air compressor and paint gun reccomendation

CoinOp

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Spent the weekend rolling on paint to an old cab, in the end 90of of the paint job turned out really good. But there are rough roller marks in a couple of places and im just not happy with it. This was a trial run for a few other cabs i have. I was thinking of getting a paint gun and compressor to make the finish look really good on the cabs.

Does anyone have experience using this method and getting good results?

If so can you make a reccomendation for a paint gun and a compressor to run it?

Thanks!
 
Go ahead and skimp on the gun, but your compressor needs to handle at least 90 PSI or else airbrushing will fling large goops of paint and will take forever. I recommend buying one that can handle 120 PSI.
 
Spraying will produce superior results but you need to learn how to adjust and use it.
What ever gun you get your compressor needs to put out enough CFM required for the gun and at least a 33 gallon tank.
The bigger the better. CFM is the most critical spec.
I like the TCP Global HVLP guns.
The CFM requirements are lower than most other guns out there,they are well built and work great.
They also have interchangeable needles and tips for spraying different materials without the need for multiple guns.
I bought the blue gun with the 1.8 tip for spraying latex and a 1.4 tip for oil based enamels.
Here is a link for you. http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraygundepot/tcpgate.aspx
So decide what gun you want then get a compressor capable of producing sufficient CFM.
 
How crucial is the 33 gallon tank?

I would say it's not that important. The advantage to having a 33 gallon tank is in how long you can paint without waiting for the compressor to catch up.

I have a 13 Gallon compression and I paint with it all the time. It runs most of the time I'm painting, but it's big enough to do the job.
 
How crucial is the 33 gallon tank?

You need a tank big enough to store sufficient air so the compressor doesn't run constantly.
I have a 33 gallon tank and it runs a lot.
I wish I would have bought one with a 60 gallon tank.
If you use say a 10 gallon tank the compressor will run constantly.
You could use any size tank as long as the compressor meets the CFM requirements of the gun.
CFM output is the most critical spec. If it is too low then you will be waiting for the compressor to catch up.
That is why I went with the TCP gun. It only requires 3.5-7.1 CFM depending on the pressure you spray at.
Here is a nice bit on compressors and setting up the gun.
http://www.hotrodders.com/articles/spraygun.html
 
I would say it's not that important. The advantage to having a 33 gallon tank is in how long you can paint without waiting for the compressor to catch up.

I have a 13 Gallon compression and I paint with it all the time. It runs most of the time I'm painting, but it's big enough to do the job.

You would have to wait for it to catch up only if it doesn't put out enough CFM.
If it put out enough CFM then it would run constantly but you wouldn't have to wait for it to build up.
The compressor itself would put out enough air to do the job.
Mine runs almost constantly but never runs out of air,so I don't have to stop.
 
Spent the weekend rolling on paint to an old cab, in the end 90of of the paint job turned out really good. But there are rough roller marks in a couple of places and im just not happy with it. This was a trial run for a few other cabs i have. I was thinking of getting a paint gun and compressor to make the finish look really good on the cabs.

Does anyone have experience using this method and getting good results?

If so can you make a reccomendation for a paint gun and a compressor to run it?

Thanks!

Check the specs on your paint gun. You should see an air supply requirement that looks something like xx cfm @ xx psi. Make sure that any compressor you buy is capable of meeting the gun's air demands.

I'd definitely recommend some sort of HVLP spray gun. I've used the cheap siphon type guns from home depot/lowes and they suck bad.
 
Check the specs on your paint gun. You should see an air supply requirement that looks something like xx cfm @ xx psi. Make sure that any compressor you buy is capable of meeting the gun's air demands.

I'd definitely recommend some sort of HVLP spray gun. I've used the cheap siphon type guns from home depot/lowes and they suck bad.

I bought mine from Home Depot and it works pretty well.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...ord=DH5300&storeId=10051&relatedSearch=DH5300
 
Gravity feed HVLP is the only way to go imo.
The TCP is way better for about the same price after shipping.
They require lower operating pressure and CFM requirements for use with smaller compressors.
I used mine with Rustoleum satin black and it came out smooth as a baby's butt.
 
Gravity feed HVLP is the only way to go imo.
The TCP is way better for about the same price after shipping.
They require lower operating pressure and CFM requirements for use with smaller compressors.
I used mine with Rustoleum satin black and it came out smooth as a baby's butt.

Well for $100, I might grab that kit.

Are you spraying Latex? If so, how much do you thin it?


EDIT: Well, I ordered the kit, hopefully it will be here by this weekend so I can try it out (Finishing up the repaint of my Monaco GP this weekend). I'll let you know how it compares to my current gun.
 
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Well for $100, I might grab that kit.

Are you spraying Latex? If so, how much do you thin it?

