I have a can of Dupli-Color red that I bought at least 7 years ago. I get a few bits of paint out of it but it has the heft of being half-full. It’s soaking in mineral spirits for the rest of the day. If that doesn’t unclog it, what if I make a hole in the can, let it drain, then brush it on: will it be any good? I’ve already brushed on primer and an 8-ounce can of liquid paint, so it’s brushed.
I want you to make a video of you doing that and then post it here so we can all laugh our asses off.
Tester
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I’ve had cans that ran out of propellant long before the paint was exhausted. If you can squeeze the can and make a big dent, the pressure is very low. I would still cover the can with a thick rag when you punch a hole in it with a nail.
I brush spray paint all the time. Normally, you discharge some into the cover and then use a small brush to fill nicks…
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If you can squeeze the can, and it is squishy, then yes, you can safely cut or puncture the can, and the paint inside can still be used. If the can still has pressure, but the nozzle is plugged, try removing and clearing the nozzle part. If that doesn’t work, just buy a new can. We’re talking about something which costs about $10-15 including the tax. I’m a major cheapskate too, but some things are just not worth trying to pinch pennies on.
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I’ve never done that myself, I’d just toss the can in the trash and buy a new one. But for an intrepid diy’er like yourself, no harm done to give it a try, presuming you can figure out a way to access the paint can’s contents without the problem noted above. I’m interested in the results, so keep us informed.
Suggest to apply a coat of epoxy-primer first.
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Try using the plastic nozzle head from a different can that still works.
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Our hazardous waste disposal has a thing that punctures the can and contents go into a barrel for proper disposal.
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Just make sure you do it to a can of primer 1st so it sticks really good… 
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Sorry, too lazy to do that. It wasn’t a laff riot. A little bit of pressure was left, so a few drops fizzled out.
It was almost unbrushable. It ran readily (it’s thinner than liquid paint) and dried immediately.
?
8 hours soaking in mineral spirits cleaned out the spray head, so I could spray most of it out normally. Then the stem got clogged: took the head off, pushed it against the pickup, nothing came out. I drove a nail down the stem, got another ounce or 2 out. It was hard to work with: ran and dried immediately. It covers a lot less per ounce than liquid paint.
When I went to paint the bumper (black) the can lacked a spray head. Then I remembered my jar of spray heads soaking in mineral spirits on the shelf of misfit tools. It worked perfectly. I should have put the red can’s there in the first place.
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I’ve had that happen in the past with flat finish, quick drying paints. Most of the paints I’m trying to save are acrylic, glossier types and most often, car touch up paints. I can spray some into the cap and it will remain liquid for a few minutes, long enough to fill nicks in the paint. If it dries, I just dispense more.
I don’t throw paint cans in the trash unless they are punctured. If I want to dispose of them, I invert the can and push the button until all the propellant is removed. Then punch a hole and let the paint drain out and dry. It’s then safe for our trash pickup.
Some moron in the neighborhood threw half empty paint cans in the trash. They opened up when crushed and spilled from the truck. There were red streaks all down the road for a year. Some type of automotive paint so it was very persistent…
This is what I do with all my spray cans, except the insecticides left behind by the previous owner.
I have probably 100 spray cans of various age and condition. I would love to get rid of them somehow. You can’t throw them in the trash. Many don’t work anymore to release the pressure. I have toyed with the idea of using them for .22 practice to relieve any pressure and then drain any paint in a pan to dry in the sun then crush the cans and in the trash. They are kind of fussy what and how much they take at the recycling center. I would like to be a little distance from the cans when puncturing.
I save up all the nozzles I have in case one does clog. Just like cars, good maintenance is the key.
I do a lot of “spot painting,” boundary markers and the like, so I am sure to prep all the objects needing paint, plan put my route to get to them all, and shake, and keep shaking the can. As I get to last item, I spray it with can upside down until straight propellant, no paint comes out. Nozzle should be pretty clear, but then I quickly pull off nozzle and blow into the “can end” of the nozzle (a few inches away, I am NOT putting paint on my lips!) while wiping the nozzle’s paint exit hole (always carry a rag). Do that a few times in a row and that nozzle will work fine next time I need that color.
I too am cheap, but it not just the dollars, it is all the ingredients–high VOC paint, propellant, and can.
Always poke a hole in paint cans–after expelling propellant, before recycling. Save someone’s eyeball!
Some communities have Toxic Take Back days once a year or every two years. Ask your Public Works people.
Insecticides, rat poison, paints of all kinds, “fluids” of all kinds. Powders too.
Be sure about explosives, that grenade might not be a dummy.
Many of us “inherit” stuff from previous owners, thinking they are helping us out. Just do the responsible thing and feel good all round, including more space in garage/basement!
My local solid waste authority folks do it twice a year. I brought them a couple of boxes of old spray cans just last Fall.