What paint sprayer should I buy?

derSturm

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OK. It's now time to buy a paint sprayer. The 12 old cabs lumbering around my shop all need painted and it's time to get to it.

I've never used an airbrush. Used one of those Wagner Power Sprayers on a fence once. Ugh. I HATE painting!!!

I'm not going to apply a mL of paint if I don't think it's going to be a quality job. I love these old machines too much. What should I look for in a paint sprayer/airbrush/whatever? How much should I spend? And, finally, what kind of paint should I use?

Any help, as always, greatly appreciated.
 
I've got a HVLP system, takes some practice but achieved good results once I figured it out. Cheaper than a full high pressure system and lots more portable

Haven't done a cab with it yet but plenty of timber panels, walls, ceilings. Good stuff

Andy.
 
I just recently picked up a sprayer to repaint my ms. pacman cabinet (and hopefully more cabinets in the future), and I went with a craftsman sprayer (Sears Item #00915531000, Model #15531). There are certainly cheaper ones out there that may be better, and I've seen quite a few people talk about picking up sprayers from harbor freight. That would definitely be a cheaper route to go!
 
I appreciate the help so far. I'm willing to spend up to $450 on an apperatus. And I already have a good air compressor, if that's even applicable. I guess what I'm really concerned about is minimalization of error potential (or some such idiot's attempt at speaking in pseudo-pre-calculus jargajoo). Mazimalization of perfection potential coupled with minimalization of error potential. Yes, yes. That's what I want!

...And the ability to spread clear lacquer as sweetly as the fat black is smooth.
 
Do you have a compressor? If your budget for gun and compressor was $450, I'd recommend spending $50 on the gun and $400 on the largest compressor you can afford, not that you really need to spend that.

A expensive gun has its place and value when doing automotive work or fine furniture, but I think for spraying these games, a fully functional, $50-$100 HVLP gun will be fine. Besides that, it's all about skill using it, experience, etc.. There are websites with info on how to set the spray pattern, gun adjustments, etc.. My experience has been - at the same time you primer and finish sand the cabinet you're restoring, do the same to a scrap piece of plywood. Then, before spraying a drop of paint on the cabinet, test the gun, get the pressure right, etc.. on a piece of cardboard. When you're confident the gun is ready, spray the scrap/test piece, as if it's the real deal. See how many coats it will take, see if you're getting orange peel, etc.. Only after all of that, start on the cabinet.
 
Since you already have a compressor..I've always used a $15 HVLP gun from Harbor freight. Works great.

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html

The keys to a ncie paint job are prep, prep and more prep. The paint job
will only be as smooth as the underlying surface. Also sanding lightly between coats helps a ton.

I prefer oil based where possible but NJ stores only seem to carry
black or white in an oil base.
 
Since you already have a compressor..I've always used a $15 HVLP gun from Harbor freight. Works great.

http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html

The keys to a ncie paint job are prep, prep and more prep. The paint job
will only be as smooth as the underlying surface. Also sanding lightly between coats helps a ton.

I prefer oil based where possible but NJ stores only seem to carry
black or white in an oil base.

All good points. You want that primered surface slick as glass, unless you want to show woodgrain or sloppyness like the Stern cabinets had. To an automotive guy, my gun would be considered cheap crap. Thing is, you don't need the precision that you'd need to paint a $20k car, you just need a functional gun adjusted well.
 
Make sure your compressor puts out enough cfm for the gun you get.
Cfm is the most important spec for hvlp guns.
I like the TCP GLobal guns because they have better atomization tips than the other cheap guns. They also have lower cfm requirements.
 
get a cheap gun for primer/sealer, then get a SATA or Devilbiss for color and clear :D
 
I've never used an airbrush. Used one of those Wagner Power Sprayers on a fence once. Ugh. I HATE painting!!!

I could see that being a natural reaction to painting with one of those.

I think a gravity feed gun is best for what you are doing. I found years ago when i used to toy with airbrushes that gravity feed works so much better. The only advantage i can see to a hanging cup type is the capacity is usually larger (and you can rest the sprayer on the cup easily)

If you are using your compressor you need something to dry the air.

