Experienced Painters! Whats a GOOD paint gun for me?
 

I asked this in my other post but not sure many would see it there. I am about to paint my son's car myself for the first time. I have a 60 gallon 5 HP compressor that is rated at 15+ CFM at 90 PSI. I am MAKING my own paint booth with plastic, AC Filters and a LARGE shop fan. I need a gravity feed HVLP paint gun. I will try to stay away from shooting a metallic ( son has not decided on a color yet ). What gun is good without breaking the bank? Would like to stay under $250. Less even if possible...I don't mind buying used.

Thanks

Dean--

Painting may fall into the same category as aluminum welding, where it may be a bargain to have a pro do the actual shooting for you. Most have their own guns and treat them like a chef treats his/her fine personal cutlery. If you have all the stuff, and are ready, it will be cheaper than buying a good spray gun.

Getting the finish consistent, smooth, and run-free starts before the compressor turns on. The paint needs to be just the right viscosity, and every load you put in the gun needs to be the same. The actual thinning rate changes with temp and RH, and the temp of the pieces you are painting. Spraying to a wet edge is critical, and can be a chore with a project the size of a car. I know you are trying to keep costs to a minimum, but considering the costs of materials alone, it only takes one avoided mistake to pay for apainter to shoot it for you. You may find someone with access to a real booth to. Ask around.

I have asked around. Here locally everyone ( I've talked to several ) is "too busy". I can't even get an estimate.
I dropped Garrett's replacement dash and pod off at a local auto upholsterer. Was told 2 to 3 weeks...that was 6 months ago and still nothing. I will be picking those up later this week done or not.
I'm as frustrated as I could be...but thats what happens when your in a one horse town.

Drive to some place that has four horses.

Dean:

I've been painting on and off for 30+ years and currently use Sata brand HVLP guns. Know that I have made a significant investment in my "arsensal" Sata HVLP spray guns, but the HVLP guns are more sensitive to paint viscosity than the more traditional guns. Right now, I have a touch up gun, primer gun, high solids gun and clear gun. This said and if I knew someone was doing one, maybe two cars, I would seek out a good "clone" gun of the Sata guns to handle a base / clear as well as a gun to use for the primers / surfacer. If you look at the Sata lineup, it's pretty easy to ID the clones. Some are so close as able to use some of the Sata pieces. For the primer gun, a clone of an older style siphon gun like a Binks "7" clone would do that job well.

Enjoy !

A guy I know and trust recommended the DeVilbiss Finishline 3. That's the first gun I mentioned in my other post. The newer version looks to be a lot nicer than mine.

http://www.eastwood.com/dvb-finishli...-w-3-tips.html

That was one I was thinking about but after your review I had discounted it.

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with the Finishline. It's a solid and versatile paint gun. One of the perks is that the tip can be changed in about a minute. To change a tip in most other guns you also need to change the needle as well. I got the Sata because it was the right price, I was being cautious, and I had the money to piss away at the time. I also did it because I had sprayed a lot of primer through the Finishline and I wasn't sure if I had gotten it completely clean.

For a one off job, you'll be fine. Just make sure you get it thoroughly cleaned it you use it for paint and primer.

Sata3000 for your basecoat 50/50 overlap. Anwest Aiwata for your clear 50/60 - 50/75 overlap. Spray at 28 psi base and 32-35 for your clear. 8" from work on base , full fan on your base, 6" from work on clear full fan. Use a friendly clear for a first timer like Global 2021 or the cheaper shopline. The clear is the hardest coat to get right.Move slow enough to get a good wet edge but fast enough to keep it wet. You can buy a cheap gun for the primer as you will be blocking that out. Use a good sealer over the primer 30minutes or so before you shoot the base. You can use the 3000 to shoot that if you wish. People can achieve a good finish their first time, but it may not last very long if everything isn't done meticulously. Good luck Dean.

Dean,

Kudos on the painting! Just wanted to say that when I had mine prepped and ready to go.. every "reputable" shop in town told me "we don't paint cars"... hello: WTF do you do then?.. anyway, I wish I had the equipment you have. I ended up taking it to Maaco and they did a good enough job.

Perhaps do this as an alternative revenue stream when all is said and done? :-)

Cheers,

Curt
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79 928 5sp silver/blk
02 Boxster 5sp blk/blk/blk

What does 50/50 overlap and 50/60 50/75 overlap mean?

I think your paint pattern covers 50% of your last pattern so you are overlapping 50%.

hi Jim....

reading this thread has been VERY helpful, but i have a couple of general questions in a 'favorite stuff' context, and i see you know autobody inside and out.

i'm thinking of picking up a couple of pairs of spray guns.

one rung down... vs pro.

like a set of favorites if i were in the (spending more money is no problem) category ?

vs/ top, pro equipment ? i have a budget of a couple grand but even if i can't afford the best, i would be just curious to know what 3 or 4 guns you might choose to bring into battle... any idea the favorite two or three brands and models that autobody shops use and what tips they go with for x, y, z application ?

it's kind of an emergency. any info would be of tremendous help.

thanks.

Allan Od. :rockon:

After a TON of research I ended up buying the DeVilbiss 670 Plus. They can be had for $300 new. ( retail much higher) . Its not a true HVLP but it was easy to use and clean and atomized the clear well I thought.

I think that the spray gun is about half the equation but the other half (which is probably more important) is proper setup and use of the spray gun. For HVLP I would buy a cheap zahn cup so you can pre determine if your coating is thin enough. HVLP will work well with material that runs 30 seconds or less in a zahn 2. Then make sure your air is set high enough, this guide has visuals of how you can tell when your paint is broken up enough to ensure good results.