School me on paint guns

[Zebu Fellenz]

Hey Everyone,

I need to buy a paint gun, I'll be spraying primarily farm equipment and shop projects (steel). I've never owned a decent gun before so I have absolutely no idea what I'm looking at. I can budget ~$300 for the gun or guns and need to be setup to shoot prime, color, clear.

Ideally I'd like to avoid China guns unless for some reason they're the best option for my budget.

I'm also looking to pickup an airbrush for an artist friend of mine who wants to learn airbrush and do a few decorative projects for me. I've never used an airbrush and she's only used one a few times in College, that being said we're flying blind and could use recommendations. She'll be brushing a sign 6' wide and 2' high for me once she's had some time to practice. Budget for the airbrush ~$100.

Recommendations? Suggested sites to visit for advice?

Thanks everyone,

Erik

 

[wreckerman5357]

Look at Finnex for the spray guns. They are about the best bang for your buck, certainly not a SATA or an Iwata but way better than a HF gun.

 

[jtrace]

For an airbrush try Badger they are US made and a great company to deal with I met Ken the owner a few years ago and he is great... I have a Badger 350 thats gotta be 20 yrs old and bought a Patriot about 2 years ago since then I never even touch my Iwata but I just build scale models I never did anything else paint wise cept 20 foot jobs,street stocks that gotta look good at 20 feet lol......

John

 

[Pro-Painter]

I'm not a fan of Finex guns at all. IMO, Sharpe should be ashamed to put their name on it. same with the startingline offered by Devilbiss.

the Devilbiss Finishline and Eastwood contour spray guns are the BEST bang for you buck spray guns on the market. They are cheap, parts are cheap, and they are durable and easy to use.

If you want a USA made gun, Binks is the way to go. You can pick up a USA made binks M1G for $279 and it is a fantastic gun that will keep up with even the best SATA and Iwata guns. I own all three brands, and still love my old M1G's. If you don't mind used, you can pick up one for less then $200.

Most Devilbiss guns are also USA made, however the Finishline is not. It is china. But still a great gun for the price. For $150 you get the gun and three nozzles to spray almost any coating you would ever need.


This is also a fantastic USA made gun for a good price. It is the Binks 95G for $199. Normal MSRP on this gun is $479.99 Ive owned a couple of them and they are great non HVLP guns.

 

[bigjmcconnell]

I was in the same boat several years ago. I bought a Sharpe HVLP gun with a 1.4mm tip. It was around the $200 range from autobodytoolmart.com Edit: looks like they no longer carry it. It has served me well but I'm no high skill painter.

Interestly enough, I picked up a cheapo Harbor Freight gravity feed gun to spray some POR-15 a couple years ago. The plan was to toss it. I ended up cleaning it and I use it all the time to spray pretty much any paint that I don't want to put in my other gun. IE: rustoleum. I try to only use automotive paint in the "decent" gun.
Hope that helps.

 

[countryroad82]

I second Devilbiss Finishline. They are good guns for the money, I personally have 2 that I use to spray primers, whereas I have some Devilbiss GTi's for my paint. The Finishline though is the best bang for the buck.

 

[RangerDaleXp]

same with the startingline offered by Devilbiss..

I thought I read a post you did about a year ago saying the starting line guns were not that bad.

 

[Pro-Painter]

I thought I read a post you did about a year ago saying the starting line guns were not that bad.

Finishline = good, startingline = bad(JMO). If I did say that it was a typo. I almost did the same in this thread and caught it before I posted.

Again this is just my opinion, But I find the cheap HF guns better then the startingline or finex guns. The HF guns are low quality Sata copy's, However the sata design is a tried and true gun, where the startingline and finex are failures from the beginning.

They are not the worst guns Ive even seen (That honer goes to the Husky), but they are much better guns out their that cost just a tad more, or sometimes less.

 

[ZRX61]

I second Devilbiss Finishline. They are good guns for the money, I personally have 2 that I use to spray primers, whereas I have some Devilbiss GTi's for my paint. The Finishline though is the best bang for the buck.

Thirded All my decent guns are Devilbis... altho I have a couple of HF creations for painting fences

 

[strutaeng]

I have a C.A. Technologies "Jaguar SLP" gun. It's just under $400 as a set with 3 needles. I used it to spray woodworking finishes, although I bought the automotive needle set. The company is base in Colorado.

I like mine...

