Somebody please explain this to me. I have a can of Rustoleum gloss red enamel that has stopped spraying while in the upright position, but will when the can is upside down. It is not 'marking' paint either. I think I should call Australia and ask them if they are missing a can.

If they're not missing a can down there, I'd guess maybe the plastic tube inside fell off.

I'm with George. The tube that feeds the paint from the bottom of the can has come loose or if it has been spraying like that from the beginning perhaps it was never installed.

That makes sense. Dang! It still has a lot of paint in the can.

Hi Michael:

That happens quite a bit with Rustoleum's Painter's Touch brand - I've got quite a few cans that I can't use that still have a fair amount of paint in them. I've never had this happen with Krylon, but quite a bit with Painter's Touch. It has always puzzled me too.

Ron

Silly question, but why wouldn't you be able to just use the can upside down if it sprays that way?

The only time that happened to me, the paint wouldn't atomize correctly, and it ran and puddled.

Well, I was doing some touch up on the legs on a head chopper I just picked up, so I went ahead and sprayed what I needed to. It was easy enough to manipulate the workpiece to catch the spray, but spraying with the can upside down is not as easy as it sounds. I would never try to use such a technique on anything I was building to sell. I don't think I could trust the results.

I had another can (yellow gloss) stop spraying a few weeks ago, and even trying another brand new nozzle on it, still would not work. I didn't try it upside down though, but it was basically a brand new can, so back to the store it went. This one (red) was about half gone, so I might just eat that.

I actually wish there was a simple technique to recover the paint from the can, save it in a jar and use for touch ups.

Michael, you could always drive a small nail through the side of the can. If you choose the correct location you should be able to hold the can in the upright position while spraying the paint. More of the paint may be usable if you make the hole toward the bottom of the can. I haven't actually done this, so you may need to experiment. I suggest trying it on several cans of paint with various degrees of fullness.

Of course before you make the hole, you'll need to secure the can in a vise. I would suggest using small finishing nail and a fairly large hammer. Oh yeah, it might be a good idea to wear safety glasses....and some old clothes at this point.

After you have driven the nail through the can, do not remove it right away! Leave it in the can until you are ready to spray the paint. (Don't be alarmed if some leakage of paint occurs...this is probably normal) You will need to have your project ready before you extract the nail from the can. As soon as as you remove the nail, be ready to go at it! You should be able to spray your project in no time at all! (Provided you can get started quickly enough)

Good luck! I hope this works for you. Let us know what you find out.

Regan

Disclaimer: This is a joke. Doing the experiment described above could.....er.......will most likely be hazardous and could cause serious injury or death. OR BOTH!!!!!

Regan,

I was beginning to wonder about your sanity until I read your disclaimer!!

I occasionally need just a tiny bit of spray paint for a touchup, so I spray some into the cap or another container. The paint goes into the container and the propellant goes off into the air. It does make a bit of a mess, but it works; the trick is to point the nozzle at the side of the container (at an angle), not at the paint that's collecting. You could try doing a little at a time and pouring it into another container until you empty the can.

Have you tried the spray can triggers available at the Dollar Stores and Walmart. It makes it easy to spray with the can upside-down.

George,

I do that all the time for spot touch ups, but never tried collecting it all. I usually have to wait some time for the solvent to evaporate a bit so the paint has the viscosity to cover when brushed on. I'd bet thin it would work well in an airbrush.

Bill,

I have some of those here... might give it a shot.

Funny, I thought of an airbrush right after I hit the Submit button.

I usually use a plastic plate. Sometimes, if I need more time, I will cover the plate with plastic wrap and spray the paint directly onto it. After the paint pools up a bit I will fold the plastic wrap over it. This will slow the drying process a little and give me more time.

Michael, you're not the first to wonder about my sanity!