Painting tips?

phat46 · October 06, 2008, 11:24:57 PM

I got talked into painting a '65 Mustang for a friend. It's been 10 years since I've painted a whole car. He has two HVLP guns i can use or i could use my trusty high pressure gun. Anyone have any tips for useing the HVLP gun when you're used to the old guns?

1FATGMC · October 07, 2008, 08:43:44 AM

Do you know who's HVLP guns he has? One thing to remember is that they usually lower the pressure in the gun and still need a high pressure to the gun. The two HF guns I use (older and newer) can use 40-60 at the gun. Less if you turn the fan down. I would shoot at about the same distance and set the fan up so it looks the same.

I have some instructions on my site that might help if it is one of the HF guns and I've seen JC Whitney, Grizzly and auto parts houses selling a gun that looks the same. Go to the link at the bottom of this page...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/techinfo.html

........ and good luck,

Sum

phat46 · October 07, 2008, 11:37:23 AM

Quote from: "1FATGMC"Do you know who's HVLP guns he has? One thing to remember is that they usually lower the pressure in the gun and still need a high pressure to the gun. The two HF guns I use (older and newer) can use 40-60 at the gun. Less if you turn the fan down. I would shoot at about the same distance and set the fan up so it looks the same.

I have some instructions on my site that might help if it is one of the HF guns and I've seen JC Whitney, Grizzly and auto parts houses selling a gun that looks the same. Go to the link at the bottom of this page...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/techinfo.html

........ and good luck,

Sum

Thanks, I think he has the purple gun like you show on your site, the tips should be helpfull. I didn't really want to paint this thing because i didn't do the bodywork on it, but i told him I wasn't responsible for anything that comes through after it's painted.

RottenRodney · October 08, 2008, 09:31:22 AM

Flashback to when HVLPs were relatively new: The early ones were overpriced garbage, but us Californians had to buy 'em anyway -- it was the law. They're much improved now. I was not amoung the first to make the switch.

I'll never forget the first time I tried one. It was time to step up, so I purchased a brand new Sharpe SGF and imediately attempted to use it on a complete. It felt real weird, and of course the job mattered, so I quickly grabbed Ol' Faithful (a Devilbiss MBC -- a real old one with brass parts all over it) from the gun safe and finished the job.

There was nothin' really wrong with the HVLP, it just handled different. If yer used to the antique shootin' irons, you'll probably notice ya gotta git a little closer to yer target with an HVLP. I git along with the current-tech guns just fine now, but every now and then, when a particular job demands it, it sure feels good to whip out one of my Ol' Faithfuls -- as long as nobody's lookin'.

All that was just the long way of suggestion ya keep a gun yer comfortable with nearby, since it's a complete -- just as a saftey net.

RR

phat46 · October 08, 2008, 03:23:06 PM

Quote from: "RottenRodney"Flashback to when HVLPs were relatively new: The early ones were overpriced garbage, but us Californians had to buy 'em anyway -- it was the law. They're much improved now. I was not amoung the first to make the switch.

I'll never forget the first time I tried one. It was time to step up, so I purchased a brand new Sharpe SGF and imediately attempted to use it on a complete. It felt real weird, and of course the job mattered, so I quickly grabbed Ol' Faithful (a Devilbiss MBC -- a real old one with brass parts all over it) from the gun safe and finished the job.

There was nothin' really wrong with the HVLP, it just handled different. If yer used to the antique shootin' irons, you'll probably notice ya gotta git a little closer to yer target with an HVLP. I git along with the current-tech guns just fine now, but every now and then, when a particular job demands it, it sure feels good to whip out one of my Ol' Faithfuls -- as long as nobody's lookin'.

All that was just the long way of suggestion ya keep a gun yer comfortable with nearby, since it's a complete -- just as a saftey net.

RR

I hear ya. Tomorrow is paint day, after two day of blocking a car that was "ready to paint". I will take along the ol' high pressure gun in case i can't get the hang of the new fangled one....

RottenRodney · October 08, 2008, 04:08:33 PM

Quote from: "phat46"
Quote from: "RottenRodney"Flashback to when HVLPs were relatively new: The early ones were overpriced garbage, but us Californians had to buy 'em anyway -- it was the law. They're much improved now. I was not amoung the first to make the switch.

I'll never forget the first time I tried one. It was time to step up, so I purchased a brand new Sharpe SGF and imediately attempted to use it on a complete. It felt real weird, and of course the job mattered, so I quickly grabbed Ol' Faithful (a Devilbiss MBC -- a real old one with brass parts all over it) from the gun safe and finished the job.

There was nothin' really wrong with the HVLP, it just handled different. If yer used to the antique shootin' irons, you'll probably notice ya gotta git a little closer to yer target with an HVLP. I git along with the current-tech guns just fine now, but every now and then, when a particular job demands it, it sure feels good to whip out one of my Ol' Faithfuls -- as long as nobody's lookin'.

All that was just the long way of suggestion ya keep a gun yer comfortable with nearby, since it's a complete -- just as a saftey net.

RR

I hear ya. Tomorrow is paint day, after two day of blocking a car that was "ready to paint". I will take along the ol' high pressure gun in case i can't get the hang of the new fangled one....

Oh yeah! "Ready to paint!" When I hear that one, I know from experience that I'll need hammers, dollies, grinders, etc.

Good luck tomarow...

RR

enjenjo · October 08, 2008, 06:32:14 PM

I have not painted that much with an HVLP, but in my experience, it puts on more paint faster. so it's easier to get runs if your gun technique is not up to par. but then again, I am just an amateur.

purplepickup · October 08, 2008, 08:18:32 PM

The first time I used a gravity feed HVLP I sprayed kerosene through it just to get familiar with it, experiment with pattern, pressure, and other adjustments.....without costing an arm and a leg. Then I mixed some paint and sprayed a 55 gal drum. Shortly after that I painted a Ford LTD that I bought down south that had faded paint. I did get a couple of small runs but that was operator error...I tried to hit a couple of dry areas and put too much paint on a wet area right next to it. Lighting wasn't the best but I sprayed it white so the errors didn't show much.

Good luck

sirstude · October 09, 2008, 09:32:43 AM

I'm not a painter, an it shows when I try, but all the painters I know say that you cannot get the clear to lay down without getting some runs. That I usually my biggest problem, is I put the clear down to dry to keep from getting runs. On any of the cars we do, we are probably going to cut an buff anyway, so I think just go for it and forget the small runs, just don't drip the paint so bad you have to cut it off the bottom of the rockers.

Doug