Charlie Plesums
04-17-2006, 3:45 PM
I have been happily using the Porter Cable PSH1 conversion HVLP spray gun for a couple years - exclusively with lacquer - happy until recently.
A couple weeks ago, the gun started spitting rather than spraying...not a very even distribution, with pretty gross droplets...definitely not a fine mist. One suggestion was that I hand't mixed the satin lacquer well enough, so it needed filtering. So I have cleaned the gun every which way, multiple times, including disassembly. Soaked the nozzle and needle valve in solvent. Run fine wires through all 14 air nozzles, plus cleaned the air gap around the needle valve. Multiple times.
I have only sprayed gloss (no sediment) since the problem started. Spraying pure lacquer thinner, the best I seem to be able to do is get a "figure 8" fan... much more at the two sides than in the middle. To me that suggests that the air isn't coming out around the needle valve right, but I have double cleaned and checked that area.
Overall I have probably sprayed 50 gallons of lacquer with the gun (not counting the gallons of thinner), most of it gloss (no sediment). Could it be worn out? Any suggestions besides "clean it again?"
A couple weeks ago, the gun started spitting rather than spraying...not a very even distribution, with pretty gross droplets...definitely not a fine mist. One suggestion was that I hand't mixed the satin lacquer well enough, so it needed filtering. So I have cleaned the gun every which way, multiple times, including disassembly. Soaked the nozzle and needle valve in solvent. Run fine wires through all 14 air nozzles, plus cleaned the air gap around the needle valve. Multiple times.
I have only sprayed gloss (no sediment) since the problem started. Spraying pure lacquer thinner, the best I seem to be able to do is get a "figure 8" fan... much more at the two sides than in the middle. To me that suggests that the air isn't coming out around the needle valve right, but I have double cleaned and checked that area.
Overall I have probably sprayed 50 gallons of lacquer with the gun (not counting the gallons of thinner), most of it gloss (no sediment). Could it be worn out? Any suggestions besides "clean it again?"