I'm looking at purchasing a good spray system. I've used a HVLP
3-turbine system before and was very pleased with the results, however, I found that there was a lot of overspray. A year ago I was a cabinet makers house and he had a real beauty. Very limited overspray and it defiinetly wasn't an HVLP. At the time I should have asked but didn't. I think it was some sort of pump sprayer. I'm mainly spraying lacquers. Any thoughts?Thanks, Jonesy
His system may have bee an "Airless" system. Since air does not deliver the paint the overspray tends to be less.
Jonesy wrote: Very limited overspray and it
Are you sure it wasn't an HVLP rig with a remote pressure pot?
Here's a good link for your problem.
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Just because you are using HVLP doesn't mean that you will elminate overspray. However, although a little slow at material application, you can get the overspray down to almost nothing.
When I started out with my HVLP (Fuji Q4) I was putting almost the same amount of finish in the air as my old high pressure sprayers. But after much experimentation, I have gotten it down to a very small amount.
The key is to 1) have a good gun you can adjust easily and accurately, and 2) know your product. I shoot some pretty nice enamels and clear finishes, but like the turbine gun for the clear finishes better than any of them. After about $300 in practice finish to adjust the gun and lacquer to play well together I would say it was really worth it. I use one part lacquers that have fairly heavy solids, but put on multiple coats. I shoot urethanes, varnishes, etc. by request only. I have the most personal experience in turbine HVLP with clear finishes.
I think my overspray problems went away when I started really hitting the lacquer with about 20 - 25% thinner, sometimes more, and switched to a slower thinner (less VOCs) and put in some retarder to offset the large amount of thinner. After calling the manufacturer, I have cut the lacquer as much as 50% (!) with absolutely no ill effects. This was to compensate for heat and humidity though, not for overspray. But it does require more coats.
I shoot my industrial enamels with a CAS (conversion) gun. It puts out about 1/3 the amount of overspray than the high pressure guns, but it is still quite a bit more than the turbine HVLP. It may be old habits, but I like to crank up the pressure on the enamels to make sure it atomizes correctly, and since you can't thin them as much this is a much more sure fire solution. I don't shoot enough enamels to put a couple of hundred dollars in learning the ins and outs of the industrial lines out of my turbine.
Don't be afraid of the HVLP. It is a great solution. We use ours at client's houses without any complaints, and we have done a large amount of spraying with it on the back patio of a local country club. No complaints there either, except for the fumes.
Robert
Kremlin Airmix is my choice, and recommendation. I've used a bunch of HVLP set-ups and not found any to lay down a perfect finish as easily.
JP
Jay - I was looking at the Kremlins, but the setup I saw was expensive and bit too cumbersome for every day portability. If you don't mind, which one are you using, how are you powering the rig, and how much did it cost? Do you take it to a job often, or do you finish in your shop? What do you spray?
Sadly, we have no support for Kremlins that I know of here in S. Texas, and that was certainly a large consideration with the purchase I made. I bought the Fuji from one of Paul Smith's dealers, and the support for the product is great. They keep a good supply of parts on hand and will overnight anything you want.
But the guys on Woodweb do love their Kremlins....
Thanks!
Robert
A turbine and true HVLP (not conversion) gun greatly reduce overspray, as they run on about 5 PSI and lots of air volume. With properly thinned finish material and gun setup, you can reduce the overspray / bounce to almost nothing.
A pressure pot is simply a remote tank that feeds the finish to the gun through a long hose, replacing the material cup. Pressure pots hold much more finish material than a gun, and the gun can then used in any position. The pot is pressurized to 5-8 PSI with compressed air.
I can't imagine many high-quality cabinet finishes being applied with a pump sprayer.
It's the 10-14 wall-mounted system (in the shop). It's powered by compressed air and I think they go for ~$2,000 new. Not sure what "we" paid for it - my employer owns it.
Do you take it to a job often, or do you finish in your shop?
Finishing's done in the shop (hopefully!). We spray pretty much everything except for latex, and I'm pushing them to let me experiment with that too.
Great, great source of information when you're looking to grow.
JP
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