Thread: Joining air compressors, 1/2" outlets on toy compressors...

That is an idea Karl but i would never use a plasma cutter i have one on my ac/dc tig never used it i just get out the grinder for most things, i figure my pilot compressor is worth about $200 so if i go a head with the new purchase it will only set me back about $600 I'm absolutely ok with that for what i am getting and hopefully have it paid off in 6 months

i watched a video on youtube and done some searching seems HLVP spray guns use about 6cfm that's what my compressor is putting out, When im spraying hundreds of dollars worth of 2k paint i reckon i will struggle to get the boat painted and the paint may even go off in the gun while im waiting ever 1 to 3mins for the compressor to build back up

RC the petrol Hafco 100L compressor i owned had a twin swan head on it with a 5.5hp honda that ran my air duster gun it sat constantly on 115psi or 120psi from memory that thing was an absolute animal but loud those models are out of my budget range by a few hundred

Sydney Tools had quiet a few compressors on display probably 40 at lease of all different sizes i was trying to compare a few of the 50/60L models the best i could find was 320L FAD that went up to something like 500L on the big compressors and petrol models

I am just unsure why the 150L Fendi was put in backwards u couldn't see any of its ratings or details actually u couldnt see anything but the belt cover i understand after sales service will be zero thru these guys but they have the best deal

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

i watched a video on youtube and done some searching seems HLVP spray guns use about 6cfm that's what my compressor is putting out, When im spraying hundreds of dollars worth of 2k paint i reckon i will struggle to get the boat painted and the paint may even go off in the gun while im waiting ever 1 to 3mins for the compressor to build back up

You definitely don't want a HVLP gun. HV stands for high volume which will be WAY over 6CFM. My DeVillbis HVLP sucks 20CFM.
You want either a LVLP or LVMP gun or even a Star S770 would do provided you don't run it flat out.
A LVMP gun may only use 4-5CFM. Your 2 Pack will not go off in the gun I promise as it takes a lot longer than that to react. Many people sit their paint for 20 mins or so post mixing to allow the reaction to start before spraying.
Buy a suitable spray gun, which you are going to need to anyway, fill it with water, thinners or similar and then set it up to spray, put a pot through it and see how you go. Then look at new compressors if need be.

Thanks for that info Karl i have a nice no brand gun bought it 12 years ago i have only used it a couple of times first time i used it with a "special mix" from a paint shop of 2k paint i didnt really set up the gun properly and just sprayed it had a bit of orange peel but the 2k paint went off like a cracker think it was about 40mins in summer and it was rock solid dry, the second time i used the gun i had a old motorcycle panel off a road bike and i had some killrust black paint i done no prep as i was just chucking the piece out i mixed the paint with some thinner i can't remember if it was paint thinner, acetone or water was a long time ago i set up the gun properly this time spraying a piece of plywood or cardboard i than laid down the paint and it was flawless an absolute mirror finish i couldn't believe it it were perfection absolutely zero orange peel and it was high gloss i could see my self like a mirror the only down side i was using my super cheap auto 25L air compressor that i still have in the shed i remember it kicking in to refill but thats about all i remember, just took a pic o the gun it now has a big crack in the cup bugger!

the thing is i am working on a huge ass boat and we are coming to a end in winter i only like to work over the colder months due to the epoxy resin going off in warm weather and i absolutely sweat like a pig in summer fibreglassing so its likely the boat wont be painted untill next winter which will give me a whole year to pay off the air compressor now as my spare cash will be channeled into the air compressor repayments rather than going on boat building supplies

Testing the memory now but I think my Iwata used between 8-12 cfm depending on nozzle and needle sizing for doing acrillic or 2 pack . The Star with its large nozzle/needle for spaying on filler would use a lot more air than the Iwata.
Both HVLP.

OK made the decision tonight to buy the Fendi 150L compressor shoot me Karl but i thought it was an ok deal compared to what is on the budget market, I looked high i looked low i looked around every corner and all the machines under $1000 or even just over were all Chinese, There was a close call between the Sydney Tools: Fendi 150L and the Blue Dimond: Genesys i ultimately wanted the Genesys 4hp pallet load model but to buy it was $990 plus on top the $100 shipping and $100 for the wheel set it was out of my budget however from what i was told it was the better Chinese machine to buy just they only had offices in VIC and WA I'm in Sydney so i donno how a return for repair under warranty would work

anyhow the machine is purchased.

i will do some test and upload some pictures once it arrives and do some start up from empty to cut out and cut in to cut out and also see how long the air duster gun last... looking forward to it

found out the pump on the Fendi was sold in the USA its a NLA model pump as its old on the market but the American's quiet liked it it was sold under Harbor Freight under Central Pneumatic it was used on the older model Kobalt 60 gallon vertical tank (227 litre tank) few videos on youtube

You don't need to answer to me Gazza. I call it as I see it and you are free to make your choices.
I hope it's a good compressor for you.

Yeah i know Karl just your goving me solid advice and knowledge i was just being lead by what i thought was a good deal i think if i purchaeed a 50-70 litre machine i would pretty much have what i've already got so i think i was sold on the 150L tank i tried everywhere the biggest tank for under my bidget was 80L which is just over half the size of the Fendi, the pump may be and old and out dated model but there are some good reviews if Sydney Tools had extended warranty option that would have sealed the deal earlier

Still waiting for compressor to be delivered i called head office they said it should be this friday coming 9 days delivery seems a bit odd but cant bloody wait i'll be using it to spray the other air compressor tank and maybe the pump too

I got a freeby with the deal a kit of tools i dont expect them to be flash but its something

Just checked and the compressor is marked out of stock 20/9/19

Originally Posted by bts

Testing the memory now but I think my Iwata used between 8-12 cfm depending on nozzle and needle sizing for doing acrillic or 2 pack . The Star with its large nozzle/needle for spaying on filler would use a lot more air than the Iwata.
Both HVLP.

