The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop painting with hvlp

i am about to paint the truck but do not know if the compressor is going to be enough 5 hp 13gallon
am i going to run out of air. it is single stage
shooting acrylic enamel

I doubt that it will be big enough unless you shoot one panel at a time. My 5 hp 30 gallon is barely adequate. Look into renting a bigger compressor while you are painting, it's worth it.

i can borrow a 6 hp 33 gallon
you think that would work
were you use hvlp
or a high pressure gun?

I have used a sharpe SFG gravity feed gun (HVLP) on a 5hp with I think a 20 gallon tank and it worked ok, however, I was shooting motorcycle bits so it was like the gentleman said - small panels. I didn't run the gun hard because you are constantly moving about trying to get the paint on the tank which has a lot of curves and keep the paint laying down 'absorbing' the over spray.

The biggest paint job I am on now is the Great Rust mountain, but I have taken it apart and am now shooting it with a 2 qt pressure feed remote tank chinese schlock-up gun, but, again, I have pulled the body work apart and am just shooting fenders and hood and other bits. I also am shooting them flat (one side at a time laying on a table) and I am using Zero Rust for everything as the truck will be 'safety red' with some clear coat - white accents, and black frame bits. I also now have a 7 hp 60 gal compressor -but mainly got that for the sand blaster.

With the parts laying flat - you can really dump on the paint and you don't have to be such an artist. Also this is not going to be a 100 point con-coors winner - just a good old truck that's earned its dents. I am also painting outside so, its sort of like school food - what was that figure for acceptable number of rodent hairs and insect parts?

The trick now is to lay on the paint, make the truck look wet, and then keep going so as you paint the overspray doesn't 'cloud' the paint. However, if you put time and effort into it, you can fix any sag and sand/buff out the overspray and put clear on it.

Prep is 90% of the job - nothing majicq happens when paint goes on. If the base is smooth and dust free...

I have found the acrylic enamel to be the easiest to shoot paint I have ever used. Which includes various urethanes, etc. Zero rust thined is a bit on the thick side and works best in a pressure pot. Clear can be hard as it needs to be put on a bit lighter than the base coats. Shoot a misty tack coat of whatever paint you are working with, then you can put the good coats on after that. The tack coat helps hold the paint.

hmpf...that got long winded...oh well.

I think you might get away with it, as the 5 hp compressor is just at the bottom of what you can use with an HVLP. I also have pressure guns, but don't use them anymore, after I got used to the HVLP, which kind of spits the paint onto the surfaces, however, much less overspray and fumes and mess. Paint seems to be formulated to lay down more with the HVLP so it works really good on pressure guns.

There, that's enough ignorance that will probably have the real painters tellin me what a dope I am.

Don't know why but I still can't get the hang of using a HVLP gun.

Rat, no one could "get the hang" of an HVLP without enough air. The HV in HVLP is HIGH volume. It needs a LOT of air, not presure but VOLUME. There are HVLP guns that need less, like th Sharpe Platinum which only needs 7.5 CFM. But most, like a SATA or a Sharpe SGF need about 15 CFM! That is a LOT of air. You can paint small things, but that little compressor would hardly do one fender. I know, I have tried. You "can" paint a lot more, but without the VOLUME of air the paint doesn't get atomized. Poor atomization equals orange peel, solvent pop, dieback, every solvent problem you can think of.

Say I wonder if that is part of my problem? I'm sure that the paint wasn't thin enough for starters.

I have a 60 gal6.5 hp 11.7 scfm @ 40 psi and 10.2 scfm @90 psi. Is that adequate to paint a fender at a time or even a cab?

I had large droplets which as I say I attribute to thick paint Ill be doing some experimenting on the weekend ...

Martinsr I also have 60 gal 7HP compressor. I must not have thinned it enough. I guess I have to do more painting to get better. Thanks.

Guys, really you should not need to reduce more than the mixing ratio calls for. If you do, only about 10% MAX more. You really need to set up the gun properly and have enough air. Any more solvent is simply a band aid.