OT: Question on Compressors & Painting (HVLP)
Casper
would like to get some information on their abilities and input on how
well they work. All opinions welcome.
I will only be using it for small, sporadic jobs, such as nail/brad
work for small wood or other projects, vehicle tires, and painting.
What I need to know is what are the differences between the sizes of
compressors I have seen and what is required for these types of jobs.
I know a 1-3gallon 1.5hp will inflate tires and do nail/brad work, but
how is it on painting? Can I use one of these to paint a room in a
house and not just woodworking projects? I don't expect to paint the
whole house at once, but would prefer to spray and have one tool to do
the job. I know the unit will remain running with longer jobs, but is
a 12x10 bedroom too large for such a unit? What about the sprayers? Do
they only come in pint or quart? Can they handle indoor latex paints?
I am very limited on space/storage, so I prefer a small unit. I suffer
from health problems, so heavy objects can be a problem to move around
and do not often have anyone around for assistance.
Any and all information will be greatly appreciated. I have already
gleaned a good deal of info from the experienced people here and would
like to thank you for all that you have shared!
`Casper
nailsh...@aol.com
Casper:
I think you are asking for one machine that does several different
tasks well. As a remodeling/repair contractor, if I could find one
machine that did all you described I would certainly buy it.
So, I don't have anything to offer but my opinions. First, a
compressor that will power nail guns, especially the trim type need not
be anything more than a pancake. I have a little 2 hp that I lug to
the job and it will even run my framing nailer for occasional use if I
allow it to catch up. It runs all my trim guns fine. The same
compressor will inflate your tires, basketballs, blow out your machines
and help you clean off your projects. It will provide enough air to
run some of the really tiny touch up paint guns out there.
A 1-3 gallon compressor is not nearly enough to power a paint gun of
any size (maybe a Critter?), much less to paint a room in latex. And
the guns you see that are HVLP conversion guns run by a compressor
actually don't use any less air than some of the better made paint
guns. And as far as spraying latex from an HVLP gun, be prepared to
really thin it down, and make sure you have the proper aircap -
probably in the 1.8mm or so range. But still, you will only spray a
little less than a quart at a time. The thinned paint will cause you
to make 2 - 3 coats out of a one coat job. And you should not confuse
the fact that HVLP means no overspray, especially out of a compressor
run unit. My compressor powered HVLP conversion guns have about 1/3
more overspray than my turbine powered HVLP guns.
And rather than to go through all the masking, taping, covering floors
and furniture, moving drop cloths, covering a/c returns, etc., a little
room like that would get rolled. Cut in your ceilings and trims, and
roll away. Guarantee it is faster than getting all the above mentioned
motion, and the fact that you have to clean the gun when finished.
Even with my high efficiency guns won't run on anything less than my
3hp compressor. It keeps up, but I can swamp it if I am not careful.
You should know that the compressor manufacturers are second only to
the shop vac guys in exaggeration when writing their specs, so get the
most hp with the most CFMs you can afford if you are intent on doing
any kind of painting with it.
I don't spray walls, doors, etc., inside unless I am painting the whole
house and the carpet is coming out. Roller and brush only. And as far
as that goes, I never spray latex out of any of my guns, except KILZ2
as a primer.
As for outsides, I use a small machine that works great with latex, a
little Graco dx. It is about $300 or so, less as a rebuild, and we use
them until they break and then throw them away. The one I have now has
painted several houses, as well as numerous entryways, gables with new
siding, etc. Still works like a champ, and when this one dies I will
be down buying another immediately.
Good luck on your purchase.
Robert
Dan Bollinger
> would like to get some information on their abilities and input on how
> well they work. All opinions welcome.
For starters, forget about painting walls with an air compressor and spray gun.
The overspray is going to be horrendous to deal with.
Any air compressor can be used to power a spray gun, but for how long?
Compressors have duty cycles, often around 50%. That is, if they run for 3
mintues then need to cool for 3 minutes. For small or occasional spraying jobs a
1Hp air compressor will work. If you want an air compressor that will keep up
with a spray gun working continuously, you'll need 3Hp.
