# Airless Pressure on an Earlex 5500



## KenFitz (May 21, 2007)

I want to paint some cabinets. I have an Earlex 5500. I went to Sherwin Williams to get some acrylic latex and read the spec sheet on the paint. It says for spraying I will need a .017-.019 tip. No problem. Then it says that it needs 1500 psi in an airless sprayer. The Earlex is rated at 2.2 psi. All the reviews I have read and the instructions that come with the Earlex says it will spray latex and oil. Why the great difference in PSI. Even more so 1500 PSI sounds like a pressure washer not a paint sprayer. What am I missing?

Thanks for any info

Ken


----------



## ducky911 (Oct 6, 2010)

if you read your manual it says to thin paint to 30 to 60 secs…...you will need to thin all the way to the lower end of that range and then some if you are painting some wood project you have made.

i would use distiled water to the max that sherman will allow than frestool than get some water based gloss poly….thin thin thin than test. i bought the 2.5 tip for my earlex 5000…but you may get by with a 2.0

i was able to get it to work. but now own a fuji 4 stage…..i do thin a bunch for it also but it can push more paint. With the earlex you have to really crank it down and move slow to vaporize. Tighten it all the way down than back off a half turn at a time if i remember right it is about one and half turns just short of spatter is the best.

bob

ps earlex is not an airless
if you lived down the street i would stop by and show you…i did get good results with my earex on cabinets and my grandduaghters bedroom set


----------



## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

The 1500psi rating refers to airless paint sprayers only. Anything over 10 psi is not HVLP.

With the 5500, if you get the viscosity down to under 160 seconds using the provided cup, using 10% water in latex, it will spray great. Then add 1 ounce of flow agent (Floetrol) to the quart. At this point the best thing you can do with latex is to stir it with a mixer on a drill. Here's why.

The molecules in latex are like spagetti, long and thin, imagine trying to get spagetti to line up so that you can spray it through a 1.5mm opening, nearly impossible, right? Using the mixer in a drill will shear the paint and it will chop up all of those long stringy molecules. All airless systems use this to their advantage by hiding a shearing blade inside the head unit and chopping the paint as it goes through.

For your cabinet project you should use a 1.5mm needle set. This will atomize properly for a finer finish. The 2.0 and 2.5 are much too big for furniture or cabinetry.

PM me if you want more details or call tech support and we'll talk.


----------



## KenFitz (May 21, 2007)

Thanks Ducky for your answer. You also Earlextech. Sounds like you have this down. I don't know what I was thinking comparing airless with help. I have read all the reviews, watched video's Mark Spagnolo's is always the best. Woodwhisperer rules when it comes to video's as far as I'm concerned. I've been watching him for the start of his site. He never posted a video I didn't like. The one he did on the 5500 was outstanding. My problem was I got hung up on the 1500 PSI that Sherwin Williams placed on their spec sheet. They should add something re: HVLP.

Once again thanks Sam. Appreciate your answer.

Ken


----------



## ducky911 (Oct 6, 2010)

wow. i guess i have not been stirring enough

i have been doing alot with latex lately and 60 sec (160 i assume was a typo) is pretty hard to spray.

i have not had any luck with my earlex or my fuji 4 stage with anything close to 60 seconds

i may try a test later for fun.

please let us know how this works…i do have my doubts…..sorry earl


----------



## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

160 is not a typo. The 5500 is rated at 160 seconds viscosity.


----------



## CplSteel (Jun 22, 2012)

Earlextech, That was a great and informative answer. What steps would you take to finish off the job with something like a Ploycrylic? (additives, dilution, mixing, etc..?)


----------



## KenFitz (May 21, 2007)

Cplsteel,

Thanks for asking about poly, I'm gonna get a good education from this post. Sam from Earlex is a great source and very helpful.

Ken


----------



## ducky911 (Oct 6, 2010)

well they must have changed the cup size with 5500

here is the earlex 5000 manual
Water based paints and emulsions 25 - 60 seconds
Oil based paints 45 - 50 seconds
Wood preservatives No dilution
Primers 45 - 50 seconds
Varnishes No dilution
Aluminium paints No dilution
Wood stains No dilution
Automotive paint Manufacturer's ratio

in the cup that came with my earlex 5000 and with my fuji 4 stage, sherman williams paint right from the can is about 160….no way it will spray… i eat my mouse

fuji 4 stage manual says for latex measured out of a number 4 ford cup .. 20 to 30 sec i found this to be right on. just finished doing 9 interior doors for my son with my new fuji. My 5000 earlex will spray the thinned latex also but you have to move slower you can see on my site here some pantry doors i did.

i do see online that the earlex 5500 claims to rate at 160 sec (there is no official rating system)...i hope that is with a different cup because it is otherwise not true.

i would warn anyone if they where to buy a two stage machine to spray latex.


----------



## KenFitz (May 21, 2007)

Hi Ducky,

You have a lot of experience with the 5000 and the Fugi and sounds like you had good results on a number of things. I had been looking at the 5000 for a long time when the 5500 came out. I compared since they were giving big discounts on the 5000 since it was going out of production. I don't have much experience spraying anything but the 5500 seemed the way to go and there were differences that I don't remember now but they convinced me to go with the 5500. everyone I've spoken to at Woodcraft who have used the 5500 swear by it. Hope it works for me.

I'm going to follows Sam's advice and I will report back as to the process and results. It might be a couple of weeks as my boiler died and im going through asbestos removal and the installation of a whole new energy efficient forced air system. Thanks again for all your input.

Ken


----------



## CplSteel (Jun 22, 2012)

Ducky911 I spray latex with a 5500 almost exclusively. I should be better about using the cup to measure the viscosity, but I will dilute it a little, I have never used Floetrol but will try it based on this thread, and I mixed my paint, but never to the degree suggested above and it all sprays fine though a 1.5mm tip. If your 5000 won't spray latex at all there is either a huge difference between the machines or maybe something on yours is broken or clogged. I believe I have even managed to spray latex straight out of the can though the results weren't great (and allot can depend on the quality of the paint in the first place.)


----------



## Earlextech (Jan 13, 2011)

Okay, lots of questions, I'll start here.
The Earlex 5000(discontinued) was rated at 60 seconds. It moved 24 cfm at 2.5 psi.
The Earlex 5500(replaced the 5000) is rated at 160 seconds. It moves 42 cfm at 5.5 psi.
The cup and gun on both units are exactly the same. Cup size has nothing to do with viscosity.
We also make a three stage (HV6900) the moves 72 cfm at 5.5 psi, if you were spraying exclusively latex I would recommend the 6900, however, I spray latex all the time with my 5500 without any issues.
And, there is an official rating system for determining the turbines rating, through tests performed by our engineers in England, where the Earlex comes from.


----------



## CplSteel (Jun 22, 2012)

well that certainly explains the difference between the 5000 and the 5500.

Of the many questions asked above, you answered most of them, one I still would love an answer to, or just point me to the resource, is "What steps would you take to finish off the job with something like a Ploycrylic? (additives, dilution, mixing, etc..?)"

Thank you again.


----------



## wlj777 (May 23, 2012)

Earlextech: You are doing a great job of selling the 5500. I'm on the verge of buying a sprayer, maybe the 5500, even though I've been really eyeing the Graco Truecoat Plus, but I don't see any discussion by the woodworkers here on that one. Just a garage hobbyist here, but they cost about the same and I can't really tell what the pros and cons are. Any thoughts you want to share? Why have the Graco handheld airless guns been largely ignored?


----------

