Spraying equipment

[matt|H]

I'm fed up with using rattle cans and would like to try having a go with the bigger stuff but I don't know anything about it.

What's required? Air compressor + gun + tub of paint? I know it's not gonna be simple but just want to look at prices of cheap equipment to help decide whether I want to actually go ahead or not!

 

[richy22]

YOu can get decent attachments to put onto a rattle can that turns it into a spray gun??

 

[matt|H]

Have seen them but not tried them. I was just thinking that the proper equipment will (or could..) give a better finish.

 

[stan*]

Yes, you get alot better finnish with a spray gun than with rattle cans---even the "expensive" ones body shops make up for you.

Compressor
Spray gun
Inline air-dryer (not essential for one offs' but i'd get one if you were doing major work)

then paint/thinners/lacquer/hardner----depends what you are painting really.

 

[ADY 554D]

as far as a gun goes get yourself on ebay and look for a devilbiss gti wont go wrong with one of them

 

[matt|H]

Thanks guys. Any ideas on a price of starting equipment?

 

[stan*]

Machine mart do "cheapy" gravity fed guns for about £40-50 iirc. I bought one 3/4 years ago with the intention of upgrading, but in all honesty I still use it..its very good.

Im not a professional paint shop or anything, so its horses for courses, but so long as you keep it clean you wont go wrong with one for most jobs. I painted my old van with it, and it was a 95% good job....mainly down to me rushing...the gun done its job fine.

 

[matt|H]

What am I looking at for a cheapo air compressor?

 

[stan*]

dunno, I paid £400ish for mine second hand.

Buts thats a 200-250l tank & decent sized pump.

I guess by cheapo you mean the little 50l things? I wouldnt bother personally.

 

[kristian]

its not worth it, you will need a decent compressor £400-500 minimum gti gun £300+ air dryer(dont really need 1 for your own work unless you want to spend another £500) 2k thinners, gun wash(cheap thinners) base coats are cheap but laquers and hardeners arnt panel wipes etc wouldnt bother!

 

[rich-6]

It'l cost you more than the jobs worth I've got £800 in paint guns at work, you need at least two and if you want to use 2k primer a third gun for that!


Compressor 200lt tank minimum! mine at home cant keep up with my guns @ 2bar topps hence why i say minimum lol
Guns (regulaters arent essential but ensure you get constant same pressure)
Water & silicone traps
Panel wipe
Paint, Laquers and Hardners
Mixing pots (depending on the type of system you want to use on your guns, regular paint pots you wont need it, just use below)
measuring pots
Strainers
Tack rags
Da to speed up your prep time
You WILL need a mask as the paints arent good for your lungs and can cause asthma, air fed been the one you need
Sheeting, you will need this paint guns have a habit of drawing in dust and general s**te (reason booths use negative air)


Theres an easy £1k there, which is why its as chap above says its not worth it.

People wonder why having bits of your car painted at bodyshops is pricey, Simples the equipments not cheap and thats not half of it!

 

[mx1_champ]

its not a cheap game mate , unless your gona learn how to do it properly and make money of it like i do its probs not worth it really ,
i only use a 25ltr compressor , but it kicks out enough air to power a clarke 1.4 gravity few gun easily so does the job fine to me ,
as said your initial outlay is the compressor few various guns etc air line
then there are all the consumables which do add up to alot .

 

[matt|H]

Didn't think it would all cost that much. Ah well, looks like rattle cans then.

Thanks guys.

 

[stan*]

I disagree tbh, from experience, for little odds and bobs, blowing in panels/repairs/cam covers etc etc you wont go wrong with the equipment ive listed.

Yes of course theres a massive different doing it diy for little bits, and doing whole vehicles as a business----hence me saying horses for courses.

 

[Shaunyboy]

Dont forget its not the size of the compressor its the HP, you need really a minimum of 3HP and over 100L, you then need a decent spray gun, airline etc, you need to know and learn how to use the gun to get the best finish, learn how to mix the paint, learn how to prep the surface properly, as an amatuer at home i wouldent tackle panel spraying as you will get aload of dust under the lacuer and it will look s**t, if you never used the equipment before then you can get a worse finish than rattle cans.

The spray handles for areosols are ok, but cause alot of drips ive found so if you not spraying level it will drip onto the paint.

 

[kevin.s]

It'l cost you more than the jobs worth I've got £800 in paint guns at work, you need at least two and if you want to use 2k primer a third gun for that!