 

[tonycastec]

Erik, the O.P.,
You didn't(?) mention if you considered hvlp or lvlp. There are some inexpensive conversion guns for that option.

 

[outtaplace]

Keep an eye on Craigslist and eBay for used stuff. I scored a used SataJet 3000 HVLP 1.3 on eBay for $300 shipped. I cleaned it thoroughly (though I probably didn't even have to) and went to work. I use the SataJet and an $80 Campbell Hausfeld pressure pot gun 1.8 (also used) to do my painting. People are regularly giving away stuff that they don't even know what it is. The quality of the SataJet spray and adjustability is just amazing.

 

[KPSquared]

No ones even asked what you're running for a compressor. . .how big?

 

[NFT5]

This is such a minefield because there are so many variations.

Probably best to decide whether you want HVLP or the older high pressure guns. HVLP needs a bigger compressor to deliver the air volume needed. True HVLP guns are maybe 50% more expensive than HP and LVLP is newer technology so needs even more investment. Watch for cheaper guns that are labelled HVLP but really aren't.

HVLP is more efficient, so less wastage but you do need to be painting a fair bit to warrant the higher cost. It's also a little more difficult to get the right balance of air and fluid for a nice finish.

Compressor. Anything less than 12 cfm won't give you enough air, especially for big jobs. Really need to be looking at 14cfm IMO. Air hose needs to be at least 12mm ID.

Gun(s). I'd be looking at 3 guns ideally. All gravity feed. One for primer (1.8-2.0mm) and one each for base coat and clear (1.3-1.4mm). You could cut this down to 2 guns or possibly even one with different size needles and air caps. Fiddly though and you need to be scrupulous with cleaning.

I agree with others above on DeVilbiss StartingLine. ****. Bought a kit for the apprentice and ended up just chucking it in the bin. It's also not necessary to go top shelf. A GTI Pro might be a nice gun but there are others half or even a third of the price that are just as good.

I use Star guns for everyday use, small to medium size jobs. The 710 with blue cap is a great general purpose gun in 1.3mm size and I use another in 1.8mm for primer. Also have a Star S-4000 (red air cap) for clear and another for base coat, both 1.4mm. For big jobs I have an Iwata Air Gunsa AZ3 which lays clear beautifully but is very fussy about being surgically clean and set up right. I like the Star guns because they're good quality, forgiving, easy to clean and maintain and parts are readily available. They're used daily and some are more than 10 years old, never having had more than a service kit every couple of years.

For $300 I think you might struggle to get even two decent guns, but it is possible. There are other guns available in your domestic market that would fit in to the same category. Whatever you get, try them out first - there's nothing worse than a gun that doesn't fit your hand comfortably, is unbalanced, heavy or has excessive spring tension.

For air brushes I've always used Paasche.

Here's the Star web site:
http://www.starair.com.tw/main_eng.htm

 

[BWS]

Deep subject....we're Sata and Iwata,with a few cheap chit guns thrown in just to keep us honest(they can be a chore for newguys to get adj right).

I usually steer guys in one of a cpl directions.One involves another forum...so ain't going there.

Theres a cpl online resources for guns and auto body supplies that are well thought out/run,with a goodly amt of freeby instructional info thrown in.Google it.

But theres one more resource and thats your local auto paint joint or store.Go in,tell them what you got on your mind and ask for their advice.Sometimes this just don't work for chit....stores F**ked up,or sumthin?But there are times when these places will go out of their way o help a new guy out.Explainin that yoiu're not trying to make a career out of it,you just need to paint a few ____.

I got a demo,unused Sata....basically it sat in a display case......for less than 200$It didn't have a bx,no manual...no nuthin.The comapny was changing brands or sumthin and just let me have it.Another setup I "found" was a Binks pressure pot,with two #7 guns for a whopping 6$ at an estate joint because it had gobs of spilled paint on it from years of use.Its all cleaned up and functional now.So,if you keep an eye out....or don't mind an out of date gun....check around locally.

Also need to check locally on the whole law side of it.....whats ok and not ok for you to be messin with.Shooting gallons of lacquer thinner out into the ally behind the shop may seem like a cheap way to clean a gun,till somebody catches you?Just sayin,check around locally.BW

 

[Lost Road]

I have a binks gun from the 40s and a craftsman gun from the 50s. I've not found anything better than my old binks, and they still make the rebuild kit for both guns. Got both guns at yard sales.