1/4" hose adequate?

[Dave Cav]

I have two purple HF HVLP gravity fed guns and a Fuji MPX-30. I normally shoot using 3/8" hoses. Those big hoses are miserable to drag around and are always in the way. I recently got a couple of 1/4" clear reinforced poly hoses to use with my nailers. I use high flow fittings and was wondering if anyone has any experience spraying with 1/4" hoses. I'm spraying shellac and WB clear finishes. I was thinking a ten foot 1/4" whip on the end of the 3/8" hose might work and be a lot more manageable.

[Jim Becker]

I only own 1/4" hoses...no issues because they are reasonably short, etc.

[John K Jordan]

I have two purple HF HVLP gravity fed guns and a Fuji MPX-30. I normally shoot using 3/8" hoses. Those big hoses are miserable to drag around and are always in the way. I recently got a couple of 1/4" clear reinforced poly hoses to use with my nailers. I use high flow fittings and was wondering if anyone has any experience spraying with 1/4" hoses. I'm spraying shellac and WB clear finishes. I was thinking a ten foot 1/4" whip on the end of the 3/8" hose might work and be a lot more manageable.

I use 25' 1/4" hoses everywhere except for one heavy duty reel near a roll-up door for working on equipment outside. I put a short 1/4" whip on the end of most tools with a swivel at the tool. The 1/4" lines handle the nailers & staplers, ROS, impact wrenches, die grinder, needle scaler, etc.

One thing you might consider rather than dragging a long 3/8" hose around: plumb in several air outlets around the shop so you can connect shorter hoses. I used the 1/2" RapidAir system and put in eight outlets inside and out. I put the plastic tubing in the walls but it can also be run on the surface. I usually plug 25' coiled hoses into the outlets to connect the tools.

JKJ

[Wayne Lomman]

1/4" is fine. 3/8 is definitely way too heavy to drag around. You will seriously end up with structural problems with your spraying hand if you don't change. If you want to keep your 3/8" lines, a whip hose like you said is a good solution. Cheers

[Chris Parks]

As long as you have good driers and filtration before the 1/4" it should be fine. The smaller the hose the faster the air speed and faster air speed holds water in suspension more easily.

[Dave Cav]

Thanks; good info. Next time I'm in town I'll pick up a 25' 1/4" hose and a couple of fittings and make two 12' whips.

I have a pretty robust air system. It starts with an 80 gallon 5HP (but unfortunately single stage) 4 cylinder compressor that I got secondhand; I think the P.O. got it from Lowe's. I put a new motor on it and then played around with the drive pulleys so that it's pulling almost full load amps just before it shuts off. It runs my Dynabrades and all my air tools fine. I built a heat exchanger out of 1/2" copper pipe on the discharge side, and then plumed it all over the shop with 1/2" PEX. The run for the spray guns has an additional regulator and moisture separator and after that one of the big filters that uses an element that looks like a roll of toilet paper. So far no issues with air in the lines, but I'm also in northern Utah and the humidity tends to run pretty low. Most of the 3/8" line is up off the floor on hand cranked reels, but still when I pull enough off to shoot finish it's a major pain to drag it around and keep it straight.

[Dave Cav]

Well, that worked pretty well. I stopped at the industrial tool place this afternoon and picked up a 25' red 1/4" hose and when I got it home I cut it down into two whips with some 1/4" NPT x 1/4" barb fittings I had on hand. Works fine with the spray gun and MUCH easier to drag around; almost like no hose there at all from a weight and drag standpoint.

[Chris Parks]

I have seen some professionals attach the hose to a belt so the weight is not dragging on the gun.

[Jim Becker]

I have seen some professionals attach the hose to a belt so the weight is not dragging on the gun.
When I use my remote pot gun, I've jury-rigged similar to make it easier to work the gun without the extra stress of the hoses dragging.

[Tom M King]

You can get used to having a tail. Sometimes, when I'm doing airless spraying, I have the supplied air hood's hose joined by a lightweight extension cord for a halogen work light in the other hand, and the hose from the sprayer, all tied together, so I just have one thing to drag around. The supplied air hose has to be held by a belt, or the hood will blow off your head. I tie them all together with multiple pieces of small lengths of shoe laces, tied with bows. It's a lot better than managing three lengths of different things.

Cheap Halogen light because I don't want overspray on a good light. That's the only use I have for halogen work lights anymore. I don't mount the base on the bottom, or grill on the front, and it's a smaller one like 250w.

For other spraying with an air hose, I just hold the hose in the other hand. I'd rather be able to flip it out of the way without worrying about where it's dragging behind me, but for multiple lines, I'll drag them.