Harbor Freight HVLP is great!

[Tim Solley]

Okay, just to qualify this statement, I've never used a "real" HVLP gun before, so I can't compare the results to a high dollar system.

I bought the HF turbine HVLP a month or so ago and used it last night for the first time on a real project to spray Behlen Solar Lux dye on an ottoman I'm building. I have used this dye before with disastrous results because I was wiping on. The result was awesome with this sprayer. I'm totally sold on HVLP sprayers!

Anyway, I picked it up at HF for $64 after presenting an ad and having a coupon. Rockler has the same sprayer for $100. And now Woodcraft has also picked up the sprayer and is selling it for $100. The bottom line is, if you're like me and you want to get in to the spraying world with minimal investment, this is a great way to start!

Tim

[Alex Berkovsky]

Tim,
Is this the same sprayer (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44677) you are refering to? If so, I have one still sitting in the box and I am hoping to use it this weekend to spray shellac. Any tips you can offer are appreciated?

[Tim Solley]

Alex,

Yes that's the sprayer I bought. It's a great sprayer for the money, I'll tell you that. I'm totally sold on spraying. Last night I put the first coat of Waterlox on my project with it, and it came out great. I've never used shellac, but I believe it has about the same viscosity as the Waterlox. I plan to spray another project with shellac this weekend myself. The sprayer comes with three tip sizes, use the smallest size and you should get good results.

I highly recommend you practice first on some cardboard, whether you've used sprayers before or not. That's what I did, and it allowed me to get the hang of how it worked. I tried out the vertical, horizontal, and circular spray patterns. I got a feel for the flow setting.

When you're ready to shoot the shellac on your project, adjust the fluid flow all the way in so that no fluid will flow. Turn on the sprayer, and slowly open that valve while holding the trigger and spraying at some cardboard. Keep the fluid flow VERY light so you can go slow. Then start spraying the project using spray techniques that are availble on the web or in books. Keep moving and keep the coats THIN. Material will build up super fast and run if you're not careful. I found that a bright halogen shop light at an angle to the piece was very helpful at showing me what parts I had already hit with the finish. That cuts down on the chances of a run.

Whew. That's about all I've got from my limited experience. Good luck with the spraying. Just practice first and then go at the piece with confidence and you'll likely find that like me, finishing can actually be fun, and not something to be dreaded!

Tim

[Alex Berkovsky]

Tim,
Thanks for all the tips. I will definitelly practice spraying first. Can I use tap water for the practice run? Did you set up some kind of a spray booth or did you spray outside?

[Tim Solley]

I too started out spraying tap water. But I found that I couldn't tell whether I was getting the right results or not. So I thinned down a little bit of dye and used that for practice (it was a color we didn't like anyway). That way I could tell if my technique was good or if I was missing spots or doubling up.

As for a booth, I just opened up my garage door half way for ventilation. Then I used some big black binder clips to drape a canvas drop cloth across it, creating a "blast wall. I then put my project on a cart and sprayed it up against the garage door, so any over spray went right into the drop cloth. I haven't seen any material get on any of my tools or anything. I hardly see any overspray at all for that matter.

One tip I'll share with you if you haven't already heard it. If you can, drive a drywall screw part way into each corner of your project on the bottom. That will get the whole thing off the table and allow you to get good material flow around the bottom. I did this on my latest project and it works great. I also plan to make a turn table platform for finishing, so that I can easily turn the piece and always be shooting against my "blast wall".

Tim

[john whittaker]

Tim...thanks for the review. I am looking at this unit to spray lacquer and other finishes. The low price has me concerned but I'm not a pro and will use it very sparingly so I might give it a shot.

Do you think the Woodcraft model has any upgrades over the HF model? More accessories etc...???

Thanks again...

[Alex Berkovsky]

...Do you think the Woodcraft model has any upgrades over the HF model? More accessories etc...???John,
I think HF, Rockler, and now Woodcraft are all exactly the same units.

[Tim Solley]

Tim...thanks for the review. I am looking at this unit to spray lacquer and other finishes. The low price has me concerned but I'm not a pro and will use it very sparingly so I might give it a shot.

Do you think the Woodcraft model has any upgrades over the HF model? More accessories etc...???

Thanks again...

I don't think the Woodcraft model has anything extra, just the price. FYI, I was in a HF store this evening to pick up a air stapler, and saw the HVLP sprayer for $69. If you use a 20% off coupon, it's an even sweeter deal than I got it for.

Oh yeah, Alex, and I just finished up spraying a project with shellac. I used the smallest tip and just had to increase the fluid delivery a bit. It sprayed on beautifully.

