Spray painting

[cityboy]

I didn't want to hi-jack another thread.

A recent job using spray bombs has left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I have a 2 stage air compressor. Just started looking into spray guns and such. As usual, cost is a factor, but I would think you get what you pay for.

Goose mentioned HVLP. When I see HVLP, I think pro house painters, higher cost.

Im retired. Getting heavy into wood working (stains and finishes), maybe some automotive painting.

Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks much,
Don

 

[Steve@Advance]

I think you are confusing HVLP (high volume low pressure) with airless.

HVLP guns are available at Harbor Freight ay very reasonable prices. They are just another version
of a hand held spray gun. You'll need a good filter/water separator and regulator. Hear good reviews
about them.

They also have a pressure pot sprayer. I have one of those, like it! Works well with thicker paints,
small jobs. Think it was $60.

 

[kencombs]

HVLP or a HTE (High Transfer Efficiency) guns are the way to go, at least IMHO. They put more of your paint on the surface, not the air. And at the price of primers and paints that is important to the budget. I just spent almost 300 bucks on a gallon of epoxy and a gallon of filler primer! And that isn't the name brand stuff.

I have several of the cheap purple HVLP guns from Harbor Freight. They get used for primers and small stuff. My nice Devilbiss GTI620G HVLP is reserved for single stage and clears.

There are acceptable guns available from $20 to over $700.

Gravity feed is the only way to go IMO. Easy to clean and uses less solvent to do so. Used with liners or a system like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Master-Paint-System-Disposable-Liners/dp/B081HF4K8F
They are even easier to use, and can even spray upside down and will not drip on your hood or roof when painting. I've had that happen and a big spot in the middle of a hood just sprayed with expensive red urethane will ruin your day.

 

[Goose]

Don't underestimate those purple gravity feed spray guns that HF sells for $14.95. They're a good all around gun.

I have several, and I use them for most everything except clear coat on a larger job.

 

[K Effective]

I used an HVLP system for spraying all the trim when remodeling our house. A self contained unit our contractor owned, I could spray lacquer on five sides of a door, and the finish was dry enough to flip over and spray the other side almost immediately. That really cut production time and space needed with 21 interior doors and frames and trim for the whole house.

I since found one at auction and bought it for my own use.

I have used a HF cheapo gravity fed gun with my air compressor and got really great results. Inexpensive enough to almost be disposable, but it cleaned up great, and I'll try it again, soon.

 

[dr sportster]

H-F works fine . The only problem I had was the cup dripped The atomization was very good. Why I tested a H-F gun I don't know I have a Devilbiss JGA. But it works

 

[Stephen Newell]

For wood finishes you can use a cheap harbor freight sprayer. Personally, I don't care for HVLP sprayers, they don't put out near the volume of paint as a siphon sprayer. I bought two of their #43760 sprayers this week for 20 bucks each just to have them on hand in
case I break one. As far as automotive paint it would depend on what kind of paint if the gun would be good for that. It wouldn't atomize a metallic base coat well enough unless you have a lot of experience. It real easy to get too much of the base coat in one spot or
anther and you can't see it until you clear coat it. Most of harbor freight sprayers have a 1.7mm tip which would be good for primer. The base coat and the clear coat would be better done with a 1.2mm tip. The #43760 sprayers I bought the other day have a 2mm tip
which would work better for enamel or latex paint. The larger the tip would be for heavier bodied paint. Automotive paint is sprayed thin as water.

 

[rlp in Co.]

I have a harbor freight HLVP paint gun and
have done a couple of almost perfect paint
jobs with it. Mine is green but I see that
everyone is talking about a purple one. I
wonder if they are the same. I've had mine
for many years. It works good for paint,
but not good for filler primer. I had to
thin the primer way down to get it to go
thru the gun, which defeats the purpose of
the primer. I tried to find a bigger tip
for it, but couldn't find one.

 

[Stephen Newell]

They aren't very forthcoming with specifications but the green and purple guns are completely different. The green one operates at about half the pressure and the purple gun. Then the controls are all in the back on the green gun where the purple gun selects the spray pattern on the side. What really sells the purple gun is the price. It's about 2/3 the price of the green gun. I think you got the better gun but I'm a little bias. I have one of the purple guns and hate it. It's always needs a lot of maintenance and the spray pattern knob has stripped out where it isn't working anymore.