Has anybody used the Harbor Freight HVLP sprayers? They have one for $49
and another for $99 and they look very similar, in fact the cheaper one
is very nicely made, cast metal gun handle, metal paint cup and metal
pickup siphon tube. I want to spray semi-transparent stain on the cedar
siding of my house. The stain is very thin, but strongly pigmented. Some
years ago I sprayed solid color stain on another wooden house I owned .
The gun was an airless Wagner pulse-type. Spray pattern was small, maybe
3"' across. Hoping one of the HVLP will throw a larger pattern. If
anybody has actually USED one of these, I welcome your email
On Mar 5, 1:52 pm, [email protected] (RM MS) wrote:
> Has anybody used the Harbor Freight HVLP sprayers? They have one for $49
> and another for $99 and they look very similar, in fact the cheaper one
> is very nicely made, cast metal gun handle, metal paint cup and metal
> pickup siphon tube. I want to spray semi-transparent stain on the cedar
> siding of my house. The stain is very thin, but strongly pigmented. Some
> years ago I sprayed solid color stain on another wooden house I owned .
> The gun was an airless Wagner pulse-type. Spray pattern was small, maybe
> 3"' across. Hoping one of the HVLP will throw a larger pattern. If
> anybody has actually USED one of these, I welcome your email
The $49 is this one, right?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=43430
I'm spraying fairly thick primer with it (I got the 2.2mm needle and
nozzle set) and it works extremely well. I'm telling you that this gun
is good enough for all but the most experienced painters. That means
that most of us would have a bigger problem with our technique than
with the gun, whether we're painting the Taj Mahal or birdhouses.
The spray pattern can be adjusted up to 5 - 6 inches or more, but with
a gun like this you have to use a sweep pattern that allows for 100
overlap, which means that you aim the center of the spray at the edge
of the stripe just applied. This is the technique that's used with
standard high pressure guns (at least for automotive paint).
I'm beginning to believe that the designation HVLP on these conversion
guns is a real stretch. Real (turbine) HVLP rigs have almost zero
overspray, and this HF gun (and I suspect all other "conversion" guns
that run on compressed air) has enough overspray that it has to be
considered. It's a lot less than the old style guns such as a Binks #7
or the like, but there is definitely going to be some airborn paint.
Here's the information (or opinion) that you really asked for: It will
do a great job of applying the stain. Thin is no problem. BUT...I
would be nervous if my neighbor was using one next door. I might not
try to insist that he stop, but I would keep a very close watch for
any sign of paint/stain landing on my windows, fence, car, brick etc.
For your house, you will definitely need to mask your windows and
trim, even shrubs etc. within 10' of the gun. In short, it would not
be the ideal approach unless overspray is not a concern in your
circumstances. With a true HVLP, you can paint your house with no
masking other than a "shield" that you hold in your off hand and move
along the work to keep the paint off windows and trim etc.
If you decide to proceed, here's a link to some very helpful
information and instructions for setting this gun up from another
user:
http://www.purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/techinfo/HVLPspraygun.html
Good luck,
Tom
On Mar 6, 10:10 am, [email protected] (RM MS) wrote:
> Thank you very much, Tom, for an honest and informed opinion. Yes, I was
> expecting some overspray, no matter what they claimed, and would be
> working with the wind accordingly. The tool you showed was not the exact
> one I saw- the blue one with the cup underneath, a motor unit about like
> size of a coffee can, and 8' of 1"hose.
You're most welcome, but it appears that my "honest and imformed
opinion" was about the wrong tool!! The unit you're looking at is
similar to ones that Rockler, Woodcraft and others carry. These are
clearly quite different from the conversion guns that I was talking
about. I don't know anything about them and it's hard to get any
information from the website, but they DO operate at MUCH lower
pressure, which is very likely to dramatically reduce the overspray.
I'd say it's worth a look, and if you're worried about the quality of
the HF unit, consider the similar item from Rockler. It's more
expensive at $99.
Tom
Thank you very much, Tom, for an honest and informed opinion. Yes, I was
expecting some overspray, no matter what they claimed, and would be
working with the wind accordingly. The tool you showed was not the exact
one I saw- the blue one with the cup underneath, a motor unit about like
size of a coffee can, and 8' of 1"hose.
On Mar 5, 4:05 pm, Ignoramus18212 <ignoramus18...@NOSPAM.
18212.invalid> wrote:
> considering the criticism of this HF gun... Would anyone recommend a
> "very good" HVLP spray gun. Thanks.
