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 - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

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.

-- He said wood...http://hickbyassociation.blogspot.com/

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.

-- http://www.peteroxley.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

Thanks for the information about cleanup.

-- Gary - Never pass up the opportunity to make a mistake look like you planned it that way - Tyler, TX

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.

-- ~ 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 ----------www.genesiswoodworks.com----------

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.

-- http://www.peteroxley.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.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.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine