Spray Gun Question

[Flynman]

I am getting ready to start my Tele build and have assembled most of my tools. I had a good collection of stuff to start with but have a spray gun question. I already have a 33 gallon tank compressor that puts out 5.3cfm@90psi & 6.4cfm @ 40psi. Which type of gun should I buy? For that compressor should I get an HPLV or LPLV gun. I was looking at the Astro guns but unsure which one to get?


Thanks
Keith

[Buckocaster51]

I have used this type of stuff

harbor freight spray gun

with results that I am happy with

other companies sell pretty near the same thing for similar prices

[Jack Wells]

Hey Steve ........... I just bought one of those $15 gravity feed guns.

[Buckocaster51]

Originally Posted by jwells393

Hey Steve ........... I just bought one of those $15 gravity feed guns.

Hard to go wrong with something like that. When I use them with flake, I don't even bother to clean them out real good. I just set them aside for the next time I will use that color.

I tried cleaning one and it took a LOT more than $15 of my time and it still was spitting out some of the old color flake.

Is that what you are going to use on the "B"?

[Jack Wells]

Yep ......... that's the plan to use it on the B. I recieved a few aerosol cans of official John Deere Classic Green and Yellow for Christmas. They should be good for small parts.

[Flynman]

I am looking to purchase a good quality gun. I don't mind spending a few bucks to buy it once. Thinking something in the $75-$125 range maybe. The question is for those compressor specs what do I get: HPLV or LPLV?

[shoretyus]

I have a DeVilbiss gravity feed. I like it but had trouble with the plastic cup sticking shut if I leave material in the gun overnight.

here is a FAQ page
http://www.spraygunworld.com/Information2/Help.htm

[Ringo]

Well I'm no expert on it, but it seems like you have inexpensive spray guns and REAL expensive spray guns and not much in between.
You might find a good used Devilbiss, Binks or Sharpe spray gun for $75-125, but new ones are going to be a LOT more than that!

I have and use some of the Sharpe detail guns for my auto interior work, they are about $250 new, I find them used on eBay occasionally in the $50-100 range.
And for refinishing guitars a detail gun works great,better than a full size quart spray gun IMHO. Even the cheap ones work real good. I do like the gravity feed spray guns, but I only have one like that, it seems to use a lot more material than my detail guns.

I have no experience with the high volume low pressure guns, I think though if you use one of them you need a low pressure high volume compressor and you already have a standard style air compressor.
You don't need a lot of pressure to use a small spray gun, I'm using a small dual tank air compressor that is really designed for running air stapler/nailers and it works fine for my detail gun.

[BAW4742]

I used 3 different siphon feed spray guns and hated all of them. I have been using a Kolbat gravity gun that I got from Lowes for about 6 months and have had good luck with it. The cost was about $80 if I remember right.

I like it well enough that I just picked up a Kobalt small gravity gun about a week ago. That one was only $40. I haven't had a chance to use it yet but based on the other one it should be fine.

[Vizcaster]

The Porter Cable detail guns are in your price range. They have both a regular and an HVLP model which requires a little more air. My regular one works fine off of a baby pancake compressor but since you have a real air supply you'd be well served with the HVLP model. Nicely polished finish, stainless wetted parts, full adjustments, small gravity-feed cup that's perfect for small batches of tinted lacquer for necks and bursts and such. Amazon carries both models and the needle/nozzle kits to go with it if you want to spray heavier materials (I think it came with an 0.8mm tip which is good for nitro or shellac and I also got a 1.2mm for waterborne coatings which it will spray un-thinned). When you adjust the fan shape to a cone it will do bursts nicely (the control of an airbrush with the fine mist of a true spray gun).

For larger scale jobs there are some awesome HTE (high transfer efficiency) guns at places like Target Coatings and Homestead Finishing. It seems like the HTE guns are the latest greatest thing technically so long as you don't have commercial regulations that require true HVLP. A bit out of the price range however, so I'm sticking with my Capspray turbine-driven 1-quart cup gun but only for jobs that require a lot of finish material like cabinet sides or multiple guitar bodies. Otherwise the little Porter Cable detail gun is the go-to tool.

[Flynman]

Viz I actually saw the Kobalt gun at lowes and was contemplating that one also. I might just go for the Devillbiss or Astro. Not sure if I should get a full size or mini(touchup) gun.

[BeeTL]

How many guitars are you going to do?

Posts 2 & 3 recommending Harbor freight cheapies are from guys who do LOTS of builds.

I've been pretty happy with my 4 oz. $9.99 detail cup gun from Harbor Freight as well.