Luna

iTrader: (6)

Hey guys, I am wanting to get into some more serious painting. I am considering buying a paint gun (HVLP , I dont even know what that means...) I dont really want to spend alot of money just something basic to get started. Any recommendations on what I need to get started and any good resources to learn about painting. I figure if I start now by the time I get a new hood I can paint it myself hopefully.

Thank in advance guys

kpowr82

iTrader: (9)

I bought a DeVilbiss on ebay for about $120. It works great. HVLP stands for High Volume Low Pressure. It's an emissions thing I think. What I do know is the HVLP guns require much less pressure than the old school guns. Also, less paint is lost in mist and vapor and more transfers to the part.

If you want to paint a hood, you should pick up some books about automotive painting from Barnes and Nobles, and just practice. I bought my gun having no knowledge or experience at all. The very first part I painted was a black GSX-R tail ferring and it came out great. The best way to learn is to dive in hands on.

Also, the joint where you buy your paint from will tell you exactly what you need to mix your paint with.

stryker14

iTrader: (1)

yes, HVLP just stands for high volume low pressure...meaning it is able to transfer a high volume of paint more efficiently at a low pressure setting. Around 70-80 percent compared to about 30 percent with a non hvlp.
I would recommend getting a book on auto painting and take it from there. You will learn some of the basic stuff to get you to the point of actually spraying something. You will learn more from actually painting stuff then you ever will just reading a text book.

FloridaZ

For price and performance, this one can't be beat.....

http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductD...rtnumber=A6025

I use that one more than my $300 one. Sharpe makes pretty decent ones for cheap too.

Luna

iTrader: (6)

I'm not looking to just paint my hood, also looking to paint some interior panels as well and my front bumper needs to be repainted.(Probably some other stuff too just to get a hang of it) So I should really get a book before I buy any sort of supplies ? I was looking at some HVLP guns on ebay and they seem to range from about 30 bucks and up. Are the cheaper ones total garbage? Is there anything in particular I should look for in a gun.

Also generally for a cheap to moderate setup , paint, gun whatever else I need, (already have a bigass compressor) whats a good ballpark estimate on what it would cost, like I said before I dont want to break the bank , I just want to learn and have something that looks better than spray paint!!

Sorry about the newbie questions, I just dont know a thing about HVLP

FloridaZ

As with just about anything you buy...you get what you pay for. I wouldn't go with the cheapest one you can find. Although you won't be using it everyday to make a living, you will still want a reliable, quality gun. I recomend either the ampro gun i listed earlier or Sharpe Finex 1.4mm. The Ampro goes for around $100 and comes with a regualtor. The Sharpie goes for about $70-$80 and doesnt. All guns have adjustments for incoming air and outgoing paint flow, but some also come with another adjustment for fan size. I prefer the ones with all three. My most expesive one has no fan settings, but it is used for single stage paints only. For $100 you could definatly have a gun that would handle all your needs. A book would be a good idea for some general info, but the best way is to jump right in. Once you get a gun and some paint, practice on whatever you can find..lol. Really it all boils down to having your air settings right, and using proper spray technique. The hardest part of painting lies in prep. Hours will be spent preping. Spraying is the easy part.

jargan04

iTrader: (1)

Like he said, a lot goes into prep. I work a bodyshop so I have several people teaching me. I just recently painted my front end and did most of the prep work. You need some spray time for sure. I got lucky since we a PPG shop, I get free PPG training.

ChevyChad

iTrader: (50)

prep prep prep! Doesn't matter how good you can spray, if the prep is crap, so will your final product be. Didn't see it mentioned above, but get a gravity feed too if you can. Then practice practice practice!

Good luck man!

noblesramair

iTrader: (17)

Couldnt have said it better! ITS ALL ABOUT PREP!!! In my book thats the shittyest part of painting because it has to be PERFECT any imperfection will show through the new paint! The actual painting process is very fun you just have to get used to it and learn some tricks. Best advice is if you do a paint job DO YOUR BEST at everything prior to the actual painting and dont cop out on quality when it comes to the paint and the tools. OOO your obviously going to need a good compressor make sure you get a big enough one if your going to be doing a large paint job otherwise you constantly have to wait for the stupid compressor to fill up.

userws6

you should also consider a water seperator of some sort. It may spray ok with the moisture, but it can build up and drip out the end of the gun and on to what ever it is your spraying. Ive also had problems with cheaper guns not spraying clear coat for sh!+

Luna

iTrader: (6)

I think im gunna get this book http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076...Fencoding=UTF8

and go from there, also I'm seeing alot of Vaper brand guns for pretty cheap, are they any good ?

