Spray guns revisited

[purplepickup]

A few weeks ago I talked about how much I liked my Harbor Freight HVLP detail gun.  Well, I think I'm changing my opinion.  I've been using it a lot lately and I always tear it down to clean it.  I don't know what has happened but it isn't spraying the same anymore and it's getting harder to get the right combination of air pressure and adjustment to get the atomization I want.  I've used this gun a lot and am real familiar with the adjustments and what combination has worked in the past.  To compensate I've had to thin the paint more and last night I painted two bike tanks and a helmet and the gun started dripping in the middle of the paint job.  Yup, I got a big drip right on top of the helmet.

Anyway, rather than continue to fight with it I'm going to get another gun.  I want to step up to a better gun but I'm not sure I want to spend the money for a Sata, Iwata, or the like.  I've been spending a lot of time searching Len's Autobodystore forums and other places for info.  Now I'm asking for opinions here.  

There is some talk about some mid priced import guns that people feel are quite high quality for the money and consistently give them good results.  The Astro 4020 detail gun is one that has been recommended.  Spraygunworld.com sells them for less than $85 and they have deals on different size tips and cups too if you buy them when you order the gun.  I've tried a friend's Sharpe Cobalt and Devilbiss Finishline and didn't care for the ones I used.  I haven't used their small guns tho.  I did read a couple of negative things about the Sharpe Finex line.  That's their low priced guns.

Anyone have any opinions about stepping up a notch?  

I'm also wondering if anyone has had any experience with LVLP guns.

[WZ JUNK]

A few weeks ago I talked about how much I liked my Harbor Freight HVLP detail gun.  Well, I think I'm changing my opinion.  I've been using it a lot lately and I always tear it down to clean it.  I don't know what has happened but it isn't spraying the same anymore and it's getting harder to get the right combination of air pressure and adjustment to get the atomization I want.  I've used this gun a lot and am real familiar with the adjustments and what combination has worked in the past.  To compensate I've had to thin the paint more and last night I painted two bike tanks and a helmet and the gun started dripping in the middle of the paint job.  Yup, I got a big drip right on top of the helmet.

Anyway, rather than continue to fight with it I'm going to get another gun.  I want to step up to a better gun but I'm not sure I want to spend the money for a Sata, Iwata, or the like.  I've been spending a lot of time searching Len's Autobodystore forums and other places for info.  Now I'm asking for opinions here.  

There is some talk about some mid priced import guns that people feel are quite high quality for the money and consistently give them good results.  The Astro 4020 detail gun is one that has been recommended.  Spraygunworld.com sells them for less than $85 and they have deals on different size tips and cups too if you buy them when you order the gun.  I've tried a friend's Sharpe Cobalt and Devilbiss Finishline and didn't care for the ones I used.  I haven't used their small guns tho.  I did read a couple of negative things about the Sharpe Finex line.  That's their low priced guns.

Anyone have any opinions about stepping up a notch?  

I'm also wondering if anyone has had any experience with LVLP guns.

For the most part a spray gun comes down to two major parts the tip and the needle.  Granted the rest of it needs to be made in a way that you can operate and adjust it.  For practical purposes its the tip and needle.  I know that the Harbor Freight gun that I use must be a knock off of a more expensive gun.  (I do not think Harbor Freight  has a design and engineering department.)   Someone told me once the name of the gun they copied but I have forgot who it was.  My thinking is that you should find who they copied and buy a new name brand needle and tip for your gun.  I think these parts must be wore out in yours from your explanation.  I did this with a Binks copy years ago and the cheap gun with the good tip and needle shot paint as good as the original name brand.  I will stick with the Harbor Freight even if I have to buy a new one just for parts.  I have two guns that I paid more than $250 hanging on the wall.

[BFS57]

Hello;
I have had a Devilbis touch up gun that I have used for over 15 years! I just go and buy a rebuild kit for it, replace a couple of seals and its good to go. I have not used a newer HVLP gun but I do know this, The Cheapie guns work for a while, then they do as yours did. Seems like they are "throw away" technology. If you are planning to use a spray gun on a frequent regular basis then more expensive guns that can be rebuilt easily is what you want.
I recently bought a Cheapie full sized HVLP but I have not had the pleasure of using it yet. The theory behind HVLP is that you can spray more paint on something with less air and very little over spray and use a lot less material doing it!
Thats my $.02
Bruce

[purplepickup]

For the most part a spray gun comes down to two major parts the tip and the needle.   ........I know that the Harbor Freight gun that I use must be a knock off of a more expensive gun.     .....My thinking is that you should find who they copied and buy a new name brand needle and tip for your gun.  

