I had an inexpensive Campbell-Hausfeld turbine HVLP sprayer with an aluminum cup but a plastic screw cap. After cleaning I left it under the deck to dry. Bad idea. Anyway, I can’t find a replacement part, even from the company’s web site, and I am faced with replacing my sprayer. It was noisy and the hot air softened the hose which often popped off the unit, so I was kind of waiting for an excuse to get a new one anyway.
MY QUESTION IS: Do I need to spend $700. on one of those 3 stage turbines in the catalogues? There are HVLP guns for air compressors for between $50 and $80 from Harbor Freight tools and the like. I have a 3.5 HP 11 gal cheap compressor that I use infrequently, for brad guns etc… Is this enough of a compressor to run these guns, and does anyone have experience with the results from them? Thanks for the advice.
Jay
Replies
Is this the same dog you had in high school?
I have an "HVLP" gun that I bought for under a hundred bucks, I don't endorse products so I won't mention the manufacturer's name. It has a cup and runs off a compressor. 18psi to 25 psi makes for the best application of varnish. That's about all I spray so i can't tell you about lacquer, paint or shellac. It does a fine job. Not as good as a thousand dollar turbine system but adequate. Once you've dialed in the pressure and volumes you could lay on a perfectly acceptable film with a cheaper gun.
Mt point is that if you take the time to learn the new gun and get used to it, it will probably be fine for your purpose. Now, Harbor Freight might be pushing your luck a bit, I'm not sure I'd trust to those products, but there are good guns available at good tool dealers for under a hundred bucks.
Lee
$50 and $80 verses $700.00 should answer your question!
Well, it really doesn't since I have had the experience of buying the cheapo tool in the past, only to have to replace it with the more expensive one later. I had the added cost of both tools plus lots of frustration and bad results. I have also had the experience of buying a much more expensive machine than I needed (eg a $2800 lathe).
Jay
Jay, there are a number of people that like the astro HVLP conversion gun which runs about $100. If you are not spraying large items like table - you might want to try it - they even have an LVLP ( low volume low pressure ) gun that might fit better depending on your compressor output. Give spraygunworld a call and see what they think about your compresor and what guns they would suggest for your needs http://www.spraygunworld.com/ I just loooked around that site and he has a number of guns in the $100 to $200 range - minis from CAT and Astro which your compressor should handle without a problem.. you might also want to check our homesteadfinishing - for about $200 you should be able to get a gun that mnight work - call Jeff and ask. you might end up thanking your dog for the upgrade
Thanks. What do you think of gravity feed guns versus those where the finish is in a separate container, and you hold only the gun? THey seem like they would be more maneuverable and fit into tighter spaces. It might be tough to spray under shelves and the like with a gravity feed gun.
Jay
For convenience I'll take a spray gun with an air hose and a fluid hose attached to a low pressure turbine supply over anything with a gravity fed cup or suction cup attached to the gun. My second choice is a similar set up with air and fluid hoses and a pressure pot. Here in the UK the low pressure pumps are gradually taking over from the pressure pots because of the safety factor-- the pressure pots are considered to be a potential bomb and should be tested each year.
There are several advantages of either system over a cup gun of any sort.
Weight of the gun. Manouevreability of the gun-- you can spray at any angle, get into tighter spaces, even spray upside down and not worry about fluid spilling out of the cup or blocking the cup vent. Adjusting the air horns to change the fan direction is much less frequent. You can set up and spray 1 or 2 pints, 1/2 a gallon, 5, 10 or 25 gallons in one go therefore job continuity is increased.
The main disadvantages are clean up. It takes a little longer with a pressure pot or low pressure pump system-- perhaps between five and ten minutes compared to 3 or 4 minutes with either version of a cup gun. Secondly cost is a major factor.
I've just received a quote for an Asturo HVLP gun along with an Asturo K24 low pressure pump, hoses, gauges, etc., and without having the quote in front of and going from memory it will cost about £1,500. That's a big unnecessary expense (probably) if you only need to spray small projects occasionally. And don't forget you need a good compressor to go with the system too. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
I already have a not so good compressor (Campbell Hausfeld), and was considering one of these guns that you describe that has an air hose and a fluid hose that connects to an aluminum pot, although the pot holds only up to 2 quarts. There are a number of chinese made ones sold by Harbor Freight and others for $50-80 (U.S.) and are so cheap that I was thinking of giving it a try, since it's for occasional use rather than production. My concern is that although I only use it occasionally, I want the results to be really good, as I try to make pieces that are professional quality even if I'm not a pro. I am embarking upon a Newport style tall clock, of curly walnut, and will have invested a great deal in the wood, movement, and professional clock dial painting, not to mention time. SHould I bother with one of these or if not, what is the minimum you would think I would have to spend to get one of those guns? I have actually not seen any that run off a turbine, only off a compressor. COuld you recommend a source? Thanks.
