[Shop-talk] Paint sprayers

[Bob Spidell]

Others, with more experience and, maybe, a 'pro' will offer advice, but 
we--my father and I--were in the same position a few years ago. I bought 
this kit:

https://www.harborfreight.com/professional-automotive-hvlp-spray-gun-kit-94572.html

and we used it to paint a fairly valuable old British sports car (it 
came out OK, not great).  We used a one-stage paint; I'd have to go to 
the shop to find out for sure, but I believe it was one of the DuPont 
brands, not top-of-the-line, but not cheap either.  I'd only painted one 
car before, a junky Subaru Brat, and this was my first use of HVLP.  My 
impression of the HF paint gun is that it's a competent tool for the 
price, but it was trial-and-error for me.  I got quite a bit of orange 
peel, maybe because I used insufficient pressure at the gun; my dad said 
that one of the paint dealers told him we should 'crank the pressure 
up,' apparently the Low Pressure part of HVLP was more for environmental 
reasons than getting a good coat of paint.  If you watch the pros on the 
TV shows they pretty mug 'fog it on;' and since you probably don't have 
a booth and you're painting outdoors or in a shop wait for a 
no/little-wind day with no insects around, and wet the floor and the 
walls to keep dust down,

You'll want to put a oil/water separator inline after the compressor 
tank, and whatever gun you buy, be sure to put a filter and a pressure 
gauge at the gun; something like this: 
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Spray-Gun-Filter-Kit-HDA11900/305171973 
Practice on old sheetmetal, plywood, whatever you've got lying around to 
get a feel for the gun.  As always, preparation is 90% of the job; sand 
down to bare metal if you can, if not at least sand down to primer or 
the last really good coat of paint, then use one of the spray cleaners 
like this:

https://www.eastwood.com/ew-pre-painting-prep-aerosol-11oz.html?SRCCODE=PLA00020&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9LXhh5qY6QIViPhkCh3c4ACIEAQYBCABEgIaE_D_BwE

and a microfiber cloth.  Use a primer/sealer if you don't go to bare 
metal, or and epoxy primer if you do (esp. if you have to let the job 
sit in primer for more than a couple days).  Sand the primer down to 600 
or 800 grit, apply one or more coats of base color--with no more than 20 
minutes between them--let dry for a couple days then wet sand until 
you're happy with the finish.  Finish off with successive applications 
of finer grades of liquid polishing compounds.

Also stumbled across this (note I didn't read it, it just looked 
useful): https://tcpglobal.com/pages/paint-problem-solver  There's lots 
of videos online (Kevin Tetz has some good ones).

Good luck.

Bob

ps.  There's always a 'learning curve.'


On 5/3/2020 9:54 AM, eric--- via Shop-talk wrote:
> Ok, so "Sandford" by big work truck is currently undergoing some major 
> body work and will be getting new paint.  Both myself and my buddy 
> haven't painted a car since the late 80's.
>
> I see there are many different type of sprayers out there for 
> automotive finishes.
> There are the traditional sprayers with the can under the gun (and 
> what I already have and used in the 80s.)
> Then there are HVLP sprayers with the cups on top.
> I also noticed these types seem to be the new norm...
> _https://www.harborfreight.com/64-oz-professional-hvlp-air-spray-gun-kit-62895.html_
>
> So, here are my requirements.  I am painting this truck, which is a 
> work truck and does NOT need an awesome finish. I also don't mind 
> buying new tools.
>
> So, do I spring for the 'pro' model HF?  I will most likely not be 
> painting another car for a decade (maybe) so I don't think I need to 
> get into real pro brands and pay top dollar. But I may paint here and 
> there, NEVER for show, just for work stuff.
>
> Or, do I paint with the old style I already have?
>
> What is the advantages?  Is there any learning curve?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Mule
>
> "Be as beneficent as the sun or the sea, but if your rights as a 
> rational being are trenched on, die on the first inch of your 
> territory." Ralph Waldo Emerson
> -Who is John Galt?
>
>

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