Technical Salvaging spray cans of paint

I've done plenty, but not without knowing that most of the pressure was first released.
80% have gone without issue. The other 20% had varying degrees of misadventure up to catastrophic paint coverage.

Here's my process.
Take a plastic coffee can and cut a tight fitting hole to the can size in the lid.
Make a small 1/4" diameter vent hole in the rim of the can.
Place the can nozzle down thru the lid and put it into tha can.
Set a brick on the can to depress the nozzle.
This keeps any of the spray contained with in the can.
Put a rag over the can bottom , attach with rubber band.
Pierce the can thru the rag with a long taper punch. The long taper can act as a needle valve to release the pressure.

If it's old and the feed tube is plugged , There's only going to be one way to know if it's still got pressure have fun

 

I did it. Piece of cake, using two tapered awls I covered up me and the can, placed several rags over the can with 1 awl stuck through the rags and the rags held down over the top of the can Ipierced the rim with the awl using the taper as a sort of throttle to control the escaping gas it only took about a minute to exhaust it.. Not sure what would happen if I pulled the 1st awl I used another to make a vent opposite. I had first shook the can to mix paint before doing anything. I took a picture of the can after doing this but my computer failed to upload from my camera. So easy I'm not going to throw away any more spray paint no matter how cheap or expensive it is. Thanks for all the suggestions gents, that's the power of the HAMB. Ralphie

 

Several have suggested/reminded to get the marble..For what?

 

Who DOESN'T want the marble?

 

The yield of paint is WAY more than 12%.

I can't seem to get a marble either.

 

Errr... In case youv'e lost yours?
I have saved cans of spray paint by finding a container which you can stand the can upside down in (you can use the spray can lid If its not vented). Fill with thinners so that the can's spray nozzle is submerged, leave it soak for a couple of hours, remove and give it a couple of blasts. If that don't do it, remove the spray button, and clean out the lil hole with a strand of wire brush .

 

Marbels are a work of art. Plus they are traditional. Look up the show "How it is made" youtube has a lot of videos.
Plus they shoot great from a sling shot.

 

Oh, some of the cheaper paint cans won't have a glass marble, it's a cheap and ugly plastic one.

 

I open cans all the time for marbles, some are almost new and just wont spray, i guess after doing maybe 100 I have it figured out, i lay the can on its side and just stab it near the bottom ring, whatever is handy and sharp, small hole, the paint is pretty thin and what would you use it for or how?

 

I've sprayed the paint through a spray gun. It sprays fine. I use to paint models that way using a touchup gun.

 

Alright, since you asked ..... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/rattle-can-marbles.788053/
Yeah, hard the believe there's a thread for this

 

Actually this is incentive to finally get rid of the dozens of partly used spray paint cans that I have clogging my shelves. Too much paint in them to throw out but don't have any more unclogged nozzles to salvage them. With the prize of a great glass marble, I won't feel so guilty nuking all those useless cans of paint.

 

That's commonly known as a "church key".[/QUOTE]
No, a can opener to open canned milk etc., with the sharp point is not called a "church key"
A bottle opener for opening old style beer bottles on the other hand is.

 

I have a jar for them, I don't for the life of me know what I'll do with them

 

I lost count of how many I've opened, I've not found a marble yet

 

That's more like a shifter handle, not like you can get a bunch in your pocket

 

get what you want to paint nearby, stab can with screwdriver and paint away, real fast!

 

That is big for a marble. Same principal though. I've always liked to watch glass blowers at work. As a kid I remember watching the guy at Disneyland that did it at the base of the Castle. I enjoyed that as much or more than the rides.

 

Some of those helpful suggestions brought a big smile to my face as I imagined the consequences.
Cans I have opened always seem to have reject nuts instead if marbles. I may have to buy better quality cans ?.
There was a local shop that had an old oil drum out back for burning waste cardboard etc. There was a length of drive shaft tube sticking out the top, just the right size for a rattle can. Not sure where the cans landed, they just sort of 'went'. Quickly.
Garpo

 

I think most people just keep them in a can; but a guy at work salvaged the marbles and used them in a sling shot to take out gophers digging in his yard.

 

I started this thread interested in salvaging the paint only, now you guys got me wondering if there's a marble or a nut inside, I'll open the can and post the results.

 

I made a can piercing tool to save those marbles. Two coffee cans , cut bottom out of one tack together, tape around for seal, make lever with nail tacked to it to puncture paint can. Insert paint can, put lid on coffee can, press lever and puncture can. Very little paint escapes if any does it is trapped inside the coffee can(if it doesn't blow the lid). Then tear can apart with pliers to get paint and to rescue trapped marble.

 

There are marbles 31vicky, sometimes a ball bearing but usually a marble, keep looking!

 

You may have stumbled onto the secret of the genius of Picasso , Kandinsky, Matisse, etc.

 

It actually makes a cool effect if you want an aged look. Can then go quickly with a rag and smear it down and around. Old girlfriend loved it on furniture crap she was painting

 

OK, cut the can open inside found a pellet like piece of steel that looks to be cut from a piece of 7/16s round rod. It's about 3/8s of an inch long. Not as exciting as a marble or even a nut to be reused. This was expensive paint from Bill Hersh about $20 a can so price has no bearing apparently. Ralphie

 

Only on the HAMB....

Good tips here, though. I don't have any luck with weld through primer. No matter how much I heat and shake, or what brand, that shit won't spray for long. Thanks for all the ideas on how to destroy stuff.

 

i have the same problem. i have been just misting it on and then removing the nozzle and blowing it out with air before putting it away. sometimes i do it half way through the job to insure it hasn't clogged.

 

Yes, don't forget to save the Marble. Got hooked on this a few years ago after reading a HAMB Thread about rattle can marbles. My collection continues to grow and the Grandkids enjoy playing with them.

 

Just a few minutes ago. I showed my 4 year old grandson Chris. that there was a marble in the empty paint cans. I used a hammer and chisel and punctured a hole and we retrieved the marble. A few minutes later he found a half full one and punctured it. sprayed gold paint and made a mess. He didn't get much paint on him. I never got mad. just told him they need to be empty.