Help: Paint gun noob!@!@!@

[cfaas416]

Alright....So its time I start dabbling in Spray Painting cause this whole brush thing is getting to be rediculous.

I NEED HELP (in more ways then one but for now PAINTING HELP)

So I'm in the market for a paint gun to use for various projects. Initially I have quite a few woodworking projects so I'll be spraying Latex and Poly's so yes I know some thinning will be required but none the less its gotta be way easier than brushing everything (as I'm currently doing).

I have been doing some research and it seems like folks are on both sides of the fence. Either they love there low dollar gun or its pointless. Being that I'm new to the craft I think its dumb of me to go out and spend $150+ on a Devilbiss or something like that (atleast for now).

I have found the following and wondered if folks had any experience/thoughts on them.

1. Husky HVLP and Standard Gravity Spray Gun ($80 - Home Depot)
- My inital thoughts: Looks great and I have a HD 5 min from my house for some of the items however I dont see where you can buy tips or wearable parts from the stores directly. To me this *****. Also I have read they only offer a 1.4mm tip (in the box) and a 1.8mm tip (ordered direct from Husky). While this should surfice, I feel like this just ***** only having 2 options.

2. Harbor Freight 20 fl. oz. HVLP Gravity Feed Air Spray Gun ($15 - Harbor Freight)
- PEOPLE LOVE AND HATE THIS THING!! It's literally all over the place, including YouTube. Pro's its cheap and people seem to have good luck with them; For the price of all the other competition on this list I can get accessories for DAYS!!! Con's the closest HF is 50 min from my house. Not many parts options.

3. Harbor Freight 20 oz. Professional HVLP Gravity Feed Air Spray Gun ($70 - HF)
- Pros IT SAYS THE WORD PROFESSIONAL!! How could it not be great?!?! It might come with a 1.4mm and 1.8mm tip (I've heard both yes and no)
- Cons same as #2

4. Harbor Freight 2 Pc. Professional Automotive HVLP Air Spray Gun Kit
I know what you are saying GET OFF HARBOR FREIGHT and honestly I probably agree other than the fact that Harbor Freight claims this to be the direct competitor the the Husky mentioned above
- Pros : 2 guns with 1.8 and 1.4 tip sizes; cheap; PURPLE!
- Cons : Same as #2...obviously

5. Last but not least my latest find
TCP Global Brand HVLP Spray Gun Set - ($80 - Amazon)
So this one I stumbled across accidentally but cant find much other than the Amazon reviews. At first glance it seems good having 3 guns that could be set up for different purposes. Also they seem to have quite a few parts available online with several size tip options available for order online. Also has a 1 year warranty for what its worth.

So I know I am all over the place here but I literally don't know.

Any input would be greatly appreciated even if its not one of the guns listed above.

On another note what other items should I be looking at? I have a 30 gallon 1.5(?) hp Husky compressor with just a tee coming off of it so at a minimum I'm thinking I need a water/particulate filter. Any other items I need to get??

THANKS AGAIN

 

[Bretny]

Just get the purple HF gun. Its a great gun to learn on. The 30gal compressor could limit you. I have a 60gal kobalt thats set to 155psi and it keeps up but wouldnt want anything smaller.

Mixing the paint and air pressures are whats key to getting it to flow from the gun well. I suggest you start with cheap rustoleum you can find at homedepot. Put more thinner in than the can says and note how it dribbles off the mixing stick.

I have painted many things with my purple HF hvlp gun. Got a more expensive nieko nice chrome gun and i hate it. Still use the same HF purple gun...i have two in the box still. There hard to beat for $9 on sale. Thats about the price of a decent paint brush.

 

[Bretny]

https://m.harborfreight.com/20-fl-oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-62300.html
Dont use the at gun regulators. Use a real regulator about 50ft from your gun.

 

[texasprd]

My bother has the TCP guns - he used them for house/interior painting and speaks highly of them.

 

[Two Door]

My bother has the TCP guns - he used them for house/interior painting and speaks highly of them.

