Low CFM Paint Gun Recommendations Or Bigger Compressor?

[LimitedReality]

I currently have a 2.5 HP Makita Big Bore compressor that's been fine for airing tires and running a nail gun. I jump plumbed my new garage for air and am contemplating spraying my wall of cabinets with paint. I thought, why not get a paint gun vs. buying a ton of rattle cans. Now this has me going down the path of trying to learn all the ins and outs of paint guns and their cfm requirements vs. compressors and their tank size vs. cfm delivery.

To short cut this long ordeal I figured I'd just ask for real first hand experience and suggestions from the forum. The Makita has a 2.5 peak HP motor, 50/50 duty cycle, a 4.1 gallon tank and can deliver 4.8CFM at 40PSI. I built a small area below my stairs to store my compressor that's about 4' deep, 28" high, and 30" wide.

In a perfect world since I rarely expect to paint and if I do, I'm not looking for a pro finish, I'd find a paint gun that can run off this compressor for < $100 and be done with this project.

If I'm really barking up the wrong tree with this compressor I'd like to understand what on the market if anything would fit in the available space I have as I really don't have anywhere else for this to reasonably go. From what I read, adding a second 20 or 30 gallon tank isn't recommended but in my scenario, might it be ok? I don't mind if I have to pause every now and then to let the compressor catch back up. Wondering if 20/30 gallons of reserve on a lower pressure gun might be fine?

If I had to go the bigger compressor route I found this guy https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-VT6271-Air-Compressor/p87.html but that's a big chunk of change if I don't need to spend it.

Ideas?

 

[shocker998md]

Well you can try it and if you dont like it then you know. I use a binks mach3 hvlp at home with an 80 gallon compressor. It's rated at 90 cfm at 125 psi I think.

The one thing that jumps at me with your setup will be moisture, that pump is going to run a ton and make moisture from temp change. Maybe you can getaway with how you plumb your lines into a regulator with a water septerator?

Ive sprayed the same gun on a 30 gallon kobalt and it wasnt fun. A few passes and then wait.

 

[dnschmidt]

How big is the stuff that you're spraying? THAT'S THE QUESTION. A mini gun like the following has a 6" fan and can live peacefully with that compressor. You're never going to be able to paint a car with it but a fender or bumper cover is easily within reach. Here a link to a very good mini-gun.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042KJ5W8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

This can definitely handle kitchen cabinets but be aware that you can't use this with Latex paints as they are too thick. Tinted lacquer, no problem, tinted conversion varnish, no problem. automotive base and clear - that's what it's made for. These guns are made for materials with a Ford #4 viscosity cup timing of about 14 seconds. Even thinned latex is going to be too thick. For that you need a full sized gun with a 2.0 tip and that compressor is never going to get the job done.

 

[LimitedReality]

How big is the stuff that you're spraying? THAT'S THE QUESTION. A mini gun like the following has a 6" fan and can live peacefully with that compressor. You're never going to be able to paint a car with it but a fender or bumper cover is easily within reach. Here a link to a very good mini-gun.

Thanks dnschmidt, the cabinets are 6' tall x 3' wide. I don't mind more passes. I planned to use thinned rustoleum enamel. Think that gun would work for that?

 

[dnschmidt]

It should. A good recipe for Restoleum is 4 parts Rustoleum to 3 parts Acetone. An alternate formula that gives a tougher surface and is even thinner is 1 part Rustoleum, 2 parts Acetone and 1/3 part enamel hardener (isocyanate) which you can get at an automotive paint store. With this one you'll definitely need a respirator as isocyanate is bad stuff. Look up Bhopal India where Union Carbide had a plant that killed a whole lot of people when they had an isocyanate leak. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster

 

[strutaeng]

Those little air compressors don't cut it for spraying. I've done it...15 seconds of spraying and pump kicks in...another 15 seconds and you are out of air. Don't waste your time. Trust me, I went that route.

Spraying takes a fair amount of air. Now, that Cambell Hausfell one you list will basically give you enough air to paint an entire car. It's the same as their 60 gallon units, in a smaller package. I had one, and it kept up pretty well with my HVLP

 

[dffay]

Look for an RP gun-Reduced Pressure.

 

[Voi]

Dnschmidt has given good advice. Another LVLP type gun I've heard about is one of the smaller Qualspray units but I think it comes in at a higher price point than the Astro Euro guns.

I'm just not sure about the duty cycle & tall cabinets like that. You asked for real world experience & I'm not that guy in this case.

 

[dnschmidt]

Remember, I'm not telling him to use an ASTRO Euro full sized gun, of which I have every variety that Astro makes. I'm telling him to use the MINI-GUN which is what I referenced. Their full sized guns, in whatever variety, RP, HVLP and the gold LVLP require over 10 SCFM which this little compressor will never keep up with. The mini gun uses half that much air which should be within it's limits. DETAILS MATTER.

 

[LimitedReality]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I'm just going to go with the Campbell Hausfeld compressor I originally linked. It's literally the biggest compressor I'll ever fit in the space I have for this, and after reading a bunch of threads on the subject, nobody is ever sad they upgraded to a larger compressor.

An interesting aside, the 20 gallon would have fit much better but I wondered why it was considered commercial and the 30 gallon a consumer model.

https://www.aircompressorsdirect.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-VT6271-Air-Compressor/p87.html

After calling Campbell Hausfeld I discovered it's literally the commercial warranty. The motor, compressor, electronics etc. are exactly the same. You get a smaller tank, which would in theory cycle the compressor more on the "commercial" version due to the commercial warranty. So buying the 30 gallon tank for < $10 more makes sense for non commercial users. Seems a bit silly. I was hoping the "commercial" one had better bearings, cooling, something to justify it's title but no.

 

[strutaeng]

You made a wise decision. If there's a comparable analogy to air compressors, it would be something like, "There's no replacement for displacement."

"There's no replacement for CFM."

You can now basically run any garage pneumatic tool for DIY. The most frequent garage air tools that cannot be run continuously with a 120V compressor are HVLP, needle scaler, die grinder; you can run those with yours. 10 CFM is pretty good. DA intermittently.

Congrats. You'll be happy.

 

[Lost Pup]

I have used the cheap HF HVLP guns with rust oleum and got great results. With that compressor you have many options.

 

[larry_g]

Don't discount using two compressors at once. If your system is plumbed up in house you can plug in a second compressor to the line to get increased CFM's. They don't have to be set to come on at the same pressure, you don't need any check valves, just two compressors feeding the same distribution system. As long as both tanks are rated above the highest pressure you are good to go. Works even with one single and one two stage as long as the cut-in pressure of the single is above the working pressure of the tool your using.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[tdkkart]

You made a wise decision. If there's a comparable analogy to air compressors, it would be something like, "There's no replacement for displacement." "There's no replacement for CFM."

I would also add "there's no replacement for storage volume".

My compressor pump isn't a huge deal volume wise, i think it 18CFM at 90psi, but its got a 120 gallon tank, which means that I can spray a 24oz cup of paint and the compressor doesn't come on till the last 20-30secs of the cup. This gives me very consistent air pressure at the gun, and the compressor will be refilled and shut off long before I get the next cup made up. The compressor doesn't get hot because it never runs continuously, which keep the keeps the air moisture way down also.