The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop what kind of spray gun?

I am going to buy a spray gun but not sure which one or type is best. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. What kind do body shops use. thanks.

Most body shops use the gravity feed gun, they have the cup above the gun. Alot are switching to the newer HVLP guns. HVLP guns are more efficent with paint transfer (less overspray), but do require more CFM than conventional guns. HVLP gun either come as a complete setup, special compressor.... or you can buy HVLP guns that can be used with your regular compressor. HVLP guns come both in gravity feed and siphon feed.

Body shops that do a lot of production work use a gun that is designed to work with a turbine system. I doubt if you are interested in getting something like that for occassional use. There are a number of gravity feed HLVP guns, with cheap guns knocking off the Devilbiss (and other) designs. If you do very infrquent work, the knockoff guns work OK, but you can expect minor hassles with them (40-100 range). If you step up to the compressor guns from a good manufacturer, expect to pay $150 to $400. I personally wouldn't go with the name brand bottom-of-line, because these are the same as the knockoff guns. Step up to the mid to high priced guns where you get cup liners and other features that are nice to have.

I've found a price on a devilbiss that i am satisfied with. Is this a good brand name. As you can see i am just getting started in restoration so i have alot to learn. Thanks

I've found a price on a devilbiss that i am satisfied with. Is this a good brand name. As you can see i am just getting started in restoration so i have alot to learn. Thanks

I recently bought a Devilbiss FinishlineII gravity feed HVLP. It worked great for me, and paid for itself many times over in paint saved. I was getting twice the "mileage" versus my old high pressure gun.

Here are couple of websites where you can compare specs and prices. One or maybe both also have informative details about guns.

http://www.autobodystore.com/

http://www.spraysystems.com/automotive.html

I bought the same Devilbiss gun as chuckthetruck. It has been a great gun. The plastic cup liners are a nice feature, it makes the clean up a snap..

Can someone tell me if this is a good spray gun/price???

http://www.everhartsales.com/viewitem.asp?itemid=439&startat=


[img]http://http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/ubb/eek.gif[/img]

[ 02-01-2002: Message edited by: redshiba ]

Kelly, same gun I use and the price looks real good. I don't use the cheater valve they supply. A diaphragm type will control pressure without restricting flow. Get spare liners if you go this route.

[ 02-01-2002: Message edited by: chuckthetruck ]

Thanks for the post redshiba thats about $50.00 less than the best price i have found. I think that is the one I am going to get.

chuck & 53 4 me, does your FinishLine II have a plastic cup or aluminum? The one in redshiba's ad says aluminum. I am about to buy one too, but I like the plastic cup so I can thin & mix right in the bowl.

Ed

Sorry folks got to put my 2 cents in here. The paint gun, compressor, etc. etc. is NOT going to make you a painter.Patience,practice, and proper mixtures and the right thinners for the climate are going to make you a good painter. I use a $20
spinoff of a devilbiss,I have an old compressor that can maintain 45 lbs pressure constant rate,and if you will look at my pics, not bragging honestly, my truck was painted by me and in a single car garage with minimal exhaust ventilation and and it isnt covered in clear coat.
there is my 2 cents

slayte, My gun has an aluminum cup. I do my mixing and thinning in a throwaway plastic cup. I use the plastic liners in the aluminum cup. When the job is over, tip the can upside down and pull the liner out and into the trash barrell. There will be about two drops of paint in the bottom of the cup to clean..

The liners are also nice because the top of them seals tightly like a zip lock bag. After sealing, fold the liner into the can and push on the plastic cover to the aluminum can. When you turn the gun out of position ( sideways or upside down ) there is no paint leaking out the top of the cup..

Before I bought this gun I thought the liners were a gimmick. Now I think they are the only way to go..

[ 02-01-2002: Message edited by: 53 4 me ]

Hey guys, do you use a HVLP compressor or a 'regular' compressor? I like the sounds of HVLP but don't want to spend the $$ for another compressor and don't want 2 compressors taking up space in my limited area.

The Finishline gun uses air from a standard compressor. First, check to see if your compressor has enough cfm capacity. You will need a moisture trap and a regulator on the gun. When I use a Finsihline I turn the regulator on the compressor down to about 60 psi, then use the regulator on the gun to drop down to 25 psi, or whatever it needs to be.

Fred, I'm on the same page as Brady. When I see the HVLP guns with the little cup on top, I have toi wonder if that's enough paint. Do you just keep adding to the little cup? What about oil in the system? My compressor although a good one has an oil resvoir, which suggests to me that it must use it up somehow. Do you use a dedicated air hose for your painting? Thanks

HVLP guns use the same size cups as conventional guns. But, you need a huge compressor to run it because they don't like pressure but volume. You need a minimum of a 220v two stage compresssor with 60 gallon tank to run one efficiently. Minimum compressor would be close to $1K new.

For any kind of painting you need a good oil and moisture seperator/filter.

I beg to differ. I have a 1 stage compressor that was purchased for $400. the CRM is 12.3 @ 40 or 10.1 at 90. even the DeVilbiss gun that was linked here requires only 23 PSI inlet pressure delivers 10 PSI air cap pressure and only 11.4 CFM required.

you can find some cheap compressors that will run thes, but you have to be very careful on which compressors you purchase.

compressor manufacturer's lie big time. Man, they lie.
Like, 5hp compressor. You know what size electric motor it has? Certainly not 5 hp. There is a simple formula to use to figure out the true size of a 5 hp electric motor.

well, do tell... I'd be interested to find out what I have then.

I said I knew there is a simple formula. That doesn't mean I know it.

But, I bet there are a few guys on this forum that do.

I saw discussions on www.autobodystore.com and I believe estimates for 5hp compressors were in the 3 hp range. The easiest way to find out is to read the metal plate on the motor itself. They try to hide the true reading but apparently it is decipherable and can be figured out using some formula.