3- Clean your nerf gun

Clean it like it has putrid alien guts all over it, and the only way to get the smell off is to wash it thoroughly (15 minutes)

Although this probably sounds like a no-brainer (I mean, how an anyone mess this up), there does happen to be a special trick to getting hidden chemicals off of the surface of your blaster(and of course cough -all that leftover sanding dust cough -who could forget that).

What you will learn in this step

How to rid your shells of paint-hating dust and chemicals

What you need to get started

Water
Sponge
Rubbing alcohol or mineral spirits
Old toothbrush (optional)

Why clean?

Cleaning is highly necessary. If dust is left on your blaster the paint won’t stick, and it will be like you never sanded it in the first place.

Don’t waste a good sanding job!

Cleaning your blaster will remove all of the dust, giving the paint you apply a great surface to adhere to.

How most clean their blasters

To clean the easy way most painters will simply run the sanded parts under soap and water. They’ll use a soapy sponge to scrub off dust, then rinse it clean. The next step is to wipe off your blaster with a clean towel, preferably a microfiber cloth so you don’t get extra cloth fibers sticking to your blaster as it dries.

Some of them set it out to air-dry instead.

A reason you would dry with a towel is you want to move to get on to the fun part – painting! If you are strapped for time, or just excited, then make sure to dab with the drying cloth instead of rubbing. Rubbing a cloth over a sanded surface will pull off cloth fibers onto the rough surface of your blaster. This would be bad. So, if you use a cloth to dry, dab – don’t wipe!

Cleaning is a simple yet crucial step. However, if you are unsure about cleaning it by yourself, you can take the assistance of some machines like ultrasonic cleaners. These devices can remove dirt, dust, and excess grease from your gun. But you might need distilled water to absorb these dust particles. If you are thinking about where to buy distilled water, you can contact companies like Golyath or any similar manufacturer.

If you get hung up you can always leave a message below.

How I cleaned my blaster

Optionally, If you are a perfectionist you can use rubbing alcohol or odorless mineral spirits before cleaning with soap and water. I did this because I wanted to make sure the surface was ultra-clean of any residue that might interact with the spray paint.

Even something as simple as the oils from your fingers can interact negatively with paint. To remove the dust I wiped the sanded parts with a wet rag. I wiped the blaster down with an oderless mineral spirit, which I then rinsed off with soap and water.

Use a sponge to clean the smoother surfaces, and an old toothbrush for getting into the smaller spaces.

The last step is to set the pieces out to air dry.

Let’s recap the recommended steps

Remove dust from sanding to ensure better adhesion
Wipe down with a wet rag and then with rubbing alcohol OR wipe down with odorless mineral spirits and then clean with soap and water
Make sure all the pieces are thoroughly dry before moving to next step!
Tape up any spots you want to protect from paint. The top part of the clip (where darts go) should be taped if you don’t want to gunk up your darts.