Tim

[John A. Williams]

Tim, thanks for the tips. where did you get the 20% coupon?

[David Scigliano]

You said this comes with 3 tip sizes? what are the sizes? What size fan pattern does it spray? Just trying to see if it is better than a detail gun....Thanks

[Tim Solley]

Tim, thanks for the tips. where did you get the 20% coupon?

If you sign up for HF's email list on their web site, they send you coupons once or twice a week. If you need to get one now, you can search SMC for HF coupon and you should find something. I myself keep a whole stack of them in my truck for whenever I go into one of the stores. They're expired, but a manager just comes over and overrides it.

Tim

[Tim Solley]

You said this comes with 3 tip sizes? what are the sizes? What size fan pattern does it spray? Just trying to see if it is better than a detail gun....Thanks

I'm not really sure what the tip sizes are. The manual that came with the gun stinks. The manual on Rockler is better, though I'm not sure if it details the tip sizes or not. Same goes for the pattern size, I have no idea. Maybe the Woodcraft version has a better manual.

Tim

[Jeff Caskie]

where did you get the 20% coupon?

Here are the two links where HF posts their coupons. Then tend to stagger them... and currently no 20% going on..

link1 (http://ww2.harborfreightusa.com/showpage_retail.taf?pageid=202&email=)
link2 (http://ww2.harborfreightusa.com/showpage_retail.taf?pageid=214&email=)

note- they also use three different websites. If you find it lower on the website, print it off and bring it in. They will usually price match (at their discretion).

www.harborfreight.com
www.harborfreightusa.com
www.harborfreightsalvage.com

[Tim Solley]

It just so happens I have a 20% off coupon saved on my computer. As Jeff said, find the lowest price and print it out. Then print out the coupon. Take them in to the store (my store has the HVLP for $69, which is cheaper than their web site). Hand them the ad (if needed) and the coupon. When they scan the coupon, it won't show up in their system because it's expired. If they're nice, the manager will override it and give you 20% off. If not, you still get it for lots cheaper than Woodcraft and Rockler.

Tim

[Vaughn McMillan]

Tim, I've been reading this thread with a lot of interest. I've never used an HVLP system. How difficult or time-consuming is it to clean it after you use it? Does it waste much finish in the process of priming the gun (and afterwards, when you clean it)? Most of my project pieces are small (like trinket boxes), and I'm trying to decide it the HVLP system would save time, or if the finish is appreciably better, if the added time would be worth the final results. (Using a spray can or brush seems fast, but if I spend half my time fixing flaws in the finish, the time savings is lost.) At $70 (and maybe less, depending on whether my local store accepts the coupon), it's very tempting, but I'm wondering if it will improve my quality or quantity. Any thoughts or suggestions?

- Vaughn

[Tim Solley]

Tim, I've been reading this thread with a lot of interest. I've never used an HVLP system. How difficult or time-consuming is it to clean it after you use it? Does it waste much finish in the process of priming the gun (and afterwards, when you clean it)? Most of my project pieces are small (like trinket boxes), and I'm trying to decide it the HVLP system would save time, or if the finish is appreciably better, if the added time would be worth the final results. (Using a spray can or brush seems fast, but if I spend half my time fixing flaws in the finish, the time savings is lost.) At $70 (and maybe less, depending on whether my local store accepts the coupon), it's very tempting, but I'm wondering if it will improve my quality or quantity. Any thoughts or suggestions?

- Vaughn

Vaughn,

Before I bought this HVLP system, I had never sprayed anything either. I got goosebumps every time I thought about the finishing process with dread.

Time wise, this is a time saver for me. The gun breaks down into all it's individual pieces in about a minute. It takes about two minutes to put it together and fill with finish. Hook up the air hose and off I go. I'm currently finishing an ottoman that would probably take me 30-45 minutes to finish by hand. I timed it last night, and it took me under two minutes to spray it. Then cleaning time is about five minutes. I dump the finish back into the container. I stick a shop towel in the cup to soak up some of the excess finish, then put a little thinner in the cup. Put the cup back on and shake. Pour the thinner out and put a little more fresh thinner in. Then I hook up the hose again and spray some of the thinner through the gun into a old paint can for this purpose. Dump out the thinner, disasemble the gun, and wipe down all the parts. That's it.

Last night I finished one project with shellac and the ottoman with Waterlox. From the time I told my wife, "Honey, I'm off to do some finishing" to the time I was out of the shower and clean was about 30 minutes. The time saved would increase exponentially on a larger project. For small projects it seems strange to spend 10 minutes setting up/breaking down and two minutes actually finishing, but on a large piece it would really make sense.

