How to Clean HVLP Spray Gun | Details Step by Step Guide

The High-Volume Low-Pressure (HVLP) spray gun needs immediate cleaning after use. If you carelessly leave it as it is, it’s the worst thing you can do with it. This is because the paint will dry out and clog the inner parts of the best spray gun. This builds up then interferes with the spray patterns during the next uses. You should learn how to clean HVLP spray gun. so that you do not need any professional for this job. It will save your time, money, and spray gun.

How to Clean HVLP Spray Gun?

Here we will learn everything about how to clean spray gun. These steps focus on all essential parts of the spry gun so that they continue working with perfection. As you keep it clean after every use, it will increase the life of the gun many folds.

Once you learn and practice cleaning the paint gun, it will become easier for you to follow up next time. Let us now start with things that we need for HVLP spray gun cleaning, and then the essential steps of the process.

Things You Need to Clean Spray Gun

We need a few things for HVLP spray gun maintenance with the help of cleaning. You would need tools, solutions, and other things for this purpose. Here is the list of them:

· Water and soap solution.

· Paint thinner.

· Protective gloves and Goggles.

· Cleaning brush with hard bristles.

· Buckets and mugs.

· Towels, and toothpicks.

· Gun wrench.

Before you run out to the market for purchasing the necessary items, you should make a list of them at home. This will ensure that you tick mark the ones that you already have. Also, you will not miss anything that you need to buy.

Note:

If the paint spray gun cleaner or paint mix solution comes in contact with the skin, it can cause serious health problems. Make sure you protect yourself properly before starting the cleaning process.

Steps to Clean the Spray Gun

1. Clean the Paint Cup

Start by cleaning the paint cups because this part contains the greatest quantity. Add the paint gun cleaner solvent to this cup and shake it for a few minutes. This solvent is mostly a paint thinner or a soap solution. This will lose the grip of paint on the walls of the paint cup. After this, press the trigger to remove this solution into a plastic bucket.

Again, add the paint thinner and shake it so that it can do the deep cleaning work. As you remove this solution once again, now just thoroughly clean the cup with a paper towel. You can add a small amount of paint thinner to the towel as well. In the end, clean off the inner side of the cup cap as well.

2. Unscrew the Gun Body

Keep the spray gun cup aside for air drying, and start disassembling other parts for deep cleaning the HVLP gun. Unscrew the needles and cap of the spray gun. In the fluid needles, there are springs present inside of it. They can shoot off if you won't hold and unscrew the needle carefully.

After this, move on to the removal of other small parts of the spray gun cap. You can do this by using the wrenches that come with the spray gun. You should know their use if you want to learn how to clean an HVLP spray gun. If you can use them to disassemble the parts of the spray gun, you can only start the cleaning process.

3. Clean Parts with Paint Thinner

This is the step where you start removing the paint from the small parts of the HVLP spray gun. You can do this by adding them into a tub that contains paint thinner. You can even use a solution of water and soap if that is more suitable for you. Just keep in mind that you do this cleaning carefully because these are all very small parts that can break with carelessness.

Experts are of the view that leaving these parts soaking in thinner or soap solution for a few hours is better. This helps in cutting the stubborn layers of paint on them. You can then rinse clean water through them as the final step of the paint sprayer small part cleaning and deleting paint splatter.

Note:

Do not add the needles and springs into the same bucket. They are very sensitive and prone to bending, so always put them in a separate bucket, tib, or cup.

4. Wipe and Scrub Everything

After half an hour of soaking time, wipe and scrub the remaining paint from the parts of the automotive paint gun. At this stage, use the brushes and toothpicks to clean paint from places that are small and thin.

The brush will be helpful in cleaning tips of fluid and the inner side of the cap. For the ridges and grooves on the inner side, the toothpicks will be of great help. This is especially useful when you have a small spray gun.

In the end, take a paper towel with a small amount of cleaning solution for drying and wiping the remaining paint. This will ensure thorough cleaning as every single dot of paint will be gone with this process.

5. Rearrange the Spray Gun

This is the last stage where you start reassembling the parts of the spray gun. Start by rearranging the needles and springs in it. Then move on to screws, and at the end, put back the small parts in place. Put the whole system back on the gun, and place the cap over it. This is the end of how to clean the paint sprayer.

Final Thoughts!

It is essential to learn how to clean HVLP spray gun because it will maintain the spray equipment. Even if you are using the good quality spray gun for car paint, carelessness in regular and deep cleaning can damage it in a short time. We are sure that our guidelines for cleaning a spray gun would be of great help to you.