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spray paint guns need guidence
fordsix
Member Posts: 8,554 ✭✭
wanting to buy a spray paint gun for painting what do you all have brand wise ,want to paint my truck and what ever,, i have a commpressor 5hp 60gal 140psi , 14cfm at 90lb what tip size to look for ?? about a qt size cup // pressure feed or siphon feed new to me
Comments
like every thing you can go the budget route or go all in and spen a lot of money . I am just a back yard self taught hack . I know there is body shop / painters on here that will check in and give you good advise
until then do a lot you tube and googling searches
that's my plain as paint and combinations have changed and so many options I would not know where to start
I was watching one of the high end car builders shows he said no stress if you mess it up its paint just wipe it off and start over [:0]
then if your just gonna paint one car an not clean it just hit harbor freight for ten buck an trash it when done
The HF guns are cheap enough buy three. One for primer, one for paint and if needed the third for a backup or to shoot clearcoat and just toss'em in the trash after each stage.
If you plan future use the Devilbis is a decent gun that's affordable. Not up to show car standards, but capable of matching dealership quality.
Have a look around here.
https://www.autobody101.com/forums/
Lots of info for reading, and competent pros if you have questions or need help.
Your compressor will do just fine.
DO NOT GO CHEAP ON A PAINT GUN! If you do, you best have a spare.
I strongly encourage buying one with a top feed reservoir.
Make sure your spray pattern is a perfect even fan pattern before you start laying paint.
do some testing on something before doing the top coat even a piece of cardboard to check the flow and pattern . make sure you have the air set to match the gun . primers are more course so that's why most have at least two guns or different tips , all listed above form others are all good tips . also mixing the paint make sure its all the same brand and in proper mixtures . like I said its been at least twenty years since I painted a car but the basics are the same .
go to you tube watch as many of the how too vids as you think you need to get a good idea , I wish it was around when I did my first paint job it was a learn as I go and asking questions at the paint / auto parts shop [:I][:I]
funny side note
cheapest repaint I ever did . my brother had a old vega my dad and I bought for him as his first car 200.00 investment he stopped by a garage sale bought a box full of rustoluim paint gave 5 bucks for it we bought some thinner and masking tape mixed all the paint together it up came out a Richard Petty blue or close to it . for just about 25.00 in material It made the vega a looker from 20 feet [:D][:D]
Tips, depends on the paint and pattern, ask questions when buying paints as different paints will need different tips. Also tips change pattern, do you want a large coverage area or small? Depends on what you are painting.
Compressor is on the small end but will work, remember to have a regulator on the gun itself, DO NOT RUN 90PSI INTO THE GUN!!!! My Snap-On HVLP with the last paint I used only required 4PSI regulated at the gun!! Too much pressure at the gun will cause headaches like reducer failer that evaporates in the air.
Water traps, do not make the same mistake I did and place them at the compressor. You will still get condensation in the line. The trap needs to be 20' from the compressor. I ran galvanized from the external regulator with a water trap for 25' then another water trap where the hose plugs in. Line condensation will ruin your day.
Different paints, reducers, hardners require different pressures, tips, spray times ect ect. There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to automotive painting. Research what you are doing well and follow the recomendations. Even the weather dictates what reducers to use, wrong reducers, wrong pressures and tips will give an ugly paint job.
When I painted my Ford everything went great till color coat, wrong reducer and paint mix caused a grainy finish that can be fixed with lots of wetsanding. I'm going to repaint.
Being a newb, I'd strongly suggest you not shoot catalyzed paints. The hardeners contain isocyanides. That stuffs poison and will strangle ya if you don't have proper ventilation and safety equipment.
I simplified my condensation control. Started with the best moisture/particulate separators NAPA had. Came straight off the compressor with a 6' whip hose. Soldered fittings to a 15' coil of soft copper tubing that I housed in an old junk cooler just big enough to hold it with room for a 50/50 mix of distilled water and denatured alcohol. Entire cooler (drain, holes for tubing and lid) got sealed up with Permatex 2A and strapped shut with a banding tool.
Moisture trap is a T of galvanized pipe. Air in on one end of the top cross, air out on the other end and a drain cock in the bottom of the leg.
Ain't none of it purdy, but it was cheap and it works.
Since no one has mentioned it. Fisheye additive. It's not expensive, a little goes a long way and it can save major headaches.
Fisheye additive encapsulates any remaining moisture and raises it to the surface of the paint where it can evaporate/dry without leaving fisheyes.