Paint guns

Thanks Nathan

Thanks again, Nathan

Thanks again, Nathan

That Binks #7 is a classic, similar to my 30 year old DeVilbiss JGA. They are both still available too, if one is not limited by some legal requirement for HVLP. Yes, they have more overspray and therefore more waste. That may or may not be important, depending on quantity and cost of materials used. I have an HVLP spot gun and when using that, I have to get closer to the surface and my travel speed has to be less than what I am used to with my non-HVLP spot gun; feels like I am painting in slow motion. It's easier to clean though, I'll give it that. HVLP is the "standard" now and will be into the future. Like you however, I am one of the dinosaurs and will continue to rely on my trusty JGA as long as it continues to do the job as well as it always has. It's also more flexible than current HVLP models. With the different fluid tips and air caps available (or were), you can get a good 16" fan pattern if you have enough air supply to support it. I once painted a VW bug with such a large pattern. Pressure feed with a 16" fan -- real impressive to watch the paint go on that fast on a small car :o).

Rod

The main problem i had with the binks was clogging at the vent tube at the top of the cup. You really needed to watch the little hose while painting, or it would quickly start to clog and you would have dry spray. It did spray good when the tube stayed clear. It ruined the one job i wanted to do perfectly, my Dads truck. He never had the patience for proper paint prep, when i told him we needed to let it dry and resand the dry spray--he didn't want to hear that, "good enough just go over it again".

After the Binks i went to a turbine system and found it limited my movement too much, and you can't get low with the bigger hose in the way.

I like the lower overspray with the gravity feed hvlp guns. One feature i don't like is filling the cup and how easy they tip over on you due to the extra length with an air gauge. I spray outside a lot and don't have a screwed down cup holder stand a lot of times. The phone will ring and the slightest touch of the hose will bring down the house. That was the hardest thing to adjust to for me. I need to mount a holder stand on a 12 x 12 and disconnect my hoses i guess. I don't have a problem with the hvlp speed except with the touch up gun. It works best for me so far with 20 cfm to work with. I use 1/2 inch hose fed by 3/4 pipe from the compessor with a 3/8 swivel whip hose with the hvlp connectors for the gun. Also the highest flowing connectors on the 1/2 hose--military type P. Helps the flow quite a bit, you need a strong hand to uncouple them at full pressure. Not as much as i would like for blasting but enough for everything else.

I haven't tried the pressure feed yet and being able to paint in odd angles sounds appealing. Rod what kind of pressure feed gun are you using?

Most of the name brand suction feed guns are readily convertible to pressure feed / remote cup by changing the fluid tip and needle assembly and removing the suction cup. You might also have to change the air cap. Typically a standard suction feed 0.070" (1.8mm) tip would be replaced by a 0.042" (1.1mm) tip for pressure feed. The same tip can be used for all automotive paints. For surfacers, just up the pot pressure (normally 10-15 psig) a little. If you wanted to just try out the concept without spending a lot of money, Northern Tool has a complete "knock-off" arrangement for $80. No guarantees on quality though :o).

There are three basic types of feed for automotive type spray guns:

1. Suction feed
2. Pressure feed
3. Gravity feed

The gravity feed guns are currently the most popular style, usually in a HVLP configuration. This style has the paint cup on top of the gun. Suction feed was the most popular years ago. It has the paint cup hung under the gun and is now usually a non-HVLP type. Pressure feed is not that common for automotive work but I prefer it although it is harder to clean than gravity. Pressure feed is available with attached cup hung under the gun (like suction feed) or in a remote cup configuration which I think is best. Pressure feed can be either HVLP or non-HVLP and is typically for larger jobs than cars. The common remote cups hold 2 qts so you can cover larger areas before having to fill up -- plus there is no paint weight in your gun hand and painting upside down and at odd angles is easy.

There are two types of mix: 1) external where the atomization air is mixed with the paint after the paint leaves the tip and 2) internal where they are mixed behind the air cap. The internal mix requires a special air cap -- forget it for nice work. I don't think it is ever used in automotive work. Might be OK for house paint but I wouldn't think of using it for anything.

As far as the type of feed goes, which one is "better" is more a matter of personal preference. The external mix air cap is, in fact, "better" IMO.

Rod