Thread: Spray gun - where to start?

Guys,
I need to gear up to be able to spray paints few items on my project car (1950's Land Rover). Nothing big at all. First things are engine & gearbox mounts I've had to make, a radiator housing frame that's been amended and other such small items.

There are also a few small Aluminium panels to do, transmission cover for one.

At som wooing in the not too distant future I also need to clean back and paint the chassis in the same paint...

My pain of choice is POR-15 chassis paint. It can be brushed and needs thinking down to spray.

I have a big enough compressor, regulator, mask etc and plan on painting these bits outside in the garden.

Question is, what sort of spray gun? I don't think I want something with a big paint tub as I'll probably waste more paint when cleaning it out than I put on the steel, but maybe that's just the way things are!

My main questions are:
1 are all manufacturers guns alike or are there good & bad ones out there?
2. HVLP or LVHP? Does it matter?
3. Nozzle size - I've seen 1.4mm through to 2.2mm. I assume this relates to paint thickness some how, but I've not found anything so far that says how to pick the nozzle I need.

Any words of wisdom from the floor?
Thx
Jon


Thx
Jon

The paint manufacturer should recommend a nozzle size for the paint.

Good ones/bad ones? Of course. $49 for a cheapie at Bunnings. $500 or more for a Devilbiss.

Do you ever intend spraying the panels?

The body panels are definitely to strip back and paint in the future.
They are currently not too bad, in so much as they are fairly clean & tidy. Problem is that the previous owner took a 2" brush and some Dulux Blue to it!!!!
My plan is to get it on the road for a while before pulling it back into the garage to strip down again & paint the panels.

At this stage, don't know if I'd paint them at home or get someone else to do them.

With a bit of practice, is it something your average bloke could do?


Thx
Jon

For small parts - brackets, etc, maybe even up to a full gearbox size, I actually use an airbrush, rather than a full size spray gun. They are cheap, easy to use and very easy to clean (a lot easier than a full size gun).

For full size guns I prefer to use HVLP.

Its not rocket science but I would say having used chassis paint in the past,that anything like it will need a big nozzle size to pass the treacle like paint through it.
Having said that there is a such a thing as an under body gun.

Google up Star spray guns ,they are certainly not Devilbis but are better than average as far as quality goes.The shops that sell to panel beaters have them.
As the other blokes have said see the paint retailer of this stuff or send PQR an email. Possibly Super Cheap auto but that would be second teir or worse guns

I inquired about PQR once and needed a chair to sit down and a drink of water,nearly,when the price came back.

I would be going on line and following up on the PQR( american) reviews as from what I remember not everyone was happy ,but that was years back.
It would surprise if any body here has used it as most of us are budget conscious.There may be better value from the paint/body shop products.

Grahame

The Super Cheap 3 x gun kit (Blackridge Air Spray Gun Kit, HVLP - 4 Piece - Supercheap Auto Australia) was recommended on here (or perhaps another forum) some time back. Based on the recommendation I bought a set for my son as part of his "car restoration" project (is this a right of passage for all kids?). They worked particularly well and I was pretty impressed with the quality of the outcome (although I don't really have anything to compare them against). Super Cheap also sell parts for them which is important when you leave the son and his mates to clean up everything. Currently on sale for $112 (down from $149). No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

Here is a good starting gun -
https://www.vektools.com.au/workquip...ip-setups.html

It comes with three tip sizes - for automotive 2k enamel (1.4mm), automotive acrylic (1.8) and spray putties (2.5mm). Check what your paint brand recommends for tip size.

All in all, it's not a bad starting point, especially if you are finishing in acrylic - search the product name/part no. and you'll find some example pics on car forums of cars sprayed with it.

If the price of that is too low, and it offends your tool buying sensibilities (as you must have top of the line tools, price is soon forgotten, yadda yadda yadda) then top of the line sprayguns will cost you about $600-1k EACH, and the quick way of telling pro-quality sprayguns from amateur stuff is that the cost of a new needle, tip and air cap for a pro gun will be a significant chunk of change, like maybe half the price you paid for the full gun, so buying different sizes is generally a false economy. If you want to pay that much, I'd chuck in another few hundred dollars of cost for plenty of paint to learn how to use the expensive guns at something better than $90 spray gun level.

DeVilbiss and SATA are two good brands to start with. DeVilbiss actually make a good budget gun (SGK-600, $200), but its tip size (1.4) is suited to automotive 2 pack.

Also budget for a gun mounted air gauge/regulator($30), clean air hose (never had oil through it) and at least one water trap on the line.

Paint wise, your local speciality car paint store (not Supercheap) will have everything from quick dry enamels, to acrylics to 2 pack. Acrylics are pretty much relegated to DIY use these days, as 2 packs are superior in many ways, at least in the trade where you've already spent your cash on all the safety equipment (minimum - body suit and a good (Sundstrom) respirator with a fresh A2 paint filter that you discard *strictly* after 8 hours use with isocyanate paints, assuming you are working in a high flow spray booth, or a forced air face mask if ventilation could be a bit dodgy).

I have just discovered a mob called Norglass - Norglass Paints and Specialty Finishes who make marine paints, including a brushable 2-pack which caught my attention just last week (I now have a litre of it for my 2-years-and-running trailer repaint.)


