Refillable Spray Paint Can?

[kmmcrafts]

Anyone tried one of these yet? I've heard about them a few years ago and then kinda forgot about it. I ordered one last week but I haven't even had a chance to open up the package yet and probably won't really get a chance to for a few more weeks as I'm in the middle of doing some home remodeling projects.. Thought maybe someone here has tried them? I'm hopeful to be able to buy quart or gallon cans of lacquer and use this as I do the spray cans I had been buying.. Spray cans are pricey compared to the quart / gallon sizes and many times I'm doing a one off personalized ornament that isn't worth all the hassle of getting a spray gun set up and then clean up etc for one or two ornaments. The spray cans are just handy to grab and go.. hopefully this will work like a normal spray can and be able to refill in. IF not then I might try building a refillable spray can out of my old empty one.. I've seen videos on adding a valve stem to a old can and refilling / recharging with air.. Where I built my finishing room in my shop I never did set it up with a line for the air compressor either so doing the whole spray gun deal would require more work than I'm currently willing to put in on it at this current time... so anyway hoping this works..

 

If nobody has tried one I'll update my thoughts on it maybe in a few weeks. Hopefully I'll have had a chance to at least open the package  by then, LOL... 

 

Edit: Oops I forgot to put in the link.

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0748KZFQK?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k0_1_19&amp=&crid=168HGT532N0WN&sprefix=refillable%2Bspray%2Bpa&th=1

Edited September 22 by kmmcrafts

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

To me not worth the effort  Did you read the reviews on the link you posted?  If you are buying quarts or gallons of lacquer then use a spray gun. Buy water base lacquer. It looks and reacts the same as nitrose. Easy to clean up. If doing one or two small items then Deft spray cans are the way to go. It is write-off so money saved is not a thing. Time to refill a can. The spray pattern can vary with the amount of air mixed with product. I just do not see an advantage. I put this in the Pet Rock catagory. just an opinion.  Is there some sort of safety on this? Put an air compressor to it and wow. I use a pressure pot to make resin pen blanks and I always have to be aware of amout of pressure put in the tank. It has a gauge and safety valve that will blow if too much is used. I see nothing like that on a tin can. Man I would not touch this with a ten foot pole. 

Edited September 22 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[kmmcrafts]

My compressor stops at 200psi so this should be fine..

Water base lacquer? I might have to look into this as never heard of it. I have used the blue / teal colored cans of water base poly.. I like it sort of.. doesn't smell bad and dries quick.. My dislike for the stuff is it doesn't enhance the wood grain at all and the spray mist is more like a spatter than misting. It also is terrible for raising the grain on the wood so really requires a light sanding before the last coat. That said I did like it well enough that I did set up to spray it in my spray gun.. however it still doesn't spray / mist well so it must be something with the make up of the poly. I tried a water base Varathane spray that was worse yet. I really like the lacquer smoothness and look so rather stay with it. 

I probably should have clarified that I find it hard to find the lacquer in spray cans locally but there is always plenty of quart cans.. last time I needed some I had to order online and wait 5 days for delivery. While cost is a write off it's still an expense and better if I can find a cheaper source so this was just an experiment that I was going to try which is also a write off. IF this doesn't work out with the lacquer I use a lot of different sprays like Wd40 and PB blaster for spraying rusty bolts etc. before taking stuff apart so I'll be able to use this for other things if the spray pattern isn't good for paints. 

I did read through some of the reviews but I take reviews with a bit of optimism because there are a lot of people that complain about their lack of common sense rather than a poor product. Kinda like the review I read about a 1/2 ton floor jack that the guy complained about wouldn't lift his semi truck. .. 

You are correct about getting the correct air pressure will determine the spray pattern.. I have a high end compressor set up for doing auto painting and can regulate a precise pressure.. It might take some experimenting the first time using it to get the right pressure. 

There are guys on YouTube making old spray paint cans refillable by soldering a valve stem onto the can that isn't intended to be used like that. If that blows up on them then it's their fault.. If this can I bought blows up and I've used it within the means of the directions there would be a lawsuit.. but again common sense plays a large roll in the use / safety of anything someone does. BTW, the best reviews are the ones you watch the people on YouTube use.. this way you can get an idea of their intelligence rather than reading a written review plus you can sort of view how this is supposed to work or lack of.   

