Paint Sprayer question

[arzoo]

Hi All,
I

[mahuti]

With a pneumatic paint sprayer you can get extremely fine coats if you so choose. It'll still come out a bit textured, after which, if you want glassy smooth you have to polish it several times.

That being said, I usually just roller paint cabinets, so I don't see why you'd need to go to the expense of buying a pneumatic sprayer. 

[Dizzle]

I used an electric paint sprayer on my first cab and while I was able to easily achieve the two-tone fade design I wanted, I wound up throwing the thing away afterwards.  I'll use a high-end roller on my next cab.

Those pneumatic sprayers seem to be an unnecessary expense (unless you already have one) especially after factoring in the cost of a compressor.

[arzoo]

I think I can pick up a pneumatic sprayer for about $40 and I already own a compressor.

[Dizzle]

I would say go for it if you can pick one up for $40.
If you decide to go that route, let us know how it turns out! 

[arzoo]

Turns out my compressor is not large enough for a paint sprayer (need at least 10 gallon, mine is 6 gallon). Oh well.

[mahuti]

Really? I don't think my air compressor is over 6 gallons and it does a paint sprayer just fine.

[arzoo]

Really? I don't think my air compressor is over 6 gallons and it does a paint sprayer just fine.

That's what the guide on the sprayer package said. It recommended 10 gallon minimum. Maybe I'll try with mine anyway.

[sWampy]

The smaller you have the less consistant the spray is, as the pressure in the tank varies as the compressor kicks on and off, the greater the volume of air in the tank, the smaller these flucations become.  Example with a one gallon tank, the compressor might not kick in until the pressure in the tank drops 50% in a 6 gallon tank it might kick in when it drops 20%, in a 10 gallon tank it might be as small as a 10% drop in pressure.  You really just have to be careful when spraying, and count in that certain times in the cycle you will be laying down more paint than at other times.

[deadkenndys1105]

Im painting my cabnet with a brush.  Im not going to have eye poping artwork tho.

[Lilwolf]

someone posted in another thread in the last day or so (read it this morning) about a gravity paint sprayer for 14 bucks.  Looked like a good quality one also.   at Harberwhatever

anyone have the link?  or remember the thread it was in?  I think it was in one of the project threads..... here it is http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47016

[MovingTarget]

I used a gravity gun on my cabinet from Harbor Freight and I think I spent about $23 on it.

I used my neighbor's compressor that I think was 2 or 3 gallon, was a lot better than my 1.6 gallon but it never turned off and I got very mixed results.

I did use it to apply the primer as well but that took FOREVER.  If I had to do it again I would either get a bigger compressor or just roller the paint on.  The results were very good and when there was enough built up pressure in the compressor that gravity gun worked great.

Clean up was really easy too.  I was just affraid I was going to burn out the compressor motor the whole time.  About 1 hour in that thing started to stink.

[miles2912]

someone posted in another thread in the last day or so (read it this morning) about a gravity paint sprayer for 14 bucks.  Looked like a good quality one also.   at Harberwhatever

anyone have the link?  or remember the thread it was in?  I think it was in one of the project threads..... here it is http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47016

Use 50 lbs for that gun and it works great.   I have a good sized tank so it was not working too hard.. I would say the motor ran about 50% of the time.

Don