Official Luthiers Forum!

Owned and operated by Lance Kragenbrink
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 5:28 am


All times are UTC - 5 hours


Forum rules


Be nice, no cussin and enjoy!




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 12:55 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:43 am
Posts: 1700
I'm almost to the sanding down stage of my current build. I've been apply EM6000, and will likely finish this one the same way.
I've been using a dang cheap HF Spray gun and a compressor that supplies me enough steady air for plenty long enough for a session. I think its the same one on the Lichty video.

My question is this: What will a better gun do for my finishing process? Yes a LOT of a good finish depends on your process and your skill I get that, but I also know form experience that the right tool coupled WITH skill will produce a great product with FAR less headache.

I'm also in a place where an entry system like a Fuji isn't out of the question.

Again as always thanks for the advise and wisdom.
B


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:22 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 5:17 am
Posts: 995
Location: United States
City: Tyler
State: Texas
I’ll give my opinion but I bet I might be alone in it. I’ve used cheap guns and better ones and in acoustic guitar finishing, I have not found that it matters much in the end. We level sand our finish in most cases so what big difference does the finish out of the gun matter? Is orange peel hard to sand? I don’t find it to be. I have found that better guns clean up easier and better. The cheap guns internal passages are not as well machined and polished and I’ve found them holding crud more and building up crap internally. Eventually I toss them.
A good compressor is a different story. Good cfm and moisture control helps and worth the money.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:28 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:04 am
Posts: 5743
First name: Chris
Last Name: Pile
City: Wichita
State: Kansas
Country: Good old US of A
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
I've had high dollar stuff, and cheapo stuff. I made it all work, and the clients couldn't tell the diff. I still use the $19 single action Miller I bought at K-Mart in the late 70's. That's 2 airbrushes AND a little compressor.

_________________
"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 2:19 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:20 am
Posts: 5924
A better gun will give you a better "as is" "off the gun" finish. A smoother coating with better atomization and a better transfer rate (finish on the object vs. finish on the floor) It will often have more air cap and needle choices than a cheap gun.
The more expensive HVLP type can give atomization a little closer to what a moderately priced conventional high pressure gun will give and a much better transfer rate. If you are doing finishing professionally this can amount to a big savings in materials costs.
If you are sanding and buffing out the final finish a smoother coating will allow you to start at a finer grit and a more even coating may allow yo to do a thinner final finish.
Many other things determine the quality of the coating besides the equipment applying it. There are several additives that can be used to modify the way the coating reacts with the environment. You may want to explore some of these before making a big investment in new equipment.
With the relatively small amount of finish work I do, if I were to upgrade my equipment from the cheap HF jamb guns I use, I would buy a better quality conventional high pressure gun for a couple of hundred dollars.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 2:44 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:21 am
Posts: 4839
Location: Central PA
First name: john
Last Name: hall
City: Hegins
State: pa
Zip/Postal Code: 17938
Country: usa
Focus: Build
Status: Professional
I have a number of guns. I found out what the others are telling you. It ain't the arrow , its the indian. One thing you may want to look is what nozzle you have. Learning to set up a spray gun is a bit of an art.
Too much air your product is drying before it hits to much material you can get lumps and runs. There is a curve to learn how thin to make it and to adjust the air and material flow.
Also it is all about the prep. I am very fussy on sealing and filling. The spray I need fair to good as it isn't so much what you put on as much as it is what you let on.
It takes a while to dial it in.
I have a Sata and devilbiss and HF. My favorite one is the HF touch up gun. It is small and I have it adjusted where I like it for Nitro. Water may take a different nozzle .

_________________
John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 4:05 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 8:43 am
Posts: 1700
That’s for the responses.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:47 pm 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:42 pm
Posts: 1701
First name: John
Last Name: Parchem
City: Seattle
State: Wa
Zip/Postal Code: 98177
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I use a good spray gun and never tried a cheap gun, so no help there. I have sprayed EM6000. It is important to spray EM6000 within a relatively narrow wet thickness range 2-4 mils. Use a wet mil gauge. If the individual coats are too thick the finish picks up a blue tint. Nitro is more forgiving in terms of how the spray go on. If you get enough on you can level it back all is good.

_________________
http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:11 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 10:32 am
Posts: 2616
First name: alan
Last Name: stassforth
City: Santa Rosa
State: ca
Zip/Postal Code: 95404
Country: usa
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I had an old Binks jamb gun that was well made, but old technology.
Got about 30 years out of it, and got tired of rebuilding it.
It was a bottom cup siphon feed.
Then I got a Finesse, (Sharpe?) for not that much coin.
The difference was amazing.
Much more settings to dial in, but when it's set right,
and I'm on fire with it, it's amazing.
Thing is, since I spray so seldom, I only got lucky a few times, with both guns,
so, it's all in the set up, and if the stars are aligned.
I think a good gun is definitely worth it, if ya got the bread.
Alan


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Sat Jan 18, 2020 1:19 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 2:35 pm
Posts: 2951
Location: United States
First name: Joe
Last Name: Beaver
City: Lake Forest
State: California
Focus: Build
I still use a Devilbiss JPA conventional suction gun I bought 40 years ago. I paid a whopping $90 at Sears way back then. (Anyone remember that store?) I use a 1.6mm tip for waterborne and a 1.2 for nitro. Life is good.

_________________
Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 2020 3:19 pm 
Offline
Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood
User avatar

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 9:06 pm
Posts: 2739
Location: Magnolia DE
First name: Brian
Last Name: Howard
City: Magnolia
State: Delaware
Zip/Postal Code: 19962
Country: United States
Focus: Repair
Status: Professional
Lets see, Harbor freight guns lasted me a year tops..... My devilbiss? that's almost a decade old and going strong.

So what wears out? Needles and tips...,. quality of metal matters a lot here if you actually use a gun a lot. For those who spray 2 guitars a year it likely doesn't matter much. You'll never wear it out or get enough practice in to appreciate the things better guns offer like better pattern control and pattern choices.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: a spraying question
PostPosted: Sun Jan 19, 2020 3:44 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 8:57 pm
Posts: 735
Location: Austin, Texas
the rubber seals/gaskets/o-rings also go bad after time


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 11 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Michaeldc and 53 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
phpBB customization services by 2by2host.com