As for loss of finish, that's to be expected since you're going to shoot some of the finish right into the air at the edges of the piece. But last night I cracked open a new can of Waterlox, and when I was done spraying the ottoman and put the finish back, it still looked full.

Did I mention that the finish is coming out FAR superior to anything I can do with a brush? Of course, I'm no expert with a brush.

Hope this helps. At the price of this unit, it's certainly worth a try to broaden your skill inventory.

Tim

[Vaughn McMillan]

I think you talked me into it, Tim. At the current sale price, it won't take much for it to pay for itself. ;) My typical box takes me an evening or two to fabricate, then the next month or so to finish. :o

- Vaughn

[Tim Solley]

Glad I could help Vaughn. I still regard myself as a beginner woodworker, it's nice to be able to help someone else out once in a while!

Maybe you'll be like me and will start to enjoy the finishing process now...

Tim

P.S. - Very jealous of your weather right now. I used to live in southern California. I miss the weather :mad:

[Ben Roman]

Its been really humid here .. I am also from So Cal (Tustin) all my life. I do not miss it at all.. I am going to try and pickup one of these at the Local Harbor Round Rock and see what happens.

Ben

[Tim Solley]

Its been really humid here .. I am also from So Cal (Tustin) all my life. I do not miss it at all.. I am going to try and pickup one of these at the Local Harbor Round Rock and see what happens.

Ben

Hey Ben, don't get me wrong, I don't miss LA a bit. Every time I go back to visit family....yuck. I do miss the weather though, especially the last few days. We have an old Honda Civic with broken A/C and a new Dodge Ram. I have a pregnant wife. Guess who gets to drive the old Honda with broken A/C????? :eek:

That price on the HVLP was a limited time deal, so I would recommend you move on it. I didn't notice when it expires.

I'm surprised how many SMC members there are from Austin and the surrounding area. We should have a Austin SMC beer night...

Tim

[Ben Roman]

I will host it if we have one..... I live in Georgetown.

I hardly go back to So Cal to see the family anymore... No more 405 or 5 fwy nightmares..


Ben

[Tim Solley]

I will host it if we have one..... I live in Georgetown.

I hardly go back to So Cal to see the family anymore... No more 405 or 5 fwy nightmares..


Ben

Hmm...maybe I should organize it. My other hobby is homebrewing...could be a nice combination. Of course, having the kegerator in my shop can be a dangerous proposition :D

Funny you should mention the 405/5 freeways. My dad and I landed a plane on that interchange in 1996....perhaps a story for beer night :p

Tim

[Ben Roman]

Looking forward to the Beer and the Plane Adventure..

Ben

[John Bush]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of how the HVLP would do with a latex paint and all I could envision was one of you guys pouring a Shiners Bock into the sprayer for the get together.

Can these systems spray materiels other than thin finishes?? Latex paint for outdoor funiture etc?? Thanks. JCB.

[Tim Solley]

Oh John now you have the gears turning! If you could atomize beer in a closed booth without a respirator, you could just breathe the beer! You wouldn't even need to drink it!

Okay, I've lost it now, it's time to go home. (I know I've lost it when I say something maniacal like "You wouldn't need to drink it". I'm a homebrewer for crying out loud, I live to taste the sweet nectar!)

From what I understand, you can spray paint just fine, you just have to thin it down first and try out some larger tip sizes. I've seen ol' Norm spray paint on the New Yankee Workshop. I've never tried this myself though, so don't take my word for it alone.

Tim

[Brad Tallis]

Tim-

I wanted to give you a big "Thank You". I read your post, saw the price of the turbine HVLP gun and looked it up online. They had it listed for $79.00.

I then printed out your 20% off coupon and headed to HF. I found the gun, but they had it marked at $99.00. So, I called over a helper and he said that they would match the price on the webpage (I had a printout).

I went to buy it, and because it was mismarked, they knocked 10% off the $79.00 price. Then, I got another 20% off with the coupon, so I got the whole thing for just over $55.00 with tax! :D

I felt like I was ripping them off, but, oh well. :)

So, thanks for posting the turbine review and the coupon. I'll also post a review later on what I think of the unit.

Brad

[Tim Solley]

Tim-

I wanted to give you a big "Thank You". I read your post, saw the price of the turbine HVLP gun and looked it up online. They had it listed for $79.00.

I then printed out your 20% off coupon and headed to HF. I found the gun, but they had it marked at $99.00. So, I called over a helper and he said that they would match the price on the webpage (I had a printout).

