Recommend me a spray gun

[phil_m]

Hi as the title I'm looking at buying a spray gun for spray painting my wheels are touch up guns better?

edit....... was thinking something lke this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DeVilbiss..._Body_Shop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item3cb4a7485f

 

[pedrobedro]

You are thinking of spending the thick end of £200 on a gun to paint your wheels ? You could get someone who knows what they are doing to blast, prime and paint them for that much. You can buy a gun for £10 that will do the job good enough for a set of wheels.

 

[buckers]

I have a GTi gun and rarely use it these days as its too large for my spraying needs. I went down to the Sata Minijet 3000 and this size of gun, (IMO), is what you want to spray wheels.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Pain...hop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item4168ed2a82&_uhb=1
There are a multitude of really cheap guns on Ebay and yes, you do get what you pay for. But I've got several of these cheap ones, and still use them for laying down basecoats. (I only use my Sata for clear coating) as it DOES give a better spray pattern.
So I'd save yourself £200 and use something else, 'cos how often are you gonna be spraying your wheels..............???

 

[Wallace]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Pain...hop_Supplies_Paint&hash=item4168ed2a82&_uhb=1

For £12 delivered I would count that as a consumable!

 

[esc]

Dont bother with the Pro, their not as good as the orginal GTi

I'm in the trade, and I use GTI's and have tried a Sata 3000, I can see why people like the SATA but the GTi is spot on.

However... if you want some pointers on how to use one properly, the gravity fed guns at machine mart for £35 are very good if you know what your doing. PM me and ill send you abit of info on how to setup a gun properly.

I have 3 GTI's one for base, another for primer and my clear gun. Ive got a machine mart £35 jobby though and its just as good if you know how to get a really good setup out of it. Dont buy a suction fed though, gravity is what you want.

S'all about 2.0 bar, your fluid tip and needle and air cap. and knowing what to look for if something is wrong.

The big big advantage with the machine mart £35 jobbies is alot of GTi bits fitt on them, so youv got a choice of alot of fluid tips and air caps.

 

[gavuk]

However... if you want some pointers on how to use one properly, the gravity fed guns at machine mart for £35 are very good if you know what your doing. PM me and ill send you abit of info on how to setup a gun properly.

Don't be shy post your pointers here for everyone to see,

 

[brightspark]

why not buy a suction gun ?? explain i bought 2 jga devillbiss suction guns 30 years ago the pannel gun i payed 70 quid for it and was lucky to buy the larger one for 20 quid second hand in mint condition and stiill going strong and have sprayed a lot of items and cars with them

 

[galooph]

However... if you want some pointers on how to use one properly, the gravity fed guns at machine mart for £35 are very good if you know what your doing. PM me and ill send you abit of info on how to setup a gun properly.

I'm sure lots of us would be interested in setting up a gun properly.

Looking on the Machine Mart site, there are a few gravity fed guns around the £35 mark:

• Clarke AP16GF Gravity Fed Spray Gun
• Clarke Gravity Fed Pro Spray Gun - PGF14
• Clarke PGF18 Gravity Fed Pro Spray Gun

Which one do you recommend?

Thanks,

Dan

 

[the snooper]

you can only set up a gun when its in your hand and there isnt that much too it, pressure, adjustment of paint flow (needle) and the fan

paint flow you want a coat that is wet but not so wet that it runs or leaves behind a texture and not enough paint and the finish will be rough and not adhere to the panel properly

the fan needs to be adjusted so its not so narrow that you dont cover much area and in the process apply too much paint in a narrow line, but not wide enough to leave patchy edges from the spray pattern

you can also adjust the aircap 90 degrees so that you can move the gun verticaly as opposed to horizontal (side to side)

to have success you also need the worked preped to a high standard and the paint at the correct viscocity

 

[esc]

Big post, but here goes... I'll also have ago at looking out my fault identification sheet from college (bet thats dusty ) I'm going to try and not leak into how to atchally apply paint, just the gun side of things (I'll have to give exsamples of aplication as I go though, bare with me)

Anyway...

A paint gun consists of five variables - (I will start from bottom left and work my way up and around then down)

AIR PRESURE -

Presure adjustment (screw on the bottom of the gun near the air inlet) If you havent been painting for years and its not second nature, you'll need to wind this screw all the way out, then wind it back in a tiny amount, just so its not cranked all the way open and it sticks on the end of the thread. Then buy yourself a presure regulator that you can see the presure on.

Something like that...

When youv been painting for years you can hear what presure your at and you get used to the sound. So you dont really need a regulator with a display, for the sake of it, I just use one anyway, I dont look at it much though.

Air presure is dependant on what your painting and the viscosity of the paint, and the type of coat you are applying. For exsample

When applying HS paints (2k Direct gloss) and you are applying a full wet coat you want to be spraying at around 2.0 bar, you may need to adjust from this but I wouldnt say anymore than .4 of a bar either way. This statement is also true for all aplication of clearcoat.

