Earlex Spray Station 5000

My concern about any type of sprayer is the cleanup. I would hate to spend 3 times longer cleaning it
up as it took me to spray something.

What is the cleanup time for this unit?

Great review and video BTW.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Nice demo Marc. I’ve been waiting for you to review the Earlex to see what you thought about it. I have one and it seems to be ideal for a small shop. Great work as usual. Thanks

-- gbear, Carmichael, CA

Thanks guys. Gary, the cleanup on this unit is really no more/less that any other HVLP gun. Now compared to other types of finishing, you are certainly looking at a little more maintenance. But it just goes with the territory when spraying.

After spraying, I usually clean out the cup, and then fill the cup with the thinner for whatever finish I was spraying. I spray for a few seconds to clean the needle out and then disassemble. The included cleaning kit has a nice brush that cleans out the tube easily. For water-based products, I clean the gun if I don’t plan on using it for 4 or more hours. For standard lacquers, I clean it if I don’t plan on spraying again for a few days. The lacquer is more forgiving.

Hope that helps.

-- For free video tutorials and other cool woodworking stuff, check out http://www.TheWoodWhisperer.com

Good review. I’m not quite up to the spray gun level yet in my finishing, but good to know there are some good choices out there.

-- Happy Ripping!!!

I’ve been toying with getting a spraying setup. Got a few other higher priorities, but I’ll have to remember this when the time comes. Cleaning would be my issue as well. Knowing the abuse I give my brushes and such, I might need to develop a better cleaning ethic.

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Thanks Marc! I just got on of these. It arrived on my doorstep this morning and I can’t wait to try it out. Just as a side note, Woodcraft includes a second needle (the 1.5 mil.) in their price. Thanks again for the excellent video.

I have had this sprayer for almost a year, and have been very happy with it’s performance (I’ve been meaning to write a review … ). I used to use SATA sprayers, but when I decided to go HVLP, I had just seen a glowing review of this sprayer so I gave it a try and haven’t looked back.

-- What exactly is "The Move" and who are you calling a "Quirky Jerk"? -- http://www.north40custom.com

Thanks for the information about cleanup.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

I wonder why the vacuum motors suddenly get called “turbines” when the get used for HVLP?

Apart from a suitable length of spiral tubing that fits a sprayer there is not much to separate the good the bad and the ugly except fit and finish on the guns.

It should be noted that HVLP guns move a ton of air and do not work well in enclosed (blind) areas like drawers and cupboards.
Aerosols and overspray although less are still present with most materials water based or VOCs.

Barring that they are quite useful.

The other mentionable is that they move a lot of material so runs, wrinkles and orange peal are constant threat for the uninitiated.

Cheers

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Rick and I talked to the rep at one of the wood shows and he showed how he could spray some cupboards right there in the booth and the contents not cover everyone and everything in or around it – that was cool
And then we were told that he was asked if he could refinish a bathtub and he did. The Earlex worked wonderfully, so the story goes.

Rick and I were impressed with the demonstration.

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

This was a good time for me to join this forum, i’m currently trying to figure out what kind of spray system to go with. I’m trying to collect as much info as i can. One painter friend said you don’t want to go HVLP, too much overspray, just get a good gravity feed spray gun. I’m so confused.
Thanks for the review. i’ll look into it.

-- Talent on Loan from God - Rush Limbaugh

thanks for the great review. I’ve been looking into one when i start to get some woodworking jobs. thanks for the review.

One of the big selling points for HVLP is the low overspray. My understanding is that some countries are requiring that professionals use HVLP because less chemicals are introduced into the environment than with standard spray equipment.

Bob #2 mentioned a problem with spraying into drawers and cupboards because of the high volume of air. I usually spray cabinet components before assembly, but occasionally spray after assembly. I don’t notice any worse performance with HVLP than with compressor driven guns. Possibly the lower pressure allows the paint droplets to exit the airstream when the air bounces back?? I do spray all my my drawers (assembled) with HVLP with no problems.

-- What exactly is "The Move" and who are you calling a "Quirky Jerk"? -- http://www.north40custom.com

Thanks for the review Marc and the confirmation Peter. I just bought one of the Earlex machines a few weeks ago, but have not used it yet. I am looking forward to trying it out. Good review.

