads and sanding blocks. It's kind of a hodge-podge but it helps reduce the number of different places I have this stuff stored.

The top is just a couple of pieces of 1x12 melamine shelves cut to fit so I can have a work surface. I have one of those gun holder/strainer stations screwed to one of the pieces and I keep the plastic storage box for the Devilbis guns in the tray space underneath although it's kinda a waste.

The drawer is a mess but it kinda holds all my gravity guns, air brushes and regulators. There's also a bunch of cotton-ish gloves and Devilbiss cup liners. I'm thinking about lining the drawer with foam and cut out spaces for just the guns and regulators.

 

[clay's70]

It's kinda like a big Swiss Army Knife.

Bob--You nailed it!! That cart is too cool!! Thanks for sharing!! Something else I gotta build.

 

[black88coupe]

Looks great!

 

[RodMan]

I like it. Seems very well thought out. I'm looking to do something similar. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Jim C]

fyi those spraymaster bottles are great. they pump out alot of fluid and in my house they are the only sprayer i have found that i can keep pure chlorox bleach in and it doesnt screw it up.

 

[danp76]

what do you use the bleach for Jim?

 

[Jim C]

my shower!!! haha

 

[danp76]

haha, didn't know if you had a specific autobody procedure with it lol

 

[Bob Heine]

fyi those spraymaster bottles are great. they pump out alot of fluid and in my house they are the only sprayer i have found that i can keep pure chlorox bleach in and it doesnt screw it up.

Jim,
Thanks for that tip. Having a pool, I have liquid chlorine even stronger than Chlorox. It definitely will destroy a sprayer in no time but it's also the best stuff to kill mildew and mold. Next time I prep the pool patio for pressure cleaning I'll spray the really bad parts.

 

[Bob Heine]

Bob--You nailed it!! That cart is too cool!! Thanks for sharing!! Something else I gotta build.

Looks great!

I like it. Seems very well thought out. I'm looking to do something similar. Thanks for sharing!!

Thanks guys, I had to do something to get my stuff better organized. I spend way too much time looking for the tools and parts I know I have but just can't seem to find. I still can't find the A/C compressor hoses for my '72 Corvette and I refuse to buy another $250 set.