Best budget spray gun setup

[Ed of all trades]

I have the Harbor Freight touch up gun with a bottom cup. My neighbor has one he has used for years so I got one. Paid $13 for it and it works well. I have painted a few things around the shop and am very happy with it. Ed

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Can you get a variety of tips for the HF guns?

 

[George2615]

I have 2 HF guns. One touch up gun like Ed has and the top feed gun for larger projects.
They work very well for any projects I've painted.
I also have 2 bottom feed (siphon type) guns made by Eclipse. They came with 2 nozzles each and have painted a few vehicles with them.
I haven't tried the HF guns on a vehicle yet but for the price they will work for most homeowner projects.
Not sure if other nozzles are available for the HF guns.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Can you get a variety of tips for the HF guns?

I don't really know but I doubt it. Ed

 

[joeu235]

I have a Asturo i bought from spraygunworld 5 years ago. I spray clear coat on cabinets and furniture, latex paint on furniture, and oil based on metal. Works great as long as it's kept clean. I use DeKups to make clean up a little easier. Gun kit on sale right now for $140.

Asturo Low Air Spray Gun

 

[drizler]

What size is the tank on your compressor? Is it a cheapo made in China like mine? Mine is a 220 V 26 gallon with 6.5 HP putting out 11.5 or so CFM. If you believe that one I have a bridge to sell you, cheeeepppp. Mine will barley run any HVLP gun for anything bigger than a front clip of a car. All modern air tools eat a lot of air, period so don't think you can stretch things a bit because what you have for output is a lie to begin with. I have probably the lowest full size HVLP gun and they don't make it anymore that I know of, Sharpe Platinum. It's slow, very slow. The HF Purple colored guns seem to work good. I have one of those too and it does seem to work well but it's an air hog like all the others. They make a small one too which is great for small jobs . Those don't use much air at all.
If you are new to paint guns remember this well, clean them squeaky clean. You HAVE to take it ALL apart every time you use it and swab it out with q tips and lacquer thinner. If you don't it won't work the next time or the time after correctly and drive you crazy. That's just how HVLP guns are , fussy. Take an old fashioned paint wasting high pressure type and they will usually keep on working well till they are completely stuffed, go figure.
Also be darned careful spraying any of the paints with hardener (which is most of them nowdays). That isocyanate hardener gives off some very nasty fumes even after the cloud of over spray has settled. These paints are super hard and durable and keep nearly forever in the can. Even the cheapest synthetic or acrylic enamel paint makes the best rattle can paint look like crap. I just use those for temporary touch ups and such and they plug up constantly anyways.

 

[arkydog]

i did body work for a living for 35 years at large new car dealerships (10-15 bodymen and painters) . the gravity feed (cup on top) is the only way to go for the non professional. i painted many a car with them and will be perfect for you. the secret is to dissemble the gun each time after each usage any where the paint touches any clean like there 's no end until it looks brand new. old paint or hardened paint will mess it any your job up.

 

[varmint]

I'd agree with most posters about gravity feed, super clean after each use, and HVLP. I have used Binks quality spray guns, but right now, I have a couple of the Harbor Freight HVLP guns, and have used them for epoxy primer and Kubota acrylic enamel with complete satisfaction.

With HVLP more of the paint winds up on the item being painted, with much less overspray, and the transfer is about as fast as the average home user can control. I don't think that the HF guns have any choices on tip size, but for the price when on sale, you could buy extras and CAREFULLY drill some out. There were good online writeups on using them. Get a disposable inline drier, and a gallon of lacquer thinner for cleanup, plus some thinner/retarder for whatever finish you are using, and have at it. I like to spray outdoors on calm, sunny days. Hah.
Oh, and get a proper respirator for whatever you are spraying, of course.

 

[boggen]

pipe cleaners. most likely trip to local "hobby lobby" store or like. to find the smaller size little pipe cleaners. to clean out the nozzles / jets. along with some longer pipe cleaners to work back into the gun itself to clean out the passage ways.

it is true you need to fully dismantal the spray guns. and clean them out after each use. there is no exceptions. even with non air type / straight pump paint sprayers. paint will gum it all up and keep it from working if not cleaned up.

a simple filling the paint cannister with paint thinner or like and running for a couple minutes is not enough. (it is only the initial start) of cleaning. and undo-ing all the nuts / bolts and/or screw on things and cleaning it all out.

generally ended up with a garden hose outside to do initial cleaning of unit. and then come inside to kitchen sink to finish stuff out with paint thinner and working the pipe cleaners and some paper towels to finish off cleaning the unit.

=============================
i have small "oil-less" air compressors. and these compressors tend to get rather hot rather fast. due to nearly constant running when using the air paint spray gun. as a result i tend to place a generic box / floor fan you might find in your house. and place it directly beside the air compressor, blowing extra air across the air compressor itself to help keep it cool. and give air compressor a break every so often. basically i need a break as well, but most likely mixing up some more paint / thinner together, to moving ladder or like.

putting the fan right up next to air compressor, by some may be overkill. but have been burned a couple times, with cheap air compressors. and direct failure was due to over heating. as a result a cheap floor fan seems to have helped when i am expecting to use the air compressor for extended almost non stop running times (extreme usage of cheap air compressors) vs using some air tools that only see a couple minutes of usage and then no use what so ever.

==============================
to note it again.... messing with regulator on air compressor. vs adding paint thinner.... most likely adding a little more paint thinner will cause things to work better. vs turning up the air pressure on the regulator on the air compressor.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Thank for the great advice. Always impressed with how helpful everyone is. Sound like the HF purple or touch up gun is the place to start.
I will do a complete teardown and cleaning when I get it and with each use.
The compressor I will likely have free is a 4.5gal dewalt advertised at 5.0cfm @ 90psi. Do y'all think this will run the purple HF?