On a can of Tremclad yellow in my possession, it says, "Clean valve immediately after use by inverting can and pressing valve until free of material."
I've never had much faith in that procedure. For some weeks now, I've been using a different method to keep nozzles clear, and it's been working reliably. Here's what I do:
- Immediately upon completion of spray painting, take off the can's nozzle and immerse it in lacquer thinner. Leave it there awhile while other things are attended to.
- On returning to the immersed nozzle, take it out and blow compressed air in its face, so the nozzle gets a backwards burst of air through it.
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I save known-good nozzles, so as to have spares right at hand.
I've occasionally had the experience of having a good nozzle clog on me while painting something, and it's a real nuisance. (I imagine that paint cans sometimes have particulate contaminants in them that can clog a nozzle.) With a good, spare nozzle handy, such an incident is easily gotten past.
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