# Spray finishing suggestions?



## SalvageCraft (Jun 26, 2011)

Hey LJs,

I'm picking up a HVLP gun today to finish these shelves I've been working on:










I've never sprayed on a finish, and am wondering what you guys like to use. Are there any options that have less noxious fumes than the others? Faster dry times between coats? Corrects imperfect joinery?

Thanks!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Well, shellac does put off some fumes, depending on what you
dissolve it in, but it dries super fast so you won't smell the fumes
after a short time. Shellac is easy to repair if you screw up.

Water-based "lacquers" are pretty clean in terms of fumes but the
one I used for some guitars was hard to work with for me and
tended to be cloudy in patches if it was put on slightly too thick.

FYI water-borne finishes are not the same as water-based.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Is the back fully attached? If ya can take it off, it'll make spraying easier. Less blow-back.
Do you have ventilation?
Bill


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## ShaneA (Apr 15, 2011)

I will take two of the ones that corect imperfect joinery!


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

SalvageCraft,
What HVLP gun are you getting?
Could you explain your selection process? ie: price, performance, reviews, only damn thing available.

I ask because I need one and am curious as to how & what you decided on.

Thanks & good luck with your project!


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## SalvageCraft (Jun 26, 2011)

@DIYaholic: I'm almost ashamed to admit that I went with a harbor freight model. But, It has good reviews, and if it doesn't work right I can always just return it. http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-66222.html

@BillWhite: The back is already glued in place.


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

There ain't no shame in going the HF route! There are some real jems out there. I haven't reasearch HVLP, yet so I was curious as to your selection.

I'm actually about to place an order for their V-Belt for my TS, along with a few other things. I'm also about to travel to Long Island and while there I'm going to stop into one of their stores, as they don't have a store near me in Vermont.

Looking forward to seeing your "Finished" project!


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Since you say that you haven't sprayed before, put your project in storage for a while so you can do a lot of practicing with different finishes.

If you have a true HVLP rig (with turbine) it's just a matter of learning how to thin your finish (if necessary) and set up the right tip and orifice.

If you got an HVLP conversion gun (runs on an air compressor), you'll need to practice thinning, setting the best air pressure (40 psi seems to work for me), and experimenting with the tips and orifices until you get good results. If you're usig a compressor, does it have enough capacity to run HVLP? I have a 20 gal tank and that does ok, but bigger would be better.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

Speaking of V-Belts…
*
I replaced ALL of my V-belts with THIS Link Belt... from HF

*
They work GREAT! Reduces vibration to nil… 
... AND, is the best price per foot you can get… (if you can do better, I want to know about it)


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

I am also looking forward seeing how it works for you…
.. OR… how you make it work!

I thought you were going with the one that looks the one Rockler sells… which I understand are very good.


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## casual1carpenter (Aug 16, 2011)

SalvageCraft you should of said earlex, there is a very knowledgeable and helpful earlex guy comes on here, LOL. He could be alot of help with the right tip and orifice for various finishes etc. Leaving the back off was a good point, as well as ventilation. A fine mist might prove to be a breathing and eye hazard, spraying into those shelves you should realize that some of that mist will be carried back toward you. Not trying to scare you just point out that what is a good finish for your project is not a good finish for your lungs, the mist will contain particulate misted finish not just evaporating vapors, if that makes sense. Think about ventilation for your health, think about the over-spray.

I realize that most of us, me included don't have a dedicated spray booth, but a fan suitable for the product being sprayed, perhaps a muzzle (spelled respirator with suitable filter cartridge) combined with suitable eye protection is a minimum valid consideration. I'm a newbe to the HVLP myself but have been researching a bit, I would rather be safe than sorry.


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## WrathOfSocrus (Sep 8, 2011)

I have had wonderful results using cheap Harbor Freight spray guns. I have used mine to spray oil based paint (rustoleum) on about a dozen doors to refinish them. Doors tend to pick up greasy finger marks and turn yellow when people smoke in their house. I personally can't stand latex paint and love the durability and easy cleaning of oil based paint for doors, bathrooms, kitchens, and garages. At first I had read that I should thin out the paint a lot and I just wasn't getting enough coverage. I switched to using about 10% mineral spirits to 90% paint (just eyeballed it) and it came out great. Other doors I had seen that were painted over with a roller or brush looked terrible. These cheap hollow doors with fake wood grain already have enough things going against them. Using the harbor freight spray gun made it look like new again. I ended up with a really flawless finish. I was so impressed with the pint sized one that I picked up a quart sized one as well. I paid less than $15 each. I haven't tried using any other finishes with them yet, but the rustoleum slightly thinned out has exceeded all of my expectations. Practice on some scraps until you get everything dialed in and spraying well.


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## graywolf (Jan 10, 2011)

The gun you purchased is a good gun for the money. It will handle lacquer shellac and alkid enamle very well. 
You say you have never sprayed before, Have you read any books on the subject? If so, I may have some suggestions for you.


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## NiteWalker (May 7, 2011)

My go to finish is zinsser sealcoat (dewaxed shellac) followed by crystalac super premium. I spray in my kitchen with a box fan and furnace filter in the window. Works great.


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## SalvageCraft (Jun 26, 2011)

Update - I went with minwax PolyOne. Thinned to about 90% with mineral spirits and have the first two coats on.
I was real tempted to use the Zinsser shellac, but am worried about all those alcohol vapors and poor ventilation. The mineral spirit vapors are bad news too, of course, but there's a much higher concentration of alcohol in the shellac mixes.

So, WOW. I'm never gonna brush on poly again after this! For both shelves together, each coat took about 5 minutes, including time spent mixing the finish and cleaning out the gun after use. I was able to put on the second coat after about 45 minutes.

Based on my past experience with brushing on poly, each coat would have easily taken me an hour and a half, including setup and cleanup time. Then about 4 hours minimum to dry between coats, due to the thickness of each layer. I don't mind doing twice as many sprays to equal the coverage of brushing on. I figure I'll save at least a half day's labor altogether here, and gain at least a day of the shelves not taking up space in the shop to stain 

Also, I don't have great ventilation, but just opened up the basement windows for about 15 minutes during and after spraying. I was pretty sure the fumes would be worse than brushing, but they were actually much fainter!

* Happy woodworker *


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## DIYaholic (Jan 28, 2011)

Good to hear. Glad it went well for you!

You should consider a respirator with the proper cartridge filter!!!!!!!!!!!


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## SalvageCraft (Jun 26, 2011)

Good point. I do have a few good respirators, but just the standard particulate filters, no vapor filters.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

nice little review. I may look into one o these in the future


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Spraying the insides of what is essentially four boxes is gonna be tough. I bought a HF sprayer to paint my truck frame, and I think it had a hole in the top that I had to wrap a rag around when the gun was tipped too far up, so spraying the undersides of your shelves may be tough without material spilling out. High end cabinet shops use the prefinished birch ply so they don't have to deal with finishing the insides of boxes. Also, if that is a luan plywood back it will need a lot of sanding between coats. For that reason I would brush the finish. But that is just me and what would work best for my skills and shop setup as I don't have a nice spray area.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Sorry, I missed your last post Salvage, and couldn't delete what I wrote - how did that gun handle multiple positions - no leakage? What kind of air pressure did you run? Did you spray the shelf unit as it was standing up or was it on it's side or back on horses, etc. ? Cheers on finding a combination that works!


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