Just tried the HF HVLP sprayer.. UPDATED

[Mike Fisher]

It's just primer! You'll get better every time you use your new gun. Wash the slab down and keep it wet to keep down the dust.
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69 FI/AT square Daily Driver
66 sunroof,67,70,71,71,71AT,72,72AT,73 Parts
two 57 oval ragtops sold
'68 Karmann Ghia sold

Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you end up with a lot of scum on the top! - Russ_Wolfe/Edward Abbey

[DaVonZip]

http://www.turbineproducts.com/servlet/Detail?no=6

before i bought this, i thought i would post it and see if anyone has any comments about this product.
thanks,
RICK
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-No, the point is, it's your frickin car. Drive it. park it, light the bitch on fire-- it's not for us to say. (samba member)

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[retroman]

I love mine. It is so easy to use. Excellent product
It makes me look like a pro. Enjoy it!
_________________
1967 bug recovering from a PO
1987 Vanagon Wolfsburg Weekender "Otto" been all over the place with never a problem!

[HarryFD]

I have tried to wade through this thread but am getting more and more confused.

I need to do some spot repairs to my bus and am looking for an inexpensive solution ( think harbor freight) for a sprayer to adequately coat the repairs.

I have a 3 gallon, 2 hp compressor rated at 2.9 cfm (90 psi) 5.8 cfm (40 psi). My local paint store is a PPG guy and I will buy my paints from him. I am thinking a single stage 1k paint (i.e. no clear coat)

Is there a gun I can get that will allow me to use my existing equipment? I understand the need for a regulator, air drier etc and just need to find an adequate gun.

As far as I am concerned, there is nothing magic about an HVLP gun. A gun that works and is inexpensive will win the day.
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1970 Deluxe Sunroof Bay Brilliant Blue/Cloud White
1973.5 911 Targa
2009 MB C300

[AZ65CalBug]

I used the onsale $15.99 normally $29.99 HVLP gun from HF and I actually liked it. You've got to clean them out very good though after any clear coat. The gun/tip will not work well with a tiny bit of interference. Some guns have tolerance but these guns just flat out suck when not cleaned propertly. My old shop painter told me, if I can tell you what color you shot with it.. it's not clean enough.

The gun is very good. I was able to lay down a base/clear coat job with NO BUFFING NEEDED. This was a race car and he wanted it to look good from the 10 foot wall.. haha But I was very suprised how well it turned out.

Of course, I've painted a 'few' cars in my day so I think the experience in working with paint in the past has helped. I am sure Tiger Woods can drive a ball with a cheap set of golf clubs..

And to Harry FD,

Spot repairs in single stage might be better for you to blend in. Also, try a small HVLP gun like a detail gun to prevent more of a spray pattern.

I've used a inline filter with my paint jobs, no need for a dyer for such a small job. Just make sure there isn't any water in your tank.
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[Bntbrl]

I saw a car that had been painted with a weenie roller and color sanded the crap out of. It was not too bad but he sanded half his life away.

I never would have thought to try an airless sprayer with auto paint.

I was understanding that even polyurethane paints off gassed for months.
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1984 Vanagon Westfalia 1.9 wbx

www.DIYSeattle.com

[veedubfreak59]

Just thought I'd chime in on this. Harbor Freight no longer sells the cheap sprayer, but I did manage to catch the one they do still carry on sale for 99 and used a 20% coupon on it. I sprayed my gas tank and a few odds and ends and it really does work really well. The only issue I had would have cropped up with a standard gun, and that is the fact that I'm painting in the open. Other than a few bits of random debris in the paint, it came out really well.

So far I've used it to spray both 2k primer and BC/CC. I did spring for the extra 15 bucks warranty on it though just in case the motor eats itself.

Far cry from buying an 800 dollar or more air compressor, and all the extras needed for that.

[Little Harry]

Alright, so, I read all 14 pages of this thread and I have a question or two. I am looking at purchasing one of the HF units and read the posts about the rustoleum paint being used. Initially I thought about using real automotive paint but I am wondering a couple of things.

What would be easier/more user friendly to paint? The rustoleum or the "real" automotive paint?

How well does the rustoleum paint hold up when sprayed out of the HF HVLP turbine rigs?

There was also some debate about what to thin the rustoleum with and how much to use. Can someone please clarify this?

Thanks in advance.
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1973 VW Karmann Ghia - 1679cc, Kadrons, MoFoCo 041's, Tri-Mil Euro, Interstate Battery, and a little rust.

[nemobuscaptain]

Here's a neat article I found on paint: http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/ccrp_1105_how_to_cheaply_paint_a_car

I know that many of us are living on a budget but there are quite a few very affordable options for real automotive paint that is going to last much longer than rustoleum and won't have the interactions if you decide to do a better job later (caused by the oil based rustoleum paint).

I know that my local Parts Plus has the lower level Omni and OReilly's has Transtar paints available. You often have to ask. It may not be out there with the rattle can stuff. If you go with one of their dozen or so main colors, it can be really cheap, no or little more than the cost of rustoleum.

Here are some helpful videos for those of us who are newbies:

Link



Link


He has a ton of videos, including these on using the right kind of primer:


Link


There are several hundred videos on his site.
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Hoover Sermons: https://www.vwsage.com/images/vwsage/Bob%20Hoovers%20Sermons.pdf

[DurocShark]

Nice to see this thread's still going! I'm dubless at the moment, but I was reminded about this thread by a thread on a Saab site.