Compressor 200lt tank minimum! mine at home cant keep up with my guns @ 2bar topps hence why i say minimum lol
Guns (regulaters arent essential but ensure you get constant same pressure)
Water & silicone traps
Panel wipe
Paint, Laquers and Hardners
Mixing pots (depending on the type of system you want to use on your guns, regular paint pots you wont need it, just use below)
measuring pots
Strainers
Tack rags
Da to speed up your prep time
You WILL need a mask as the paints arent good for your lungs and can cause asthma, air fed been the one you need
Sheeting, you will need this paint guns have a habit of drawing in dust and general s**te (reason booths use negative air)


Theres an easy £1k there, which is why its as chap above says its not worth it.

People wonder why having bits of your car painted at bodyshops is pricey, Simples the equipments not cheap and thats not half of it!

compleatly agree with this if you are going to do big jobs but if you are only doing little jobs like blowin`s, engine covers, moldings and little things like that then a smaller cheaper setup would be ok. just dont expect the same quality finish as the more expencive stuff produces. the reason devilbiss and sata guns are so expencive is because they are very well balanced which makes them more comfy to use (especially when you are holding a ltr of paint out at arms lenght over the top of a roof whilst trying to not touch or fall onto the side of the car that has already had a coat of paint).another reason they are so expencive is because they atomise the paint so well. the better the atomisaion the better and cleaner the finish is.
as for compressors. its not just the size of the tank you need to think about. there is also the cfm (cubic feet per minute) which is the amount of air that the compressor displaces. if you are going to use an air feed mask then you will be using more air than if you are just using a gun.
typicle cfms are like this
spraygun = 16 cfm
air fed = 6 cfm
polisher = 24 cfm
d/a`s or other types of sanders = 15 cfm.
so if you are getting a compressor you need one that can deal with about 20 cfm to be on the safe side and make sure you dont run out of air halfway through a job.

 

[nosey-bonk]

compleatly agree with this if you are going to do big jobs but if you are only doing little jobs like blowin`s, engine covers, moldings and little things like that then a smaller cheaper setup would be ok. just dont expect the same quality finish as the more expencive stuff produces. the reason devilbiss and sata guns are so expencive is because they are very well balanced which makes them more comfy to use (<b>especially when you are holding a ltr of paint out at arms lenght over the top of a roof whilst trying to not touch or fall onto the side of the car that has already had a coat of paint</b>).another reason they are so expencive is because they atomise the paint so well. the better the atomisaion the better and cleaner the finish is.
as for compressors. its not just the size of the tank you need to think about. there is also the cfm (cubic feet per minute) which is the amount of air that the compressor displaces. if you are going to use an air feed mask then you will be using more air than if you are just using a gun.
typicle cfms are like this
spraygun = 16 cfm
air fed = 6 cfm
polisher = 24 cfm
d/a`s or other types of sanders = 15 cfm.
so if you are getting a compressor you need one that can deal with about 20 cfm to be on the safe side and make sure you dont run out of air halfway through a job.

wouldn't you paint the roof first :S

 

[kevin.s]

yes but you would put more than one coat of paint on wouldnt you lol

 

[Mark One]

-------------------------
can I re-open this thread please, I'm a complete N00b

I'd like to spray up my engine bay and possibly give the inner wings a light coat. What do I need?

Will I be ok with a cheapo £50 machine-mart spray gun (as stan was talking about
I can get hold of an air compressor cheap-but it's a small one - how small is too small and will it be a problem if i spray in short bursts?
Where do I buy paint from? Renault? do I need anything else to go with it?

any other tips?

 

[jack_davey]

I've posted a similar thread before, I've looked into it, but whatever setup you go for its still going to be a compromise without a oven/decent paint booth. You also have to watch out for isocyanates, can be harmful even if you've got a decent respirator on if they are in contact with your skin.

 

[Mark One]

ah man. Spraying is always a b*****d.

Is it really not feasible? I only want to go over the engine bay again to neaten it up. And it's non-metallic white i think.

Small compressor, cheap gun and some paint from renault? Am I mad?

 

[jack_davey]

^ funnily enough im warming back to this! Bought a 3hp sealey 50 l compressor for the advantage of impact guns etc...
Now I'm looking at paint guns, filters and infrared drying lamps! Might aswell!

 

[jack_davey]

In the interest of others who may be using the search function to their advantage...

I have now bought two guns and some 2 pack primer and lacquer and have been spraying a few bits on my brothers car and I have to say I'd never go back to aerosols!
The finish and the ease of applying the paint with the proper is just so much better!

 

[mx1_champ]

yeah did yo find that once you had a compressor you used it foe everything and didnt know how you managed without it ?

massive difference in quality and finish to . soon you rmates will want bits doin so get practising it will pay itself of

 

[matt|H]

Out of interest how much did you spend?

 

[jack_davey]

lets see....

£250 on a compressor, Sealey 3hp 50 ltr
£50 ish on air line and couplings for all the gismos
£30 on a primer gun
£90 on a gun for base coats and lacquer
£20 on air line filters

The materials etc cost extra but I suppose that's running costs rather than set up costs