-- Bill - "Suit yourself and let the rest be pleased." http://www.cajunpen.com/

Thanks for the review Marc. I have seen these and have considered getting one. Right now I have a Wagner that, while it works, is ok but I would like to go to a better unit. I will have to put one of these on my wish list (along with a myriad of other tools as well).

thanks again.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Good review Marc. I have a similar(?) unit I got from Rockler. I have not tried it yet. I have to spray in my garage, which is unheated.

-- Maplewood, MN

Marc
I purchased the same sprayer about a month ago at the Toronto Wood show. I have used it about 6 times since then and I love it. I’ve never owned a sprayer before but I find this amazingly easy to use and clean up. I believe this is a great deal for us amateurs.
Bruce

-- Canadian Wood Chuck (Bruce)

Harbor Freight has them for $279.00 right now.
Did you know you can use the gun alone with a home made turbine from a vaccum machine?

For those of you on a budget this might help take you up notch.

Peter O is almost right on with the blowback with HVLP.
Blowback will leave a sand papery finish where the paint aerosols and drop back on the job.

He is right about there being less misting than with compressed air type guns but I wasn’t comparing them only making new users aware of what to expect from HVLP. ( less not being none)

I was also thinking that in many instances the cabinets etc are being re sprayed on sight in installations and there is no opportunity to spray the parts before assembly.

Cheers

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

Bob –
Thanks for the Harbor Freight info! I’m thinking about buying a second sprayer (always on a budget!).

Also – thanks for the further clarification on using HVLP in tight spaces. Now that you mention it, I have seen some “sandpapering” in the bottom when spraying completed cabinets. This can be minimized by working from the top down.

My comment on less overspray was more a response to dhg who mentioned that he had been told that HVLP has too much overspray. The only thing with less overspray than HVLP would be airless (which is probably what dhg’s painter friend is using). I have an airless and they are great for house painting, but airless doesn’t create small enough droplets for the smooth finish most people expect on cabinets and furniture. I’ve heard that there are some very high-end airless sprayers that are capable of automotive quality finish, but I don’t know anyone who is using them.

So Bob – I’m sorry if my response seemed to be putting words in your mouth. That was not my intent.

-- What exactly is "The Move" and who are you calling a "Quirky Jerk"? -- http://www.north40custom.com

That’s OK Peter just trying to make sense of the thread for any newbies thinking of getting started.
Nothing is more discouraging in this craft than to buy something that dosen’t work as described.

Speaking of airless, I believe that the high end units ( $1500-2500) are capable of finer aerosols but the price is pretty much prohibitive for most of us.
Some of these may be of interest too where the voume of paint is small .

Cheers
Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

A great video Marc. Nice to hear that the Earlex did so well in your tests. I will put it on my list of sprayers when I am ready to buy.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Another great video Marc…I just finished watching. The Epifanes is a great varnish. I used it on my canoe and it’s performed beautifully. However, I had problems applying the varnish on the boat, simply because it was such a large area and it seemed that I was always crossing over fresh varnish with an area that was already begining to cure. It looks like a spray system would allow me to get the varnish on quicker and avoid that problem.

Do you need the turbine system to spray an HVLP gun? I already have a 150psi compressor…what would I need to use it with an HVLP spray gun (assuming that’s an OK thing to do)?

Mike

Hey Mike. I can imagine how tricky that would be over a large area. Spraying could certainly alleviate some of the pain, although you might want to dilute the material a bit to get the proper flow. And be very aware of the potential for runs. If you are spraying vertical surfaces, this WILL definitely be an issue.

Now you don’t actually need a turbine system to run an HVLP gun. HVLP is hi volume, low pressure. So to use it with your “hi pressure” compressor, you need to convert it to low pressure. So what you need to look for is known as a conversion gun. These guns regulate the air flow, making it possible to achieve the low pressure needed. I am no expert in spray guns so so a little research and you should be able to find some good recommendations. Just make sure your compressor meets the air requirements of the gun. You don’t want the compressor running constantly to satisfy a hungry gun.

Good luck!

-- For free video tutorials and other cool woodworking stuff, check out http://www.TheWoodWhisperer.com