John, someone else suggested the same thing.   Many of the overseas shops making the clones are using top quality machining centers so tolerances can be kept tight and the only other factors are the materials used and the copied engineering (I did have some machining burrs in my last HF gun tho).  

I don't know what gun mine is copied from.  I've got two HF detail guns that are similar but the parts don't interchange.  I don't think the body shop supply store is going to appreciate me trying different parts from the same name brand guns that they sell. I might ask tho....they are pretty good guys.    

One thing I'm looking at now if I buy a copy, is "what was it copied from and are parts interchangeable".  I was sort of thinking that if I stepped up to a higher quality clone, it would already have better quality parts in it.  

A friend that paints for a living let me try his Sata MiniJet and that gun is really sweet for small stuff.  Sometimes I'm tempted to spend the $250 for one. :?

Also, the LVLP technology I was asking about is different than HVLP somewhat.  I think it uses even less air than HVLP.  I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

[1FATGMC]

George have you tried HF for the parts?  I've gotten parts for other items before and they were actually pretty good at helping me order them and they came in a reasonable amount of time.

I think if you go for one of the other guns under $200 you will just be buying another chinese imitation like what you have.  I've seen the HF gun being sold by J.C. Whitney and others and it looks the same, just costs more.

For as much as you seem to paint I would consider parting with the dollars and buying that nicer gun you used.  Some day I might own a Sata myself.

c ya, Sum

[Dave]

A few weeks ago I talked about how much I liked my Harbor Freight HVLP detail gun.  Well, I think I'm changing my opinion.  I've been using it a lot lately and I always tear it down to clean it.  I don't know what has happened but it isn't spraying the same anymore and it's getting harder to get the right combination of air pressure and adjustment to get the atomization I want.  I've used this gun a lot and am real familiar with the adjustments and what combination has worked in the past.  To compensate I've had to thin the paint more and last night I painted two bike tanks and a helmet and the gun started dripping in the middle of the paint job.  Yup, I got a big drip right on top of the helmet.

Anyway, rather than continue to fight with it I'm going to get another gun.  I want to step up to a better gun but I'm not sure I want to spend the money for a Sata, Iwata, or the like.  I've been spending a lot of time searching Len's Autobodystore forums and other places for info.  Now I'm asking for opinions here.  

There is some talk about some mid priced import guns that people feel are quite high quality for the money and consistently give them good results.  The Astro 4020 detail gun is one that has been recommended.  Spraygunworld.com sells them for less than $85 and they have deals on different size tips and cups too if you buy them when you order the gun.  I've tried a friend's Sharpe Cobalt and Devilbiss Finishline and didn't care for the ones I used.  I haven't used their small guns tho.  I did read a couple of negative things about the Sharpe Finex line.  That's their low priced guns.

Anyone have any opinions about stepping up a notch?  

I'm also wondering if anyone has had any experience with LVLP guns.

I cant do the  HVLP thing american or imported. I went back to my old trusty Pratco suction feed gun Bought out of an ad in street scene years ago and my cheap suction feed touch up gun that i really like.
I cant help it but im sorry i cant fix the hole in the ozone layer but my guns i like work and i do know paint is expensive but these work for me.
My brother had a suction HVLP gun from HF that i used to paint my kids truck and that baby threw paint. I liked it but he broke the plastic ring around the cap and that was that.  The last stuff I painted was the rear brake stuff for the 32 while changing to disks and i just used the touch up gun. I got a devilbiss finish line and i hate it . In fact id like to find some one that likes em............... $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Dave

[1FATGMC]

I cant do the  HVLP thing american or imported. I went back to my old trusty Pratco suction feed gun Bought out of an ad in street scene years ago and my cheap suction feed touch up gun that i really like.

Is the Finishline a gravity feed gun.  I can't imagine using a suction feed gun again.  Seems the gravity feed work better and the nice thing is you can mix just a very little paint if you want to and they use it all.

One thing I like about my HF is that it breaks down very quickly and thus I clean it real good.

c ya, Sum

[WZ JUNK]

I cant do the  HVLP thing american or imported. I went back to my old trusty Pratco suction feed gun Bought out of an ad in street scene years ago and my cheap suction feed touch up gun that i really like.

Is the Finishline a gravity feed gun.  I can't imagine using a suction feed gun again.  Seems the gravity feed work better and the nice thing is you can mix just a very little paint if you want to and they use it all.

One thing I like about my HF is that it breaks down very quickly and thus I clean it real good.

c ya, Sum

I got a catalog from Eastwood today.  They have a bunch of guns listed.  The HF gun sure looks like one of the Satas.  I wish I knew someone who had one and then I would compare the parts.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

A good gravity feed gun will serve you well.

I own about 8 guns. 3 gravity feed, 5 suction.

I have 2 Devilbiss gravity feed guns. One is nozzled up for color , the other I use to only shoot clear.

An Astro gravity feed gun works well for basic spray paint that I am not too concerned over.

I need  a smaller gravity feed touch up gun. My cheapy suction touch up guns suck.

let us know what you buy / use

:T)

[parklane]

I remember reading about the HF gun that Sumner was so happy with, but it seems that someone stated that the good one was no longer available. Is this the case, and if so, what model replaces it, and if not, what model was it??

TIA
John  

[1FATGMC]

I remember reading about the HF gun that Sumner was so happy with, but it seems that someone stated that the good one was no longer available. Is this the case, and if so, what model replaces it, and if not, what model was it??

TIA
John  

Click on the 1FATGMC below and then go to the tech section on my site and you will find the info there,

Sum

[purplepickup]

let us know what you buy / use

:T)

I'm becoming convinced that most all the cheap guns are basically the same.  I think they're copies of one of Sata's designs.  For now I'm just getting repair kits from HF to freshen up the two guns I own and I also ordered another cheap detail gun from Eastwood....the $34.99 one.  That should get me by for a while and give me time to find the "perfect gun".  

I tend to use these small guns for all sorts of things and when they work right they're a pleasure to use.  Lots of times I'll use them instead of rattle cans because I'd rather use automotive paint and cleaning the gun is a small price to pay when I look at the quality of the paintjobs...even if it's just a bracket.

[Dave]

I cant do the  HVLP thing american or imported. I went back to my old trusty Pratco suction feed gun Bought out of an ad in street scene years ago and my cheap suction feed touch up gun that i really like.

Is the Finishline a gravity feed gun.  I can't imagine using a suction feed gun again.  Seems the gravity feed work better and the nice thing is you can mix just a very little paint if you want to and they use it all.

One thing I like about my HF is that it breaks down very quickly and thus I clean it real good.

c ya, Sum

Yes the finish line is gravity feed.
Dave

[Kctom]

A few weeks ago I talked about how much I liked my Harbor Freight HVLP detail gun.  Well, I think I'm changing my opinion.  I've been using it a lot lately and I always tear it down to clean it.  I don't know what has happened but it isn't spraying the same anymore and it's getting harder to get the right combination of air pressure and adjustment to get the atomization I want.  I've used this gun a lot and am real familiar with the adjustments and what combination has worked in the past.  To compensate I've had to thin the paint more and last night I painted two bike tanks and a helmet and the gun started dripping in the middle of the paint job.  Yup, I got a big drip right on top of the helmet.

Anyway, rather than continue to fight with it I'm going to get another gun.  I want to step up to a better gun but I'm not sure I want to spend the money for a Sata, Iwata, or the like.  I've been spending a lot of time searching Len's Autobodystore forums and other places for info.  Now I'm asking for opinions here.  

There is some talk about some mid priced import guns that people feel are quite high quality for the money and consistently give them good results.  The Astro 4020 detail gun is one that has been recommended.  Spraygunworld.com sells them for less than $85 and they have deals on different size tips and cups too if you buy them when you order the gun.  I've tried a friend's Sharpe Cobalt and Devilbiss Finishline and didn't care for the ones I used.  I haven't used their small guns tho.  I did read a couple of negative things about the Sharpe Finex line.  That's their low priced guns.

Anyone have any opinions about stepping up a notch?  

I'm also wondering if anyone has had any experience with LVLP guns.

George, in my last post I said "I used my Harbor gun once and threw it in the trash" Bought a sharpe i think it is. Paid $150.00 from a buddy of mine who is a factory rep. Love it.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

how about a larger capacity cup on a  gravity feed gun?  

The lower end $$ units seem to be all the same capacity.