Replies

1. 
   peter28 | Aug 07, 2006 03:46am | #1

   sandking,

   I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I missed this question when it came in.

   With the lower cfm, your lacquer will not atomize as well as with the higher cfm. You can offset this a little by thinning your lacquer a fair amount. You'll have to experiment a little.

   Also your compressor will need to work a little harder to keep up to keep up with the demand for air. You run the risk of over taxing it.

   Try a few runs with different cuts of lacquer as well as varying the speed of your spray pattern. The old rule of thumb is a foot a second.

    Peter Gedrys

1. 
   sandking | Aug 07, 2006 06:30pm | #2

   Thank you Peter.  Well I picked up a new compressor this weekend.  Last week I ran my Craftsmand 4 gallon pancake and my new Wagner HVLP Conversion Gun on the bookcase.  It seemed to do a fine job b/c this compressor stated 8.2 CFM @ 40 PSI.  It ran constantly so I didn't like that so off it went for sale on Craigslist.

   I replaced it with a 25 Gallon Oiled Compressor that put out 8.6 CFM @ 40 PSI and 6.8 CFM @ 90 PSI.  I haven't sprayed with it yet but boy is it much less noisey!!!  I decided on the 25 gallon instead of the 30 gallon b/c the CFM rating was only like 6 on the larger tank.  Also a second gun I have been looking at is the Porter Cable PS1 which states at least 8 CFM.  I figured until I get a bigger garage and upgrade to a stationary unit this should serve me well for a number of years.

   I got so many mixed reviews and recommendations that said I couldn't spray with a unit like the one I bought, but since I don't spray often and I am only a hobbyist it must be possible.   I mean some of the Taunton books I  have show a medium sized oiled unit and a coversion gun.

   Did I just waste my money on this compressor?????

1. 
   peter28 | Aug 08, 2006 03:56pm | #3

   Sandking,

   I'll bet your head is swimming with advice, both pro and con. I can't tell you anything about the gun you are looking at. I have no information on it.

   Maybe the advice you've gotten is from those who spray constantly. The system you have won't work for them so the advice is negative. Since you are a hobbyist, it may be fine for you. There is only one way to find out. You need to practice. There is no substitute for experience. Even if you waste some lacquer on plywood panels it will be money well spent. You can play with the viscosity of the finish, the fan opening on the gun, your spray pattern etc. It sure beats practicing (guessing) on a project. 

   Keep notes on everything at the start. It gives you a point of reference. At some point you will stop asking and start doing. For what it's worth, this is exactly how I learned my trade. I asked so many people for advice and while some of it overlapped, some people had the ONLY way to do it.

   Sherwin Williams has a good outline available on spraying finishes as well as trouble shooting. Find a commercial SW supplier and request one. If you can't find one in your area, go on line. It's worth hunting down.

   Try to have some fun doing this and you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.

   Let me know how you are doing as you progress

   Peter Gedrys

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

1. 
   sandking | Aug 08, 2006 08:34pm | #4

   Thanks Peter.  I purchased the Wagner HVLP Conversion gun to work with my compressor and it seems to work well.  I sprayed two coats of Zinsser Cover Stain and it looked good.

   I am finishing off my first woodworking project a large bookcase.  We are trying to get the destressed finish (where you sand through the top coat to show the base coat).  After I sprayed the primer we rolled on the base coat of red last night.  I want to spray the black top coat.  The base coat is a flat Benjamin Moore latex paint.  Because this is a bookshelf I want something durable for the top coat.  Should I just use a flat black latex, sand through to show the red and then put a protective product over it?  Should I spray it with water based poly when the top coat is dry or is there a better finish?

1. 
   peter28 | Aug 09, 2006 02:04am | #5

   Sandking,

   You can spray or roll the black coat.

   Also you can apply a poly by spray or brush. The paint coat should be durable enough on it's own. It's not a table top that will take constant abuse so the extra coat may be redundant

   Try a sample and see what you like.

   PG