Reaper bottles getting clogged regularly

[Squid]

I suspect this topic comes up often enough, but I'll shoot it again, just a-coz. I love Reaper paints and use them equally with P3. I prefer the dropper bottles, but it's perpetually frustrating to have one or two drops come out...then nothing. Is there a trick I'm missing? I shake em for 1-2 minutes before use and I store them upright. I can bang the bottle around and maybe get another drop, or I can stick a wire down the hole to get a few more drops, but then I'm right back to the same problem.

 

Help me, Reaper Boards. You're my only hope.

[haldir]

wire trick works for unplugging the hole.

 

I have a oil pick *basically a long thin needle mounted to a metal shaft) that I use just for this.

 

RM

[72moonglum]

Any more for the most part, once mine clog up, I just pop off the top that has the dropper on it and use that to put my paint on my pallet.

[All-Terrain Monkey]

1) Don't hold the bottle perpendicular to your palette, hold it at ~45 degrees; the agitator might be sinking to the nozzle inlet.

 

2) Be sure to put the cap on after squeezing out paint to help avoid paint drying in the nozzle.

 

3) Use a paper clip or larger-bore pin vise bit to unclog, doing so will increase the aperture size of the nozzle.

 

4) If the same bottle keeps having problems you might have a small chunk of either dried paint or latex in it. The paints are strained prior to pumping to avoid 99.999% of 'em, but it can happen sometimes. Take out the nozzle and clean it with just water, and use a pokey tool to check the neck of the bottle for dried bits of paint.

[Rastl]

5) If it really does still continue take off the nozzle and carve out the BOTTLE END (the one that goes in the bottle) a little with a craft knife. The plastic may not have been punched out completely or there's enough dried paint to block it.

[Darkstar]

As Haldir mentioned I also keep my steel poker at hand while painting. In my experience all my dropper bottle paints across all manufacturer's clog from time to time. I'm just used to it. Shake the paint, squeeze it nothing comes out, poke it, continue on my merry way, rinse and repeat ad infinitum.

 

That's a good tip from ATM about not holding the bottle directly upside down, as yeah, that rattler can get stuck down there for sure.

[Spike]

Pull off the dropper nozzle and ream it out in both directions with a bit of piano wire.

 

If the problem persists, add some thinner to the paint. Those blues and greens, especially the greens, clot like blood given the chance.

[Angorak]

I'm going with ATM's thought that the agitator is blocking the aperature. The 45' advice will probably slove the majority of it.

[Squid]

Thanks! I'll give these suggestions a shot. I have tried not holding the bottle directly upright with mixed results, but my suspicion is that I need to bore the hole out a little more to clear it of dried paint. I try to be careful not to let paint dry in the nozzle, but there's only so much that can be done about it.

[dargrin]

This really needs to be a pinned thing. Just saying....

[captainpost]

I want to ask something. how are the dropper bottle supposed to work?

 

is there a hole in the middle of the nozzle all the way through? or does the paint go up the sides of the nozzle to tiny holes to come out the top?

 

I have had a few MSP dropper bottles that were clogged I thought. but when I cleaned out the nozzle and looked there was no tiny hole in the bottom of the nozzle. when I tried to squeeze paint out it would go up the 2 sides on the inside of the nozzle but not come out.

 

Then I used a paper clip and was able to poke a hole all the way through. now they work. but is that the way they are supposed to function?

[Serenity]

Then I used a paper clip and was able to poke a hole all the way through. now they work. but is that the way they are supposed to function?

That's correct. Without a hole all the way through, you get no flow.

[Wilwarin]

I either use a paperclip or a needle to get the clog out. Also, running it under warm water helps clean it out as well :)

[feltisgirl]

a few of my colours have that problem too. I took the wire out of a twist tie (the ones you get with garbage bags) it's the perfect size to fit down into the hole. A couple of pokes and it's clear. I never need more then 2 drops at a time (I don't like wasting and once thinned, I've never needed more then 2 drops).