That brother would be me. My take on this particular question is that price range and tip/parts availability matters more than brand. I like the TCP's because there is a readily available variety of tip sizes, which is very important for what you are planning. Within price categories I can't see there being much difference. If they are good enough to do passable metal refinishing, and they are, when new, they will work fine for cabinetry, etc.

Experimentation and practice is everything. An expensive gun won't do much to counteract that. Do your research on tip sizes, settings, paint dilution and flow agents. Do some practice panels, or be prepared to sand smooth and redo.

I've heard that the spray characteristics change as the guns wear, but at that point, for the price, you can get an identical replacement, or you have gained some experience to justify upgrading.

 

[cfaas416]

That brother would be me. My take on this particular question is that price range and tip/parts availability matters more than brand. I like the TCP's because there is a readily available variety of tip sizes, which is very important for what you are planning. Within price categories I can't see there being much difference. If they are good enough to do passable metal refinishing, and they are, when new, they will work fine for cabinetry, etc.

Experimentation and practice is everything. An expensive gun won't do much to counteract that. Do your research on tip sizes, settings, paint dilution and flow agents. Do some practice panels, or be prepared to sand smooth and redo.

I've heard that the spray characteristics change as the guns wear, but at that point, for the price, you can get an identical replacement, or you have gained some experience to justify upgrading.

Thanks guys for the feedback!

Quick question. What size compressor are you using for this work?

 

[Todd.Brock]

I’ll have to remember who’s post here finally motivated me to paint with a spray gun. They were building a pantry. I’m pretty sure it was Akalarry.

Anyways, get the HF gun, clean it, run some water in it to test the spray pattern on a brick wall or driveway. I use a ratio of 6 parts paint to 1 pt water. If you get a 1 qt paint cup from HD , it’s easy. Put in 12 oz of paint. The next hash mark is at 16 oz. split the difference and put in 2 oz of water. The paint is thick enough the water will sit on top. Fill it up 1/2 way between 12 and 16 oz line. Stir it and then strain it or just dump it in the HF gun. Shoot some cardboard to get the spray and pressure right. I usually had 35 psi at the gun under load. I would add in my 100 ‘ of hose. Stand next to compressor and pull then trigger. Adjust the regulator until you have 35 or 40 psi while pulling the trigger.

Find some scraps to shoot. Keep moving. Start and finish spraying on either side of the wood.

I hate using a brush anymore. I have been painting doors, trim, baseboards, etc all before I install it. Just make sure to do it outside. Good luck!

 

[Two Door]

Thanks guys for the feedback!

Quick question. What size compressor are you using for this work?

Very pertinent question! I was about to edit my post to address that .

The guns we are talking about are high volume, low pressure, which doesn't work with small compressors, you need one with a big tank for the volume. I've used both a 30 gal compressor running on 110 volts (probably very similar to your's) and a 20 gallon, 3 hp running on 220. I would consider those minimums, as there were times when doing large surfaces I had to wait for the compressor to catch up. Fortunately latex paint doesn't start to dry that quickly.

Given that, you might want to look at low volume, low pressure guns, although I would think they would be higher priced and have a trade off in finish quality.

 

[Stooge]

i would be inclined to go with the purple HF or one of TCP global's offerings. I have a 2.5 tip TCP gun that I use for metal flake and ive been really pleasantly surprised with it, and according to the reviews, that's what people use for the thick stains and latex paints. this one. cheap enough that if it gets messed up, I wont feel bad about tossing it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NOU92G/?tag=atomicindus08-20

the first ones I bought were these, worked decent enough for the price, mostly used for primers and single stage paint. good for a mix of if you plan on painting with different materials, although I think I had a different tip with my set, as I don't remember having a 1.0 . not a bad price for 2 decent enough paint guns, but they are not at general devilbiss quality.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000KSTFJO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

a nicer level, but still relatively inexpensive gun that I've been really happy with, has been a Graco Sharpe that's been mostly my primer gun, looks like its gone up in a price a bit, but is really nice to use, although buying different tips for it seems expensive to the point that its tempting to just buy another one with the different tip.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012KJ9SQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[aka Larry]

I have painted many things with my purple HF hvlp gun. There hard to beat for $9 on sale. Thats about the price of a decent paint brush.

