HVLP Questions

[Keith Barkhau]

If I may I'd like to sup of the font of knowledge that is Sawmill Creek....

I'm thinking of trying spray finishing for the first time (always been a wipe one, wipe off sort of guy) but had a couple of questions.

First on the equipment side, I've been looking at the turbine vs conversion gun question, but am unsure which is the best choice for me. I have a mid sized compressor (30 gal, 2hp, 6.4cfm@90psi (46.4cfm@90psi)) and was not sure if it had the umph to drive a conversion gun. Those of you with experience out there, what do you use?

If the compressor route won't cut it, I like the performance of the turbine systems, but I'm not really excited about dropping $700+ for a Fuji or Turbineair system. I've also looked at the HF/Rockler $100 units and have seen some *kinda* positive reviews on them, but I'm guessing you get what you pay for. Anyone have any experience with this cheap systems? Would this make a decent entre into spraying, or would I be better off feeding the $100 to my pug?

Then my second question is on the safety side. My shop is what was once a two car garage (LOML has graciously agreed to a hot car in the summer and scraping windows in the winter), so I don't really have the space to make a dedicated spray booth. I would expect to wear a respirator and goggles and open the garage door, but do I need an exhaust fan for more positive ventilation? Also, do I need to fully enclose the area where I spray (temporary walls or plastic sheets) or is it good enough to just have a panel or somesuch behind the project to catch the over spray. The last think I want is to spray my project and then have overspray settle on all of my equipment (or me).

Sorry for all the questions, but I am at a little bit of a loss here. I've been able to find a lot of posts on individual pieces of equipment, but really not much on the process/set up side.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JayStPeter]

Keith,

I just sprayed finish for the first time last weekend. You can see my story here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=29984).

I'm no expert, but I'll tell you how I came to make my decisions. I wanted a nice gun that is capable of spraying automotive finishes as well as wood. I chose a conversion gun as I already have a good sized compressor and could get good quality cheaper that way. Different guns have different air requirements. Based on how little my compressor ran, I would think that your compressor would be fine. Check the air requirements of guns before you buy.

In the link above you can see my spray booth. I'm glad I enclosed the whole thing, but I did wind up leaving some small gaps in the rear curtain to help my wimpy fan flow some air. The air got pretty cloudy in there, especially when I was spraying inside the cabinet as the overspray blasts back out.

Be careful when determining the cost of getting into spraying. Small things like respirator, inline air filters, gun cleaning kit, and even the plastic to make the booth all add up. I ran out of cash well before explosion proof fan and lights, but I plan on using only water based finish in the basement. A variant of my booth can be set up in the garage for future expansion into solvent based and automotive type finishes. Should be years of fun :D.

Good Luck

Jay

[Joe Chritz]

I am not an expert by any means but for $.02.

I have a coleman 5 HP compressor. It has a 20 gallon tank and I spray using a conversion gun. It is a clone of a really expensive gun but I can't remember where I got it right now. I'll have to do some record digging. When I get out the the shop in the AM I will get the brand. I did a lot of looking at forums on finishing and it was recommended.

It runs OK off my compressor but I could use a slightly larger tank as I runs a bit. This was when I was spray pre-cat on doors and trim for a whole house project. All told I sprayed about 3 gallons of stain and about 15 gallons of pre-cat so far and it has been a good system.

Pre-cat flashes in about 8 minutes so there is little overspray and no problem with crud in the finish.

Eventually I will step up to a nicer gun but for now it sprays better then I do.

I still use waterlox for some finishes but three coats in less then 2 hours is tought to give up.

Joe

[Earl Kelly]

Keith,
Look up Homestead Finishing they have some Asturo guns that work with very little air. These are not cheap, but they are high quality. Jeff Jewitt, will help you select the correct gun for your use.

Yes, you need some type of booth. Even though laquer dries fast it still gets overspray , or more like dried dust, on anything close.

[tod evans]

keith, there`s been a couple of threads on this subject in the last month do a search please it`ll save my poor typing finger......02 tod

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=29552&highlight=hvlp

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=29301&highlight=hvlp

http://www.spraygunworld.com/Information2/LOWAIRGUNSWood.htm

[Phil Phelps]

and for the past 38 years, I know what I like. But, I am not spraying in the garage. First, know this. A HVLP will produce overspray, but about 60-75% less than a siphon gun. So, if you are using a HVLP and spray a 12" square panel, you'll be ok. But when you spray cabinets and doors, you'll produce a lot of overspray. You need to be outdoors or have an efficient spray booth. And, yes, the overspray will fly all over your garage without an exhaust system. About your choice of guns. Your compressor will run more often with a 20 gallon tank, larger tank, less. Turbines, like Acuspray, are nice but pricey, but, you get what you pay for. Bottom line, if you spray in an enclosed area, you need a spray booth, and that takes up room. If not, use lacquer and spray out doors.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Keith, I remember well being in your position. After spending countless hours on a piece of furniture, the last thing you want to do is ruin it, but I really wanted to start spraying. I'm glad I made the plunge.

I opted to go with the Porter Cable hvlp conversion gun. I've only ever used a PC pancake compressor with it as it's all I have. Not something that I would recommend, but, truth be told, it's faired pretty well. I figured I run it in the ground and then buy big, but the thing just won't die! :D I have to be careful to take my time while I spray but it's worked. Regardless, I wouldn't go this route and at some point need to replace the old thing.

I shoot a pre-cat lacquer in my garage without a spray booth. I open up my garage door, cover what needs to be covered tool wise and wear a respirator. Because the lacquer dries unbelievably quick, you don't have to worry about creatures messing up the finish. When I lived in NW Indiana, the winter time was more of a trick.

I'm sure I am a major offense to all finishing pro's, but my system has worked well for me and I've had no problems. Learning how to spray, IMHO, takes the look of your project to that next step. So go for it, learn how to do it now, and you'll never look back.

[Keith Barkhau]

Thanks for the info everyone. :D

I definitely want to move to spray finishing, but I'm still trying to figure out the right set up for me. Setting up a spray booth is still a concern for me (although Jay's set up might work for me).

Has anyone had good luch with spraying outside?