Paint Questions

I called local JD, they have gallon of paint that costs twice that of TCI, but the guy did not know anything about it. What kind it is or if I need a hardner.

I looked on this site. They have TISCO classic green for $39. But it doesn't tell me much more than that. Do I need a hardner? Do I need a reducer? The typical questions.

Of course the NAPA paint is the cheapest and I have used it before, but I am now switching guns to a HVLP, so not sure if that will cause problems.

Any advice on the paints I have described is greatly appreciated.

I used my HVLP spray gun for painting this Troy Bilt tiller. I used PPG's single stage Omni polyurethane paint with hardener. The painting went very well and had no sags. My compressor is a borderline for the HVLP gun. They use a lot of air. I bought a quart of paint but I only used about a pint. The paint cost $29.00 and with hardener and thinner the total was around $70.00.
Hal

I am not familiar with TCI or JD paint but I'll offer an opinion. You should be able to use either a hvlp or a non-hvlp gun. For a gravity feed hvlp gun applying a topcoat, the 2.0mm tip is likely too large. See the instructions that came with the gun. A 1.4mm tip would be more typical. For a suction feed convential gun, a 1.8mm tip would be typical for topcoats of normal spray viscosity. The low-end paints are not always very specific about tip sizes or recommended amount of reduction (thinning). If you are going to use a gravity feed hvlp gun I'd start with a 1.4mm tip and review the can label for any recommended amount of reduction. Some low-end paints are not thinned at all. Some may require a bit of trial and error regarding reduction if not specific on the label.

You'll want to use a pressure gage at the gun inlet for accurate pressure adjustment. For hvlp, the maximum pressure should be stated on the gun handle or in the instructions that came with the gun in order to comply with hvlp standards. That varies for different gun manufacturers but is typically between 15 and 50 psig. My two hvlp gravity guns are 29 and 40 psig max respectively - stamped right on the handle. Setting it at the maximum will usually be satisfactory. For a conventional (non-hvlp) gun the recommended inlet pressures will not be on the gun. They are generally established by the paint companies in their technical data sheets. Those may not exist for the paints you are considering. For non-hvlp, enamels typically will used with between 40 and 60 pisg at the gun inlet, although you should review the instructions that came with the gun and the can label for any general guidance. In any case, you should measure it using a gage at the inlet and adjust your upstream regulator while the trigger is pulled and the fan adjustment is wide open. You don't need paint in the gun to do this. This is all assuming you are talking a spray gun supplied with regulated compressed air from a compressor and not a turbine-supplied gun. For a turbine gun, see the documentaion that came with it.

For the paints you are talking about, you probably do not need a hardener. The can label should advise you if any hardener is required or optional and how much of it to use. Regarding hardeners, I strongly suggest you review the health-safety issues involved in their use if you do not have a positive pressure fresh air respirator system.

Rod

Thanks for the response.