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Hey you do what you want but to me at those prices what are you gaining? Paints and finishes need mixing and thus have that marble in them so may need to consider that. Any compressor will inflate it as you see they use a bike pump too. But what is regulating how much pressure is needed to spray different products. A pressure regulator on a compressor is not the same as pressure monitoring at the can by no means. I say this because I use pressure tanks in my blank making and see the difference all the time. i too have 3 compressors that are excellent rating and they have pressure gauges on them and safety devices. This is a tin can that says it can hold 100PSI. I highly doubt it. My tanks are rated for 80PSI and are better built than a piece of tin. The valves and threaded parts are not designed for that kind of pressure.  Be careful. You would have to buy individual cans for each product unless you clean out each time.  Is the can sealed well enough to hold pressure. Each product sprays at different PSI ratings so need to know this.  I know about reviews but when the bad reviews are as many as on this I worry. Not all are idiots. That is how I guage a product. I needed a belt for my snow blower that I am reconditioning for this year and looked to buy at Amazon and could find them for half the price I wound up paying but all said junk. So I bought an OEM one and should be fine. 

As far as waterbased lacquer goes. I buy it in quart cans and always spray with a HVLP gun. Does not raise grain and sprays like Nitros.  

Good Luck. 

[kmmcrafts]

Thanks for the heads up on the water based lacquer info, I'm going to look into it. 

[rjweb]

Kevin, keep us posted will follow along, RJ

[kmmcrafts]

So I open up the package to look at it tonight and from what I see it seems to be made a little heavier than the standard spray can, maybe I'll measure the can thickness and cut open an old can to compare. The one dislike I have so far is the diameter of the can is a bit larger or something and it's not as easily / comfortable ? to hold onto to spray.. Just feels odd I guess. I haven't actually put anything in it or charged it etc.. just "looked" it over.  

[Ctutor]

if you have an air compressor "the Criter" spray gun might be a better way to go. If ou try it get the stainless tube the aluminum is way too soft/

[kmmcrafts]

On 9/23/2024 at 12:56 PM, Ctutor said:

if you have an air compressor "the Criter" spray gun might be a better way to go. If ou try it get the stainless tube the aluminum is way too soft/

Is that the sprayer that looks like it has a glass mason type jar? Do those spray decent? I see some of these are up there in price close to my HVLP spray gun that is used for my autobody paint repair.. I'm pretty picky with that gun and will only use it with automotive type paints.. thought about a cheap Harbor Freight gun.. but I worried about the quality of spray.. many of the autobody guys I know that have tried them say stay away.. as the spray sucks on them so I was a little worried about trying one.. Though I don't need a 12" spray pattern for ornaments and they probably work better than the spray cans I've been using, LOL.. 

I found some of those sprayers you mentioned and they're upwards of $200 or more for some.. I did find a New open box one for $52.. it's tempting to give it a try. 

[Bill WIlson]

I'm no pro and I've never spray painted a car, so my perspective may be skewed, but I have a couple cheap HVLP sprayers and use them for shellac.  I get decent results with them.  Not car finish quality, but certainly beats the spray can.  Probably cheaper too.  A cup of shellac, thinned with a little DNA will go a lot further than a spray can will.

[kmmcrafts]

2 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

I'm no pro and I've never spray painted a car, so my perspective may be skewed, but I have a couple cheap HVLP sprayers and use them for shellac.  I get decent results with them.  Not car finish quality, but certainly beats the spray can.  Probably cheaper too.  A cup of shellac, thinned with a little DNA will go a lot further than a spray can will.

I totally agree with the spray gun idea and that a cup thinned will go way farther than a spray can.. My issue is what do I do with the excess mix if I don't use it all? Leaving it in the spray gun will likely dry out and ruin the spray gun. I seem to remember someone using something like the "critter" sprayer and when they was done they could seal the jar back up with a canning jar style lid.. I sometimes go a week without spraying anything.. sometimes I'm only spraying one ornament that I preconized for a order.. I was just trying to find a more practical way of doing things to where I could buy quart cans of Lacquer.. Maybe I'll have to keep on using spray cans.. 

[kmmcrafts]

Well, I finally put some Lacquer into the can to give it a try.. it does work good as far as pressurizing etc.. I experimented with different pressures starting at only like 10psi and worked my way up to around 60psi.. at 10psi up through around 30 it mostly just wanted to shoot a stream rather that a mist.. Getting up to 60psi it started spraying much better but I'm not to comfortable going to the 100psi. 

Read the reviews about how the thing will spray at you when trying to charge it up.. That only happens if you have fluid in the system.. ie tip the can upside down to release the fluid out of the suction straw and it doesn't do that. I think it'd work good if I could put a different nozzle on it.. removed several nozzles from various paint cans I had but nothing that I had would fit into the can.. so my conclusion is in my opinion it's not very good for paint.. I kinda figured when I read the reviews but thought I'd give it a try. 

I do think it'll be great for penatrents such as WD40 or PB blaster.. I've been buying that stuff in gallon cans and just using a pump sprayer over the years but I think this will work better for that so likely what I'll be putting into it. 

Guess I'm going to run airline to my paint room and just get a sprayer or maybe just continue with the spray cans.  

