TR2/3/3A I hate painting

[sp53]

I hate painting. I could not get that Eastwood paint gun to spray worth a darn. I cannot get a spray pattern bigger than about 2-1/2 inches, but when I clean the gun with lacquer thinner I get this real nice pattern and everything adjust just fine with the thinner material. It might be the compressor is not strong enough, cmf. It is a 220v with 3 horsepower 2 piston job. I bought this stuff back in 80ies from an respected body shop an told them what I was going to do, and when I painted my truck with an old syphon gun it worked fine, but when I try these new type guns it all turns brown.

Perhaps I need a shorter hose and smaller diameter opening?

I did use 1.4 tip with the epoxy primmer maybe I need the 1.8

I had to turn the compressor 80 psi to get things to spray and it sprayed with too large of pellets and probably used too much paint

 

[Brinkerhoff]

You need to use a slower drying reducer and more of it to spray epoxy primer. The guidelines on the can do not work in real life. You answered your own question when you said it works fine with just lac thinner. I use an HVLP gun and reduce DP40LF epoxy 2parts catalyzed material to 1 part DT 875 ( med) reducer or 50-70% That will seem like a lot to most people but more of the material ends up on the panel and not in the air ( what a concept). The reducer ( or thinner) is just a vehicle and over reducing will NOT effect film life . You want epoxy primer to go on wet , not dry and you'll know you have it reduced properly when it covers in 2-3 coats. Trying to spray it any thicker and most of it blows into the air since it dries before it hits the surface.

 

[Brinkerhoff]

That small of a compressor and your 1.4 tip should be fine.

 

[M_Pied_Lourd]

Well, I tend to like a bigger tip to spray epoxy but you will get guys on both sides of the fence.

I will give you a piece of advice that you can take or leave. If your gun came with the little strainer that push into the gun, take it out and throw it away. I don't use them. Just make sure you strain your product when pouring it into the gun cup.

One other thing to be very sure of especially with epoxy if you are using a standard cup, make sure the dent in the lid of the gun cup is clear and open. Often this can get cover easily especially with heavier primers and epoxy.

You should be able to get a pattern as wide as your outstretched hand with that gun.

How much air pressure do you have your regulator set at at the gun?

Cheers
Tush

 

[sp53]

Thanks everyone for your help because I need it. Like Brinkerhoff suggested I say the answer, but cannot see it. Carl Jung felt it was difficult for the psyche to see outside itself, and I find that true, so thanks again for the feedback. Anyways, I will take out that little screen and use more reducer. I have those 2 HVLP Husky guns from that Home Depot kit. They also maintain they run on 4 cmf and 30 psi. I took one of the air regulators off that set, and put it in on the Eastwood gun, but it would not adjust, so I will look into that also.
Pease out

 

[CJD]

There is a big misnomer going around with the term HVLP. My HVLP gun requires 22 psi at the tip, but I have to have the regulator at the front of the hose set to 90 psi to get that tip pressure after it runs through 50 feet of hose. A second regulator at the input to the gun is recommended to recover the line loss in the hose, and it knocks that down to about 24 psi when the trigger is depressed, but it also reads the full 90 psi when the trigger is let up. So....don't be afraid to raise the pressure to get a good pattern.

Large glumps can mean a couple things, one or both of which can be the cause...

1) Pressure too low for your tip.

2) paint too thick for the tip being used.

Part of paint being too thick is if you are trying to spray in temps above 90 degrees. The paint tries to dry in the gun on the way out of the tip. Above about 80 you need to thin a bit more. Above 75 you need the high temp reducer. Here in TX I have to go a week or two sometimes before we get any temp below 90 degrees to spray. But I have learned that it just does not work if it is above that.

I thought you picked up one of the "finsh line" kits?? If you did, set the eastwood gun on the back shelf (or trash), as it can't hold a candle to the Finsh Line! Go with the largest tip in the kit for primers. With your Dekups cleanup is only about 3-4 minutes. What you don't use in a batch can stay in the kup and goes in the refrig, where it'll be good for about 3 days before it gels.

