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View Full Version : Anyone Have Expierience With This Sprayer?



Paul Zonneveld
03-29-2007, 6:25 PM
Does anyone have some hands on expierience with this sprayer?

http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5853&refcode=07IN03RL

I have typically sprayed with a compressor system in the past, but the mess is unbearable most of the time. I was wondering if this system is worth it at this price and whether a good finish can be obtained?

Alex Berkovsky
03-29-2007, 9:52 PM
Paul,
I own an identical HF unit (http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44677) and used once to spray shellac. I say for the money, it performed very well. Prior to buying it, I did inquiry about it from the people who have used it and the response was positive.

Jim Becker
03-29-2007, 9:53 PM
Don't be fooled to think that "HVLP = no over spray". Even high-end HVLP systems have over spray, although it's more controllable than with many conventional guns--especially the inexpensive ones that come with many compressors or those purchased at the 'borg. "What" you spray makes a difference, too. Shellac, Lacquer, water borne acrylics--they all spray wonderfully and since they dry quickly, most over spray ends up being dry powder on the floor. Slow-drying finishes like oil-based varnishes are not a good choice for spraying as any little (or big) bit of over spray stays sticky for a very long time.

Personally I'd stick with my $130 Wager HVLP gun off my compressor before I'd even think about an $89 turbine system....especially considering most turbine systems (3 or 4 stage) that folks use typically cost $600-700-800. The conversion gun has a lot of adjustability and unlike the business end of the Woodcraft offering, is a pressure fed system, rather than a bleeder.

Bob Reda
03-30-2007, 7:11 AM
I'd go to gleempaint and get the refurbished wagner finecoat for $75 buy 2 and get them for $65 apiece. BOught a couple a few years back and still on the first one.

Bob

David Weaver
03-30-2007, 8:18 AM
If you don't like using a compressor, go ahead and get it. You can get good results with it - you just have fewer options than you would with a better compressor. It uses a viscosity cup system - if the finish doesn't flow out of the bottom of the viscosity cup in less than 20 seconds, then you have to thin your finish. Some of the thicker finishes that might go through the higher-end higher-psi systems might need thinned.

For the price, and if you just want to tinker, it's not a bad system. I don't know about lacquers and lacquer thinners - it tells you not to use them in one section of the book, and then tells how much they usually need to be thinned in another. The gun is plastic, with the exception of some of the innards, which are brass. The plastic is probably why the tell you not to use lacquer thinners, but I've had a piece of HDPE (same as the gun) sitting in lacquer thinner for a week and it hasn't made any change in the HDPE if I take it out and dry it off. Over a longer period of time, it would degrade the plastic, but just clean your gun and don't leave lacquer thinner in it. I'll be spraying nitrocellulose with mine, which the rockler guys have said customers have done, and they've never seen one come back as a pile of melted plastic. If you're unsure about a solvent in it, you can put some solvent in a jar and put a piece of HDPE (like #2 from a plastic food carton) and see if anything happens.

I've sprayed stew mac water based instrument lacquer without thinning and I got great results. It will send a lot of finish out toward the workpiece if you don't get it set up, so do some test pieces.

So, anyway, go for it - knowing what it is, it actually does a very good job. You'll be happy with it. If you like it, then you can move on to a higher grade turbine or compressor down the road.

Greg Caputo
03-30-2007, 1:36 PM
Hi, Paul:

I have the Rockler version of this same set-up. I bought it on sale as a way to get into spray finishing. I figured I would use it as a relatively inexpensive way to learn before committing to something more expensive and complicated since I had absolutely no experience with any sort of spray gun. If I had it to over, however, I would have gone straight to a conversion gun and skipped this purchase. I've learned that spraying isn't nearly the mystery I had conjured up in my head! I have the Wagner HVLP and it serves my needs quite well. Since you already have spray experience, I bet you don't have to ease into this like I did.

As to the set-up itself: it's a bleeder, so you have to be careful where it's pointing even when you're not spraying because it'll kick up any dust or dirt it can hit. I really didn't like the noise level, and because the hose is relatively short, the unit has to stay close by. I think some people have actually tried putting these into a box to help deaden the sound, but since you need to get so much air into the box I question how sound-proof it'll really be. Ear muffs (in addition to eye and breathing protection) were a necessity for me. It's easy to clean at the end of the day. I was able to spray shellac and water borne "lacquer" with it. The coverage was controllable and repeatable once I learned how to adjust it and how fast to move the gun across the workpiece. There is overspray. There's no getting away from that. But since I use fast drying material it's not a problem for me. There is very little bounce-back once the gun is adjusted properly. I tried once to spray latex paint. Didn't work at all, even thinned.

Hope this helps.

Greg

Paul Zonneveld
03-31-2007, 12:33 AM
Thanks for all of the replies and for the info on the Wagner system. I looked up the spayer that was mentioned, but I am not sure how it works so can one of you guys let me in on the secret. What makes it better than the standard sprayer. I did notice that the supply pressure at the gun appears to be really low? Is Gleempaint at good site to get this device. I have some large surface area jobs comming up that I would like to spray to save time and try to get a nice smooth finish.

Jim Becker
03-31-2007, 9:16 AM
Paul, the Wagner conversion gun is an HVLP conversion gun. Pressure at the gun regulator is set somewhere between 15-20 PSI with a supply pressure from the compressor at about 60 PSI in my shop. HVLP stands for "High Volume, Low Pressure". In a sense, this is the same type of gun used with low pressure turbine systems that has been "converted" to work off of a higher pressure air supply...hence both the name and the regulator at the gun.

Nathan at Gleem is a pleasure to do business with and that gun with the optional kit of projector sets and maintenance parts is one of the better values on the market for many hobbyists. Some pros even use it. There are certainly other choices available, too. If you have a reasonably sized compressor available (20 or more gallon is best), than a conversion gun should be something you consider over the inexpensive setup you posted about and it will serve you much better long-term with more materials. IMHO, of course.

Joe Chritz
03-31-2007, 12:19 PM
Like Jim said if you have a compressor a conversion gun will serve you well.

I use a DeVillbiss finishline. It is available as a kit now with 3 tips and a regulator for around $120.00.

If you don't have a compressor bigger than a pancake and you don't think you will need one than a turbine is great way to go. Also if you plan on working outside the shop with it a turbine is more "portable".

No experience with the unit you mention but I have a friend who uses a low cost Campbell-Hausfield version and he seems to like it. I was able to get decent results with his but the DeVilbiss was way easier to use for me.

Joe

JC Fetz
04-02-2007, 12:51 PM
I have that exact sprayer and I love it. I would highly recommend it. Here's a pic of a fishtank stand I made sprayed with satin poly. The finish came out much better than I expected from this low price unit. I've also sprayed shellac and have had excellent results. I get very little overspray compared with an older Binks or DeVillbis (can't remember) conversion gun that my brother owns. I have an air compressor, but while researching the best sprayer for my needs, I read that the conversion guns (like the Wagner) had lots of overspray so I figured I would try this unit. I have been very pleased.

Fetz