Luna

iTrader: (6)

Hey I just realized my compressor is not quite as big as I thought it was , 20 gallons, is that going to be enough or should I consider something larger?

noblesramair

iTrader: (17)

yes i forgot about the water seperator. They arent very expensive so id pick one up. 20 gallons will work but you may have to wait every once in a while for the compressor to fill. Its kind of a pain but it will work. You also want the pressure around 30-40psi when you spray. A good spray gun will have a pressure regulator on it but i still lower it. You will also want to do some pre sprays on like a piece of wood or something to make sure its spraying the way you want it to. Good luck and remember take your time and it will look good.

parbreak

iTrader: (17)

The biggest thing I've found, and this is strictly my own personal experience, is that you should up the pressure on an HVLP gun from what is recommended. Example, I have top of the line Binks M1G HVLP gun. This gun is probably better than what most paint techs use and it recommends 18 psi inlet pressure. I have found that is WAY too low especially for clearcoat. You will get tons of orangepeel and drips, runs, etc. I up the inlet pressure to about 32 psi and the clearcoat flows on great. Very little orangepeel to speak of, especially if my gun speed and overlap are good that day and zero runs, drips, sags, etc. even on vertical surfaces.

The other thing I have found is make sure you reduce your clearcoat with enough reducing agent. This is basically a thinner for clearcoat. This will also help to lay down a smooth defect free surface. This requires a bit of experimentation. Too little reducer and you're going to get a lot orangepeel(bumps). Too much reducer and the clearcoat will run right off the surface.

Biggest recommendation is practice , practice , practice. I would never start with a hood as my first project.

Bryan
parbreak

noblesramair

iTrader: (17)

parbreak hit the nail on the head. One way that i have found to tell if it is mixed well enough is (which is difficult to explain if you have no experience, its all experience) Using you stir stick dip it in the paint/clear coat and see if it drips off the stick or runs off in a stream. If it drips off its too thin and if it runs too slowly its too thick. It should be a constant running stream off the stir stick. As im sure your thinking its hard to explain but aside from measuring how much you put in its done by eye. Id advise you to paint a couple cars that are less important and may still need to be painted to practice or find someone nearby that has some experience on how to paint and pracitice with them for a little while. And remember its not the painting thats all that difficult its mostly prep!

parbreak

iTrader: (17)

Yeah, when it comes to the basecoat(color coat) measuring is a given. Most paints that I deal with are a 1:1 ratio of paint and reducer. The clearcoat is another story. I still use a 4:1 ratio of clearcoat to activator. The "art" of mixing comes when adding the urethane reducer to the clearcoat. Some clears will give you an range of %, like reduce 10%. I've come up with my own system. Since I mix fairly small quantites of clear at a time, I simply measure out the reducer by "cap fulls". Not real scientific but it works.

parbreak

iTrader: (17)

Oh, another thing regarding moisture. I've had basecoats go on OK with some moisture in the lines, but I guarantee you will pay the price when you spray the clearcoat. It will leave all kinds of "pits" and other defects that will make you want to forget you ever started the project. I use a regular moisture separtor in the line coming off the compressor. This is good to use even for regular air tools. However, I use a small filter that attaches to each of my guns at the inlet, which is a last line of defense for catching water in the lines. These things are fantastic. I think they're called "whirlwind" filters or something like that. Kind of a small ball like shape and cost about $3-5 each.

Bryan
parbreak

Luna

iTrader: (6)

Thanks for all the advice guys, keep it coming if you've got it. BTW a hood was not going to be the first project, it is more like a goal

PSiBlackZ

iTrader: (2)

Hah, suddenly everyone is painters on this website, lol, jus messin with all of you. Anyways The one thing everyone is forgetting about here is A DUST FREE ENVIRONMENT. You are going to have to figure something out if you will not be spraying in a spraybooth. If any kind of dust or anything gets in your paint it will look like ****.
As for the spraygun.
The only way to go is a SATA, i have been a painter my entire life, since i was 17. These are the best and most reliable guns you can but and spray EXCELLENT. currently i have about 6 of these guns. love them all.
heres a link to the one that i have currently been running...
http://www.sata.com/Produkte/produkt...-01&menu=05,05

FloridaZ

You can use a bug sprayer with some water to spray your floor to help keep the dust down.