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I found a Fugi "Pro Q 4" turbine for sale (used) and they are asking $ 475 with a model "M" gun. The pic shows the housing to be painted black with only " Fugi Q4 Pro" on the side. Is anyone familiar with this model and if so about how old do you think it would be and is this a decent price? I tried to find it on the internet to see what they cost new, but no luck.

I have the Fuji Super4Gold, which has the same turbine, but with a little less sound insulation. I would think that it might be at least 5+ years old. Take the filter out, and see how clean it is. This may give you an idea of how well it was cared for. Ask if you can give it a test run, even if it is just with some solvent or water. If all is good, that would be a pretty good price, and you can upgrade the spray gun to a XPC or T series down the road. That was Fuji's top end turbine when it came out.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Thanks Alex, I'm going to try and go get a look at it before I pull the trigger.

My $.02

There are many "brand new" $500 HVLP systems out there that are fully capable of serving the guitar finishing function. I suspect some members have recommendations.

I would/will only take a chance on used equipment if the price is a steal (for me) -- 1/2 price for a five year old unit in my opinion is too high.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

That is the big thing with HVLP systems...good filtration. Don't know how they are now, but the old ones had bad filtering and you blew all the dust through the gun onto the work. Make sure you replace the filters often.

A new Fuji MiniMite 4 with the latest T-75G gravity feed gun is $760 and will handle higher viscosity finishes like latex. A new MiniMite 3 with the T-75G is $140 less, and will spray any guitar finish.

On the used system, The Q-4 turbine is the same core bypass turbine as every other four stage turbine unit from Accu-Spray, Turbinaire, Graco, etc. The M-series gun is one from the lower end semi-pro line, is not convertible to gravity, does not have fan width control, and is more similar to our ten-year old backup gun. We change our Fuji 4 stage system's filters once a year - they are pretty robust, and the usual foam filters from Fuji are easily cleaned or cheap to replace. Clean, dry, warm air extends our spraying conditions to lower temperature and higher relative humidity, so the turbine gets used a lot in our climate.

Recommendation? Take a pass and buy a new system with gravity-feed, fan control, and a good warranty. If money is tight, the MiniMite 3 and the MM-4 if not so tight. The MM systems are identical to the Q series, but without the extra soundproofing. Factory support has been largely unnecessary, but it's nice to get overnight shipping on warranty service or talk to the president of the company.

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A constellation only takes shape when one maps the whole.
- Beth Brower

If I were looking at that, I would look into changing to the T75G Gravity feed cup - runs you $319+.

That said, and already mentioned, click the Amazon button above, and get a brand new Fuji Minimite 4 with the T75G gun for $760.

Done.

Well, unless you have heat issues (too much) or weight issues ("production" quantity spraying), then get the 6' whip hose. Or if you need a smaller tip like the 1.0 (just got it in), then both will increase the price by about $100.

I've been doing my usual excessive research related to both the builders guide editing and my own spray system purchase, so here are a few notes related to the Fuji HVLP turbine systems:

For hot weather spraying, the 6' flex hose is nice to have...some sellers offer it as a part of the Mini-Mite 4/T-75G kit, but Amazon, Paint Sprayers Plus, and Phelps do not, opting to offer cleaning gear, etc. For spraying outside in really hot/dry conditions, a second length of hose or an additional flex whip does double duty by allowing the turbine unit to draw from cooler inside air and for the extra hose to further cool the airflow. I am not sure at what point this might be the difference between being able to get a nice, wet coat and not, but we have sprayed full instruments at 95 degrees F with just the standard hose and the 6' lightweight whip. Also worth buying the whip to reduce felt gun weight, which is certainly a factor in a long spraying session.

The current T-75G version is offered with a 1000cc metal cup or 600cc nylon cup; we strongly recommend a purchaser insist on the 600 cc nylon cup; it eliminates the sealing issues that can occur over time if aluminum cup seals are not routinely cleaned and replaced when worn. We were one of the first shops to receive the nylon cup when Fuji was trialing it, and it has been trouble-free, as well as easier to clean and better sealing when contaminated with excess finish material. The current MM4 Platinum (the system offered at the $760 price point mentioned) includes the nylon cup, and has some sound reduction changes and airflow cooling improvements...worth asking the seller.

For those with a T-75G with metal cup, it may be worth a note to Fuji to ask if they will upgrade you to a nylon cup - we like ours a lot, and Fuji's customer support has been very aggressive in keeping us happy with their products. Worth a call to Toronto.

If spraying just water-based finishes, a 1.0 mm tip/cap/needle works better than the 1.3mm standard set, and allows finer atomization at lower airflow (less overspray on $100/gallon Enduro-Var); some vendors will swap tip sets at no charge on new kits...worth at least a note to the seller to 'please substitute 1.0mm tip for standard tip if no charge.' We have most of the offered tip sets, but usually use the 1.0mm and 1.3mm aircap sets for guitar finishes. WB will spray well with the larger set, but not as economically.

PPS and similar systems use a #2 adapter on the T-75G. Works well if the PPS style system is preferred.

A cup strainer (aka final filter) is a functional requirement for a gravity feed system...it is surprising to me just how much junk besides what is supposed to be in the can a factory-sealed tin of finish can contain. A five pack of strainers runs less than 10 minutes of labor in our shop, so a cheap, cost-effective way to avoid any rework due to contaminants...we filter every finish that goes in the guns, and change the inline strainers often...they are inexpensive insurance against contaminants in the film. If shooting shellac or lacquer with carbon black to replicate old finishes, swap the strainer before moving back to any clear or non-black colored finish.

As mentioned by others, a large, well filtered compressor system with refrigerator dryer and a good quality gun (e.g, SATA, Iwata, etc.) is the industry standard for spray finishing, but for the rest of us without the space, budget, and spray booth, the latest HVLP turbines and - more importantly - the latest generation of fan-controlled gravity guns allow a portable system to provide the same quality in final film application as professional conversion gun systems.

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A constellation only takes shape when one maps the whole.
- Beth Brower

The current T-75G version is offered with a 1000cc metal cup or 600cc nylon cup; we strongly recommend a purchaser insist on the 600 cc nylon cup; it eliminates the sealing issues that can occur over time if aluminum cup seals are not routinely cleaned and replaced when worn. We were one of the first shops to receive the nylon cup when Fuji was trialing it, and it has been trouble-free, as well as easier to clean and better sealing when contaminated with excess finish material. The current MM4 Platinum (the system offered at the $760 price point mentioned) includes the nylon cup, and has some sound reduction changes and airflow cooling improvements...worth asking the seller.

Thanks for that heads up, Woodie! I sent an email to Fuji this morning after having another cup leak while spraying a guitar. I mentioned the leak problem with both my XPC and T-Series guns. I got a call a few hours later, and they are sending a replacement cup for the XPC, no charge. The nylon T-Series cup is only available on new purchases for now, and can be replaced later. As always, Fuji's customer service is top shelf!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker