I have seen a few youtubers say they way they keep the valve clear is by standing the can up with the screw attachment off.. and filling the valve tube with acetone and then covering the end of the valve tube with a cover like a piece of wax (something that will not disolve with acetone, and can cover the end. I presume it is to keep the acetone inside and limit how fast it evaporates or prevents it from evaperating? I heard also that Great Stuff also make a can filled with cleaning fluid that can be used to clean the attachment and also can be used like the acetone. I wonder if it is Acetone.
I haven't looked into the cleaner too much. I think it is made to clean the gun that they sell for the big cans of GSF. Nice that it is under pressure so you can spray it. If you can get all of the GSF out of the valve, the acetone will work. But even a tiny amount will adhere the rubber part of the valve to the plastic part of the valve. And the valves are bad about leaking very tiny amounts. Sometimes you can clean the valve and then put your ear next to it and hear the gas leaking out. Sometimes you either end up with a can with no pressure or a can with a stuck valve. The MS and castor oil is nice because it dilutes the GSF and the castor oil sticks around to keep any leftover GSF from setting up. I assume you have watched my video on the MS and castor oil mix? Very nice for getting GSF off you hands or anything important to you.
I always had that problem also. Now that I know what is in the valve I figured out an easy way to get several uses out of them. I am working on that video next.
Have you tried something like a tap to try to break/loose up the dried polyurethane from the clogged ports? I have a little project and I have a clogged can and I really don't want to buy a new one. So far I've been SLOWLY trying a dremel with a small round grinder bit and working it in the port hoping to break loose the dried stuff. No luck so far.
Take a look at the description. I have some info you might find helpful. Be sure you are outside, wearing old long sleeve shirt, old long pants, old shoes, disposable gloves, eye protection, hat, and protect the skin on your face and neck and hair. Also protect your tools with painters tape. Best to have mineral spirits handy to get it off your skin. Even better is castor oil mixed with mineral spirits. If you bust thru the bottom of the valve, it will blow foam all over the place. It's pretty hard to get a stopped up can going again. But every once in a while I get one to work. Really not worth it. If you shake it and you can't hear it slosh around, then it is probably setup inside the can anyway. They only last about 3 years on the shelf, if I remember right. Best of luck to you. Let me know how it goes.
I saw your other video on how to keep them form getting stopped up, but what if it's already stopped up? I tried leaving lacquer thinner and nail-polish remover in there for days/weeks, didn't seem to ever melt it down far enough to make it usable again :( Any ideas?
I tried lots of stuff, but not much consistent luck. Poly is pretty much indestructible once it hardens. Be very careful when you are messing around trying stuff. If you bust the valve it will go everywhere. If you leave the straw on and the can sitting upright, all the little bubbles that make the foam fluffy will rise to the top. The plug will take longer to harden, but when it does, it is a solid rock and impossible to remove. When I wash the valve out, like in the video, but I don't do a good enough job. Sometimes it is just a little plugged. If you can turn the inner part of the valve while holding the outer part, that sometimes helps. I have used a sheetrock screw to pull the plug out and then poked around with a stiff bent wire to clear the ports on the lower sides. Very limited luck with that. After that, I poke a hole in the can (outside), them take the valve apart to find out what went wrong. Good luck and keep the MS handy!
@@fixpro256 Thanks for that! How do you mean, "turn the inner part of the valve while holding the outer part"? I was thinking of dumping some elmers glue or some other sort of adhesive, sticking a screw in their with it, and yanking it all out to try and dislodge the blockage! The valve on mine right now isn't really moving, it's pretty stiff.
Sorry, Just saw your reply. You can turn a new valve to see what I am talking about. Once you use the can, wash the valve out real good with a volatile solvent a few times, After it dries overnight, if there is just a thin film of poly that dried in the valve, you can sometimes break it loose if you hold the rubber part of the valve and turn the inner hard plastic part. That's where the adhesion happens. It there is more than a thin film, I haven't found anything that will consistently get the foam flowing again. But I have found that using mineral spirits mixed with castor oil keeps poly from setting up, ever. So I use that mixture to wash the valve out and then put some in the valve and leave it. The MS does eventually evaporate, but the castor oil keeps the poly from setting up so you have a much better chance of getting the valve working again. Shoot a tad of foam in a cup and mix some MS and castor oil with it. Its pretty cool to see that it won't ever totally dry. Tried a ton of other chemicals. Nothing else appears to work.