Useful YouTube channels:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzJ...8GVVKjv8_eynUg
https://www.youtube.com/user/customspraymods

I highly recommend the Gun Man YouTube videos that Master Splinter linked to.

I also agree with Venonv about getting an airbrush for small stuff. I've had this in my eBay watch list for ages. A bit bigger than an airbrush, but looks very handy. The poor USD/AUD exchange rate keeps me from hitting the Buy It Now button.

Anest Iwata LPH80 62G Mini Gravity Feed Spray GUN With 150ml CUP LPH 80 062G NEW | eBay

Not a seasoned spray painter.
Run a low pressure unit with pot below gun which I bought from local auto paint place. Too far from shop now to to grab out and provide a brand name.

Cost from memory it was around $130 bucks to buy and can get bits from them. Learnt from previous mistakes, bought 2 cheap guns with pot above gun for under $60 each. Should have spent the extra in the first place for a better unit.

Had troubles with pot above units when painting a large horizontal surface.

Airbrush sounds good for small stuff as previously stated. Havent used one, so cant offer my 2 bobs on one.
Dont usually put a lot of paint in pot, mainly cause I usually seem to use it in the warmer weather.

When you get to paint the body panels I would choose a paint type thats easier to apply. If it was me I would stay away from really dark colors (espec black), mainly because any stuff ups will really show up in the final finish.

You probably wont use it on the vehicle project, but if you wind up tackling stuff like hamertone later on the stuff they put in it (silicone from memory) can be a bugger to get out of your gun. Thats what I found.

hi

I have a few old Land Rovers myself . The 80" type . The chassis' are prone to rust , check the chassis out , its made from 2mm box section , welded together . Most of them have had some chassis repairs over the years farmers with stick welders can really do horrible things .

The bodywork is very difficult to repair but it is easy to make new panels from aluminium sheet . I've seen new body tubs made using basic tools, wooden formers and jigs .

The factory colour was usually deep bronze green , applied over a clear etch prime. They did have blue LWB 107" models in 1954 .

This is the jig for making the new front wing panels

This 1948 Land Rover has a new tub and all of it was hand made in a back yard using very simple tools. The spot welding was done with a normal steel spot welder , with small stainless steel pieces sandwiched between the aluminium and the electrodes

Modern automotive paint finishes - both acrylic and 2k enamel - can both be considered fairly forgiving as regards to mistakes such as drips, runs and dust in the final coat.

Acrylic can have runs sanded out and be buffed to a piano gloss finish - in fact, sanding/buffing is standard procedure for finishing acrylics.

The same can be done with a 2k enamel, BUT it is much slower to cut because it is harder; it's also able to give a much higher gloss off the gun so that much less buffing, if any, is required... but that's where being able to lay down a good coat in the first place comes into its own.

If you're looking for paint durability in sunlight, avoid any 'clear-over-base' (metallic flake) colours. Once the clearcoat starts peeling (check your local car park, you're guaranteed to find examples) the only corrective action is to sand back and do a full respray of both the base colour and the clear topcoat.

Solid colours are more forgiving and can be revived with a cut and polish. Fading in pigments isn’t really a problem these days; the problem is generally breakdown of the binder that holds the pigment together leading to a chalky looking finish. This is more common on acrylics; a good 2k solid colour finish should give a minimum of 10-15 years of essentially just needing a clean and polish to bring it back to factory-like appearance.

Make sure that whatever primer you use is compatible with your expected topcoat. If you are going to be painting aluminium, remember that the best primer for aluminium is zinc chromate based and you do not want to be breathing it in (when you watch a trade painter with a normally fairly laid back approach to PPE emphasise that you don't want to breathe it in, that's a hint that it might be nasty).

Alternately, a 2k epoxy primer can be another solution for aluminium, and it can be overcoated with either 2k, quick dry enamel or acrylic.

Originally Posted by ventureoverland

I don't think I want something with a big paint tub as I'll probably waste more paint when cleaning it out than I put on the steel, but maybe that's just the way things are!

A while ago I had several batches of small items mainly related to vintage car wheels to paint - hubs, hub bolts, rim clamps, brake drums etc. I have a couple of full sized guns, but from past experience knew how much paint you can waste on jobs like this, so I bought one of these to try:

Blackridge Air Spray Gun Touch Up - 200mL - Supercheap Auto Australia

My gun looks the same, but has a different brand name on the pot, so there might be some minor differences. It's obviously not for full time professional use, but I was pleasantly surprised by the finish with acrylic lacquer, and probably saved most of the cost of the gun with the reduced waste of left over paint with each batch, even though I did pay $20 for mine!

Obviously it wouldn't be suitable to paint a whole chassis with a heavy viscous coating or a complete vehicle, but for painting just several small items at a time I think it is worth having one at the price even if you already have a full sized gun for larger jobs.

Frank.

Have used a couple of top feed cheapies off Ebay and can't fault the finish when using 2 Pac or auto acrylic, must use the right pressure though.

Thanks guys, appreciate the input and experiences. I'm going to have a word with the paint supplier and see what they say re nozzle size.

I'll spend some of the weekend reviewing the GunMan videos and then re-visit above.

Thx again.
J