graco paint sprayer

[ernie riley]

Just thinking....is it possible to attach a hvlp set up to a Graco airless sprayer and spray latex?

Or more importantly, can I spray a furniture grade paint finish with latex acrylic paint using the Graco sprayer? I am afraid I will not be able to get a nice enough finish.

thanks,

Ernie Riley :)

[Joe Chritz]

Airless is supposed to be the best for putting down finishes. Lots of pro shops use airless or air assisted airless.

Depending on what sprayer you have you should be able to dial down the delivery to something that is easier to handle.

Joe

[Jason Roehl]

Joe is partially right. The one thing I would contend is that with airless sprayers, you don't do any "dialing down". For a given material and tip size, there is a pretty narrow range of pressure that will give good results. Too low, and the pattern won't be filled, and the material may not be properly atomized. Too high, and you'll get excessive overspray (in the form of "bounceback"), and may get orange peel as well. There are "fine finish" tips available for airless sprayers, but you still have to size them appropriately for the viscosity of the material. Too small, and they will plug up to the point of never being usable again. Too large, and you'll likely put on too much material.

The other downside is that even with the best airless guns, they will eventually spit at the beginning and/or end of the trigger pull, just something to watch out for, but can be frustrating. An air-assisted airless eliminates this, and boy, are they a dream to use...(our painting biz has one).

Addy protocol: I have sprayed thousands and thousands of gallons of paint with airless sprayers. I can do it in my sleep, and probably have on a few occasions. From small trim packages to bookcases to 100'x480' steel warehouses originally built as part of the Federal Grain Reserve, you name it, I've probably sprayed it with an airless.

[ernie riley]

Thanks for the info....I am not sure what an air assisted airless setup is. Does this mean a pressurized pot attached to an airless setup?
:)

[Jason Roehl]

Thanks for the info....I am not sure what an air assisted airless setup is. Does this mean a pressurized pot attached to an airless setup?
:)

Nope. What it means is that there is a small compressor in addition to the airless rig (which can be used as a normal airless), but the gun has an air line going to it, and has some air holes for extra atomization. Even that pesky on/off "spit" will get atomized and cease to be a problem.

They're not cheap...

I think this is the one we have:

http://www.portlandcompressor.com/Store/p-3658-graco-finishpro-395-air-assisted-airless-sprayer.aspx