When applying metallic basecoats your first coats (however many, normally two, but if its **** thin like Ford Electric Orange more like 12 lol!) Then you get on to your "drop coat" a drop coat is your final coat and is ment to evenly distribute your metallic particals. (Here is where suction feed spray guns CAN cause problems, when doing a drop coat turning the gun rite down on a suction feed can result in a reduced amount of paint being sucked up and you can get "Splatter" because there isnt as much presure, it cant pull from the pot as well, where as with gravity it can) now you know there are afew other isues with suction feed I'll come to later.

To do a drop coat you must turn down the presure to about .8 of a bar 1.0 bar, again there is a certain tolerance depending on how "course" your metallic pigment is, for exsample Ford Machine silver is very heavy metallic and requires slightly more presure than Ford Moondust silver. (I could go in to more aplication here again but I wont) so the rule here is... If you have a very heavy metallic you want more presure, finer metallic... less presure. We are talking very small adjustments .2 of a bar either way with drop coating. this is also sometimes known as a mist coat.

Now you know roughly (I could go much further with this) where your spraying presures are we can move on to the...

PAINT FLOW ADJUSTMENT SCREW -

(normally the bottom of the two on the top of the gun at the back) to identifi this (without the gun plugged in or with paint in ) hold the trigger all the way in and turn the screw to tighten, if you feel the trigger start to push and reduce in travel, youv found it.

Take this screw and with the trigger all the way in keep turning until you feel it just start to move the trigger, leave it there (your paint flow is all down to your trigger technique)

(Pause for cup of coffey, the coffey here tastes like weta bix )

On a decent gun the trigger should have two stages, you should, when you squeeze it feel it hit a flat spot, then continue to move. Your first stag is your air, second is fluid, the more u pull the more the paint comes out. A big part of painting is mastering this trigger technique, fade outs on clearcoat require you to be really red hot on your trigger technique.

that should do for flow adjustment screw.

SPRAY PATTERN ADJUSTMENT SCREW -

I think Ive had this on a different setting on my gun about 3 times in 6 years lol! As with the presure screw just turn it all the way out to fan then back a tiny bit so it dont jam at the end of the thread.

However, this screw is useful... When you have your paint in the gun, hold the gun up to the light and with your trigger open spraying paint, watch the fan pattern as you spray, slowly open and close the screw and you'll see if you look carefully the quality of your pattern. Doing this will instantly tell you if you have a (Bottom heavy, top heavy problem) it will get more pronouced as you wind the screw in. Allways do this offerin your gun up to the light to check for problems and a good even atomization of the paint. it should be even all the way across the fan.

That concludes the spray pattern adjustment screw. I'll write some more later, gotta go crew for ocean colour scene.

 

[Chipper]

For around £15 - £18 delivered you could get a Bergen mini. I've got two of those at the mo. The Minx wheels, chrome, small bits and the bike pearl & candy in sig projects were done with these.
I've had other cheapo minis, some were OK, some went straight in the bin. It's a lottery, but these Bergens have been very good.

 

[Wallace]

For around £15 - £18 delivered you could get a Bergen mini. I've got two of those at the mo. The Minx wheels, chrome, small bits and the bike pearl & candy in sig projects were done with these.
I've had other cheapo minis, some were OK, some went straight in the bin. It's a lottery, but these Bergens have been very good.

Are your Bergen Mini's plastic or alloy bodied, there seem to be a couple of types?

 

[madkayaker]

Mine are Ali got a mini and full size

 

[pedrobedro]

Remember vengeance is a dish best taken cold

Is this something we have to think about, who is on the receiving end of this cold vengeance ?

I always check my pattern and flow on some cardboard sheet or the back of the shed door before I attack the metal with it. I use a hugspaint mini jet gun from ebay and a Sealey from a local supplier both gravity feed but I have an old suction gun from way back made by DefyniK and it is still a quality gun. (found it now and they are Spanish made by Sagola)

 

[Shox Dr]

doh wrong fred

 

[Chipper]

The Bergens are alloy bodied Wallace, with plastic cups, like this one.
I think the 4.0 cfm requirement it says there is a tad unrealistic. But they're good for the money.

 

[Wallace]

The Bergens are alloy bodied Wallace, with plastic cups, like this one.
I think the 4.0 cfm requirement it says there is a tad unrealistic. But they're good for the money.

Thanks, I might try one. I have a cheap suction touchup gun that's good for painting weld repairs and nothing more. The engine bay I have to do needs a better finish and a small gun will be ideal.

Mike

 

[Chipper]

I imagine the price means there might be some Friday afternoon ones kicking around, but I liked the first one enough to buy a second straight away, keeping one for metallics,
cheers
Bill

 

[phil_m]

You are thinking of spending the thick end of £200 on a gun to paint your wheels ? You could get someone who knows what they are doing to blast, prime and paint them for that much. You can buy a gun for £10 that will do the job good enough for a set of wheels.

what makes you think i dont know what im doing like?!

i used that link as an example of a mini gun that would prob be better for painting wheels as you would get better control in confined spaces.

hence the title "recommend" me a spray gun.

 

[phil_m]

cheers guys for info & knowledge much appreciated.