HVLP guns and recommendations

masonh said:
most car or cabinet painters use 1.3mm or 1.4mm for clear.it seems like evryone here is using .4mm to .8mm.i was wondering why everyone uses smaller jets than standard.it seems like the RP guins would be better than the HVLP guns also.
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Bigger nozzles allow for particulate like pearl and mica and even metal flake to come through. The smaller the nozzle the less material will go through with the same amount of air. I would think that the clear would atomize better with the smaller nozzle. With a cue you want to shoot a small pattern unlike a car with an 8 to 10 " pattern.
 
Hvlp

pooldogue said:
They are expensive but Sata are one of the best hvlp guns available......:)
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TAP, TAP,
Sata mini jet with either .8 or 1.0 spot repair nozzle.
On a great day, I can start with 2000 wet, on a good day, I can start with 1500 wet. On a bad day 1000 wet.
Yeah it costs more than the cheap guns, but time is money. Besides, I hate sanding.
 
Sata mini....SR 1.0....I use a III........they have a IIII out now that I've been looking at.
Spend the extra on an air micrometer that goes on the line right before it goes into the gun. You know exactly what your air is coming out.
I had this conversation with my friend CK when he was with us and he had already bought a mini jet in trying out a drawer full of junk but didn't have the pleasure of using one.
 
Rocket,why do the car painters shootint clear use 1.3 or 1.4mm nozzle then.they don't use .8mm or .6mm.is it b/c you guys are using very small guns?why use the small guns?
 
masonh said:
Rocket,why do the car painters shootint clear use 1.3 or 1.4mm nozzle then.they don't use .8mm or .6mm.is it b/c you guys are using very small guns?why use the small guns?
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One time when I was all set up to finish a cue, I had the finish all mixed up and nothing would come out of my little gun. Poor cleanup from the time before. I poured the finish in the big gun (1.4MM tip I believe) and the gun was out of finish before I was even finished with half of the coats I was going to put on.

I think the small guns work better on a cue because you are only spraying something about 1-2 inches wide at a time. Using a bigger gun just makes more waste plus each coat ends up thicker than necessary. I ended up having to sand everything I sprayed and redo it. Taught me to make sure my gun is cleaned better and to double check it before I start.

Somebody mentioned the SATA guns above also. I'm the type of person who always has to have the best of everything. I looked into buying one of those. They are nice, but I think it comes down more to technique. My mother has 5 brothers and most of them work in or have worked in the auto body business, so I spent my share of time in the shop growing up. I have seen my uncle spray a perfect finish from a spray can. I use the cheap grizzly gun I linked above and it works just great for me. I start sanding at 1200-1500 grit. I have never sanded a cue sprayed with automotive clear coat with anything under 1200 and I spend very little time sanding. I still have a long way to go on my finish, but I think my main issue is with buffing and not spraying. I've overbuffed right through the finish and had to respray on more than one occasion.

I would think as long as you get your technique down, you should be able to spray with just about anything.
 
Probably, the best small gun out there for the cash. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=86

I use these to paint motorcycles and other small items that my bigger guns are just too much for. Now yes there are more expensive models out there, but this Harbor Freight unit does the number. Probably have to fill the cup on this model between 1/3 and 1/5 to clear a cue doing 3 to 5 coats. With any of the smaller guns you will have to thin the clear a little more than what the Clear Coat's specification sheets tell you to provide a good atomization and flow of the paint.

As a side note...........I used to have my own Street Rod custom shop in CA. Have been painting cars and motorcycles as a hobby and as a job off and on over the past 15 years. Have close to 20 various paint guns ranging from $10 to $1500 made both in the US and abroad.


As a side not to Mason's question about using larger guns. It uses too much product and covers too much area to be useful in a small application. To get proper atomization with a large gun you have to have a larger spraying path and air pressure. A small gun has a spraying path between 1.5 inch to 8 inches depending on gun. A large gun starts off with a spraying path between 5inches to 30 inches.


I could go into this further, but is overkill unless someone really wants the information.
 
it seems like from what i read that these HVLP guns even with the 1.3mm nozzles still sprya a pretty small area,but i see the point of smaller is better.i have been reading the auto body paint forums last few days and it seems like the Sata and Iwata are better than the cheaper guns,as most have said here,especially if you are not a pro.thanks guys to all who responded
 
masonh said:
Rocket,why do the car painters shootint clear use 1.3 or 1.4mm nozzle then.they don't use .8mm or .6mm.is it b/c you guys are using very small guns?why use the small guns?
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Car you need a bigger spray pattern more material. I don't know of too many shops around here that use a 1.4 to spray clear. Most places here use a 1.0 for clear and bigger nozzles for metal flake and fancy particles in paint. Some of the stuff they spray looks like the bottom of a bottle of Goldschalager.. I no spell right I think..
 
Snap9 said:
Probably, the best small gun out there for the cash. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=86

I use these to paint motorcycles and other small items that my bigger guns are just too much for. Now yes there are more expensive models out there, but this Harbor Freight unit does the number. Probably have to fill the cup on this model between 1/3 and 1/5 to clear a cue doing 3 to 5 coats. With any of the smaller guns you will have to thin the clear a little more than what the Clear Coat's specification sheets tell you to provide a good atomization and flow of the paint.

As a side note...........I used to have my own Street Rod custom shop in CA. Have been painting cars and motorcycles as a hobby and as a job off and on over the past 15 years. Have close to 20 various paint guns ranging from $10 to $1500 made both in the US and abroad.


As a side not to Mason's question about using larger guns. It uses too much product and covers too much area to be useful in a small application. To get proper atomization with a large gun you have to have a larger spraying path and air pressure. A small gun has a spraying path between 1.5 inch to 8 inches depending on gun. A large gun starts off with a spraying path between 5inches to 30 inches.


I could go into this further, but is overkill unless someone really wants the information.
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I use Horrible Fright spray guns also. I used to use the one you mentioned but I changed to the Sata copy http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46719
about 10 or 12 years ago. I like it much better as being gravity feed, you need not mix up much finish as none gets left in the gun. I put 4 ounces in the gun and that is enough for 3 heavy coats on 3 cues and 6 shafts. I've got half a dozen of these guns in this size as I by them when they are on sale. They have worked pretty good for me but I've never used a real Sata to compare. The first one that I got was from an automotive finish store as they recommended it. They said it worked just as well as the more expensive guns they had there (Devilbiss) but to be careful so as not to drop or damage as parts would be hard to obtain.

Dick
 
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Here's the one I was gonna try out at first before getting a better one. With shipping I think I have less then 15 bucks into it, so no sweat if it ends up shattered off the concrete floor:D It's HVLP, but as can be see it is a suction gun, not a gravity fed unfortunately.:(
 

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Since we're on the topic of spray guns, I have one that I'm offering for sale. I was asking $45. in my store but to AZers I'll take $30 + shipping. At this point, I'd just like to re-coop some of my investment. I have 3 or 4 guns that I use already and don't need another. Nozzle is .6mm / HVLP.
Will shoot clearcoat. This gun is new in the box. PM if interested. Thanx, KJ

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc260/kjcues/spraygun.jpg
 
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