HVLP setup
 

What is the correct combination of paint gun and compressor (hp & volume) for HVLP paint work on autos? Suggestions on where and what to buy?

Re: HVLP setup
 

I use the Harbor ft, cheap set up with the disposable packs of plastic paint cups.I have a large comp, but you could use a small one. This is to paint parts, frames, axles. I'm not an accomplished painter to paint body parts.

Re: HVLP setup
 

If you are only painting a small piece or just a single car paintjob, go with the HF gun. They actually work pretty well. If you want something for a lot of work, then look at the Binks or Devilbis brands but plan on spending north of the $250 mark.

Just so you know Ray, you have an accomplished car painter in the club.

Re: HVLP setup
 

I allways used Binks or Sharpe siphon feed paint guns for over 30 years in the body shop. A few years ago I started using a gravity feed gun in my home shop and now prefer it. Everythinf seems to be going HVLP for the last several years. The name is a misnomer the HVLP guns usually need at least 18 cfm or more. I never used HVLP and a lot of older painters won't even use them. I will agree that Harbor freight makes a low cost gravity gun. I bought a couple of gravity guns at HF a couple of years just to have one to lend instead of my Binks. The HF gravity gun with 1.4 tip gun worked real good and only cost just over fourteen dollars. If you only got one paint job out of it you could just through it away and buy another with no regrets. The last time that I visited the Mobile HF store they only had the HVLP version. I don't recommend HVLP for a beginner painter.

Re: HVLP setup
 

Just a little background, perhaps to assist with answers: I have done body and paint work with a very nice Binks gun, but that was 35 years ago. I have that experience, though, so I would expect to recall basic painting methods and procedures and be able to adjust to the new methods and materials fairly quickly, if I could assemble the right gear.

Ron, I know Pat Nesbitt. Is there someone else?

Re: HVLP setup
 

They have very low cost HVLP guns at Harbor Freight, Try one, if you like it , it will probably do the job that you need to do. The thing about the low cost paint guns is that they usually work real good at first but are only good for a few paint jobs. For a few dollars you can get first hand experience and if you don't like it you won't be out enough to worry about.

Re: HVLP setup
 

Your question is really loaded simply because it really isn't the size or CFM that makes or breaks the unit, it is how hot the air is and maintaining pressure. A small compressor that is working constantly gets hot, and also transfers that heat to the air.

The 2nd side of this is the quality of the tip of the gun. The quality of the HF gun just does not have the capability of laying down paint, and due it its' gross inefficiency, it wastes a lot of paint by turning it into overspray. With paint easily approaching $150 a sprayable quart, if the HF unit is wasting one quart per paint job due to inefficiency, it does not take too many paint jobs to make the more expensive gun a better value. Also, if you plan to colorsand and buff your paint afterwards, your arm will greatly appreciate the quality of the better finish that comes with the better guns.

Re: HVLP setup
 

As far as compressers are concerned, a two stage is really needed in any case. A two stage compresser pumps cooler air and less chance of water in the air line. Besides other filters and water traps, its always better to also use the little disposable filters that screw right on to the paint gun.

Re: HVLP setup
 

Hmmm. I'm wondering if i should just use my old setup. I know it wastes material, but there are trade-offs.

Brent, you're right about a loaded question. But when one is ignorant about a subject, like me, just asking the right question can be difficult! ;)

Re: HVLP setup
 

Purdy is correct about trapping moisture but expounding on temperatures of compressed air, many of us use solvents that are temperature dependent. For example we use a DT 860, 870, an 885, and 890 reducer which the last two digits reflect the temperature. Air storage in the tank allows the air to cool. Also, heat is generated by compression, which is a by-product of two-stage compression. If the compressor is running at capacity, the air has no time to cool, and can even be as much as 10 degrees hotter than air that has had time to cool in the tank. That is why many of the high-end guns have temp gauges to measure the air temps of the air flowing thru the gun. Temps affect solvents, how the paint is atomized when sprayed, and on some colors even slightly alter the tint. This even can cause problems when between coats (flash times) when the compressor catches up and the air cools off. Then the paint sprays differently at the beginning and end of each coat when the compressor is too small for the gun. Again, this is WAY more info than what many want to know so I guess it boils down to the quality level you are desiring.

