HVLP Spray Guns

[RT66DOC]

I am in the midst of restoring our Jaguar and am going to need to spray primer, paint and Rust Bullet. From the reading I've done it seems HVLP is the way to go - less overspray, blah, blah. I already have a 60 gal 5HP compressor but need the spray gun(s). I did a bit of research and found guns from DeVilbiss, SATA and Sharpe which range in price from $90 to $500. Also, the SATA guns have air micrometers on some models. What's up with that? Anybody have experience with, suggestions, recommendations on a gun that will do a nice job?



As always - any and all replies are most appreciated.

 

[gocirino]

Check out this site;





http://www.autobody101.com/

 

[Allnew2Me]

About 3 years ago I painted my 1961 Shasta Airflyte trailer, the first automotive paint I ever used. That was like painting three cars. I almost bought a HVLP but decided to just use my old cup gun. I played with the settings for air and fluid flow until I got it right and it worked great. As long as it atomizes and is put on wet enough it will come out nice, the worst thing you can do is paint too dry. Better to have a few small runs than a dry area you have to reshoot. I think if I were going to paint on a regular basis I would invest in a better system but for the occasional user technique is more of an issue. I used a PPG product, a one coat CLV polyurethane paint, no clearcoat, so I don't know if clear responds better to the HVLP guns.

 

[DavidC]

When I restored the roadrunner I used a 2qt. pressure pot and Devilbiss gun. When painting in tight areas I would keep the pot pressure up but lower the gun pressure. There was absolutely no over spray or sand paper effect anywhere on the car. That paint system gave absolute versatility for pressures and volume. The car has numerous awards including a 1st place at the World of Wheels when it was entered in 1986 and a great part of those was the paint on the car.



Dave

 

[Philip]

I have 3 HVLP guns. I bought then as a kit from NAPA a while back. These are gravity feed guns. List was $135. for then. I went out the door for $119.



I have used two of then so far. If you will be doing mostly car type paint jobs. The gravity guns are nice. But if you get into places where you need to shoot paint upward on the bottom of something. Then the cups get in your way and leak all over your arm if you have more than 1/2 cup full. Also if you need to get into tight places the cup gets in the way agin.



I work for a metal fab shop. So I never know what I need to paint next. I am going to look around for a HVLP bottom cup gun. A bottom cup gun seems more usefull the way I paint right now.



The shop has a 2 gallon paint pot with a HLVP gun on it. That is a nice setup. But clean up is a pain and most of my jobs do not require that much paint.

 

[lil red cummins]

i have an ACCUSPRAY which is one of the original HVLP guns. have had it for over 10 years. it runs best on about 3 to 6 psi with its special regulator and has a hose the size of a 5/8" garden hose.



make sure that it is truly low pressure. some are advertised as such and then have a conventional hose connection where 60 psi is the recommended pressure. that is NOT a low pressure gun.



the accuspray is significantly different than the rest because it is a composite plastic design that is actually 2 halves sealed by an o-ring. i accidentally got catalyzed paint up in the air passage one time and was glad it came apart for cleaning.



spray quality is excellent, especially with metallics. over spray is greatly reduced and the amount of paint you use is always less than with conventional HP guns.



it can either be used with a conventional compressor or purchased with a low pressure vane type compressor. this setup makes the unit extremely portable since it only requires a 110v line.



once you use HVLP, you will never go back.



good luck



jim

 

[RT66DOC]

Check out this site;





http://www.autobody101.com/

Thanks for the link. Lots of good info on that site.

 

[daveshoe]

I would recommend getting the HVLP from Harbor Freight that is a quart pot for your primer coat. It has hoses from the pot to the gun,and I was able to get in very tight places with it to paint right into frame corners. . It is really nice when painting upside down,ect. Sharpe has available reconditioned guns for the finish coat. Before you order one,know the exact paint that you are going to use,and the sales staff or website can help you determine what tip you need.

My neighbor builds about two hot rods a year,and I thought you might want to hear what he said about clear coat. ''Before you shoot clear on a car,do a project that is not critical to the final result,or better yet,get a car hood from a junkyard that has a corner damaged. The idea is to prep ,primer,block and paint it to the same standards that you are trying for in your project car'' he then stated ''When you shoot the clear coat,the tendency is to want to keep going over it. It may look all orange-peely when you get it done,but if you leave it alone for a half hour,it will just level right out''

Another reason to do a test panel is ''tiger stripe'' this can result when the very thin color coat is not applied evenly due to gun settings improper viscosity,or application technique. Metallics are the most prone to tiger stripe. I'm not trying to scare you out of your project,but just trying to make you aware of what is out there so you can do your own research. Let us know how your car comes out. Dave

 

[Dkuhlman]

I have 3 HVLP guns. I bought then as a kit from NAPA a while back. These are gravity feed guns. List was $135. for then. I went out the door for $119.



I have used two of then so far. If you will be doing mostly car type paint jobs. The gravity guns are nice. But if you get into places where you need to shoot paint upward on the bottom of something. Then the cups get in your way and leak all over your arm if you have more than 1/2 cup full. Also if you need to get into tight places the cup gets in the way agin.



I work for a metal fab shop. So I never know what I need to paint next. I am going to look around for a HVLP bottom cup gun. A bottom cup gun seems more usefull the way I paint right now.



The shop has a 2 gallon paint pot with a HLVP gun on it. That is a nice setup. But clean up is a pain and most of my jobs do not require that much paint.

