Spray Setup Hplv Or "regular" Compressor Help Please

[pixelpusher]

Hi guys long time lurker first time poster. So Thanks for all the killer info I've learned so far.

I am looking to get a paint setup so I don't just throw money down the rattle can hole for the rest of my life.

I am just building as a hobby/obsession in my townhouse garage (sorry neighbors hahaha!) and space is at a premium so I have to take that into consideration which kind of pushes me towards the turbine style HVLP compact "compressors"

I would like to keep the cost of the equipment to under $250 which doesn't seem like too much of a problem so far. and my production level will probably be in the 4-8 guitars a year zone.

here's a link to my current project & there are some shots of my tiny work area to get an idea.. my car is usually parked right up against it when not working.

http://gallery.me.com/ecstasteve#100028&am...osaic&sel=0

Any advice or suggestions are truly welcome and appreciated

some options I have found on this site and through general web searches

http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-HV.../ref=pd_cp_hi_4

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?Offerings_ID=10469

http://www.spraygunworld.com/products/CAT/CATMiniJet.htm

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Disp...temnumber=47016

compressor... good enough throughput to spray?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/disp...temnumber=38898

thanks for your help!

-Steve aka pixelpusher

Edited November 6, 2008 by pixelpusher

[Ripthorn]

If I'm not mistaken, you can get completely self-contained hvlp systems that have the compressor, can and gun all in one box. If space is a premium, you might think about one of those as it would be easy to put away in a small space when not in use.

[anderekel]

That compressor is not gonna do it. Get like a 30 gallon tank. You also might wanna look at the finish line series of hvlp guns from Devilbiss, great guns, a little more expensive, but they are good to learn on and quality guns that you won't get annoyed with getting a finish from. If you're really interested in the painting aspect you might wanna take a look at learnairbrush.com and talk to shane (that's his screen name too), he knows more than you would ever need to know about spray equipment.

[pixelpusher]

Thanks Rip that is the direction i am leaning this one http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-HV.../ref=pd_cp_hi_4 on amazon is what i am leaning towards.

anderekel I thought that little compressor wouldn't do it and unfortunately i have zero room for a 30 gal compressor but thanks for the tip on the guns!

space is such an issue for me and noise is a minor concern (can't do anything about the router though ahahaha) and now I am looking at one of these http://www.amazon.com/Fuji-Industrial-Equi..._pr_product_top . more than i wanted to spend but...

Edited November 6, 2008 by pixelpusher

[Ripthorn]

For a compressor, the main concern is going to be the cfm figure. You need enough to provide at least what the hvlp system requires. You can shop around some, but I have found that a 4 gallon compressor can usually power most things without interrupting the air delivery to compress more air (unless you have some ridiculous cfm at high psi). Again, look around. If you want high quality that will last for a long time, I would shy away from harbor freight. Great place for "disposable" tools, but not the best for high quality stuff.

[pixelpusher]

For a compressor, the main concern is going to be the cfm figure. You need enough to provide at least what the hvlp system requires. You can shop around some, but I have found that a 4 gallon compressor can usually power most things without interrupting the air delivery to compress more air (unless you have some ridiculous cfm at high psi). Again, look around. If you want high quality that will last for a long time, I would shy away from harbor freight. Great place for "disposable" tools, but not the best for high quality stuff.

OK sounds reasonable. from what I've learned so far it seems like people like to spray lacquer around 35psi .... i have not been able to find though what the cfm requirements are to spray at this pressure.

I definitely am a believer in spending a little more the first time to end up with a tool that will last years vs getting an "intro" level tool and having to spend more to upgrade it as soon as I realize its not up to the task.

[anderekel]

Hmm, I've never seen those little hvlp compressor units before, looks interesting, curious to see if anyone has experience with those. Like ripthorn said, the CFM is the key. Smaller compressors typically have less CFM. A lot of the guns I've seen have somewhere around 6 or more, usually more, CFM, I mean take that much CFM to work properly, that's what you gotta look at, find a gun that doesn't use as many CFM's and a compressor that put's out more than the gun is supposed to use, always good to make sure you're not gonna have any problems. Also, like ripthorn said, stay away from harbor freight if you're lookin' for decent tools. I know people that use their spray guns and like them, but most of them just throw them away after the job. Also, I would recommend lookin' to make sure you can rebuild the gun, or have someone do it for you, if you plan on using it for a long. Something is bound to happen after a while.

[guitar_player]

Check out craigslist if it's good where you are for a compressor I got a 20 gallon campbell hausfeld air compressor delivered in great condition for $100 and it costs $550 new.

[ihocky2]

I've learned that you do not necesarrily have to have a large compressor to run an HVLP gun, but you'll need to get one of the micro guns, and still watch the CFM requirements. I just bought a Sharpe Finex 1000 which is a mini HVLP gun that does not use a ton of air. But those guns are more expensive. Iwata also makes mini-guns that run on low CFM and can even run off the pancake aircompressors, but those are generally $200 guns.

Full sized HVLP guns generally need at least 13 CFM, which you need a very large compressor to run. The mini-HVLP guns are generally 6 cfm or less.

[pixelpusher]

I've learned that you do not necesarrily have to have a large compressor to run an HVLP gun, but you'll need to get one of the micro guns, and still watch the CFM requirements. I just bought a Sharpe Finex 1000 which is a mini HVLP gun that does not use a ton of air. But those guns are more expensive. Iwata also makes mini-guns that run on low CFM and can even run off the pancake aircompressors, but those are generally $200 guns.

Full sized HVLP guns generally need at least 13 CFM, which you need a very large compressor to run. The mini-HVLP guns are generally 6 cfm or less.

GOOD INFO THX!

i will usually only be doing one or two guitars at a time (although i have 4 i'm doing in a "big" run right now) that finex 1000 looks like a good size gun for weekend warrior work.

this compressor looks like it will do the trick http://www.spraygunworld.com/products/Clarke/Compressor.html

although it is a bit bigger than i wanted .. with that and the finex 1000 i'll skate by at about $400 which is considerably cheaper than this http://www.amazon.com/Fuji-Industrial-Equi.../ref=pd_cp_hi_2 but also quite a bit bigger and presumably louder..

aaagh choices.

thanks again for all the input .. great community here!

[ihocky2]

Check out what DeVilbiss and some of the others have to offer. I know DeVilbiss offers a nice mini-gun that is a little more pricey, but they highyl recomend for this type of work. I know SyxxString has used and Iwata that he liked. I will be giving the Finex it's first run this week to dial it in and then paint and guitar, so I will post a result on it.

Also get your self a regulator to mount on the gun so you can dial in the pressure correctly. And get one of the good regulators. The cheater valves reduce the pressure, but as the tank pressure goes down, so does the feed pressure. The regulator keeps the pressure constant.