I wouldn't buy the kit.
Just buy the blue gun with the 1.8 tip and use the extra money for tip sets and other things needed.
I used the 1.8 for acrylic enamel and thinned with distilled water and flotrol.
I thinned the max allowed and still the gun pulsated.
I had to lay the cab on it's side to keep the paint from running since I couldn't get a consistent layer of paint with the pulsating.
It was too thick in some areas and would run.
I think next time I spray latex I will use the 2.5 tip.
The oil based went on great with the 1.4 tip.
 
I wouldn't buy the kit.
Just buy the blue gun with the 1.8 tip and use the extra money for tip sets and other things needed.
I used the 1.8 for acrylic enamel and thinned with distilled water and flotrol.
I thinned the max allowed and still the gun pulsated.
I had to lay the cab on it's side to keep the paint from running since I couldn't get a consistent layer of paint with the pulsating.
It was too thick in some areas and would run.
I think next time I spray latex I will use the 2.5 tip.
The oil based went on great with the 1.4 tip.

Too late :D

You can never have too many tools....
 
As for the compressor, if you're like me and don't have access to a 220V outlet, you're options are fairly limited. To get the CFM needed, you'll need the max HP you can get out of a 120V 15/20A outlet, about 2HP. You'll see many 3,4,5 HP units, but that's the start up HP and not running HP. Also, you'll need a 20A line, as most will trip the breaker on a standard 15A line. Continuously doing so will heat up the unit, shorten the lifespan of the starting and running capacitors and could damage the motor. The quietest units will be oil-lubed belt driven units.

If you're lucky enough to have a 220V outlet and live near a major area, you should be able to find a more than adequate unit in no time.
 
Ok, got to try out the new gun this weekend and my first impression is not a good one.

It could be that I'm just not used to setting this gun up, but I couldn't get the results I wanted from it. The atomization didn't seem to make the droplets consistent (lots of large droplets that stood out).

Other nit picky things I didn't like, is that it basically requires a hanger to use. You can't set it down on the ground or a flat surface. If you don't have a dedicated paint area, this could be an issue.

The canister has to be attached to the gun to fill up or empty. This can be awkward at times.

The controls seemed to have very large effects with only minor adjustments (mainly the material valve). Just a small turn and I had a ton of material coming out the gun. Something I can get used to, but just find that annoying. The valve should be a little more granular in my opinion.

I'll keep working with it on other projects to see if I can learn it's idiosyncrasies, however for my current project, I'm sticking with the MH5300.
 
Did you set up the gun and do a proper spray pattern test?
Those gun also like the material to be thinned a bit more than others.
You need to play wtih the air pressure and other controls to get a proper spray pattern.
Once I got it right the finish came out super smooth.
 
Balls. This isn't what I wanted to hear. I was just about to purchase either the set or 1 gun this weekend, but I found some mixed reviews. Amazon sells this set under a couple manufacturer names (Advanced Tool Design, TCP ) and the reviews could be better. The Husky guns @ Home Depot have good reviews, but I couldn't find any info on whether the tips could be changed for different materials.

Ok, got to try out the new gun this weekend and my first impression is not a good one.

It could be that I'm just not used to setting this gun up, but I couldn't get the results I wanted from it. The atomization didn't seem to make the droplets consistent (lots of large droplets that stood out).

Other nit picky things I didn't like, is that it basically requires a hanger to use. You can't set it down on the ground or a flat surface. If you don't have a dedicated paint area, this could be an issue.

The canister has to be attached to the gun to fill up or empty. This can be awkward at times.

The controls seemed to have very large effects with only minor adjustments (mainly the material valve). Just a small turn and I had a ton of material coming out the gun. Something I can get used to, but just find that annoying. The valve should be a little more granular in my opinion.

I'll keep working with it on other projects to see if I can learn it's idiosyncrasies, however for my current project, I'm sticking with the MH5300.
 
Balls. This isn't what I wanted to hear. I was just about to purchase either the set or 1 gun this weekend, but I found some mixed reviews. Amazon sells this set under a couple manufacturer names (Advanced Tool Design, TCP ) and the reviews could be better. The Husky guns @ Home Depot have good reviews, but I couldn't find any info on whether the tips could be changed for different materials.

Well, like I said, it could very well be that I'm not dialing it in right. I'm almost done painting my current restoration, so I don't have time to learn the new gun right now. Once I'm done with the current project I'll put more time into the new guy and give it another chance.

The gun I'm using now, I've been using for a whole lot of years and it's taken me awhile to get it dialed in where I get the results I want.

I'm not saying it's a bad gun, just one that has a few annoyances (for me), and it might take some time for me to get used to it.
 
The thing with the TCP gun is you need to thin it real good.
The fluid control should be opened as little as possible so the droplets are as small as possible.
That way the paint flows nicely and levels out smooth.
Here is a good article on tuning an HVLP gun.http://www.hotrodders.com/articles/spraygun.html
I bought the holder for my gun that I clamp to a bench to make it easy to fill the paint cup or set the gun down.It even holds a paint strainer.
Scroll down for other accessories as well.http://www.tcpglobal.com/spraygundepot/tcpgate.aspx
 
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