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43430 HF gun?

3K views 17 replies 7 participants last post by  brandonA. 
#1 ·
Hi guys I have decided to go to a gravity feed gun and I would like to step up to an hvlp gun. I have found alot of good feedback on the harborfreight gun 43430 which I know now has a new model number. I will only be using this gun a few times per year so I don't want a really expensive gun so this looks like a good one to start with. My question is this-

-So far I have only sprayed acrylic enamel paints and would be using this gun for this and eventually I may advance with the times and try basecoat clear system. But for now it has to spray acrylic enamel paints well. It seems like everyone has stated it sprays everything else well so I'd like to order one after I get a few opinions.

-I know the nozzle size is 1.4 mm will this be an issue with acrylic enamels?

Thanks I am still trying to learn!!!
 
#4 ·
You should always mix the proper ratio of paint to hardener (although I don't think an enamel is quite as critical for this, since its an air dry system, and they make universal hardeners).
The reduction amount can be varied within reason, from what is listed (or even if its not called for by the manufacturer) in the tech sheets, with the proper solvent,if you need to over reduce it some to get your gun to atomize the material better. Be sure if using more reducer then called for, you are even more mindfull of allowing proper flash time, or even extend them, because of the extra solvent that has to escape.

Can't advise on the hf gun, as I haven't used it. I believe I heard in the past though, some mention it is quite the air hog, and that you have a compressor up to the task. Hvlp guns really don't like it if they are starved for air.

Hopefully you get a good one out of the box, but one thing to watch for with cheap chinese guns is you may have to take it apart and clean it when you first get it. With little quality control, sometimes oils from the machining process don't get all cleaned out, and that could lead to fisheyes in the paint job. I've also heard people say on here that it took returning them a few times till they got a good one, or they had grease blocking passages and didn't spray right until they cleaned it out.

Once you get that enamel laying down well, laying down a urethane might be a tad easier.
 
#5 ·
Well my last worry is that my compressor isn't up to the task of spraying with this gun as it is only a 25 gallon 6hp with 6.8 cfm at 90 psi and 8.6 @ 40psi. When I paint it will be a full vehicle and am afraid it won't keep up. It would be fine for a fender but not sure about a whole car.

So is there a gravity feed conventional gun that is known to spray well? For under $100. I am looking for that glass look... I need one

Thanks
 
#8 ·
O.k. I've got to be honest I have shot 3 cars with my devilbliss conventional gun and my air compressor did fine but I don't like how the gun sprays. I was gonna go with the HF43430 gun but I have about 10hrs of research invested on reading forums and everyone states the HVLP guns use up air faster than the conventional guns. *Now this makes no sense to me as you set the regulator lower to run these guns..... *But if you are correct the HVLP gun should work. I just can't find anyone until now that says an HVLP guns are not air hogs they all (or most of them) suck more air than my old conventional gun (according to 99 %) of what I have read.... This is becoming way more confusing than it needs to be... Thanks for your help can you explain the information I have come across?????
 
#9 ·
For example the hvlp gun I am looking at needs 9.5 to 14.8 cfm and my conventional gun requires 4-7cfm.

-Now the Hvlp runs at a lower pressure but I believe it flows the air faster


-But the conventional flows less air but requires a higher line pressure say 40psi where the hvlp may only require 20psi

-So how does this work out which one would make the compressor work harder?
 
#11 ·
I am still confused as to which gun would make the compressor work harder. I believe it is the HVLP due to what it is rated at..... I am correct or missing something. I know my compressor can handle my conventional gun but HVLP is another issue... It is rated for more cfm= 9.5 to 14.8 cfm and my conventional gun requires 4-7cfm.



-If not what conventional gun gravity feed would be good to use for under $100.... Is this HF 47016 gun a good spraying option?

Thanks for the reply!
 
#12 ·
I have a compressor similar to yours and can guarantee you the 43430 uses much more air. I can only paint small pieces with it. You might be able to paint a car but you are going to have to do it apart and let your compressor catch up between pieces. I'm not a pro, so I have no idea if the 47016 is up to your standards but it did very nice job for me with my limited knowledge. It delivered as nice of a job as I have ever gotten out of the 43430 but, like I said, uses much more paint(overspray).
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the advice I am losing my mind right now as I am in the middle of painting my truck. I just sprayed the top and it is covered in orange peel that doesn't need to be there. Now I need a conventional gravity feed gun I that sprays well. As the gun I have has a history of doing this....
 
#16 ·
Do you know how to set up your gun? Do you have a regulator at your gun inlet. A mistake I did early on was setting the pressure without pulling the trigger. I got a lot of peel. I find setting your pressure first, then your fan (6-8"), and then your fluid volume to control runs works best. I just painted a car and used 12" wide aluminum flashing to tell me what my gun was doing and it worked great.
 
#17 ·
brandonA. said:
I am still confused as to which gun would make the compressor work harder. I believe it is the HVLP due to what it is rated at..... I am correct or missing something. I know my compressor can handle my conventional gun but HVLP is another issue... It is rated for more cfm= 9.5 to 14.8 cfm and my conventional gun requires 4-7cfm.



-If not what conventional gun gravity feed would be good to use for under $100.... Is this HF 47016 gun a good spraying option?

Thanks for the reply!

HVLP, high VOLUME and low pressure, what this means is the gun uses a higher volume of air (more CFM) and it simply does not matter what the pressure is. A conventional gun like that 47016 would use a heck of a lot less air than the 43430 but I have no idea how well the 47016 would work, just can't see trying to paint a car with a $10 gun and expect much. I can however attest to the fact that the 43430 most certainly will spray AE and spray it well! I use a 43430 to spray AE with and it does a really good job, for these cheap paints I will use it instead of my Iwata but for sure your compressor is no where near up to the 43430's requirements.
 
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