How to Take Care Cup Gun

Cup guns are still an important tool in the finishing industry today. Cup gun is the best equipment to do the finishing process in small-scale work. Cup guns are the main tool in finishing workshops or small furniture factories. In the big-scale furniture industry, the spray gun is still needed to do the touch-up work and do the sample. 

To get the maximum benefit from this equipment, we need to do the proper care and maintenance. Proper maintenance is actually a simple thing, but it is very important to keep the tool long-lasting. The failure in the treatment of the spray gun will bring us a big loss, the damaged tool that needs expensive repair costs, and the wasting time caused by the interrupted job because of the improper tool. Then, if we use a spray gun, then we need to care for it properly to maintain the tool.

Here are some tips to maintain and care the cup gun

• Always clean the spray gun after it is being used.

The best time to clean the spray gun is right after it is being used, when the finishing materials in the equipment are still wet. The wet finishing material can be dissolved easily with the thinner or solvent. When it is wet, the cup gun can be cleaned easily with thinner or solvent. The dry finishing material, either coating or stain, will stick hard to the equipment and require a lot of effort to detach it from the finishing tools. The thermosetting finishing materials, such as PU, AC, or other catalyzed coatings, cannot be dissolved after they dry. They will be very difficult to remove from the device. Be late in the cleaning will make the cleaning process hard and difficult and even have a high risk of damaging the device.

The cleaning of the spray gun can be done as follows:

Pour out all of the finishing material in the cup, then pour the clean acetone into the cup. Clean the cup with a brush or rag to make all the material inside the cup dissolve. Then pour out the dirty thinner into the trash. Enter clean thinner and spray the thinner out from the spray gun to clean the nozzle, needle, and the inside part of the spray gun. Remove the cap and needle from the device and clean them separately. Use a brush, toothbrush, or rag with clean thinner. 

 

 

Generally, it can be cleaned easily with this simple process, but if necessary, we can disassemble the spray gun and clean each part. But it must be done carefully; make sure we use the proper wrench to do it, make sure we assemble it correctly after we finish cleaning.

• Avoid the uses of  hard metal needle to clean the spray gun

We often get problems with the air cap or nozzle clogging. If this happens, then we can use a toothpick, brush, or toothbrush to clean it. Avoid the use of metal needles or other hard stuff since it could alter the size of the hole and make the tool unprecise.

• Store the spray gun in a dry and clean condition.

The cup gun should be stored in a dry and clean condition. It should not contain thinner or any finishing material inside. The thinner can dry out and leave droppings in the equipment. The finishing material inside the spray gun could bring to a bigger problem. It can dry and hard to damage the tool. The clean and dry spray gun is also easy to be carried and ready to be used any time needed. 

Spray gun also should not be soaked in paint thinner for a long time. The spray gun has some silk and lubricants inside that can be dissolved and damaged if soaked in the thinner for a long time.

• Avoid too often disassembling the spray gun.

Although the spray gun can be disassembled for cleaning and repairing, it should be avoided as much as we can. Do the disassembling only when we really need it; make sure we install and reassemble every part properly. Too often, disassembling the tool will take a long time to reinstall and even potentially damage the tool if we can’t do it correctly. 

• Consult with the supplier for equipment for better maintenance.

Every tool has a specific structure and parts. It may need special care and maintenance. When we buy the cup gun, make sure we get enough information about how to use, care for, and maintain it. Ask for the guidebook and make sure we understand it. With enough information, it will help us to do the maintenance and care for the spray gun properly.