My sentiments exactly.

I bought my first HF purple gun about 15 years ago. I first used it to paint a hardtop for a buddies Jeep. The gun was fine, but my method was flawed and it came out less than stellar, but he didn't care. After that I did some research about the settings and played around with pressure vs. viscosity. Once I got it dialed in, the results were much better.

I've since painted a shop cabinet, hood on my race car, and even a pantry I built for the house. I've mostly sprayed Rustoleum enamel, but the pantry was latex and it turned out great.

There are plenty of pros here that can tell you more, but here are a few things I learned when using mine:

Get some cardboard and do test patterns before painting your parts. Mess around with the flow control, air pressure, and viscosity of the paint. Thicker paint = more air pressure. Another thing is they recommend something like 8 PSI, but what they don't tell you is that is measured AT THE TIP, and I have no idea how you even do that. Set your regulator (like I did) to 8 PSI and you won't be spraying anything.

Clean the gun, cup, and tip immediately after each cup sprayed. Keeping it clean will yield much better results.

Get a respirator (duh) and make sure it fits. Always paint in a well ventilated area.

I actually have three purple HF guns. They were on sale, so I figured why not have a spare. I bought those 3 years ago and they are still in the box because the first one has worked so well.

Go with the HF gun and learn with it. If you like it, great. If you don't, you're only out 10 bucks

 

[cfaas416]

So question for the folks recommending the HF. Do you find it limiting that the HF only has the 14mm tip? I feel like that should be a sticking point but to this point it doesnt sound like its has mattered to much to you all.

 

[Stooge]

I've never sprayed latex, but 1.4 sounds too little small to me. the reviews in the TCP global gun I linked have quite a few people commenting on using the 2.5 tip to spray that and other thicker materials

Looks like other sized needles, tips and aircaps are available on TCP's site, so you could just buy one gun and other sized pieces for it, but for $20, your halfway to just buying another one.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/Spray-Gun-Equipment/Parts-Accessories_3/

 

[baldredhead]

My sentiments exactly.

I bought my first HF purple gun about 15 years ago. I first used it to paint a hardtop for a buddies Jeep. The gun was fine, but my method was flawed and it came out less than stellar, but he didn't care. After that I did some research about the settings and played around with pressure vs. viscosity. Once I got it dialed in, the results were much better.

I've since painted a shop cabinet, hood on my race car, and even a pantry I built for the house. I've mostly sprayed Rustoleum enamel, but the pantry was latex and it turned out great.

There are plenty of pros here that can tell you more, but here are a few things I learned when using mine:

Get some cardboard and do test patterns before painting your parts. Mess around with the flow control, air pressure, and viscosity of the paint. Thicker paint = more air pressure. Another thing is they recommend something like 8 PSI, but what they don't tell you is that is measured AT THE TIP, and I have no idea how you even do that. Set your regulator (like I did) to 8 PSI and you won't be spraying anything.

Clean the gun, cup, and tip immediately after each cup sprayed. Keeping it clean will yield much better results.

Get a respirator (duh) and make sure it fits. Always paint in a well ventilated area.

I actually have three purple HF guns. They were on sale, so I figured why not have a spare. I bought those 3 years ago and they are still in the box because the first one has worked so well.

Go with the HF gun and learn with it. If you like it, great. If you don't, you're only out 10 bucks

i have a purple gun i haven't jumped into using yet...

so the cleaning thing, do you clean it even if you're going to immediately spray more? sounds like a dumb question now that i type it out

 

[aka Larry]

so the cleaning thing, do you clean it even if you're going to immediately spray more? sounds like a dumb question now that i type it out

Immediately, no. But if you need to wait for the coat you just laid to dry, yes.