Star make many models and combinations of air cap and fluid tips. A Star S 770 with 1.7mm fluid tip and corresponding air cap will use 8 CFM flat out and can be cut back to 4-5 CFM quite easily. Perhaps you were looking at a gravity feed star with a large fluid tip designed for filler? The 770 is a suction feed gun, not HVLP. I would tend not to recommend true HVLP guns unless you have a substantial 3 phase compressor, many assume that all gravity fed guns are HVLP which they are not, there are LVLP and LVMP offerings as well.
One of the most economical units as far as air consumption that I have used was a 2L pressure pot bought from Supercheap. 5PSI in the pot and 50 to the gun and it would spray really nicely without sucking heaps of air.

Karl how do u tell between the hvlp, lvlp, lvmp? A long time ago i looked into the Star and Iwatta plus Devilbiss but they cost a few hundred bucks are they really worth it?

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

Karl how do u tell between the hvlp, lvlp, lvmp? A long time ago i looked into the Star and Iwatta plus Devilbiss but they cost a few hundred bucks are they really worth it?

The same gun can have multiple combinations of fluid tip and air cap, which will change the characteristics. The manufacturer usually has a spec sheet that lists the fluid tip size and air cap and their specifications such as fan width, air consumption and fluid delivery as well as the recommended air pressure. For example, my DeVildiss GTI Pro has choices of 1.2 or 1.3mm fluid caps and three different air caps, one of which is HVLP, with the other 2 being high efficiency tips of varying fan width and air consumption. HVLP guns were developed with the intent of reducing overspray, thus increasing efficiency, lowering costs and doing less harm to the environment. High end spray guns can achieve the same result without the higher air consumption of the HVLP gun.
A DeVilbiss GTI or equivalent Iwata is probably a $500 gun which is very hard to justify unless you do a lot of high end spraying. I reckon one of the best all round guns is a Star S770 suction gun with a 1.7mm tip. These can be had for $180 odd last I looked. You can spray single pack etch primer, 2 pack high build primer, industrial enamel, two pack top coat and even water based paint with a gun like that.
It's a bit like asking how much power a Holden V8 has and the fuel consumption. Until you read the build sheet, you won't know if it's the base model slug that has 180HP and does 15MPG, or the Bathurst special that has 500HP, is lucky to get 5MPG.

Availability and price sure has come down when i last looked at those 3 big branks the star from memory was only on ebay uk the devilbiss and iwata were in the usa and they varied from $280-$350 the more expensive models were $600-$800 they have came right down in price and ebay australia is flooded with them now

I may get one of the cheapies will see how the one coming with my compressor goes or i may swap the cup with my old spray gun

Originally Posted by gazza2009au

Availability and price sure has come down when i last looked at those 3 big branks the star from memory was only on ebay uk the devilbiss and iwata were in the usa and they varied from $280-$350 the more expensive models were $600-$800 they have came right down in price and ebay australia is flooded with them now

I may get one of the cheapies will see how the one coming with my compressor goes or i may swap the cup with my old spray gun

To be honest, a lot of the cheapies aren't too bad. You will find that the cheapies are often harder to clean as their castings and machining are a bit rougher and they are less precise in their adjustments, none of which really matter to you if you are an occasional user painting in the open air. I would definitely have a play with what you have, however the bits may not interchange between your existing gun and your new one.
If you didn't already know, do not mix paint in the cup of your gravity feed guns as there are areas where the paint will not mix, always use a mixing cup and mixing stick to get the correct ratios with two pack and remember that you can get slow, standard or fast hardener depending on weather conditions. If your gravity gun does not have a built in stand then Supercheap have them for $20 odd - well worth the effort IMHO.
I have several guns ranging from my DeVilbiss GTI, cheap 2L pressure pot outfit, Samson suction gun (no idea how old, I got it second hand), cheap gravity gun, cheap touch up gun and a Star S770. I will not loan out the Devilbiss to anyone and really only use it myself for automotive refinishing. My loan out gun is the cheap gravity gun and my main workhorses are the Samson and the S770 with the pressure pot outfit being used for larger jobs where the extra effort and time in cleaning can be justified.
A good paint job is more about prep work and technique than gun price. I can get just as big a run or just as many fish eyes with a $1000 gun as a $10 one

That spray gun i put up pics of that i have owned for a long time paints unbelieveably smooth mirror like finish that was with black gloss killrust paint in a tin watered down 10÷ that spray gun cost i think about $94 $96 from memory when i first tried it spraying 2k it had a ton of orange peel but old mate that sold me the paint said it would go off quick as it was a special mix made specifically for me and to cure without a oven but when i tried it later on spraying the enamel epoxy killrust wow it sprayed like a absolute professional

If i can find a cheap'ish pot for the old gun i'll try show how good it sprays when i paint this tank

I have had a professinal motorcycle tank sprayed on a scale 0-100 it had about 5% orange peel, my gun when i sprayed the black paint dead set had probably 1-2% orange peel let me see if i can find the pics