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best gun for a beginner

8K views 30 replies 19 participants last post by  Danno 
#1 ·
Wondering if anyone has specific recommendations for a gun to learn painting with...and possibly which system of paint I should look at using.
 
#2 ·
A gun of reasonable quality that will not set you back several hundred dollars is availiable at Harbor Freight for $49. It is a HVLP gun. Any of the top line paints such as PPG, or DUPont are good to gain experience with. Both have several compounds like single and two stage.

Vince
 
#3 ·
Agree w/above- Harbor Freight or local jobbers sometimes have a line called 'Speedaire" that is cheap yet good for around $65. I use Napa Martin Senior paint basecoat/clearcoat- easy for beginners and great for those who paint a lot also. (just hope you get a good salesguy!) Practice on small stuff first. Conventional guns take a lot less air, thus less cfm for the compressor, but HVLP will use a lot less paint and (I feel) take a little more to get used to. IMHO
 
#6 ·
#7 · (Edited)
I would recomend a suction type gun to start out with. The reason being you can mix materials in the cup. With a gravity gun the cup is up on top and needs to be poured back into a mix cup to add to it since theres that 1/2 once that's trapped in the bottom where a stir stick can't reach;)
 
#9 ·
Like Mustangs and other things, everyone has an opinion. I think if you have never painted, get a top loader instead of an old suction type. Mix the paint in a cup and pour it in. I started with a suction and now I love my top loader. The only suction gun I have is only used for DP 90. If yuou get the feel for the top loader, you'll love it.

Once again, my arsho...opinion.:eek:
 
#11 ·
gun choice

If I could only have 2 guns, with a limited budget, I would choose a gravity feed HVLP full size and a gravity feed jamb gun for small areas. First of all HVLP requires less air volume at the inlet and gravity guns leave little waste. Both of these are major considerations for the small hobby shop. They would also be much friendlier to the environment and the HVLP system requires 30 - 50 % less paint. Personally , I would never mix paint directly in the container/jar. All paint products have major contamination. Thus your paint should be strained through filter papers into the jar. Mixing directly in the siphon style container eliminates this precaution. When you buy your paint, talk the counter man into supplying you with "FREE" mixing cups, sticks and paper strainers. Many of them will. I have yet to use the Harbor Freight guns, but just might get one of their gravity feed HVLP jamb guns.

P.S. You don't want to shoot build primer with an HVLP unless maybe you get a fat tip. Actually you probably don't want to shoot primer and finish paint with the same gun.
 
#12 ·
It is a common misconception that HVLP guns use less air than a conventional gun, it ain't necessarily so. The articles I have read on HVLP guns actually say they can use more air. HVLP means high volume low pressure. The low pressure refers to the pressure at the cap, not the inlet pressure of the gun, which can be as high as 50psi.

I just completed spraying the hood of my truck with my Harbor Freight HVLP gum. The gun did fine with the base coat, but absolutely refuse to move the clear with any kind of acceptable results. I eventually used my Binks conventional gun for the clear.

Vince
 
#13 ·
I don't agree that it is a misconception that HVLP uses less air. It does use less air pressure. That is the concept of HVLP. It will atomize the mixture using less pressure, thereby causing less contamination to the air. You can put 100 # of pressure at the inlet if you want to ( makes no sense),but HVLP guns have an adjusting valve feature for pressure at the tip. Every HVLP gun I have used requires 10-15 # of pressure at the outlet tip. If your gun couldn't push the clear coat, boosting the tip pressure a bit might help, but I wonder about your mix ratio. Try adding more reducer and thinning the clear. It will flow much better. I love my HVLP for clear coating and it is a cheapie gun. The side benefit of using the HVLP, especially for clear coat is that it creates much less overspray and waste and since we all know that most clear coat contains cyanide as part of ther chemical mix, the less in the air, the better. Cyanide is the stuff used to "gas" capital punishment criminals. Quite toxic.
 
#15 ·
I didn't thimk this was a debate. I have been using HVLP guns for 4 years with no problems out of the ordinary. You gave up on your gun. They are very popular , but old school painters have some resistance due to the slower hand speed sometimes required. There is an adjustment period or learning curve involved. I am talking from experience. The concept is fine in my book and one heckuva lot safer and cheaper to use. So, thanks , but no thanks for the article. I am happy with my HVLP experience and the original poster wanted opinions. That was mine. It seems as if you weren't happy with your experience and that is your opinion. Patience grasshopper.
 
#16 ·
Whoa dude, no debate, didn't mean to imply that. You have assumed a lot from my reply.

I haven't given up on my HVLP gun, it's just not up to the job of moving clear like I would want. Keep in mind that this is a cheap HVLP gun. I had to crank the air pressure up too high and the material control valve all the way open, this resulted in more paint in the air than a conventional gun. My conventional Binks gun gives acceptable results at a lower air pressure and less suspended overspray. I have no doubt a quality HVLP gun such as a Sata is more than up to the task of applying clear.

I am in no way implying HVLP guns are less than useful, however keep in mind that HVLP guns came into beaing at the behest of the "tree huggers" in an attempt to cut down on VOC emissions.

Vince
 
#17 ·
Dude??????

Tree huggers????????????

Sucking cyanide ain't fun. Conventional guns were invented in the dark ages when paint was paint and not invented in a modern day chemistry lab. New "paint" is the result of chemists inventing shinier, tougher, longer lasting paint. The toxic ingredients necessitate safer technology, not tree huggers. That is common sense. Toxic fumes results in Cancer and death. Pretty final. HVLP cuts down on the toxic overspray. If tree huggers had anything to do with new application technology, then good for them. When your paint won't lay down and flow it needs to be reduced not blasted on. By the way reducer is relatively cleaner than cyanide based epoxy.
 
#18 ·
Get a Harbor Freight 1qt siphon gun. I have two (the oldest one for fiberglass gel coat, primer etc., the newest one for good paint) and as one goes bad I buy another one. Cost is only about $40 and they are as good as the $$$$$ Binks and DeVilbiss ones (it just may be I am not good enough painter to notice the difference!). Great learning tools.

I also have a HVLP free head, 2qt pressure pot unit I use for painting car bodies 'cause I can aim the head any direction without fear of sputtering or dripping. I know the purists like the gravity cup guns but the free head one sure works great for me and I don't worry about running out of paint during a coat or angle I hold the head.


Learn how to do base coat/ clear coat. It is by far the best finish available today. Any quality brand is fine, just follow their label directions and things should go fine.
 
#19 ·
[email]willys36@aol.com[/email] said:


Learn how to do base coat/ clear coat. It is by far the best finish available today. Any quality brand is fine, just follow their label directions and things should go fine.
I totally agree Willys, lots better than lacquer & enamel.

P.S. heard from Gibbon Monday, the 34 is almost ready, could get it in about two weeks....yippeeee

I'm bailing out of this thread, it's statring to sound like a newsgroup.

Vince
 
#23 ·
I too, agree with Willys. I've got two old Craftsman suction guns - one for primer and one for finish coat application. While base-coat-clear-coat systems can't be beat for ease of application, they are most generally an acrylic urethane based product. If you can smell this stuff while you're applying it, chances are, you're either killing brain cells or yourself, or both. A full hood and filtered outside air source should be used in conjunction with any automotive finish product. It's even more important if you're dealing with acrylic urethanes, theyBnasty.

Mover :drunk:
 
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