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Supplies [Question]

Clogged Paint Pumps

Started on Apr 02, 2014 by Jenncook678
Last post on Jul 17, 2014

Are your paint pumps constantly clogging? Mine too! Do you have some ideas for alternative ways to store/dispense paint without the clogging issues? I don’t find that the regular caps work well either, because students end up with way too much paint. Solutions? I’d love to hear them!

0 Keeps, 0 Likes, 7 Comments

  • RuthByrne 04/07/2014 at 01:30am
    Are those acrylic or tempera paint pumps?
    I don't have an elegant solution for my temperas, just jab at the nozzle with a pin tool from time to time and flush them at the end of the year. The inner workings usually stay pretty functional for me, one or two pumps have completely failed so I bought a few replacements. I'd hate to say buying new ones is a solution! =/


  • RuthByrne 04/07/2014 at 01:31am
    What'd be great is a machine that holds the paints upside down and dispenses a set amount like a fro yo machine or factory mold filler.....hmmm, may have struck upon my get rich quick idea for the decade.


  • kruger_d 04/11/2014 at 07:10am
    Has any one tried the Blick Flip-N-Flow? Uses gravity to dispense from gallon jugs.


  • Scorchard 04/17/2014 at 11:15pm
    I try to train my high school students to stick a toothpick in the end of the pumps at the end of the class period. They don't always remember, so sometimes there are clogs. A few students have been able to pick the plastic clots out of the nozzles and return them to functioning.

    With the tempera pumps I usually just soak them in water overnight and flush them through with the faucet to restore them.

    A more vexing problem is broken springs. Students wail away on the pumps, so the springs wear out quickly.


  • jfrisco 05/08/2014 at 04:08pm
    I have had horrible luck with the pumps AND the Blick Flip-N-Flow. I am now using condiment bottles and it works lovely.


  • imagiNATION 07/10/2014 at 01:58am
    I have the same problem so I just switched to putting paint in ketchup bottles. I refill the bottles when empty using the gallons, then students can dispense from the bottles themselves. They have caps so they don't dry out!


  • KimberlyMoe 07/17/2014 at 08:45am
    I have also had bad luck with the pumps, not only do they clog up, but they sometimes spray out in surprisingly wrong directions, creating not only a mess, but often a colorful face of the person dispensing! I have gone to ordering smaller sized bottles with the tiny hole, and refilling them. Condiment bottles are a great idea, especially the ones that have the lid on the bottom.