I have used one of those pacific rim, Campbell-Hausfeld $149 HVLP spray rigs to successfully spray shellac for a number of years and really don't have a personal need an $800 HVLP rig.
Something tells me that these cheap guns are most likely matched to the turbine that comes with it, but someone gave me brand new, un-opened Craftsman HVLP gun a couple of years ago but I've not seen adapter/fittings that would make it work with the big honking hose on this el cheapo HVLP sprayer.
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it even possible/feasible to use a different gun on one of the $100 HVLP systems?
Looks like the weather might start to co-operate around here and a couple of pending shellac spray jobs reminded me of the above.
Not sure what kind of fittings your cheap HVLP hose has but I can tell you because I built my own HVLP system that the standard connectors that come with HVLP guns and on hoses are available at Lowes and HD in the garden dept. They are actually water hose quick connects. As I recall they were on the isle with the hoses.
I had absolutely no idea that was the case, but getting from here to there (adapter) is the big question.
I've never seen anything on a shelf that looks remotely like it would fit the bill to go from the water hose, to the "standard spray gun" fitting on the gun in that picture?
The Sears gun shown is a "conversion" hvlp, that is it works with a regular air compressor. It won't work, to my knowledge, with a turbine type air source. But you can hook it directly to your compressor and get the same HVLP characteristics. It uses a lot more air than a standard high pressure air atomized gun.
I have a conversion gun (a porter cable) and like it fine, but I've never used a turbine system.
to successfully spray >shellac for a number of years and really don't have a
WHAT!?!?!!! Of course you do!! Unless you are saving for a Domino...
turbine that comes with it
Absolutely 100% correct. They are a "system". Usually a two stage Chiawanese turbine, they may one be a one stage. I think the CH were all two stage, btw.
(As a side bar, a "stage" is simply the number of impellors the turbine has on a true turbine powered HVLP system. Obviously a CAS, or conversion gun which runs off an air compressor has no impellors. Stages in a turbine are the HV in HVLP. As a general rule of thumb, the more volume free air you have the heavier the product you can spray successfully with less thinning.)
CAS guns rely on necking down the pressure to the gun, but also require volume which is something air compressors don't have when compared to a turbine. Pressure at volume is the key.
For a turbine powered HVLP, it is all about volume. The canister style system only requires about 5 lbs or so of pressure to the canister. (A CAS HVLP is still suction/siphon or gravity fed.) For a turbine powered HVLP, it only needs about 8 - 10 pounds of pressure, but lots of it.
years ago but I've not >seen adapter/fittings that would make it work with the
It is worth a try, but probably won't work correctly since the turbine will not generate the air pressure this gun will need to operate properly. There are some turbine OR compressor guns out there, but the were designed that way or converted to that use and are sold as dual powered guns I don't know anyone that has had experience with the dual use guns, and with the advent of the $100 metal cased HF HVLP, they have seemed to have gone away.
are not more popular is that it takes a really large (as in non movable garage sized) compressor to power it PROPERLY. Yes, I know guys who use these guns and spray... then wait for the compressor to catch up when they see their spray quality degrade.... then spray... then wait.... then spray... then wait.... then spray... you get the idea. You can imagine the quality of finish on anything larger than a briefcase sized piece.
I had a CAS gun that has lower spec requirements than that one, and my five hp compressor wouldn't keep up with it for entry doors spraying urethane.
It is indeed as long as it is in the same system family. They carefully engineer the aircaps (the horns that break up the paint as it leaves the fluid nozzle) to the fluid nozzle to hit the sweet spot on these guns. The useful guns in this family almost always have a
1.4 to 1.6 mm fluid nozzle, which is keeps them pretty close. They are usually closer to the 1.4 mm range as less fluid flow makes it easier for the smaller turbine to break up the coating you are spraying.
Many of these units now have the specs on the gun's aircap (1.5mm etched on one side and 10 psi on the other) to satisfy the California labeling laws for commercial use of coating applicators.
There isn't a lot of ground between the HF system for $99 and the bottom end of a turbine powered system of some repute. Honestly I don't know how much difference there is in quality of application between the HF system and quality two stage system except about $250 more for the "better" system.
If you like your turbine better, try their gun on your system and use their turbine to blow off your project or clean them out. Or as a backup.
If you want some ideas on a compressor powered CAS gun, let me know and I can toss out a couple of ideas, and probably so can others here.
pending shellac spray jobs >reminded me of the above.
Thank the good Lord. I have been like a little kid with his nose pressed against the window watching it rain for two months. I actually am dealing with clients that have had their contractor go out of business since it has been so long since they were able to get full payroll sized checks in .
Finally... finally... a few south Texas summer days last week. A full dance card for next week, which will be the first in long time. Loving this hot, partly cloudy weather a lot.
I hear you! ... I've had a foundation waiting to pour for a month. Did get the piers poured last week, but I'll be damned if I'm going to do any excavation in the morning just to have it fill up with water before evening. Also got trusses that are going to be subject to a weekly storage fee if I don't get them on top of a 1st floor frame pretty soon. While it hasn't rained to speak of in a few days, I'm gun shy just seeing a cloud in the sky after the last two and a half months. I'm hoping to pour Tuesday.
Thanks, Robert, Frank, and Mike for the HVLP info. I'm willing to try anything, but my little 12 gallon air shop/nailer compressor is certainly not up to the task of delivering the "minimum required" 7 cfm @ 40psi that it says on the side of the gifted spray gun box.
I'd bet the CH rig wouldn't even have that type of info, but I'll look.
Depending on how big your work piece is, you might give it a shot and see what you can do. My 20 gal. 5hp (read that 1.5 hp the way it should be rated) has 7.5 cfm @ 40psi, which is about the gun requirement rating, however, the chart says I can get about 80 seconds of continuous trigger time before it runs out and has to catch up. 80 seconds is a long time. I doubt that I spray more than 10-15 second bursts without giving the compressor time to catch up.
I you read the two reviews on the Sears link you posted both reviewers state that they couldn't even spray water at 40 psi (it took 60 psi). Both reviews gave the gun's performance a one on a scale of 1-5.
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