Re: HVLP setup
 

I like my DeVilbiss Finishline gun with their DeKups. StartingLine will work too. With the DeKups you can spray a gravity feed gun upside down and not spill anything. I'll use a harbor freight gravity feed gun for primer but not their 15.00 gun, a better one maybe around 40.00. I have one of their 15.00 guns and find it unusable for anything, haven't tried it for roundup yet that might work for that. What type of paint are you using? With urethane I had problems with cratering until I made an up-over and down rigid pipe with water trap before the hose in my shed. This will cool the air and allow water to settle in the trap. I used PVC so it didn't cost much. I get most of my paint and guns from TCP Global, the same company with the auto color library. http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/

Re: HVLP setup
 

all good points above. As Brent points out be sure your reducer number matches the ambient air temp. Be sure you religiously observe flash times else you will have runs. Practice on an old fender. Remember for a primer shoot you want a 1.6-1.8 tip size (primer is thicker). For a color shoot you want 1.4 tip size. You need some type of filter even if just the filter ball right at the gun (the size of a tennis ball). Toss it after you primer and again after you color shoot. You are not only filtering any remaining moisture but also oils from the comp., which are guaranteed to give you fish eye (small craters). Be sure to wear a full auto body respirator, today's urethanes are really bad for lungs. Hard to teach someone to paint in a forum.

Re: HVLP setup
 

Wow. The more I learn I realize the less I know. I only have two front fenders; I think I'll do the ding and primer work, and have a pro shop do the color. This is way more complex than when I painted my Tudor in 1980 with acrylics (which, by the way, has held up nicely for 34 years). :)

Photo taken two weeks ago, trying out my new Smart Signals:

Re: HVLP setup
 

A pro shop may not want to put their reputation on someone else's primer?
Ask them first if it's OK.

Re: HVLP setup
 

"very nice Binks gun, but that was 35 years ago."

700rpm,

Do you still have your Binks equipment?

If this is what you are familiar with, I would continue to use it. I am a Binks man myself, I still us a Model 18, and sometimes a Model 115.

Clean equipment and Dry Air are your best friends.

Darryl in Fairbanks

Re: HVLP setup
 

Bent is right when it comes to quality of equipment. The spray tip needs to be correct, not almost! The air orifices need to be accurately drilled in relationship to the fluid orifice, and you can't tell just by looking. Where and how the air breaks up the fluid is crucial to a nice paint job even for an amateur. The way you're going to find out if your new HF gun is any good is to spray some test patterns.

Re: HVLP setup
 

van Dyck,

By reference, you are correct, proper needle size, nozzle and air cap configuration for each type of material sprayed is critical, in proper working order.

Darryl in Fairbanks

Re: HVLP setup
 

I've used HF guns for a couple of full car metallic paint jobs. For me not being a pro they came out really well. I've also used a combo set from Costco that worked really well. The compressor I used was a 15 gal 1.5 hp tank.

Re: HVLP setup
 

Here is how I see it. If you are use to the Binks and are only interested in doing your own stuff go ahead and use it. No need to go out and buy a five hundred dollar gun just do a couple of fenders. If the Binks is in good shape it can handle any home job that you would probably want to do. Now if you are going in to the restoration bidness go ahead and shoot the moon with a new Sata or Iwatta or some such. I no longer keep up with all the new names. A while back I did a model A pickup and needed a low cost gun to spray Feather Fill polyester primer. Polyester is thick stuff and needed a larger than 1.4 tip. I bought a gravity feed gun with a 1.7 tip for sixty bucks from Smart Shopper in Kentucky.The guy said the cost is low and it will be good for a few jobs. I liked it and beside using it for primer I also used it to spray the wild cat mix that I used to paint the truck with as well. It turned out good and I've got pics . I liked the feel of the gravity gun because the paint cup is on top and you don't have to worry about accidently dipping the cup into what I was painting. this seemed to work well painting model A fenders. I've seen the fourteen dollar HF gravity gun spray single stage urethane pretty slick
as well.

Re: HVLP setup
 

I too have wondered about this, I also did a loy of painting trucks, back in the day. It would seem if you comprtessor is anywhere close to being marginal, it might be a good idea to run some extra Hose? That might help cool things a bit.