I have seen a few youtubers say they way they keep the valve clear is by standing the can up with the screw attachment off.. and filling the valve tube with acetone and then covering the end of the valve tube with a cover like a piece of wax (something that will not disolve with acetone, and can cover the end. I presume it is to keep the acetone inside and limit how fast it evaporates or prevents it from evaperating? I heard also that Great Stuff also make a can filled with cleaning fluid that can be used to clean the attachment and also can be used like the acetone. I wonder if it is Acetone.
I haven't looked into the cleaner too much. I think it is made to clean the gun that they sell for the big cans of GSF. Nice that it is under pressure so you can spray it. If you can get all of the GSF out of the valve, the acetone will work. But even a tiny amount will adhere the rubber part of the valve to the plastic part of the valve. And the valves are bad about leaking very tiny amounts. Sometimes you can clean the valve and then put your ear next to it and hear the gas leaking out. Sometimes you either end up with a can with no pressure or a can with a stuck valve. The MS and castor oil is nice because it dilutes the GSF and the castor oil sticks around to keep any leftover GSF from setting up. I assume you have watched my video on the MS and castor oil mix? Very nice for getting GSF off you hands or anything important to you.
I figured out a long time ago that those cans are a one time use only. It's a great product though!
I always had that problem also. Now that I know what is in the valve I figured out an easy way to get several uses out of them. I am working on that video next.
Have you tried something like a tap to try to break/loose up the dried polyurethane from the clogged ports? I have a little project and I have a clogged can and I really don't want to buy a new one. So far I've been SLOWLY trying a dremel with a small round grinder bit and working it in the port hoping to break loose the dried stuff. No luck so far.
Take a look at the description. I have some info you might find helpful. Be sure you are outside, wearing old long sleeve shirt, old long pants, old shoes, disposable gloves, eye protection, hat, and protect the skin on your face and neck and hair. Also protect your tools with painters tape. Best to have mineral spirits handy to get it off your skin. Even better is castor oil mixed with mineral spirits. If you bust thru the bottom of the valve, it will blow foam all over the place. It's pretty hard to get a stopped up can going again. But every once in a while I get one to work. Really not worth it. If you shake it and you can't hear it slosh around, then it is probably setup inside the can anyway. They only last about 3 years on the shelf, if I remember right. Best of luck to you. Let me know how it goes.
@@fixpro256 Thanks for the info.
I saw your other video on how to keep them form getting stopped up, but what if it's already stopped up? I tried leaving lacquer thinner and nail-polish remover in there for days/weeks, didn't seem to ever melt it down far enough to make it usable again :( Any ideas?
I tried lots of stuff, but not much consistent luck. Poly is pretty much indestructible once it hardens. Be very careful when you are messing around trying stuff. If you bust the valve it will go everywhere. If you leave the straw on and the can sitting upright, all the little bubbles that make the foam fluffy will rise to the top. The plug will take longer to harden, but when it does, it is a solid rock and impossible to remove. When I wash the valve out, like in the video, but I don't do a good enough job. Sometimes it is just a little plugged. If you can turn the inner part of the valve while holding the outer part, that sometimes helps. I have used a sheetrock screw to pull the plug out and then poked around with a stiff bent wire to clear the ports on the lower sides. Very limited luck with that. After that, I poke a hole in the can (outside), them take the valve apart to find out what went wrong. Good luck and keep the MS handy!
@@fixpro256 Thanks for that!
How do you mean, "turn the inner part of the valve while holding the outer part"? I was thinking of dumping some elmers glue or some other sort of adhesive, sticking a screw in their with it, and yanking it all out to try and dislodge the blockage! The valve on mine right now isn't really moving, it's pretty stiff.
Sorry, Just saw your reply. You can turn a new valve to see what I am talking about. Once you use the can, wash the valve out real good with a volatile solvent a few times, After it dries overnight, if there is just a thin film of poly that dried in the valve, you can sometimes break it loose if you hold the rubber part of the valve and turn the inner hard plastic part. That's where the adhesion happens. It there is more than a thin film, I haven't found anything that will consistently get the foam flowing again. But I have found that using mineral spirits mixed with castor oil keeps poly from setting up, ever. So I use that mixture to wash the valve out and then put some in the valve and leave it. The MS does eventually evaporate, but the castor oil keeps the poly from setting up so you have a much better chance of getting the valve working again. Shoot a tad of foam in a cup and mix some MS and castor oil with it. Its pretty cool to see that it won't ever totally dry. Tried a ton of other chemicals. Nothing else appears to work.