Hi Everyone,
I’m looking for general purpose spray equipment and don’t know anything about this subject. I’ve read some articles and still a little confused. I do mainly furniture about three to five small to mid size pieces a month. I need a general-purpose unit that will allow me to use varnish, shellac, oil and latex paints. I would like to keep the $$ down (I know I want my cake and eat it too). What about those electric spray guns?? Or the complete HVLP units like the FineCoat Plus by Wagner?? Has anybody out there ever use one??.
Thank you in advance for any advise or info you can provide me with.
Sarge
Replies
Sarge,
Take a look at Jeff Jewitt's site at http://www.homesteadfinishing.com. He's got an HVLP gun for every budget and he offers great, free advice...
I used an HVLP gun and never got along too well...very finicky. Maybe i should try another, but...
...in the meantime, i use the $50 guns from the auto parts stores. I have enough of them, i leave my lacquer gun set up all the time (clean maybe twice a year), with the older ones for spraying paint and glue. They're inexpensive enough that when i drop one and shear off a feed tube, i don't cut my wrists over it. I cycle the best ones in for lacquer, and then to paint/glue.
Latex paints are pretty hard on a gun, too. The electric Wagner airless ones will drop dead in no time, unless the sound drives you over the edge first or you go into hock buying replacement orifices. I started with one..two...three...before i thought i could afford a compressor. False economy.
I had one of the "serious duty" campbell hausfield , a 2 stage turbine outfit, from the Home Dildo. Its not a bad set up I used it on lot of different things with good results. I runs about 300 bucks. But I just went out and bought a converision gun (one that can be used with a compressor) for about 400 bucks and it great. I would look into a conversion set up if I were you. More bang for your buck. I got a Accuspray from http://www.compliantspraysystems . I would check them out along with Jeff jewitt at http://www.homesteadfinishing.com. I think you can get a good set up for the same or a little more money.
Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Sarge,
I've owned the Campbell Hausefeld, $300 model, from Home Cheepo. It had acceptable performance on lacquers, but overall found it weak.
I finally decided to spend some more and get the Turbinaire with the variable speed fan. I've been so pleased with I could jump. My spray finishing has jumped to a new level of confidence. You can dial the pressure and the material volume to get any stain or finish just right. The variable speed, IMHO, sets this unit apart. It is worth the dough, about $650 for the basic unit.
I guess my point, one that I learned the hard way, is that spend the money now on the better tool. You'll only spend it later. Finishing is one of those tasks where screwing up is easy to do and hard to correct. Don't let the tool limit you.
Steve
A good conversion gun (with a suitable compressed air tank) or an HVLP type gun will do for most things. Binks Bullows(sp?) is a good US name. The Italian guns from Jeff Jewitt's Homestead site look good too. One nice thing about his European style guns is that you use a 1.2 mm tip with a 1.2 mm nozzle, and 1.5 with a 1.5, etc., which some find easier than matching codes in the US guns. Use any one of these with all the products you mention, except the water based latex. For that, use a brush, roller, pad, or go out and rent one of the airless sprayers. The liquid material that latex is is extremely hard work and abrasive for 'normal' spray guns. Latex can muck up a regular spray gun in no time. Slainte, RJ.
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