How to get liquid out of aerosol can

Status
Not open for further replies.
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I used a nail. IMO, Drilling or cutting is likely to contaminate the leftover stuff in the can.


^^^This.

I worked in QC and R&D for an aerosol product manufacturer quite some time ago. I used a center punch but a large nail works fine too. I drained more aerosol cans this way than I can count.

I do not recommend venting cans that still have propellant in them. It can be done but you do so at your own risk!

Do NOT use a Dremel on an aerosol can. Ever. Many types of propellants and solvents are EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE.
 
Originally Posted By: leeharvey418
Because sparks and light oil are a fantastic combination...


If you're worried about the aerosol propellent, that's usually all gone if you can't spray the oil out. I've cut several WD-40 cans open that way, but I eventually started weighing the cost of the cutoff wheels to the cost of the remaining WD-40.
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I used a nail. IMO, Drilling or cutting is likely to contaminate the leftover stuff in the can.


This. I'd recommend taking the nail over to your grinder and putting a good point on it first. I have a nail like that in my oil change kit. I use it to drain oil out of used filters so I'm not sending the oil to a land fill.
 
Originally Posted By: leeharvey418
Silicone? I thought we were talking about Dubya-Dee-Four-Tee?


Am I wrong about the composition of WD-40? Thought it was principally silicone....
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Astro14
Am I wrong about the composition of WD-40? Thought it was principally silicone....


WD-40 is plain'ol petroleum based.

It's basically P-D-680 with a little bit of fine grade machine oil mixed in.
 
I didn't expect this thread to get so many responses!

In case anyone missed my post a while back, I used my dollar store can opener at the bottom. It went through in one rotation.

If only it had been that good on the filter can. I guess I'll just have to switch to the OCOD.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top