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Touch-up Spray Gun that Uses Film Canisters

J

John R. Graham

Active Member
I remember seeing a cute little touch-up spray gun that vacuum feeds paint from a 35mm film canister. The compelling thing about it is that all you do to clean up is throw out the canister: no paint ever touches the sprayer mechanism.

I know I've seen it somewhere but I can't seem to locate the supplier. Does anyone know where to buy it?

In a related question, does anyone have negative experience with this gun? Would you recommend that I not get one?

Thanks in advance for the advice.

- John
 
Van's

I bought mine from Van's. Seems like it was $10. It works very well for shooting small parts or a quick touch-up, and , as you noted, cleanup is very simple.
 
RV7Guy said:
What's a film cannister?:D
Click to expand...
Arg. Spelling is my enemy: "canister". (Or, perhaps, an oblique reference to a technology that's sooo 20th century? :p)

Thanks everyone (even RV7Guy) for the quick responses. That's exactly what I was looking for.

- John
 
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I've got a query into the supplier on that very topic as they do not appear to list the canister or pickup tube as available accessories. I'll post back when I get the answer.

Edit: Film canisters seem to be available at any number of places: Google shows a bunch of hits. Still, the pickup tube is a consumable for the little gun and it'd be nice to be able to one-stop shop for all the pieces.

- John
 
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Instead of "film" canisters, you can use plastic "pill bottles" from the drug store. Be sure to ask for the non-child proof caps.
 
Check eBay for 35mm film canisters. Also, you might be able to get some from a store where they still process film (look for a place out front to tie up your horse). I got two plastic bags full for free a couple of years ago.
 
Primer Spray Guns

I have one of the Primer Pistols and it's been a good tool. The film canisters clean up easily; after shooting epoxy primer I refill the canister with solvent and spray it out to clean the pickup tube. Wipe the canister out and it's ready to go again.

I also have a larger spray gun that uses the same principle on a larger scale: pint Mason jars for the product. It's called a Critter and is made in Canada. Available from a number of sources; I bought mine from Lee Valley Tools; they also carry spare parts, jar gaskets, etc. see

www.leevalley.com

The Critter is my gun of choice for shooting Akzo primer. Use a canning funnel in the Mason jar to keep the mixing mess to a minimum. Put in the two parts of epoxy, slap the Mason jar lid on and shake to mix; let sit for the induction time, then swap the Mason lid for the spray gun and shoot. Run some solvent through the pickup tube for cleanup. Spare jars available from the grocery store.

Good luck,
Mike
 
A few thoughts to consider when using film canisters for painting purposes.
Film canisters were produced in an era when it was common to use spray silicone as a mold release. Every injection molding machine had a can of spray silicone sitting close by to improve the production output.
Today many plastic molding shops prohibit silicone in the plant because of the endless problems it causes.
Silicone contamination in paint can be your worst nightmare, please keep that in mind when using something that was not designed for paint.
 
I have used this Harbor Freight air brush kit -

http://www.harborfreight.com/quick-change-airbrush-kit-93506.html

- to do the same function as the canister thingy...

The 6 cups provided are plastic and do not stand up to the solvents in our paints, so I substitute Badger air brush cups from the local Hobby Store. The 2 oz. size is really useful for small priming or touch up jobs.

http://www.dickblick.com/products/spare-parts-for-badger-model-350/#photos

The Badger glass jars are direct replacements.
 
Try a cheap airbrush

I have one of the "film cannister" sprays but didn't find the results very pleasing.

I have had better experience with a cheapish airbrush - this one:

250.jpg


Further details here: http://www.badgerairbrush.com/BADGER_250.asp

This offers much more precision than the film cannister option.

I have several of the "jars" - you can buy sets - and keep thinned primer in one jar and thinners in another jar. I store the "brush" attached to the thinner jar. When wanting to paint, swap to the paint jar, connect up to air, spray a little to clear the thinner, do my painting, when finished swap back to the thinner jar and spray to clear the nozzle.

These are usually readily available on ebay.
 
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