Paint Guns

[Sberry]

I am all for new tools but there is a level of trade off when make do is about as good. I haven't painted a car in a while, could and probably should have a different gun, hvlp or something but I an near biblical with my old gun, have airless and large paint pots etc for when I really did need them but fell back to the old trusty which seems to handle thick sticky coatings well, don't feel guilty with sloppy clean up on outside etc.
As I said before, touch up gun pays big for small use, cost of paint, 2 part products, can make small amounts. I have generic knockoff but it really sprays. I also have knockoff with 2 qt paint pot for equipment, 2 keeps itmanageablee, easy to move around, between coats refill, easy to gage amounts. A small brand pot was so expensive, bought the off deal mostly for the hoses and the can, figured the gun to be disposable with epoxy products but it actually sprayed quite well, used it about a dozen times over 10 yrs and was like 99$ from ATD at the auto parts store.
As for clean up, I am a speed demon, I like to mix right amount, going back to make pinch extra take time and energy too, the biggest thing is I wipe immediately and clean quickly, wipe up with paper towel and pinch olacquerer thinner, or wipe up and use solvent for paint to rinse gun, can clean a gun with about 8 oz of stuff. When I finish spraying I rarely set it down or turn off fan, its about 3 minutes and its done,,, so it works next time. Can paint a set of car or truck wheels in about 10 mins.

[Sberry]

If a guy is serious about some painting its worth it to get a little workwise like in some of the pics, isn't any good if its too tedious and time consuming. I have a reel dedicated to it, place to clear it at various levels, and some materials on hand so I don't have to stop to shop to do a job.

[131RE]

kiwi
You didn't mention what your budget is, that is a big factor when it comes to recommendations. As one who has over a dozen paint guns ranging from low cost units to high end Satas, while there is no 'magic' in any spray gun, the higher end guns do hold up better IF you are going to be using it a lot. The range of products you want to spray rustoleum to Dupont will require some different tip sizes, the Rustoleum is going to require something in the 1.5 -1.7 tip range, whereas the Dupont base coat/clear coat setups are going to require 1.3 -1.4 tip size. These sizes are for a HVLP gravity feed gun. As one who started 40 years ago with siphon feed guns, the gravity guns waste less paint and are a LOT easier to clean and are now the 'standard' in most body shops. Ditto on hvlp you waste much less paint with them.
I differ from Bob, the turbine units come from the woodworking world and are great there. But I know of not One automotive body shop that uses them. They are too slow in output, the fact the air temperature is constantly changing due to heat build up in the unit requires the slowest reducers and activators you can find to get good flow out and prevent a 'dry' finish. Plus if you already have a compressor, a unit that runs off of regular compressed air is going to set you back less money. Turbines use a siphon cup arrangement and are a pain to clean compared to a hvlp gravity gun.
Right now the top of the line guns are either Iwatas or Satas- and they are some serious bucks. Devilbiss has quite a few offerings including their lower cost Finishline Series with some models coming with different size tips which would be an asset to your range of paint products you want to spray. Sharpe has their own line of products and also has the imported Finex models which spray very nicely and the low price point like those of the Finishlines is nice.
The one thing about all hvlp guns is you need to supply them with adequate volume of air and the larger air fittings (high flow) really do improve their performance. Make sure your air compressor can provide a sufficient volume of air. Good rule of thumb is 15cfm at 90psi will ensure you are not starved for air. If the supply of air drops in terms of available quantity the finish is not as good (orange peel) Many of the newer hvlp guns Do need less air in terms of cfm-so that is a specification to look at.
Hope this helps.

[kiwi]

I appreciate all of the information .
That info on hvlp guns is great, but the turbine systems are expensive. I stumbled on a different option. Green hvlp guns that operate on as little as 4 cfm. Do any of you have experience with them? The website listed below has a great deal of information. Apparently guns from Europe are much more efficient. Here is some information I copied from the site.


"Green Spray Guns - Many stores do not know of these guns and might tell you that HVLP cannot be sprayed with a small compressor. However, Green Spray guns operate on as little as a 4 Gallon 5 cfm compressor. Such HVLP and RP guns in our Green Spray Guns lines operate on common 110v 2 HP compressors found in any home improvement store." BTW nice paint job Sberry!!!!

www.spraygunworld.com

Check out this link.

Thanks,
Nick

[131RE]

Nick, While I do not have any experience with that particular brand of spray gun, I have used other low CFM guns- my own Sharpe Platinum uses 7.5 cfm and I have used the various Iwata LPH400 series guns also low cfm -both of these are a bit higher in cfm consumption than the gun you linked to. Eastwood company also makes a very low cfm gun -technically anything under 9 cfm is not hvlp but lvlp-but the effect is the same. The lower cfm guns are slower in output which is not necessarily a bad thing-gives you more control if you don't paint daily and they also typically have much higher transfer rates for the paint (less waste due to overspray). Unless you have a very small compressor some of the other units out there will be much lower in cost and like Sberry said you are probably not going to notice a huge difference. If I was going to spend that amount I would look at the Iwata guns as they are similarly priced and have a great track record.
You might comment on the compressor and its specs-that is really what determines what spray gun you can use and should purchase.

[armor]

I have a sata it's the best gun I have ever bought I have had it for about 9 years now trouble free gravity feed hvlp and if it ever wears out I will buy the same brand again

[Andy]

I have a sata gun, but for most jobs I use the cheap gun I bought at lowes. Yes, it's not good enough to paint show cars, but it doesn't make any difference on 'regular' stuff that I don't do much prep.

[Sberry]

Big ole thick coat of epoxy primer, Corlar.