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

I am confused. What are you wanting to use this for?  Paint or finish? 2 different sprays nozzles and different pressures needed. Also different finishes need different nozzles and pressure. Another question what are you planning on painting or finishing? Have you thought of an airbrush. require a smaller compressor no air line needed outside of airhose off compressor,   and way less noisy and control of product is spot on. if using water base materials then very easy cleanup.  if you are talking ornament work why do you need such a big tool? Way too much overspray using cans, spray guns, or anything like that unless you do some sort of assembly line system where things are lined up and the overspray is not a concern. 

[kmmcrafts]

1 hour ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

I am confused. What are you wanting to use this for?  Paint or finish? 2 different sprays nozzles and different pressures needed. Also different finishes need different nozzles and pressure. Another question what are you planning on painting or finishing? Have you thought of an airbrush. require a smaller compressor no air line needed outside of airhose off compressor,   and way less noisy and control of product is spot on. if using water base materials then very easy cleanup.  if you are talking ornament work why do you need such a big tool? Way too much overspray using cans, spray guns, or anything like that unless you do some sort of assembly line system where things are lined up and the overspray is not a concern. 

Watco Lacquer.. I spray most all the ornaments that I cut on the laser.. The scrolled ones I just dip in Danish oil.. But since I paint details on the laser cut ones I cannot dip those.. tried it on one and the chemicals in the Danish oil melted the paint and made it run all over.. but lacquer works great.. Many of these ornament are personalized so I can't really do big batches.. mostly just 1 - 10 at a time..  

[Ctutor]

wow the critter used to be in the 20 buck range  It does have a mason jar and I use a second one filled with a solvent so I can clean the nozzle and the top easily.  You can not change the spray pattern other than volume but flat is flat.  I use it to spray lacquer or sanding sealer out side and it has done e well for many years after I replaced the aluminum stem. I spray many different finishes and prep stuff. I keep a couple of Mason jars with different material inside so all I have to do is screw  on the jar with the stuff I want.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

6 hours ago, kmmcrafts said:

Watco Lacquer.. I spray most all the ornaments that I cut on the laser.. The scrolled ones I just dip in Danish oil.. But since I paint details on the laser cut ones I cannot dip those.. tried it on one and the chemicals in the Danish oil melted the paint and made it run all over.. but lacquer works great.. Many of these ornament are personalized so I can't really do big batches.. mostly just 1 - 10 at a time..  

Well again my thoughts are this is not an answer. Stick with the cans and or get an airbrush. Ornaments are so small. I know price of Lacquer has gone up but it still a full proof way of finishing. Good luck.

[kmmcrafts]

9 hours ago, Ctutor said:

wow the critter used to be in the 20 buck range  It does have a mason jar and I use a second one filled with a solvent so I can clean the nozzle and the top easily.  You can not change the spray pattern other than volume but flat is flat.  I use it to spray lacquer or sanding sealer out side and it has done e well for many years after I replaced the aluminum stem. I spray many different finishes and prep stuff. I keep a couple of Mason jars with different material inside so all I have to do is screw  on the jar with the stuff I want.

What kind of air pressure is needed to use the Critter? I'm spraying small lightweight Christmas ornaments and under higher pressure they may just blow away, LOL I've had them wiggle around some with just a spray can. 

 

[kmmcrafts]

8 hours ago, JTTHECLOCKMAN said:

Well again my thoughts are this is not an answer. Stick with the cans and or get an airbrush. Ornaments are so small. I know price of Lacquer has gone up but it still a full proof way of finishing. Good luck.

It's likely the plan to just stay with spray cans.. nothing wrong with trying and experimenting with different methods to remind myself why I use spray cans. The cans are always ready to go and that is what I like.. I feel like an airbrush would need filled way too often and too much fussing with it. My HVLP gun I use for auto painting I can dial the pressure down to about 7psi and still get a awesome spray pattern for small items like these ornaments.. The issue is I can't just leave Lacquer in it 24 / 7 and not have it dry up somewhere in the gun etc. so it's not just ready to go like a spray can. 

The Critter sprayer would be better option because you can keep various jars filled with various sprays and cleaners.. However I'm guessing you'd need at least 40 PSI to make it work well.. which probably too much for spraying ornaments.

