Cheap hvlp spray system

[Prashun Patel]

http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=147094&FamilyID=5853

Has anyone used this 'el cheapo' hvlp spray system?

[Casey Gooding]

I've had one for several years and like it. I'm not a finishing pro but this does what I need it to do.
That being said, most of the time, I'd rather apply a hand rubbed finish anyway.

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks, Casey. What do you spray with it?

[Larry Fox]

No experience with it but if you have a decent compressor I think your better option is to invest the $$ in a conversion gun.

[Matthew Voss]

No experience with it but if you have a decent compressor I think your better option is to invest the $$ in a conversion gun.


Agree 100%

[Ryan Cassidy]

Remember.... Just getting a gun won't let you properly finish items. Equate it to buying a Saw Blade and Motor, but no Table Saw. You need to have the proper oil/water filtration between the gun and the compressor. I'd recommend a Oil/Water Separator, Dessicant (Sp?) Filter and then a little paper filter at the gun.

Oil/Water gets out the oil/water (visible) out of the line, the Dessicant (Spelling?) gets the water out of the air itself. You'd be amazed how much these two take out. The Paper Filter at the gun just give you a little extra filtration in case and small dessicant particals get out.

Cheers,
Ryan

[Prashun Patel]

I have a crappy compressor.

I guess I'm back to considering the Earlex.

[Mike McCann]

Shawn

I have the roclker verson of that hvlp system. It works for what I need. I have sprayed milk paint, polycrilic and target usl with it and it seems to work well for me. I am definitely not an expert finisher however.

Mike

[Tim Solley]

I bought this HVLP many years ago when it was sold by Harbor Freight. The same unit is/was sold by Woodcraft, HF, and Rockler. At the time it cost me about $50 and I thought "what the heck". To be truthful, I love this thing. I don't want to spend many hundreds of dollars on spray equipment, and this unit has given me several great finished projects.

[Terry Clark]

Tim,

I've been thinking about this sprayer for some time now. Will it handle latex paint if thined enough?

Terry

[Tim Solley]

Hi Terry. You know I haven't tried latex paint yet. I plan to, just haven't needed to yet. I would assume that with enough thinning (I understand Floetrol is best) it will spray it.

If you do try it, I'd be very interested to see how your experience goes.

[Jim Becker]

Tim, Flotrol doesn't really "thin" paint...although you can add a certain amount to the paint toward that end, but that certain amount is about 10% max. In the end, the best spray system for latex paint is an airless system. If you need colors for woodworking projects, a water borne 100% acrylic designed for spraying and tinted to your desire shade will spray nicer and give you a much better finish. And one that doesn't suffer from "blocking". (sticking of objects)

[Dewey Torres]

Tim, Flotrol doesn't really "thin" paint...

Jim,
Are you kidding me:eek:. I bought the stuff because my HVLP recommended it. Maybe I misunderstood...are you saying I wasted my money?

[Casey Gooding]

I've used latex paint, oil-based paint, stain, shellac, polyurethane and lacquer with mine. Just have to make sure you clean it well between uses.

[Jim Becker]

Jim,
Are you kidding me. I bought the stuff because my HVLP recommended it. Maybe I misunderstood...are you saying I wasted my money?

No waste of money. The original "intention" for Flotrol is to help latex paint flow out and level more easily during application--specifically brushing if I recall accurately. I think that one of our painting pros posted about this awhile back in another thread. It's an additive, not a "thinner". But the product certainly benefits folks who choose to spray latex paint as long as you don't exceed the acceptable ratio for the additive. If you merely want to thin, you can use a little water, frankly...but only a little. I personally have used Flotrol to help with this process, although it was back before I bought an HVLP conversion gun and when I was shooting exterior semi-gloss on my garage doors with the cheap bleeder gun that came with my old compressor. It really did help! I'm going to guess that the properties it imparts for smooth leveling during brushing also benefits spraying.

Please excuse me being anal sometimes about how something is described. It can be annoying I know, but hopefully it's sometimes helpful.

[Dewey Torres]

Got it Jim... thanks for the clarification.

PS I don't mind reading detailed posts.