Replies

1. 
   G.LaLonde | Jun 26, 1999 10:23pm | #7

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   Joe, I haven't tried either of the lower priced turbine setups that you mentioned. If you say they work for door painting , then that's probably all he needs. It costs me at least $100 a door to get them painted,so you can recover your investment in a sprayer setup in a hurry!

   Your other points are right on the money! You can have the best equipment money can buy and still make a big mess if you don't understand how it all works.

2. 
   Guest_ | Jun 26, 1999 11:24pm | #8

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   I have a turbine hvlp to spray cabinets and doors and it works very well after you get used to it.I think it is an eagle-spray 2000, about 700$ a few years ago. Ive used the wagner also and it worked well. I dont think that a small compressor like a 1.5hp that they show in the ads for some of these conversion guns will give you enough air to get good results.

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 27, 1999 01:54am | #9

   *I Have a 11/2 Compressor , but read By that adding an auxilery air tank (a used up freon tank) it would help.

3. 
   Jed_C. | Jun 28, 1999 11:02pm | #10

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   Check out the latest issue of Fine Woodworking (no. 137)--there's an article about turbine-driven HVLP units for $500 or less.

1. 
   David_Bell | Jun 28, 1999 11:12pm | #11

   *I do furniture besides being amateur builder. I have a fuji HVLP which I love and get very good results from. I have used another brand that worked good (Accuspray?) I have a three stage turbine. Bought it from CMT. You have to get different tips for different viscosity materials.

4. 
   Guest_ | Jun 29, 1999 01:34am | #12

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   Bear in mind there is a huge difference in the technology of the new conversion guns. They use much less air than those of even a couple of years ago; you really can run some of them on 3 hp or maybe less. Cabinets and furniture, you are spraying intermittently anyway. I'm using a three stage turbine now (Fuji), but I don't have any hesitation about getting one of the new generation conversion guns in a while. If you have the air, you will get better atomisation from a compressor, especially with heavier bodied materials.

1. 
   Guest_ | Jul 01, 1999 07:52am | #13

   *Kinger,I'm in the same position as you. Ineed a small gun for small jobs. I think you are on the right path. Turbin guns don't spray water based coatings because the air is too warm. I was talking to a tub refinisher the other day . He recommended a gravity feed like the devilbiss. He could spray thick stuff no problem with a 1.5hp compressor. It ran all the time , but for one tub,so what? He liked the accu-spray. The devilbiss isn't supposed to be as good. The other thing you might want to check out is the OMX. About twice the money, but I think it's what I'm going to go with when I save my penniesgood luckmatt

1. 
   Guest_ | Jul 01, 1999 03:49pm | #14

   *matt; I have to disagree with you on the waterbased. My Fuji turbine unit sprays it out just fine, and it's pretty thick. If you are using it a lot, and it starts to get warm, you can move the air hose from the bottom of the handle to the back of the gun, inline with the airtip. I've never had any problems from the warm air.

1. 
   Guest_ | Jul 02, 1999 02:39am | #15

   *Anyone with experience spraying semigloss latex on trim with their HVLP? I've tried with my fuji conversion gun.To get decent finish have to thin latex to the point of runs. What thinning are you using .Have you tried floetrol with any luck?How many coats?

1. 
   Guest_ | Jul 02, 1999 04:49am | #16

   *glen huxtable;

   I have great success spraying latex paint with my CH, which is a less expensive gun. The key is experimentation. Try increasing the tip size and increase the air flow at the tip and lowering the material supply. You need to thin with water, alcohol is better but, dangerous, to a point just before it runs. Three to four cost works best for me.

   Joseph FuscoView Image

2. 
   Guest_ | Jul 08, 1999 08:53pm | #17

   *With all your good advise I bought the DivilBiss finishline conversion gun. With my 1 1/2 compressor coupled with an auxilary air tank I have sprayed lacquer with good results. I have not tryed any other finishes yet . I will let you know when I do.