 

[baldredhead]

Immediately, no. But if you need to wait for the coat you just laid to dry, yes.

got it, thanks!

 

[Two Door]

From my non-HF perspective -

1.4 is definitely too small. You want to be on the big end of the range, not the small. Over 2.0, at the very least. Latex, even thinned, is one of the thickest things you can spray, short of high-build primer.

You will discover these are only guidelines. For instance, I think I've sprayed latex with a 1.8 tip, but I really had to reduce the paint, which means more coats, more drying, and the integrity of the cured paint is compromised. You can crank up the pressure a bit over the gun recommendations too. But all of these things will throw you off when you are learning, so it is better to start close to the recommendations and lessen the variables.

 

[Hammer1963]

For someone that is just starting out, a multiple tip/needle wheel is the best way to go. This will provide enough range for you to get familiar various materials and your preferences. There is no magic guideline in painting. Suggestions for a place to start, yes. It's kind of like welding. Many variables to consider

 

[DougMN]

Northern tool has a Vapor with a 2.3 tip for $39.95 if you use a $5 off coupon that $35. Shine on the SPI form likes the Vapor.The HF 1.4 is too small.

 

[cfaas416]

For someone that is just starting out, a multiple tip/needle wheel is the best way to go. This will provide enough range for you to get familiar various materials and your preferences. There is no magic guideline in painting. Suggestions for a place to start, yes. It's kind of like welding. Many variables to consider

What is this magic you speak of?!?!?!

 

[Toxicscrew]

If you stay to waterbased finishes, get a small turbine unit. Earlex used to sell one for 150 or so, now their base is 300. :/ I have one and it is a lot easier to clean and sprays great. You might look at your local hardware/paint store and see what they have.

 

[dnschmidt]

I own $20,000 worth of SATA, Iwata and DeVilbiss spray guns. Your asking the wrong dude for advice about cheap spray guns pal.

 

[hoye0017]

I own $20,000 worth of SATA, Iwata and DeVilbiss spray guns. Your asking the wrong dude for advice about cheap spray guns pal.

What a weird, strangely aggressive-sounding post. Is there somewhere I missed that he directly asked you for advice?

 

[cgrutt]

Have you considered an airless sprayer for the latex? My guess is you'll have better results with one. Also consider something with disposable liners makes clean up so much easier...

 

[Jim c]

Get at least two different spray guns so you can shoot primer with one and then paint with the other. I have a gravity feed gun hvlp and another that is a suction feed can on the bottom style that is also an hvlp. Be sure to talk with the people who sell the paints as they will give you advice on tip sizes and mixing thickness. You will get the hang of using the proper temperature range of reducers also. It is kind of like a black magic, but, seriously, when you begin to get the hang of your particular gun, tip sizes, mixing thickness, and reducers, you will really begin to shine and everyone will take notice. Also learn when you are shooting a hood for example, using a green scrubbie after shooting primer is a really quick and easy way to move on to shooting sealer. And make sure that you wet sand the sealer with something like 220 prior to shooting base coat. Also, get yourself a professional biffing polishing machine with all of the wheels and compounds. Give yourself every possible benefit and you will surely succeed. I have really crampped up a clear coat on a hood only to go back the next day and wet sand the begeebers out of it and then hit it repeatedly with finesse polishing on a pro buffer and whaa laa looked like I knew what I was doing fro the start. Also be sure to get an orbital air sander with every different grit possible. Don’t do cheap on anything but also, you don’t need a debliss gun for years to come. There are a hundred little tricks. Maybe the best advice is be careful if you decide to shoot iso cyanates the little can of hardener that comes with a lot of paints nowadays. Quite dangerous.

 

[johnyg]

i own 200.00 in cheap hf,neico and sears spray guns.dont ask me about expensive guns pal !!!

 

[Jim c]

LoL.

 

[Enigma]

...Maybe the best advice is be careful if you decide to shoot iso cyanates the little can of hardener that comes with a lot of paints nowadays. Quite dangerous.

what paint doesnt have iso cyanates?