The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word EMULSOR
E
M
U
L
S
O
R
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "paint-making apparatus" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case paint-making apparatus = emulsor.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.