Apollo spray system

[Donald Hofmann]

I need a spray system and know nothing about them. I will use it for spraying wood conditioner, stain and poly (if it will spray poly). I will use it for trim and doors in a house. Also woodworking projects. Would also use it to paint an old truck or tractor if possible

I am a hobbyist so don't want to spend a fortune. Which of the Apollo eco systems would do what I need?

Thanks

[Jim Becker]

David, if by "poly" you mean oil based products, I suggest you re-think spraying them...because they dry so slowly, the over-spray is a major sticky mess and since you cannot recoat with any kind of frequency, there's a lot of gun cleaning, repeat, repeat. Spraying is best for quick drying finishes, such as dye, shellac and safer-to-use water borne finishes that are very prevalent today. I don't recommend you spray solvent based products like lacquer unless you are willing to put in a proper spray environment for safety or can work outside in the open air.

For hobbyist use, focus on having a decent gun that can support the range of viscosities of the various finishes you intend to spray. The lowest end turbine systems are not necessarily the best choice in that regard, especially for more viscous water borne products like...paint. Look to the middle-of-the-line. I'm not familiar with Apollo but perhaps others will be able to provide more specific guidance.

[Donald Hofmann]

Thanks for the response. I have a Graco airless system for spraying latex and oil base paint for stuff like my house, fences, barns, etc- so I have that covered.

I have a farm/welding shop with a spark proof fan so I am set up for spraying lacquer if I want to.
I am mainly interested in spraying stain and some type of finish. I only have experience with the old spar varnish and poly's so will have to take a look at the water borne finishes.

I have no preference for any particular brand, I just see Apollo advertised frequently.

Thanks

[Edward Dyas]

I wouldn't recommend a turbine type sprayer. They are alright for spraying latex wall paint but come up short for spraying wood or vehicles. The turbine sprayers tend to splatter the paint where a conventional sprayer turns the paint into a finer mist so it works better for your needs. You don't have to buy a high dollar sprayer, the cheap sprayers harbor freight sells works very well. You would just need an air compressor. Then spraying something the size of a truck you would need a compressor that would create 6 cfm at 40 psi. A tractor you generally take them apart as much as possible so the air supply isn't so much an issue. You spray one part of it at a time and the compressor has a chance of catching up.

If you plan on spraying a finish inside a house that can be challenging. You would need a very fast drying finish or the overspray would stick to other things. A finish such as lacquer could be used inside a house however any finish that contains solvents you need to go through the house and turn off anything that might have an open flame. I even turn on all the lights and leave them on. Switching a light can create a spark.

[Jim Becker]

Even though I use and love a conversion gun, I have to respectfully disagree with you, Edward. A quality turbine system with the correct gun setup atomizes a wide variety of finishes. I'd go so far as to say that unless you have a higher end one, they actually are not great for typical latex paint. But for shellac, solvent based lacquer and today's waterborne acrylic finishes, a mid-range turbine will do a very nice job when setup correctly.

Now I do personally prefer my conversion gun and because I have a large compressor, there was no reason to consider a turbine system as it would be redundant for my shop. And, of course, the compressor provides utility for a lot of other uses, too. A turbine system is pretty much dedicated to spraying finishes.

[Robert Maloney]

With turbines the higher number of stages, the higher the pressure output. Which in turn means you can spray thicker materials. Apollo's top of the line 5 stage compressor has a 10psi output. I have a 4 stage and with the proper needle and nozzle I can spray some of the thicker waterbased acrylics. You might still have to thin them. I have not tried to spray latex. The high end turbines are very pricey. If you already have a compressor you would be better served to go that route. As others have said you can do a lot with a simple Harbor Freight gun. I bought the turbine solely due to shop constraints. If I had the space I would have gone the compressor route. More than one use for a compressor.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I bought an Apollo Turbine 5 last year. Is sprayed oil based house paint with it. Apollo sells many different size needles and caps for different products.

I got the 3M PPS system to make clean up a bit easier, but because of the volume of stuff I was spraying, I actually switched to using my Graco airless Magnum X5 to do most of the project.

Previously, I had sprayed a couple of motorcycles with an automotive, compressed air type gun.

The Apollo was not cheap, around $1500. It's way to setup and use and convenient if you need to take it to a different location to paint.

With thinning, you can pretty much spray anything through it, but between my compressor based spray setup and airless sprayer, I'm not really sure I would buy it again.

[Ronald Teti]

I got the apollo Eco 4 (stage) turbine.
Great gun for spraying everything you said you wanted it for.

I spray a lot of General finishes water base poly no problem. Ive also sprayed acrylic no problem . I bought a larger nozzle and needle w air cap, spray my shed with Behr outdoor stain and sealer, no problem.

I havent found anything that I wanted to spray that I couldn't(so far). I havent tried latex yet but they sell a larger N/N Aircap for that so I cant ccomment about Latex.

The gun has been updated now makes it easier to adjust.

Woodcraft has the Eco 4 for about $800, they sell the Eco 5 (stage turbine) for about $100 more.

[Donald Hofmann]

Thanks for the responses.