Technical Traditional lacquer thinner!

I used some "good" thinner from work to clean up my trusty purple gun and wow, it took off the Chinese coating. This thinner seems a bit stronger than the hardware store kind.

Now to clean the outside of the gun good so I don't have purple flakes in my non-purple projects.
I can't recall if this is the $28 or the $13 purple gun but I got my money's worth at either price.

If the traditional HAMB purest read this, my Uncle Pappy brought this antique purple gun back from working with the Flying Tigers in China circa 1943.

 

Work thinner. Ya, it would be cheaper to buy a new purple gun vs buying a gallon of thinner.

 

As a traditional HAMB purist, I would advise that Claire Chennault worked with the Chinese as the 'Flying Tigers' in 1941-1942. (Just a historical idiom)

 

Lacquer thinner is the BFH of solvents.

 

Definitely 1943, Uncle Pappy was never quite punctual.

 

So, it did exactly what it was supposed to. The purple guns are sprayed with a lacquer to trick people into believing they are anodized. Total junk.

 

At least a decade ago, I had a simple discussion with the lumber yard owner. He commented about having to sell a more powerful thinner than what he had. If you go to a part store or a real auto paint store and buy their clean up thinner, it will do what you showed. All thinners are not the same. The H.F. 4340 or whatever the number was is purple anodized. The cheaper one isn't. The guns are way different in spraying capabilities.

 

I shot some Rustoleum clean metal primer on these wheels, was a little slow at cleaning that fine modern technologically advanced purple paint gun and thought, I'll take it to work and clean it.
I have thought for some time my home thinner and work thinner were not the same. Work thinner has a white look. This definitely proves it.
The gun is clean now!

 

I didn't know there were different combinations of thinners in lacquer thinner so I did a search. Here's some info I found.

https://ecolink.com/info/difference...11-lacquer-thinner-48-and-lacquer-thinner-51/

 

As a former spraypainter/panelbeater I love the smell of lacquer thinner in the morning. Don't give me that stuff you mix with the plastic paint they use these days but I have been known to use G.P. thinner in 2 pac. I also use it with enamel but the gloss goes off quicker because it's not as durable to sunlight.

 

I checked the drums of thinner today. They are marked as Sherwin Williams #16 lacquer thinner. Not much written else on the drums.

We use 3M composite and Devilbiss paint guns at work. They hold up fine to this thinner but man that purple gun got roughed up.

 

WOW! That is some lacquer thinner. Works better than modern 'paint stripper'. I always use hardware store thinner. My purple gun is 15 years old, and annodized. Painted many, many gallons and still doing fine.

 

I buy lacquer thinner from my local parts store in gallons and use it for really tough cleaning jobs. It is kinda pricey7 but a gallon last a long time in my shop.