TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu May 23, 2013 9:38 am

Hey guys - I was talking to an old aquaintence of mine who's always done many paint jobs of his own and they always come out looking great. I was telling him I would be painting my own car soon, and one piece of advice he gave me was along the lines of "get yourself a chinese knock-off of the Binks 7 spray gun." (I had told him I was on a tight budget). I don't know anything about the "7" in particular except that it's generally excepted as being a good spray gun and apparently universally excepted in the field. The guy I was talking to said he'd used a Chinese version that was just as good as the real one he has.

Anyway, I already have Harbor Freight's good HVLP (plastic inverted cup on top, purple handle) and had planned to use that to paint my car. However, after hearing this advice I checked out HF's website again and noticed that they offer two guns with the aluminum cups on the bottom that they specifically describe as being "automotive paint spray guns". Does anyone know if either of these are copies of the Binks 7 ? Would it be best to stay with the HVLP one that I already have? Pro's and Con's? Here are the guns -

http://www.harborfreight.com/industrial-paint-spray-gun-43760.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/32-oz-automotiveindustrial-siphon-feed-spray-gun-69708.html

BTW - My compressor is a Central Pneumatic 3HP 21gal unit that works at 115psi. It delivers 3.5scfm @ 90psi or 8.8scfm @ 40psi .

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Thu May 23, 2013 10:04 am

The nozzles in those guns are both too big for automotive paint (1.8mm and 1.7mm). They would be better for shooting primer.

Something like this would be better:
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-69705.html

It has a 1.4mm tip which is better for your paints/clears

Thu May 23, 2013 1:24 pm

jspbtown wrote: .....

Something like this would be better:
http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-69705.html

It has a 1.4mm tip which is better for your paints/clears

OK that's the one I already have.

Thu May 23, 2013 2:42 pm

Years ago when I got a degree in auto body science, we were taught using only Binks No7 guns. They used to be an industry standard, hence being used in colleges around the country and in tons of bodyshops. But that was then, this is now. Great for painting Lacquer.

Thu May 23, 2013 3:42 pm

I'll be shooting single stage urethane.
OK - if the HF HVLP is a better choice how about this... while doing research I read a brief statement on another forum where someone mentioned switching out the needle and cap in the HF gun for the needle and cap from a Binks Mach1 hvlp gun. Supposedly they are made in the same design. They said it greatly improved atomization and flow. I'd be willing to invest the additional $15 for the needle. I see them on ebay... but I do not see a "cap" there for a Binks Mach1. Anyone heard of this? Anyone have both guns and would be willing to check compatibility?

Thu May 23, 2013 5:04 pm

If they are made of the same design then how would one be better than the other?

Thu May 23, 2013 5:30 pm

I used the one similar to the first link to shoot primer. It was blue. I think i got it for 12-15 dollars. It sprayed out really well with no hiccups.
I dont know about the ones you posted but there is one major drawback on HF siphon guns. the feed tube thing is too short, on the model I have so you waste material that is not used, and can have hiccups if tilted when low. I guess its something to check in store.

Thu May 23, 2013 7:07 pm

jspbtown wrote: If they are made of the same design then how would one be better than the other?

All I know is that this guy (obviously an experienced painter) said it would "greatly improved atomization and flow." of the HF gun. How they do that over the stock pieces I wouldn't know. Then again it seems reasonable to me that HF might cut corners on a design or that a product from Binks would use better quality pieces that are superior for atomizing paint. The gist was that the basic design of the two were the same. I think sometimes the off brand guns use plastic parts where the can get away with it, but I don't know if that's true of the HF guns.

Fri May 24, 2013 6:37 am

Have you tried shooting the HF gun that you have? Just a test panel?

And while I have all the respect in the world for old time experienced painters there are some who are stuck in the past with old techniques and old products. Clearly the HF tools are not as good as a high quality paint gun. No add on part is going to bring it up to a high quality gun by swapping a couple of parts.

I have a Devilbliss gun that I have painted several cars with that have come out great for garage painted cars. I also have a higher quality detail gun and the difference between the two guns is significant. However, unless you spend the money on a new gun you are going to be limited. You can help by using the correct materials (right temp activators, type of paint, etc), modifying your air pressures (cranking them up a little bit), and some practice.