3. 
   Guest_ | Jul 13, 1999 10:09pm | #18

   *I've spent the last year trying to decide between a turbine system and a compressor-based system. I've read all the books. I've spoken with their authors. I've spoken with just about every manufacturer of both systems. In the meantime I've continued to finish with a brush.It's very frustrating because reliable information is very hard to come by. Instead, you mainly get uninformed opinions, even from the company that makes a given tool. Unfortunately there is no Consumer Reports for the tool industry.Nevertheless, the consensus opinion of the experts is that if you're going to spend, say, $750, you should get a compressor-based system because you will get better results with a wider range of materials. I'm going with the Binks Mach1 with a 5.5 horsepower, 20 gallon compressor.One example of the misleading information in this industry. Binks claims to sell the Mach1 gun with a 1.5 hp compressor. Yes, it will spray, but only because they put a special air cap on the gun that limits the volume of the air flow. Without a doubt this will compromise the quality of the finish to some degree. But the people in the store don't tell you that, and don't even know about it!If anyone has other opinions or information I'd like to hear about them.MARK [email protected]

5. 
   david_sorg | Jul 14, 1999 08:06am | #19

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   Mark, if you're doing finishing for a living, it would be cheaper for you to buy BOTH systems rather than continue with a brush for a year. The results with any but the very junkiest systems will be much smoother and much faster than brushing can give. Even in the cases where I want a brushed look (nice, old trim, panelled doors, etc.), I still tend to spray, then backbrush lightly.

   My first spray gun many years ago also had the smallest air cap installed so it could run off my small compressor. For lacquers and varnishes it worked great, that is it laid down a beautiful film, just much more slowly. I currently use HVLP conversions, gravity and pressure pot conventionals, but still often pull out that old gun for a fine finish on smaller projects.

   Although I have used a few of the turbine units for on-site work and thought they did a good job with thin, solvent-based materials, I still think conventional guns with a compressor offer the greatest versatility and the highest quality film laydown. The HVLP's whether conversions or turbines are more economical in their use of material, and hence cheaper to use and better for the environment. So whatdya do? I'd do either one over the brush, though.

6. 
   Guest_ | Jul 14, 1999 05:24pm | #20

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   I do some door replacements and would like to be able to spray them my self. The gun I am looking at is the DeVILBISS HVLP conversion gun that can be used with a smaller compressor. It sells for about $170. Is anybody familier with this gun ? How well does it work?

   Thanks!

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 25, 1999 06:27am | #1

   * Kinger,

   I haven't used the gun you refer too but, have used the conversion gage with my AcuSpray (sp). I run it from a 5hp 30gal compressor, the results were fair. My compressor also continuously ran . I don't see how these type's of guns can run on small compressors. The windup is I purchased a four stage turbine to run this gun.

   Joseph Fusco View Image

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 26, 1999 08:50am | #2

   *Joe thanks for the reply. what brand turbine do you have?

1. 
   Guest_ | Jun 26, 1999 04:21pm | #3

   *Kinger,

   Same as the Gun, AcuSpray. Andy Charron has a good book on the subject, it may be worth the investment.

   Joseph FuscoView Image

1. 
   G.LaLonde | Jun 26, 1999 04:42pm | #4

   *Kinger, I think cheap HVLP conversion guns work like anything else that is cheap. ( i.e. not very well) If you really want to do a nice job and get all the benefits of using HVLP, save up about $700 or so and get a good 3 stage turbine setup. It will do a beautiful job spraying any type of oil based paint and you have the added benefits of no pollutants such as water in the lines and a fast set and drying time because of the warm, dry airflow to the gun. As Joe mentioned, these conversion guns (the better ones) use tremendous amounts of air to do what a regular turbine can do much better!

2. 
   Guest_ | Jun 26, 1999 05:00pm | #5

   *Just a thought, I can see the benefit of spraying my own doors when the manufacturer (steel entry doors) charges me 125 bucks to spray them at the factory.Pete Draganic

3. 
   Guest_ | Jun 26, 1999 06:57pm | #6

   *G LaLonde,

   I would agree with you to a point. I also have a Campbell Hausfeld HV2000 which cost about $199.00 with a 2 stage turbine that does a fine job. I also own a Wanger Fine Coat it cost about $269.00, also a 2 stage turbine, it does a fine job too.

   The largest part of using these guns is understanding how they perform with different materials. Airflow, tip size, product viscosity and user technique are all factors of how well a gun will perform.

   Joseph FuscoView Image

7. 
   Guest_ | Jul 14, 1999 05:24pm | #21

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   I appreciate your response. I've just discovered this message area and it's great to hear from people who have gone through the same problems and know much more than I do (that's a large group of people).

   I do not do this for a living, but I can tell you I've got a bunch of good projects piling up waiting to be finished.

   It's pretty amazing to me, living in this consumer oriented society, that the woodworking industry, or at least the spray finishing component of the industry, hasn't caught on to the most basic elements of consumer selling. Can you imagine a similar lack of authoritative information if you were trying to buy, say, a CD player? I guess when there are a few million woodworkers rather than a few hundred thousand the marketers will catch up.

   Again, thanks for the response.

   MARK RODERICK