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Re: Cheap spray guns, other paint advice.

To: Bill Eastman <william.eastman@medtronic.com>
Subject: Re: Cheap spray guns, other paint advice.
From: Trevor Boicey <tboicey@brit.ca>
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 00:37:56 -0400
Bill Eastman wrote:
> I seem to remember a thread a while back about Harbor Freight paint
> guns.  They are cheap but does anyone have experience with them?

  I used a "cheap clone" spray gun with great results. It
wasn't the harbour freight one, but probably equivalent. The
durability might suffer but mine will only see a few cars.
 
> thinking of the HVLP gun they sell since it would save paint and that
> stuff is getting mighty expensive.

  Check the air requirements of the HVLP gun you are choosing. Some
require enormous amounts of air, like 15 cfm at 40 psi. It will
take a big compressor to run it.

  As for HVLP itself, that's a bit of a touchy topic, that
I won't get into. Some of the arguments you MIGHT hear
are that HVLP work isn't as smooth, and especially that to
acheive the same results with HVLP as a normal gun
requires a lot more skill and experience especially in
gun setup.

> I plan on spraying either lacquer or
> acrylic enamel (with or without hardener?).

  If you use the hardener, you will need a forced air
respirator. The hardener is isocyanate based.

  I painted my B without the hardener, and it looks
fine. The paint takes months to fully harden though,
so doing it before winter storage might be an idea.
 
> Also, is there any other equipment I would need other than the gun, a
> compressor, and a charcoal mask?

  You will need some sundries like a filter, a regulator,
a gun cleaning kit, solvents, and so on.

  I use my normal air hose to my waist, where I clip
on the regulator and the filter, then I use a clean
short hose from my hip to the gun. I only ever use
that hose with the filter in line so that my compressor
oil doesn't contaminate the hose.

-- 
Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/

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