Fri May 24, 2013 11:02 am

jspbtown wrote: Have you tried shooting the HF gun that you have? Just a test panel?

.. No add on part is going to bring it up to a high quality gun by swapping a couple of parts.

Yes I've shot paint with it.. most recently some test sample colors on my car. The idea was not to make the gun AS GOOD as a high quality, expensive gun - but rather to improve it if possible. Do you think this gun could atomize paint better? I do, and if $30 or so is all it would take (even minimally better) then I'd be willing. Anyway, never mind.

Fri May 24, 2013 11:35 am

Here's a link that explains why some HF guns are better than others and outlines the details that make them so.. and even talks about interchanging parts. Unfortunately it doesn't mention changing parts out from other manufacturers - but at least is shows that it's not unheard of.

BTW, I have the 66222 HVLP gun from HF and basically it's their best one because key parts are made of finely machined brass and the nozzle cap has many more holes drilled in it - which is good for atomization.

http://ebld.net/website.mv?webuser=hsi88&website=goldenagemotorcycles&webpage=link_page24

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Fri May 24, 2013 11:53 am

Interesting read. Thanks. And if you want to spend the $30 then go ahead....no one is saying its wrong to do that.

How did your test panels come out? Did the paint not atomize well? What was the surface like after you painted? smooth? Lots of orange peel? What product were you using?

My Devilbliss gun has a cap similiar to the one with fewer holes in it. My detail Iwata gun is the same.

Here are some of my garage paint jobs with those guns:

Fri May 24, 2013 12:32 pm

Dang man I love that yellow car! Great job.. the others look nice too.

My samples were shot in open air with the wind blowing a bit - I didn't expect a smooth surface, was just looking for a good real world look at my chosen colors. I did get more orange peel than I expected though. The samples were both Omni Acrylic Urethane SS. Then again I didn't bother to do a light first coat followed by two medium/heavy ones. Samples were small and i just shot it all at once over a somewhat large area [for a sample]. I'd say it atomized ok, but when I read this guy talking about replacing cup and needles on these guns for better atomization, it got me thinking that better may be easily obtainable. On the other hand, with so many models offered by HF, he might have been upgrading a lesser model (one with less air holes in the cap, etc.).

Fri May 24, 2013 12:48 pm

One last note (sorry) - I have heard of people taking the nozzle of their sprayer (not the cap) and mounting it in a vice.. then running a drill with the needle chucked up, adding some compound paste to the tip. This would ideally improve the contact between the two parts. I suppose that's what I was thinking a needle change out would do. I'd probably screw up my gun doing that myself though.

Fri May 24, 2013 4:36 pm

Thanks for the kind words.

As you can tell by the first picture my "spray booth" is a bunch of blue tarps hung by hooks in the ceiling of my garage. I have added a nice fan to vent the fumes but its basically just backyard paint jobs with pretty average tools.

And thats my point I guess. The better guns are certainly better. But they won't make you get professional results. Some practice, the right materials, and working a little outside the "norm" will get you pretty satisfactory results with even a HF gun right out of the box.

Sun May 26, 2013 1:01 pm

Harbor freight g/f spray guns are not copies of binks mach1, they are copies of a sata nr92. Binks parts will not work. Just load up the h/f gun and blast it. The first guns you posted would work fine but they will cause you to use more paint. They are conventional guns and the g/f gun is hvlp. Hvlp guns help ALOT when it comes to overspray.

Sun May 26, 2013 3:05 pm

BIG MAC wrote: Harbor freight g/f spray guns are not copies of binks mach1, they are copies of a sata nr92.

Thanks for that info.. was what I was looking for.

I think I'll just get one of the H/F guns with the 1.7mm tip to shoot primer. But I guess an HVLP would still be the better choice (if they have HVLP w/1.7mm tip) because of the overspray. If not, I'll get one of these conventional ones. My current purple H/F gun has the 1.4mm tip and is what I'll shoot my SS color with.

Wed May 29, 2013 6:01 pm

H/f guns work well. they just don't work well for a long time.