The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Home painting system for small parts?

For small parts you are going to want a gun with a needle/tip size in the smaller range. I think 1.4-1.5mm is a good size for doing most parts and small to medium size body panels. Full production automotive guns have tips up to about 2mm or so. The really small guns have smaller tip size but do not lay down much paint. The amount of air you need from your compressor is somewhat determined by tip size. A compressor that can run off 120V/15 amp service can only provide enough air for a 1.5mm tip without having to stop too often. You are going to need at least a 25 gallon compressor tank and that is on the small side. I have a 30 gallon/2 hp compressor and I wouldn't paint anything bigger than a motorcycle tank or one body panel with it.

Get an oil lubricated compressor with an induction motor. Get a two stage/175psi model if you can afford it, the extra air pressure increases the storage capacity of the tank significantly.

I have a medium size Taiwanese gravity HVLP that I bought from a local tool store that works pretty well. One tip that I heard a few years ago (not sure if it still applies) was to count the number of drilled holes in the gun's tip as a judge of the quality of the pattern that the gun will lay down. The gun I have has 1.4 mm tip with 8 small holes around the center needle and two in each of the air horns. It seems to have a good range of adjustability.

Keeping the water out of your spray pattern while maintaining enough flow to provide the HVLP can be pretty tricky. I use a homeade condensor (tubing coiled through a bucket of water) to knock some of the water out of the air, then a centrifugal dryer after that and a disposable dessicant filter after the regulator at the gun. I remove the quick disconnects in the line to improve air flow and a dedicated hose for the gun that does not contain tool oil. I've gotten pretty nice results that way. Remember that preparation is key and the the pot life of your paint is relatively long, so take your time. Rushing is the key to having runs and orange peel. Let the compressor catch up and shut off. When the compressor runs continuously it adds a lot of heat to the tank which compounds moisture problems.