Bill, you're very welcome. I guess you could call me one of those old dinosaurs too  . My main gun is a DeVilbiss JGA, pressure fed from a remote cup, from about 1975. It worked great then and still does now. There is an awful lot of hype about hvlp. It of course was developed as a response to environmental emission regulations and not entirely as a cost saver. I do not dispute that the transfer efficiency is better with hvlp. However it is also slow. Very slow if you are used to regular guns from days past. And you need to move a little closer to the surface than you might be used to. I wanted to replace my touch-up gun a little over a year ago and decided to go for an hvlp unit. It works good but I feel I am painting in slow motion. There is still a goodly amount of overspray. I do not notice a great difference in that between the hvlp unit and my older non-hvlp touch-up gun. I am not impressed. However, I will take the word of those who have actually measured the differences that the overspray is less with hvlp. I doubt very much that any difference would equate to significant cost savings for the intermittent user though. For the one-time use you are contemplating, I think it would be a waste of your good money. Better to replace whatever seals need it in your Snap-On gun (if you can get them). I have never replaced any seals in my DeVilbiss so your gun may still work OK as is. I'd take it apart, clean it up, lubricate it, check it out with a test spray and see if you really need to do anything at all. I personally think you would be disappointed with an hvlp replacement, having used the older equipment. If you were going to go back in the painting "business" using the more modern paints, that would be a different situation.I am aware of Magnet Paints but have never used their products so I can't give you an informed opinion. I am more concerned with paint chemistry and quality than with brand though. There are high and low ends in both chemistry and quality in most product lines. A high end acrylic is going to cost quite a bit more than a low end synthetic (alkyd) no matter whose product lines you are comparing. There is certainly more than enough choices out there to satisfy any paint need or budget. Of course you can't expect a $25/gal "no-name" sythetic enamel to perform to levels similar to a $300/gal high end DuPont urethane. There should be no argument there. It is a rare paint salesman/rep indeed that cares more about your own unique needs and budget rather than simply peddling the latest and greatest product being used among the pro autobody crowd. You need to do your own independent research. Fortunately, the internet has made paint technical information quite abundant. Most of the "brand name" automotive paint manufacturers have great web sites and make all the technical data sheets (usage) and MSDS (safety) information available for free download. You can learn more at those sites by browsing than listening to a salesman trying to sell you what "Joe Blow Pro" uses. No offense intended to the pros. You should be able to get alkyd (synthetic) enamel in home and industrial lines at hardware stores and home centers for brush jobs. That chemistry is just not prominent in the automotive trades anymore (goodby DuPont Dulux!). Even the acrylic enamels in the auto lines are rapidly being replaced by the urethanes, mostly in base/clear configurations rather than single stage. I see no advantage at all to base/clear for overall paint jobs but that's probably the dinosaur in me talking :o).  Rod
|