As for the refillable can, Maybe I misunderstood the description but I swear it said you can change the nozzles.. I guess I assumed it would come with various nozzles so that part of it is kinda what sold me on it. I didn't get any other nozzles with it.. If I can find better nozzles made for the can I think the concept would be great option.. I did find a spraypaint can that had a nozzle that fit on this can but it wasn't a tight fit and leaked around the stem but did spray better. It is working as is but I have to hold the can back 20 inches and it still floods.. it is spraying way too much fluid and isn't atomizing it as well as it could or as much as a normal can. I believe it just has a universal type nozzle that probably work poorly for all fluids people might use it for. IF they made some specific nozzles for this I believe this could work very well.. Maybe I'll do a search for some nozzles for it. It's really pretty well make and the safety is really just common sense stuff as far as I can tell.. I can see it being a danger too as many lack in the common sense area, LOL

 

[Bill WIlson]

I'll put in a plug for shellac as an alternative finish for your ornaments.  Ornaments don't need a lot of durability, so shellac is very suitable.  I spray the shellac, run a little DNA through the gun when I'm finished and call it good.  As long as I use that gun for nothing else, I don't worry about doing a breakdown and deep clean.  Next time I use it, I run a little more DNA through it before I start, then it's off to the races.

The only downside of the shellac is that it is very heat sensitive.  If someone stores their Christmas decorations in the attic, it's likely that during the heat of the Summer the shellac will soften and when they are gotten out later, they might be stuck to whatever they were packed in or with.

[Ctutor]

The Critter takes 40 psi or less.  It is easy to spray small stuff. admittedly I generally srapy severl items at the same setting. Ornaments are a snap

[kmmcrafts]

Maybe I'll give it a shot, I've always liked the idea of the mason jars and being able to have several stored fluids.. I found one on Ebay for like $30 that is new so I might try it.. 

[kmmcrafts]

4 hours ago, Bill WIlson said:

I'll put in a plug for shellac as an alternative finish for your ornaments.  Ornaments don't need a lot of durability, so shellac is very suitable.  I spray the shellac, run a little DNA through the gun when I'm finished and call it good.  As long as I use that gun for nothing else, I don't worry about doing a breakdown and deep clean.  Next time I use it, I run a little more DNA through it before I start, then it's off to the races.

The only downside of the shellac is that it is very heat sensitive.  If someone stores their Christmas decorations in the attic, it's likely that during the heat of the Summer the shellac will soften and when they are gotten out later, they might be stuck to whatever they were packed in or with.

Another option I might have to try.. I was worried about the DA melting the paint markers though.. since the paint markers are alcohol markers it may interfere with my detail painting. Was worried Lacquer would too but it seems to work well. The one other downside to Shellac is most times I've used it it'll change the color of the wood and I also worried it'd change the colors of my paint too.. 

Another thing I want to look into is the water base Lacquer that JT mentioned.. Have never heard of that.. I like the water base poly IF it would spray better but 50% of the cans I get don't seem to atomize the paint very well.. I like that it doesn't stink too bad and also it dries very fast.. even in cold or hot weather. My spray area is upstairs in my loft and it gets pretty hot in the summer.. pretty cold in the winter since my heat is only on downstairs in the shop itself.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

1 hour ago, kmmcrafts said:

Another option I might have to try.. I was worried about the DA melting the paint markers though.. since the paint markers are alcohol markers it may interfere with my detail painting. Was worried Lacquer would too but it seems to work well. The one other downside to Shellac is most times I've used it it'll change the color of the wood and I also worried it'd change the colors of my paint too.. 

Another thing I want to look into is the water base Lacquer that JT mentioned.. Have never heard of that.. I like the water base poly IF it would spray better but 50% of the cans I get don't seem to atomize the paint very well.. I like that it doesn't stink too bad and also it dries very fast.. even in cold or hot weather. My spray area is upstairs in my loft and it gets pretty hot in the summer.. pretty cold in the winter since my heat is only on downstairs in the shop itself.

This is the water based lacquer lacquer I have been using for many years. I spray with my HVLP gun and perfect finish every time. Now I use this when I have alot of projects to do at once. I always used for my desk watches because I made those in large batches because one of my top sellers. Also  used it on my billiardball clock bases. One other large projects was these guitar CD racks. So much easier with a spray gun to get a nice finish and with lacquer no sanding between coats because one coat melts into last coat for easy build up. Easy clean up with  water and then run DNA through gun to dry water up. 

https://www.targetcoatings.com/shop/water-based-lacquers/

 

 

Edited September 27 by JTTHECLOCKMAN

[Bill WIlson]

JT, you've piqued my interest with the water based lacquer.  I've always liked solvent lacquer as a finish, but hated applying it in my basement shop because of the fumes.  Always used Deft brushing lacquer and never tried to spray it.

What is the drying time for the WB lacquer?

[BadBob]

On 9/26/2024 at 11:36 AM, kmmcrafts said:

Leaving it in the spray gun will likely dry out and ruin the spray gun.

If you use an airbrush with the little jars on the bottom, you can get lids that will seal the jars. The jar only holds 3/4 ounces, so I usually don't save it unless I'm going to add another coat. There are also caps that fit on the spout for temporary use.

 

There are airbrushes that you can spray a few drops with. These are all top feeders. Some of them can do both.

An airbrush is much easier to clean than an automotive-style paint gun. I know because, in my past life, I also painted cars.