I've used the HF gray a bunch of times now to spray furniture finishes. I definitely like it better than the blue/black cheaper one.

I was looking at the jar and thinking I could cut one up and use the threaded portion as an adapter for a smaller jar. In my copious spare time... Sigh.
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No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow.

[stu in wichita]

I thought this thread had died. I first read it a year or so back and decided to try the HF gun. I'm not novice to painting, but I don't consider myself very talented either. Here's what I experienced with various paints.

2K primer - I thinned it about 30% and was pretty happy with the result. It is real easy to build the paint quickly without runs. It went on a little bit "orange-peely", but I think more thinner and/or a smaller nozzle would help. No matter - I was block sanding the car and most of the primer became dust anyway. I primed and blocked 3-4 times and used the HF gun for all coats.

Single stage urethane paint - This was a solid color (red). I thenk metalics would be another story altogether. The results were similar to the primer, but it leveled out a lot more as it hardened. The orange peel was pretty easy to color sand out. I switched to a conventional gun to shoot some of the larger panels, but now that it's done, it all looks identical.

John Deere Blitz Black - This is one of the hot rodder's favorite satin black paints. It's an old fashioned acrylic enamel that can be shot with or without hardener. It turned out pretty good with about 20% extra thinner. Again, more thinner, smaller tip would be better. I know some guys shoot this stuff reduced to 50%.

Overall, it's a good, cheap way to get some color on a car. If your're willing to experiment with the viscosity and do some sanding and buffing, you can get a pretty good paint job. I'll try it again on my next project.
-Stu

[BODYSHOPBUG]

its all in what your budget is, i use sata but i do it for a living. I have seen some people use guns that i wouldnt spray water out of, do jobs that suprized me.

[vamram]

1st-time painting for real. I'm about to start my Summer '14 project: paint my '72 super in its original single stage Enzian Blue L-51B, using the turbine gun from HF OR a Wagner from HD.

I had been painting it w/rattlecans and have it looking decent, but after reading this complete thread yesterday, I decided it was time to stop screwin' around. Fortunately the body's in great shape and I won't have to do any rust repairs at all.

As for the paint: I was going to by the acrylic urethane from TCP Global. Anyone prefer a different source? Automotivetouchup is too expensive and 2k.

Thanks!

Victor
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"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition
to put moral chains upon their own appetites. -Edmund Burke
Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...languishing since 2022.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[retroman]

I buy everything from them. Fast accurate service. Enjoy your project.
_________________
1967 bug recovering from a PO
1987 Vanagon Wolfsburg Weekender "Otto" been all over the place with never a problem!

[Dauz]

I never used their full sized HVLP but I did pick up thier mini touch-up gun. That thing works FAAARRR better than the chance I've given it. Highly recommended.

Used it to paint trim pieces, tail light housings, brackets, places I've burnt through color sanding (blended), etc.

Best thing about it, 'twas $9 after coupon.

[Cali_Army_Guy]

I'm going to start sanding my car this weekend then prime and paint with the turbine gun. Never knew that existed till today. Not looking for a show car, just a decent ten footer. Ten years ago or so I painted my baja with a normal gun and a garbage compressor so I'm sure I can make my current car look halway decent.

Here's the baja after I painted it in my front yard.

[vamram]

Finally broke down after a year and tore the car apart over the last week. One day to disassemble, 1.5 days so far of sanding. Still have about 1/2-day to sand before I mask it off. Then it's the HF HVLP gun and L51B Enzian Blue.

That's factory L51B and primer showing thru as I was able to sand off most of the bad respray the car had sometime in its past.

I'm looking for a good 10-footer, which is probably the best I can do in my driveway, never having painted a car before! I'll post pics when I start, probably this weekend (weather allowing).
_________________
"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition
to put moral chains upon their own appetites. -Edmund Burke
Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...languishing since 2022.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[johndl58]

Good luck with that. I just recently did mine for the first time in my driveway as well. I too used a canopy to keep stuff off of the car. It worked great but it severely cuts down on the amount of light that gets through to the car. Definitely set up as many lights as you can, especially shining on roof area. Youll be glad you did. I have a thread in here that covers my whole trials and tribulations of my first attempt.

[vamram]

Thanks - went to town on it today.

Before...

And as of 6 p.m. tonight.

I have to say, I will NEVER AGAIN paint a car. The HF gun was fine, but this is a daily driver for me and the amount of prep is mind boggling. Never having done it before, of course there's orange peel and few runs, but it's going to look a million times better once I get it assembled...

I have to say that the HF gun was really easy to use. I'm sure if I had the luxury of time and practice runs I could make this look much better. BTW - I only did from the windshield back. I have to re-prep the hood, front fenders and quarter panels to re-do those after doing them w/rattle can type sprayers back in May. Frankly, I don't have the energy in these arthritic hands and I still have to install my new headliner. So...the front 1/3 waits for Spring.
_________________
"Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition
to put moral chains upon their own appetites. -Edmund Burke
Stop Russian-Soviet Aggression!!

'74 Super 9/16 - present, in refurb process.
'73 Super - 6/18 - Present - Daily Driver!
'75 Super Le Grande...languishing since 2022.
Click to view image
Save the Supers!!

[johndl58]

Nice! I feel the same way about the prep issue. It is absolutely mind boggling. But as Ive found out, its unavoidable. Im in the final stages of finally finishing my paint. After painting, I still had probably 3 days of wet sanding and now Im on my second day of buffing. It sems to never end.