I went to buy it, and because it was mismarked, they knocked 10% off the $79.00 price. Then, I got another 20% off with the coupon, so I got the whole thing for just over $55.00 with tax! :D

I felt like I was ripping them off, but, oh well. :)

So, thanks for posting the turbine review and the coupon. I'll also post a review later on what I think of the unit.

Brad

Brad, I'm glad that worked out for you. I thought I got a smokin' deal, your deal was slightly better! I too sometimes feel like I'm taking advantage, but HF has this as their business model, so I guess they're making enough money to be happy. Last night I purchased a 1/4" crown stapler that listed for $39.99. With my web page printout ($19.99) and coupon, I walked out of there paying just over $14. That's a tought deal to beat.

Tim

[Richard Blaine]

Since thinning is not an option with some waterborne finishes (it messes up the ratios of additives to solids,) the gun must have the power to shoot the finish straight or with minimal thinning (10%.)

Has anyone run waterborne finishes through this gun? What has been your experience?




Funny you should mention the 405/5 freeways. My dad and I landed a plane on that interchange in 1996....perhaps a story for beer night :p

Tim

Tim,

I remember reading about that in the papers. Now, I know you do what you gotta do in an emergency, but how much explaining did you have to do after the touch down. I've heard the aviation people can be pretty nasty after the fact.

[Tim Solley]

Tim,

I remember reading about that in the papers. Now, I know you do what you gotta do in an emergency, but how much explaining did you have to do after the touch down. I've heard the aviation people can be pretty nasty after the fact.

Richard,

The FAA can be incredibly nasty. Let me put it this way: That day we landed on the freeway around 11:30 AM. We finally got off the freeway around 10:00 PM that night.

They're not near as nasty as the U.S. Secret Service though. My dad was flying to Vegas last year at the same time Bush was in town. Wherever the president goes is prohibited airspace. Well, air traffic control screwed up and cleared him to land at an airport within the prohibited zone. When he and my mom landed, the convoy of black Suburbans came fast and hard. Then they looked up to see the F-18s circling above. Luckily the radio recordings cleared him, but I think he needed some new underroos after that one.

Flying is fun stuff :D

Tim

[Jerry Strojny]

Tim,

Now you've got me really looking at this thing. I have always never liked the finishing process and have been thinking about trying this method. Now it is being made available for a great deal. Problem for me will be tapping into my G0490 jointer fund to buy it. I have a crib to make for our first born and I would really like a jointer before I start work on it.....this forum is going to be the end of me. (and my pocketbook:D ) We are registering tonight....maybe we'll get done in time to run over to HF too....hmmm....I just hope I will enjoy using it as much as seem to.

[Tim Solley]

Tim,

Now you've got me really looking at this thing. I have always never liked the finishing process and have been thinking about trying this method. Now it is being made available for a great deal. Problem for me will be tapping into my G0490 jointer fund to buy it. I have a crib to make for our first born and I would really like a jointer before I start work on it.....this forum is going to be the end of me. (and my pocketbook:D ) We are registering tonight....maybe we'll get done in time to run over to HF too....hmmm....I just hope I will enjoy using it as much as seem to.

Jerry,

If you're off to register tonight, don't plan on making it by HF. I had the same hope a few months ago when we registered. Only problem was, it takes hours to register. It is truly mind boggling how much stuff society has come up with that parents just "have to have"! I mean honestly, who leaves home without their cigarette lighter powered three minute bottle warmer? Crazy people, that's who!

Oh, and congrats on the baby. I too am building my first born's furniture. It was a great excuse to buy all the missing tools for my shop :D:cool:

Tim

[Jim DeLaney]

I hardly go back to So Cal to see the family anymore... No more 405 or 5 fwy nightmares..
Ben

Amen to that! I've been out of Tustin for about a year and a half now, and don't miss the congestion or the traffic a bit! Having four seasons (again) is also a nice change.

[Alex Berkovsky]

...Can these systems spray materiels other than thin finishes?? Latex paint for outdoor funiture etc?John,
I recalled reading something about spraying latex with this unit on WoodNet and found the post (http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2016836&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=all&vc=1).

[Vaughn McMillan]

...Very jealous of your weather right now. I used to live in southern California. I miss the weather :mad:
I enjoy the weather, but sure don't like living with 8 million of my closest friends. Fortunately, I'm on the very edge of civilization here, so I have fewer "people hassles" than most folks here. Still, it's a toss-up whether to drive to HF (about 20-30 minutes away in rush hour traffic) for the chance to use the 20% coupon, or if it'd be less stressful to simply order the sprayer online and pay shipping.

I used to like living here a lot more back in the days when they used to let people land their planes on the 405. :D

- Vaughn