 

[sp53]

Well things went better today. It turns out that I need 3 products: paint, catalyst, and reducer. I learned that after I called the store and asked them about some reducer to cut things down out of common sense. Maybe they thought I had some powerful unit or maybe they always need 3 parts, I do not know.


It was just like you said John with the air turned up. The new batch sprayed much better and I felt like I learned something and had some control. I was going to get the Finish Line--- it was the same price---, but the sales lady at Eastwood said it needed 12 cmf.

I think my compressor has that at its limits. The compressor is made in US and high quality for its day. I have run the compressor all day sand-blasting and it holds at the tank about 60 psi, dropping down from 125psi after about 5 minutes, and I do let it catch up and then blast.


The Eastwood gun is not all that much different than the Husky Kit I got at HD for 80.00, and the Eastwood gun is Taiwan stuff. I kinda bonded with it today however and like the metal cup, but ya I think I am going to get the Devilbless gun for the finish.

 

[CJD]

It's kinda' "catch 22". The really good paint supply shops carry the best paint and equipment, but they tend to be tight lipped about tips. I don't know if they don't want our "little guy" business, or just don't want to be bothered. Probably both. Keep asking, though, and eventually they start to talk.

The good thing about our small, bolt together Triumphs is that you never have to paint the entire car at one time. For one or two panels...your compressor is ample. If you had to spray a large classic American car...with all the welded on roof and fenders...then it would run out of steam, but you should be good for what you are doing.

After you spray a coat you should let that paint set for 10-15 minutes before the next coat, so your compressor has plenty of time to build the pressure back up. One thing, if it runs a lot, it generates more heat, which in turn makes more condensation. It's important to lay all your hoses flat on the ground from start to finish. If you leave a couple coils on the wall, the bottom of the coils start to collect the condensed water. It will then start to pick up the water and spit it on your work. For some reason it always starts the spitting halfway through your final coat...just like the only bug in the state finds your bonnet right after you lay down the best coat you have ever layed! It's amazing how far the antennae and legs on a bug can break off and spread along your best work as it does it's death crawl through your beautiful clear coat.

Primer is the most difficult to spray because of its thickness and the fact it is engineered to flash very quickly. That way body shops can primer and start to sand the same day. It is giving you good practice, though, so you will be familiar and comfortable with your equipment once you get to the top coats. The beauty of paint is that if you don't like it...wet sand and lay another layer until you are happy with it. Later you just count it in the total number of coats you used...which sounds pretty cool!

All the equipment uses the same basic controls. I am sure you have noticed that if you screw the fan pattern screw all the way in, the paint comes out easier than when you open the fan screw. To set the pattern start with everything in all the way. Open the paint screw until you get a decent amount of paint to flow. Then slowly open the fan pattern screw to get the shape pattern you want. That will reduce the paint flow somewhat, as it draws air that was being used to move the paint. Finally open the paint screw again to get the flow back where you want it.

Primer is near impossible to run on a warm day, so use plenty of flow. Later you will see that clear coat will run like water, so it takes a much more controlled application.

 

[PatGalvin]

Experienced painters tell me to turn my compressor regulator way up, say 100 psi or higher. Then, use the valve/gauge at the gun to regulate the pressure down to the required spray gun pressure. That way, you've got a lot of pressure (and therefore flow) to the gun. Also, should set the gun pressure with the trigger pulled. You want the pressure at the gun to be spot on when it is painting, not when static. And most guns will atomize better if you add a few PSI at the gun from whatever is recommended. HVLP guns are compliant with air regs, causing them to be rated at lower pressures. You may put a bit more paint into the air with higher pressure but also get better atomization.

Practice, practice, practice.

My neighbor bought a Kobalt gun at Lowes and tried to paint his car. I could not get the gun to perform. I gave him my Devilbiss Starting Line guns (which were super cheap) and they worked much better. Good luck.

Pat