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Spray Painting

2K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  tazz 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hi everyone, well, this is my first blog, at least I think it's a blog.

I have been making toy boxes for about the last month and Believe it or not, I can't keep up with the demand. I have made 5 toy boxes and have 3 more to do before Xmas. And my next customer wants it painted. I don't want to buy 4 or 5 cans of spray paint, which brings me to my Question.

I am looking for a spray gun to buy but don't know much about spray guns.
Of course I want it to do everything, Paint, Stain, and Lacquer.
I have found in a magazine (Lee valley & Veritas main catalog Jan 2009) A Critter Air-Powered Spray Gun that uses a standard size Mason gar for a reservoir, that would be really be convenient. BUT DOES IT WORK ????

Does anyone have one of these if so can you tell me how you like it and is it worth it.
Or can anyone tell me of one that works well and at a decent price.

Please help
Thanks tazz
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
Tazz, the critter works, but it can use a fair amount of air pressure because its a syphon gun , meaning , it requires alot of air to pass over the feed tube ,so as to cause a suction to draw the fluid up into it , if you are thinking latex paint , forget it , its too thick , if you can go the $ a good turbine self contained unit will handle all your needs , and since it is a HVLP ( high volume low pressure), the overspray ( airborne), is greatly minimized a good system that does well is the Earlex 5000 its priced around 300.00 , and if you are going to be doing your projects on an ongoing basis , it would be a good investment …the critter sprays thinner materials like lacquers and dyes and stains pretty well… not professional grade but ok, if you have a decent compressor , 2 hp or better , you can also use a gravity fed gun ,they can be had for about 25 to 100.00 , and are a much better alternative to the critter , here is a link to Woodcrafts spray guns, http://www.woodcraft.com/Search/Search.aspx?query=spray%20guns i have and use their gravity feds , and the earlex is also there ..the biggest single issue with spraying a finish is atomization , meaning how fine the fluid is broken up, a sprayed finish is zillions of tiny droplets that are applied to the surface , and then they flow together to form a film, things like how well machined the spray tips and needles are machined have alot to do with it , as well as air pressure , small compressors will run a gravity gun, but not for prolonged periods, but you can usually spray small items , the last issue with compressors is to be sure the air is clean ..compressors can produce have trace amounts of oil and moisture in the air lines…not a good thing , so a in line filter is a good idea something like these http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=in+line+compressed+air+filters&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=Z_MsS_O5N82_lAf3xeGhBw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=3&ved=0CCYQrQQwAg

hope this helped
 
#4 ·
Thanks guys for the input
As for my compressor, it does not say how many hp it is. It's a Craftsman 2-stage Twin-V Portable air compressor Model # 919-167782 and has# 7 on it. Hopefully it's big enough for what I need.
As for the sprayer, I think you guys are right, A gravity feed sprayer will suit my needs. And should be under $100.
Thanks again guys
tazz
 
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