4 the love of wood: SPRAY PAINTING WITH A COMPRESSOR

I have packed a ton of detailed information into this article for those looking to start using a spray gun for their painting projects.

INTRODUCTION

I use an HVLP paint gun hooked up to a compressor to spray

a lot of furniture. HVLP stands for high volume low pressure.

I recommend starting off small and not investing too much

until you know this is something you like and want to

continue with. There is a lot of work involved and you need

the space to use a compressor and sprayer. The picture below

shows a small inexpensive compressor with the motor on top

of a small air tank - 80 PSI / 3 gallon tank / $90. When

you choose a small air tank the motor needs to run a lot

more to keep the tank filled with air while you are spraying.

You can't add oil to the motor of these little guys, they are

essentially disposable. Once they stop working you send it to

the scrap yard and buy a new one. The coily hose on this

one is an after market item I like to have because it is

much lighter than the heavy straight air hose that usually

comes with a new compressor purchase. Be careful not to

buy a super cheep hose because you will be replacing it in no time.

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Firstfinds Hardware Store

has hundreds of switch plates to choose from

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EQUIPMENT

The HVLP Gun is a separate piece and a separate purchase,

approx. $50. Below you can see what mine looks like. It is a

Campbell Hausfeld gravity fed spray gun. The paint goes in

the white plastic pot that screws to the top of the gun. There

is also a blue air filter which you see at the bottom and

it comes with the standard 1.4mm spray tip. When I use

ASCP I have to thin the paint for use with this size tip, I'll

talk more about that below. Your gun will have a spray radios

knob and an air pressure setting, one knob is on the back

and one is on the side of the gun. You will have to

experiment with these while you get familiar with your gun.

THINNING PAINT

Most paints need to be thinned to be used in a spray gun. I
do not have an exact ratio of water to use when thinning
ASCP or latex but it really isn't that much. Not runny like
milk, I try for something more like cream. Start by adding
small amounts of water until you get the right consistency.
And the reason you need to thin your paint is because
the channels in the gun are very small and can get clogged
easily. Another important thing to do is to use a paint strainer
as you pour your paint into the pot this is going to help
avoid those nasty clogs. Paint strainers are available at any
paint store and cost about 30 - 50 cents each. I rinse and
reuse mine several times. Below left is a crisp brand new one
and the top right is a well used almost finished one.

WASTE OF PAINT

The reason I prefer a gravity feed system is because there is

less waste of paint. All the paint will run down into the gun

and can be used. Other systems include a pot that is below

the gun and the paint needs to be sucked up with a

stationary straw, with those there is more paint left in

the pot that will inevitably be washed away.

BUYING TIP

It is always best to purchase your large tools like compressors

during the Christmas holiday. Watch your store flyers cause

you won't believe the deals you can get. I got this 8 gallon / 2

HP / 125 PSI for only $127.00 during a Christmas sale.

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OVER SPRAY
Set your pressure gauge right around 45 PSI. This will
regulate how much paint /air is being forced out and will
eliminate too much over spray. Also do your best to keep your
equipment from getting covered in over spray, it will shorten
the life of it when paint starts to get into the motor.