A 1Hp will power all your other tasks, brad gun, dusting, tires, etc.
Dan
l.van...@rogers.com
Casper I am in total agreement with Robert, I have painted some cars
and trucks professionally, a long time ago, I have also painted a whole
house inside at one time, doors,windows and frames and wainscoting,
then wallpapered and installed floor covering, so over spray was not a
problem, and I did not have to tape of anything either, did have to
clean the window glass, (was woman's work) just had all those
newspapers placed on the floor sticking to my shoes <G>.
If $$$ is not really tight, than I would advice a oil bath upright
compressor, and a loooong airhose, and you are covered, a Devilbiss or
other cast iron low speed 2 to 3 Hp compressor would last you a
lifetime, do all you need and are not deafening loud like all those
oilless little wonders.
Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo
William Noble
compressor that does all you ask - it weighs about 1000 pounds and runs on
220 - so it isn't small. You can't put a big compressor in a small
package - you could prove this to yourself by working through the
thermodynamic equations (let's see, adiabatic compression and then ....) or
you can just believe us. a little compressor to run an air brush or a tiny
drill/grinder is nice, a small pancake compressor will run a little nail
gun, but a paint sprayer (and even more so, a sand blaster) takes quite a
bit of air.
"Casper" <cas...@ghostmail.cc> wrote in message
news:9dj2r2d6ejaag5jqm...@4ax.com...
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Casper
>tasks well. As a remodeling/repair contractor, if I could find one
>machine that did all you described I would certainly buy it.
Story of my life.
Robert, Lee & Bill...
Thanks so much for all the information! I really appreciate it!!
I have not yet made any purchases. Even though the small compressors
aren't very expensive, I'm still holding back for now, since I have an
electric brad/staple gun. Is works so well, that it dims the lights in
the entire house when you fire it off. Pretty new house (10 years) so
I have to think that Stanley put some real effort into this gun if it
can do that. ;)
I am not sure what I want to do about the painting aspect. I have a
small badger painter that I can use for small projects, for now. I may
check my area for rentals on paint sprayers for the house. A local
friend said they aren't too costly here and that may be the way to go.
I will let you know what I decide.
Since my workshop (if you can call it that) is so tiny, I really have
to choose my necessary tools carefully. Right now my lathe (Jet midi)
is in my utility room on steel stand that I modified to hold my tools.
With a working area of about 5'x5', I have had to make compromises,
but it has been worth it. With some good luck (crosses fingers), I
hope to be able to make a bit more room later this year.
Again, I appreciate all the information and advise. While I don't
often say much here, I am listening, and thank everyone for all that
they have shared. You have all been wonderful and I enjoy all the
knowledge and general conversation you are all willing to share.
`Casper
"Only two things are infinite... the universe and human stupidity,
and I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
J. Clarke
If you're looking for something lightweight for painting, Woodcraft
and Rockler have an HVLP sprayer for about a hundred bucks that
doesn't take up much space, can be carried with one hand, and does a
decent job. No compressor required, but it's about as noisy as a
vacuum cleaner. Lot of plastic but all the parts that require
precision are machined brass.
It has a one quart paint cup, so it will handle pretty substantial
jobs.
For painting a room, the Wagner Paintmate Plus roller (not a powered
tool) for about 30 bucks does a decent job--just make sure that you
put a rubber band around the white plastic fingers that hold the
roller on, otherwise it will keep popping off. Don't make the band
too tight or you won't be able to get the roller on.
William Noble
house", you either have a serious wiring problem or an extrordinarily
marginal electrical service that would not support any knd of air
compressor. The load from a nail gun is much less than from a refrigirator
of any reasonable size, something is seriously wrong.
"Casper" <cas...@ghostmail.cc> wrote in message
news:0elhr2dlo212arnut...@4ax.com...
> >I think you are asking for one machine that does several different
>>tasks well. As a remodeling/repair contractor, if I could find one
>>machine that did all you described I would certainly buy it.
>
> Story of my life.
>
> Robert, Lee & Bill...
>
> Thanks so much for all the information! I really appreciate it!!