>
> i
I think they're all about the same in that price range, and I think
they're fine in terms of the resulting finish. I don't believe they
get much more expensive, but I wouldn't go cheaper. Basically, the
conversion gun is a compromise. I don't think there are "super high
quality" conversion guns because people who want that will just buy a
real HVLP (turbine) rig. As I said in my other response, if overspray
is not an issue, or can be managed, just about any conversion gun is
going to be more than good enough for all but very experienced, i.e.
professional painters.
Devilbiss even has their name on one, at it's about the same price.
Heck, it may be from the same factory!
I have one of the Harbor Freight guns and it works great for spraying
laquer and other finishes. It is just not the right tool for the job
for spraying a house. It works great for laquer because it puts out a
very fine atomized mist. In the slightest breeze this mist will be
all over the place and you will end up using a lot more stain than
necessary. An airless sprayer is the right tool for the job but even
an airless sprayer will not bond the paint as well to a house as a
roller or paintbrush. An airless sprayer doesn't break the surface
tension of the underlying paint as well as a roller so even with an
airless sprayer I have heard it is reccomended to "back roll" a house
after it has been sprayed. By "Back rolling" you will get better
adhersion and your paint job will last longer.
Put me down as being pleased with the Fuji Q4. Not only for quality,
but for service after the sale.
I use my Fuji for ALL of my fine finishing, and I use an assortment of
other guns - some conversion, some high pressure, depending on what I
am doing.
As mentioned, there is a curve, not only on the spraying, but on the
coating mix. With HVLP, you mist on the finish, as opposed to (I
still miss the old days, damnit) atomizing your finish into subatomic
sized particles with high pressure.
I never cared at all that a good high pressure gun only got 35%
material delivery on target. I like spraying high pressure because
that is what I learned. There is something wonderful about standing
in a cloud of overspray knowing you are making a great finish.
However, I don't miss taping off everything within 30 feet of my spray
area, and my clients don't mind the fact that I am not fogging their
house and neighborhood with finish. With the gun tune properly, I can
literally spray a door in one bay of a garage and not get anything on
the junk in the other bay. With high pressure, I only sprayed
outside.
Search this group for HVLP and application procedures. There have
been some really good discussions on both.
Robert
On 5 Mar 2007 14:38:36 -0800, [email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mar 5, 4:05 pm, Ignoramus18212 <ignoramus18...@NOSPAM.
> 18212.invalid> wrote:
>> considering the criticism of this HF gun... Would anyone recommend a
>> "very good" HVLP spray gun. Thanks.
>>
>> i
>
> I think they're all about the same in that price range, and I think
> they're fine in terms of the resulting finish. I don't believe they
> get much more expensive, but I wouldn't go cheaper. Basically, the
> conversion gun is a compromise. I don't think there are "super high
> quality" conversion guns because people who want that will just buy a
> real HVLP (turbine) rig. As I said in my other response, if overspray
> is not an issue, or can be managed, just about any conversion gun is
> going to be more than good enough for all but very experienced, i.e.
> professional painters.
>
> Devilbiss even has their name on one, at it's about the same price.
> Heck, it may be from the same factory!
>
Maybe I did not ask the right question then... What I would like to
know is whether you can give me an example of a very well made real
HVLP gun. Thanks a lot.
i
http://www.turbinaire.com/ These units are generally
considered the top of the line at the under $1,000
price point.
Ignoramus18212 wrote:
> Maybe I did not ask the right question then... What I would like to
> know is whether you can give me an example of a very well made real
> HVLP gun. Thanks a lot.
>
> i
A airless sprayer would be much better for that application.
Go to Sherwin Williams or other pro paint stores and ask
some questions. They "might" have rental units.
That Harbor Freight is for bird houses not people houses.
RM MS wrote:
> Has anybody used the Harbor Freight HVLP sprayers? They have one for $49
> and another for $99 and they look very similar, in fact the cheaper one
> is very nicely made, cast metal gun handle, metal paint cup and metal
> pickup siphon tube. I want to spray semi-transparent stain on the cedar
> siding of my house. The stain is very thin, but strongly pigmented. Some
> years ago I sprayed solid color stain on another wooden house I owned .
> The gun was an airless Wagner pulse-type. Spray pattern was small, maybe
> 3"' across. Hoping one of the HVLP will throw a larger pattern. If
> anybody has actually USED one of these, I welcome your email
>
"Ignoramus18212" wrote
> Maybe I did not ask the right question then... What I would like to
> know is whether you can give me an example of a very well made real
> HVLP gun. Thanks a lot.
I have the Fuji Q4 PRO and am very well pleased with it. There is a
learning curve with it but when you get it down it's marvelous.
Max