DIY spray paint

Making your own custom spray paint is easy and produces some interesting results. Maybe they don't sell the exact colour you're looking for, or you just want to a use for all those old almost-empty cans of paint you have hidden in your garage. Time to put them to good use and make your own spray paint!

Using the spray mechanism found in standard spray cans and some common discarded items you can make your own spray paint. This project uses a bicycle pump to pressurize a small PET pop bottle, and by varying the amount of pressure you pumped into the 'can' and the types of paint added you can produce different effects. The style I got based on the paints I used and the pressure applied is reminiscent of a graffiti mop style.

Enough talk, let's make our own spray paint!

_{*Inspiration for this project was drawn from the short movie splay}

---

Step 1: Tools + materials

tools: hobby knife drill and bits hacksaw bike pump .

materials: bicycle inner tube Sugru (or other elastic binding agent/adhesive) empty PET bottle empty spray paint can assorted paint

Comments

[Scarention]

I'd use a 2 liter bottle because they're pressure tested.

[ride on toy dude]

does it shoot the paint very far? I have always found a serious deficencie in store bought water guns and am always been looking for better solutions.
I want to fill it with water and use it as a water gun incase you couldn't tell. ;)

[aeszok]

I would highly doubt it, as the plastic bottle couldn't hold very much pressure at all. You could still modify the instructable, but use a stronger casing instead and maybe attempt to make the nozzle a bit wider or make your own, otherwise it'll just "spray" rather than fire a stream of water.

[RichardBronosky]

Actually, PET bottles can hold tremendous pressure. They have to in order to survive shipping. I carbonate my own beverages in 2 liter bottles with a cap that I put a chrome Schrader valve (rubber gives a nasty taste) into. My CO2 regulator maxes out at 60PSI. I've used all of that pressure experimenting, though now I only use about 30PSI. The more important thing is your glue joints. The PET bottle flexes. Your glue is not likely to flex at exactly the same rate. That means failure. I don't have to worry about that because I put my valve in the cap which does not flex.

[ride on toy dude]

ya it was just an idea.

[candyman3669]

what about replacing the plastic bottle with acrilic?

[madmanmoe64]

I'd been planning to make my own airbrush using an electric car tyre inflator and a 2l plastic bottle. Good to know it works in principle.

[AndaleTheGreat]

I'm gonna do this for a 2 liter and then see if i can find a way to do it with a hose.

[aeszok]

That'd be awesome, keep us posted.

[lukev2]

good idea

[caarntedd]

Great work I'm trying this.

[hurten]

I wounder if an aluminum beer bottle would make a good alternative to the pet bottle? Would you be able to get a better, higher pressure seal around the schrader valve? What about soldering the salvaged spraypaint tip to the cap?

[aristide202]

Thanks for the cool and low cost instructable
I was in Berlin this summer and I met the most amazing heavy duty PET bottles I ever seen, very thick walled. Just 500 ml but I think it could be easy to connect two of them by a low diameter pipe, in this way the inlet valve would be more protected from paint . One bottle as air reservoir and may be a small scavenged or built pump also , the other for spray nozzle and paint. Unfortunately I only took home one as technology souvenir. Don't you live in Berlin do you ?

[derte84]

RESPECT! I always wanted to do that

[CaseBoy]

I really would not feel safe use a plastic bottle like that.I would recommend using nalgen like this one mainly because they are so strong.

http://store.nalgene.com/Nalgene-16-ounce-Wide-Mouth-Water-Bottle-p/16%20ounce%20wide%20mouth.htm

[mikeasaurus]

These type of water bottles are designed to accept pressurization, the Nalgene bottles are a different type of plastic and not designed to be pressurized and can shatter.

[CaseBoy]

oh....well then i guess its safe then.

[macboy98]

instead of the spray can nozzle, can we use axe spray nozzle!!!!!! pls reply ASAP!!!! ur kindly me "lol"

[tutdude98]

yes but "output" wont be that thick

[macboy98]

Oh , anyway thank u for replyin :D :D

[Bangbangboom]

Go to your local hardware store and buy one of the cheap pump pressure sprayer's (one with the pump plunger on top to pressurize) you use to spray your garden chemicals with, I got one for $5.

Take it home and pull it apart so as you can remove the plunger itself, put it all back together minus the pump plunger, so you will have a bottle with a small hole in the top, on the other side of the lid is the pressure valve only lets air go in not out.

Fill the bottle around half to 3/4s full with 60% paint and 40 % water.

Get your compressor, with your blow down gun attached and load air into the bottle through the hole, don't worry about over pressurizing it as it will only allow you to get in a certain amount of air anyway and the bottle's on these sprayers are thick enough to take it.

Then start painting, works really well, without all the hassle of trying to build something thats probably going to fail.

[#OccupyInstruct]

in kinda getting the idea that it comes out in a stream because of the running, i would probably go up to at least 30-35 maybe even 40 PSI for a more even and lighter spray pattern instead of the stream.

[kurshiukas]

would not suggest over 35 PSI on plastic bottle. Unless it is hardened with ducktape - lots of it.

[ilpug]

I would say that is all the seals are well glued, this could easily take 60 PSI.

PET bottles are TOUGH.

[#OccupyInstruct]

actually, thats not a bad idea... or you could use an aluminum bottle instead and pump it up to 50 if you figure out how to attach the spray cap to a metal lid or bolt that will fit inside the bottle to make it refillable

[derte84]

alluminium bottle are also used for gas stoves. They should be safe then :)

[Broom]

A tight-fit hole for the tube + epoxy/rubber cement would work. The force acting on the spray cap is proportional to the area exposed to the can contents, so a tight fit would only produce slight pressure, and the glue would hold.

[ASCAS]

Thanks for the idea!!! I find it pretty useful.

[ANDY!]

Aha did you just videotape yourself doing something illegal? ;)
Thats a cool project. Looks like I can make one of those and not have to worry about dozens and dozens of spent spray cans anymore!

[totszwai]

Is there a way to improve the spray pattern? It looks like a water gun spray. Would increasing the pressure help with a more even/spread-out pattern?

[AndaleTheGreat]

i would try mixing it with a little water for acrylic/latex or mineral spirits for oil base.
I have a large airless sprayer and on most paint cans there are instructions as to how to mix it for spraying. something like 1/2 a cup to a gallon for primer i think.

[pedrobedro]

I saw your artwork and came to the conclusion that you are Red John :) It looks handy for spraying lubricant and it would be handy to have an aerosol of cleaning fluid like brake cleaner which can be refilled.

[AndaleTheGreat]

agreed, especially since buying your garage lubes/sprays are MUCH cheaper in larger containers that are not compressed.

[Mr.1911]

Is that a Mikeasaurus you painted? Cool 'ible too.

[mikeasaurus]

yes, it's s self portrait, the likeness is spot-on!

[Mr.1911]

;)

[Asmalldharma]

What about an old super soaker bottle? I have no idea what kind of pressure they can take, but I know I've got 3 or 4 in the basement...
Or a cheap aluminum water bottle with a plastic lid?

[mikeasaurus]

You should try it and found out, then post your results here!

[El Colombiano]

Thanks Mnieto2. Now i have some ideas to make a pain granade. presure + paint. Excelent..

[dfuller1]

Cleverly designed and built, an interesting read. Thank you! You may also be interested to know that you can buy something similar commercially made of aluminum and rated up to 90 psi for around $20 US.