>
> I have not yet made any purchases. Even though the small compressors
> aren't very expensive, I'm still holding back for now, since I have an
> electric brad/staple gun. Is works so well, that it dims the lights in
> the entire house when you fire it off. Pretty new house (10 years) so
> I have to think that Stanley put some real effort into this gun if it
> can do that. ;)
>
>
snip
Casper
>If you're looking for something lightweight for painting, Woodcraft
>and Rockler have an HVLP sprayer for about a hundred bucks that
>doesn't take up much space, can be carried with one hand, and does a
>decent job. No compressor required, but it's about as noisy as a
>vacuum cleaner. Lot of plastic but all the parts that require
>precision are machined brass. It has a one quart paint cup, so it will
>handle pretty substantial jobs.
I will check out the Woodcraft HVLP. I'm not really concerned about
the noise unless it's to the point it hurts my ears.
>For painting a room, the Wagner Paintmate Plus roller (not a powered
>tool) for about 30 bucks does a decent job--just make sure that you
>put a rubber band around the white plastic fingers that hold the
>roller on, otherwise it will keep popping off. Don't make the band
>too tight or you won't be able to get the roller on.
My in-law's have a couple Wagner's and have offered to loan them. I am
considering that, but leaning toward the sprayer and not roller. Why?
I have walls that were pre-papered at the factory and have a texture
to them. I am not sure how effective the roller will be until I test.
I have to first prep the walls by cleaning off the unknown coating on
them so that the new paint will adhere. /sigh.. not looking like fun.
>"William Noble" was heard to mutter:
>if the minor load from an electric staple gun "dims the lights in the entire
>house", you either have a serious wiring problem or an extrordinarily
>marginal electrical service that would not support any knd of air
>compressor. The load from a nail gun is much less than from a refrigirator
>of any reasonable size, something is seriously wrong.
Nothing else affects the electric except that gun. The house was build
with a higher standard of wiring, per request. A borrowed 1.5hp/2gal
compressor doesn't cause any dimming at all.
We have had way too many power failures. It took years for the
electric.co. to re-run some new underground wires. Until then we had
power outages every week, 1-3 times a week and at least one blown
transformer a month. Although the new ground lines have improved
things, we still get flickers and an occasional outage. I suspect it's
the outside power source as the neighbors complain about the same. We
have all been fighting this problem for years. It's only this past
year we "may" have finally gotten to the point they are/will do
something about it. Won't know for sure until we see it, but already
have a new flood reservoir and they are widening the road as they add
new roadside piping and parallel power lines. They are 1/2 complete.
Thanks for the info!!
`Casper
Bill in Detroit
> I have to first prep the walls by cleaning off the unknown coating on
> them so that the new paint will adhere. /sigh.. not looking like fun.
I can't see from here what is actually on your walls, but if you aren't
going to strip that paper (sounds like it might be vinyl coated), give
an application of "liquid sandpaper" some thought. Its job is to stick
to glossy surfaces and present you with a paintable layer.
One word of caution, though: IANAHP (I Am Not A House Painter) so my
advice may be worth no more than the paper it wasn't written on.
Bill
--
Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one
rascal less in the world.
Thomas Carlyle (1795 - 1881)
http://nmwoodworks.com
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Casper
>I can't see from here what is actually on your walls, but if you aren't
>going to strip that paper (sounds like it might be vinyl coated), give
>an application of "liquid sandpaper" some thought. Its job is to stick
>to glossy surfaces and present you with a paintable layer.
Unfortunately this paper cannot be removed. I have done paper removal
before and was suspicious when I took a good look at my walls. I found
out that they were pre-papered during manufacture. If I had only known
then...
I have been told if the walls are first cleaned with a mix (recipe
around here somewhere), that it will removed the coating and provide a
surface for the new paint to stick. But I will certainly keep the
liquid sandpaper idea in mind.
>One word of caution, though: IANAHP (I Am Not A House Painter) so my
>advice may be worth no more than the paper it wasn't written on.
>
>Bill
All advice appreciated.... and good. ;)