If your compressor won't handle the CFMs required, you could get a turbine HVLP sprayer. They are a bit noisy, (the more you spend the quieter they are)


I bought a Fuji HVLP Gravity feed for around $550. Fuji is one of the few that make a gravity feed turbine sprayer. It's a bit more then you are wanting to spend, but it is sweet!

Lastly the paint.

I prefer oil base and have used an oil based DTM (direct to metal) paint. It is very durable and works great on wood too. The place i get my paint uses it as floor paint in their store. Very opaque one shot coverage.

My next cabinet though i am going to try to lacquer(the real deal, not water based) I think most of the original machines used lacquer. My dad used to paint a few cars and swears by it.
 
I do appreciate you guys. Lots of good info. So far I've learned enough to know I want a gravity feed HVLP with dedicated turbine. The air compressor I have is a monster. It has a mind of its own and Alzheimer's Disease; it's moody and cranky and has good days and bad. I think I'm going to let it stay where it is, in the barn waiting to air up tractor tires.

So now it's just a matter of shopping around for the unit I want. I'll probably end up going over budget. Like I've said, I love these old games.

I especially like the advice from joeycuda regarding plywood and cardboard and that from kcfreeloader re lacquer and drying the air. I like in EAST Texas; it's humid as Thailand here. I'll be looking for dehumidification as a feature on turbine units. Broodwich got me over to the DeVilbiss site. Nice. Very nice. Couldn't I use a good unit for primer and sealer as well as everything in between? Also, I appreciate the inferred links to HarborFreight. I've never used them. I like what I'm seeing.

Re sanding between coats (thanks Malice95 et al): Do you guys recommend sanding by hand exclusively or have you found it possible to use a rotary without messing stuff up?
 
I do appreciate you guys. Lots of good info. So far I've learned enough to know I want a gravity feed HVLP with dedicated turbine. The air compressor I have is a monster. It has a mind of its own and Alzheimer's Disease; it's moody and cranky and has good days and bad. I think I'm going to let it stay where it is, in the barn waiting to air up tractor tires.

So now it's just a matter of shopping around for the unit I want. I'll probably end up going over budget. Like I've said, I love these old games.

I especially like the advice from joeycuda regarding plywood and cardboard and that from kcfreeloader re lacquer and drying the air. I like in EAST Texas; it's humid as Thailand here. I'll be looking for dehumidification as a feature on turbine units. Broodwich got me over to the DeVilbiss site. Nice. Very nice. Couldn't I use a good unit for primer and sealer as well as everything in between? Also, I appreciate the inferred links to HarborFreight. I've never used them. I like what I'm seeing.

Re sanding between coats (thanks Malice95 et al): Do you guys recommend sanding by hand exclusively or have you found it possible to use a rotary without messing stuff up?

I've found the test piece of plywood especially helpful when doing stencils. For my Stargate project, when I did the red base coat, I sprayed the primered test piece, getting making sure the gun was working ok and I got a great finish. I then painted the cabinet. After I had the stencils for the yellow layer applied to the cabinet, I put some test strips of vinyl/tape on the test piece, then sprayed it as if it was the real deal, 3 thin coats, removed the test stencil, THEN sprayed the cabinet. Same with black layer. It probably saved my butt.

I would recommend hand sanding between coats. Like color sanding a car finish, you 'COULD' use a power tool, but you risk burning through the finish. Much more control with hand sanding, and unless your finish is very rough, there shouldn't be much to this step.
 
As far as i know, i don't think any turbine needs a drier for the air. Not sure why, maybe someone who knows more can chime in here. I do know as a side effect of the turbine, the air is heated.

2 stage, 3 stage and 4 stage turbines are available. Most websites recommend at least a 3 stage. The more stages the thicker the material they will handle. That said i use a 3 stage so i have to thin the material a bit more.

Here's a gravity feed HVLP turbine on ebay for $450 + 40 for shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/3-Stage-HVLP-Turbine-Paint-Sprayer-w-gravity-feed-gun-/300259377187

I've not heard of the brand, but i'm not the all knowing expert. The air cleaner looks like it is a universal one that you could get at a hardware store. That's pretty cool.
 
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