Jay
Jay S - I tried to find the ratings for your compressor - but I could not find an 11 gal CH compressor - the 8 gal one put out 4 cfm at 90 - which is not very much. ( 3.5 hp would be a lot, though those numbers can be misleading, so I tried to find it by gal size). As to gravity - that is my preference - a whole lot less work in cleanup. Another option is a cup gun where the fluid is in a 1 qt cup below the gun. I used one of those and did not like it as much. The type you describe - pressure pot, is best set up for production, but don't forget you have to run finish through the lines. I often do small jobs and that would waste a lot of finish. Call either Jeff or spraygunworld -they willgive you more precise advice - though it is likely you will have to either buy a new ( bigger) compressor or use a mini gun. Good luck.
Jay, I'm probably not in the best position to suggest prices to you as I'm in the UK and not the US.
I think for light and occasional use a full rig pressure pot system would be overkill. Thye're not cheap. All of the big names in the game produce good spray guns, Binks Bullows, Wagner, DeVilbiss, Asturo, etc.. On the other hand cheaper guns will often perform satisfactorily too but you'll get lower quality and probably less useful gun life.
If I have to use a gun with a built on fluid container I have a slight preference overall for one with a suction cup. I can use both types but the gravity fed pot type I find a little less comfortable to use.
One useful suggestion I can give is to buy two matching air cap, needle and fluid tip (nozzle) sets. I use a 1.2 mm set for most polishes such as lacquers, shellac and oil varnish which I very occasionally spray. This size will give good atomisation, coat build onto the target, and a good fan for these lower solids coatings, i.e., coatings containing something between about 20%± to 30%+ solids. The smaller tip also lets you choke down and still get good coverage in tricky areas and tight spaces.
For sprayable liquids with a larger solids content a larger tip set is useful, e.g., about 1.7 or 1.8 mm.
If you can only afford one needle/nozzle/air cap set to start with, get the smaller one as this will best suit the most common film forming furniture finishes, along with spray application of dyes and the like. Slainte.Richard Jones Furniture
Jay, I have bought several of the HF cup guns that are around $20, and think they are as good as others that I paid over a $100 for 20 years ago. In fact that is what they are, they are knock-offs of tools that the patents have expired on.If you know how to tune one in, they can do a good job.Back to the compressor. If it was made before a certain date; I don't remember the date, but about 6 years ago: horsepower doesn't mean much. On that date, agreements and rules were made to set standards that were realistic.Maybe they will do that with shop-vacs sometime in the next century if Sears will lead the way. By then they will have a 2000 HP shop-vac, but it will still manage to develop that rating with only an 18 Ga. chord.
My compressor is probably 10 years old. It says 3.5 HP and 11 gal but who knows what it actually puts out. Can you enlighten me on how to tune one of those conversion guns?
They actually cost about $59. from HF and come with a 2 quart Al cup. I also have to check on the needle size to be sure it's suitable for thinned finishes and not just paint. I will try to get specs on air putput from Campbell Hausfeld. If I can make it work then great. If another $40. will let me get a name brand that will be appreciably better, I'd go for it. I was just hesitant about the expensive turbines.
By the way, when you use these guns, is the finsih that is needed to fill the tubing recoverable when a session is done? Do you have to clean the guna nd tubing or can you let it sit for a few hours until the next coat? How about over night?
Thanks.
Jay
Jay I am afraid you misread my post. I only have the cup guns, I think you can use the pressure pots with the same gun though. the hose just screws onto where the cup does.I don't bother with cleaning a gun up if I am going to be using it within the next week. Now it gets a bit harder after a couple of months though it is doable. At these prices, you should buy one for sealer, and another for the finish, and another for colored paints.
No need to buy a new sprayer. Just take the dog to the vet and for $1200.00 you can get the missing piece removed and after a few months recuperation the dog and you are ready to go again!
You can get parts for Campbell Hausfeld but they only deal through distributors. The distributor will look up the parts breakdown for you. Kind of a lousy system but that's the way it works.
You will have to check your compressor output verus the cfm of the guns you are looking at. I've seen some expensive Binks guns that would work on a 1-1/2 hp compressor but overall it's 3 hp and up.
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