I used to use a DeVilbiss with a remote 2 quart pot, siphon feed and 15' of hose to spray epoxy in some really tight areas. Clean up wasn't much worse than a standard gun and the only product you waste is in the line. Cheaper than a paint pump and easier to keep clean but not as good for overspray. Like someone else said though, it was excellent for laying down a good wet coat and I could easily put out a 4"+ fan with a small compressor. Might be what you're looking for?

 

[The patriot]

I have a couple of old De Vilbiss guns. JGA and JGC's.

They've served me well, but if I was to shoot a large project I might get a HVLP. I dont have a spray booth.

I have a 5 HP 33 gallon compressor... would that be sufficient?

 

[RT66DOC]

I would recommend getting the HVLP from Harbor Freight that is a quart pot for your primer coat. Let us know how your car comes out. Dave

Is this the Harbor Freight gun you're talking about? On sale now.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93305



I've been "documenting" (most of) the resto process with a dig camera and will post some of the pix as I go along.

 

[Todd T]

I would plan to buy two guns. before we get to that what type paint and process do you plan to use on the car? IE: brand X, base coat/clear coat or urethane etc.



the reason I say you need two guns is you want to keep your paint gun as pristine as possible for the best results. a cheapy from HF or northern tool etc is just fine for the primer and intermediate coats. I'd suggest a higher end gun with the appropriate nozzle sizes for the paint you plan to use. Once you tell me, i can tell you what sizes to get or you can consult the paint manufacturers spec sheets.



I use my SATAjet 2000 for most of my overalls and B/C jobs including spot repairs. I also have a DeVilbiss GTI-62? and a couple SRI touchup guns. An "air micrometer" is just a fancy name for the air valve most all guns have.

 

[RT66DOC]

Thanks Todd.



The paint is "Old English White" (1971-79), Dupont Enamel 32501A, available from Paintscratch.com'.



I've been reading alot of info on the "RepairNation.com" site. Seems like good info, but what do I know? They said on that site that the SATA guns are tops.



I don't have to paint the whole car but maybe I should - both rear fenders, trunk (boot) lid, rockers, front fenders (wings) need a bit of work and paint. Only sections that don't need any work or repainting are the top, hood (bonnet) and all four doors.



Any advice will be much appreciated - this car is our family heirloom.

 

[Todd T]

''When you shoot the clear coat,the tendency is to want to keep going over it. It may look all orange-peely when you get it done,but if you leave it alone for a half hour,it will just level right out''

Orange peel (hold on to something... $2 word coming ) results from poor coalescence of atomized paint droplets. The paint droplets actually dry out before they can flow out and level smoothly together. This can be attributed to; Extreme shop temperature (too low or too hot which is also directly related to the reducer of thinner you’re using), Improper flash or recoat time between coats (with enamel, if the first coat is allowed to become too dry, solvent in the paint droplets of following coats will be absorbed into the first coat before proper flow is achieved) and improper dry from gun fanning before paint droplets have a chance to flow together will cause orange peel. Lastly would be the good ol’ fashioned improperly mixed materials. (too thick)



The trick here to use a flex additive that will retard the flash time a bit and allow the clear to "flow out" better. This will also help if you plan to sand and buff as it does not dry rock hard as it could without the additive. You can also use a slower reduce or thinner to slow up the flash time.

Another reason to do a test panel is ''tiger stripe'' this can result when the very thin color coat is not applied evenly due to gun settings improper viscosity,or application technique. Metallics are the most prone to tiger stripe. Dave

The proper term for this is Mottling; Mottling only occurs in metalics and is caused by the flakes sticking together to form stripes. Thus the nick name, tiger stripes. Most common causes are the coat being too heavy or too wet or uneven spray patterns (too much overlap), but can also be from too much humidity, improper reducer, (low booth temperature), spraying too close to the work surface and so on.

 

[Todd T]

looks like we both posted at the same time. 32501A is your formula for the Dupont enamel.



We use Chroma System and Nason which are both Dupont products. what actual product line are you using; Imron, Centari, Nason, Chroma etc?



I'd advise painting the whole car too. Do it once and do it right!

 

[RT66DOC]

looks like we both posted at the same time. 32501A is your formula for the Dupont enamel.



We use Chroma System and Nason which are both Dupont products. what actual product line are you using; Imron, Centari, Nason, Chroma etc?



I'd advise painting the whole car too. Do it once and do it right!

I haven't yet decided what paint system to use. The Dupont paint # is from the paintscratch.com site. Single step enamel or lacquer. Today I got the bright idea that if I paint the whole car maybe I could use a b/c paint system so I looked around and found that PPG has a b/c system available in the correct color - 1978 Jaguar Old English White. Couldn't find anything yet on Imron b/c system in that color. I've been pretty impressed with some of the high end Imron paint jobs on jets and boats.



PPG also makes the same color in lacquer and enamel. What are your thoughts on using a b/c system vs single step?

 

[JB @ C and L Machine]

Have you thought of a breathing system?... If your painting with modern B/C or any urethane SS (single stage) you need to protect your lungs. I know it might be your only paint job but these paints contain Isocyantes (sp) As for guns, I am using Sata's. 1 for primer, NR2000 for base and the RP or Clear.

 

[Dkuhlman]

If you do go to Imron, you'll need a full suit and fresh air system to be safe.

 

[RT66DOC]

Roger on the respirator, Gents. My lungs are bad enough - don't need to finish them off.

 

[daveshoe]

Yes,that is the gun I am talking about. The business end of the thing went inside some very tight spots of a backhoe and tractor ,and I got some really nice results. I also got very good results with enamel on my work truck toolboxes. I do not know how good a job it would do when spraying the high end paints and clearcoats