please advise me to the right sata gun

[zedxten]

currently im using a reasonably priced velocity conventional gun, i have a couple of them.
im only painting bike parts so i mostly use the touch up gun with a 1.0 tip.
im getting very mixed results. sometimes my work is great and then the next day it is bad and inconsistent. i dont think these guns deliver perfect atomisation.
im wondering if i should splurge the money and get a decent sata gun, there are so many though.
which one do i get and which tip should i use for 2k clear coats on my bike fairings? ( its mainly my clear coat im worried about )
does smaller parts mean smaller tip?

would a sata jet 4000 with a 1.2 tip be a good choice?

thanks all :bigokay:

 

[flashtimes]

The SATA guns are excellent for 2K clear...IF you have enough air to properly atomize the clear as it exits the gun. (let me know what kind of air compressor you have HP/CFM/AGE...what kind of plumbing or is it direct into a hose?) As soon as I have that info, I can help you.
As far as the tip size, you are always going to get the best application of clear (in my humble opinion) with a 1.5 nozzle/tip...ESPECIALLY if you are spraying HS Clear. (What kind of clear are you spraying?)

Be SAFE! Don't forget to keep your eyes and skin free from overspray!

 

[zedxten]

here are the compressor details
it is only 1 month old and im running about 30ft of hose straight out of the regulator/water trap

• Cast iron twin cylinder pump
• Displacement: 12.3CFM or 348L/min
• Free Air Delivery: 8.4CFM or 238L/min
• 2.2HP motor

im spraying 2k mipa clear, i dont know if its hs, im not too technically advanced with everything just yet.

i do know im getting very mixed results with my clear at the moment. bases are no problems:bigokay:

 

[flashtimes]

I am not surprised that you are getting mixed results with your clear! You don't have enough air to make it work right. The base is a very different chemical makeup, and it may appear that you aren't having any issues with the base, but based on the fact that your gun is not working nearly at its best; I would say that you are whether you know it or not.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, BUT if you are trying to use the SATAjet 4000 HVLP, you have about one HALF of the compressed air that you are going to need to allow that gun to work. That gun by itself consumes over 15 CFM, and then you have the rubber hose which is going to consume about 4-5 CFM, and the regulator/trap that is also consuming CFM. (I know it all sounds odd, but this is SO true and I have been teaching this EXACT problem to shops all over the USA for almost 20 years). Based on your facts, you have at best, 9 CFM available...and you are going to need about 25-30 CFM. And believe me that you will need every bit of that 20 CFM to make a SATAjet work well...and boy do they when you have enough air.

You are thinking to yourself..."how in the world would I get that kind of CFM?" EXCELLENT question! You are talking about a very large commercial compressor to accomplish that feat. (the rule of thumb is about 4-5 CFM per HP...and that is with a new compressor).

Here is a possible solution...and I stress possible (due to the fact that your compressor is so small)...you might want to try a conventional spray gun? The require MUCH less air to atomize the clear, but you will have more overspray; that would be the trade-off.

I know what you are dealing with....I've been exactly where you are (I tried to paint cars and trucks in the early days with a 5HP compressor and had ALL kinds of issues that I thought were caused by the paint) Imagine my surprise when I got a bigger compressor and almost every problem went away. I know! It is FRUSTRATING as heck! I wish I could give you better news, but now that you have a few more pieces of the puzzle, perhaps some of the issues you have been having are starting to make sense. (I could go into details about what is and isn't happening with your paint films...but the bottom line is, you don't have enough air volume).

Be SAFE! Don't forget to keep your eyes and skin free from overspray!

 

[zedxten]

wow, thanks for your detailed answer, you really know your stuff.
did you notice my first post straight up said im using a conventional gun?
i was thinking about converting to a hplv, but from what you told me that would not be an option with my compressor. DOH
im sure the compressor i have which cost me over $900 is ample for the conventional gun im using. if i turned the reg right up it would blow my gun apart lol.
maybe my problem is just more learning technique than anything.
im only painting small bike panels, should i have my fan on max width with a high pressure? what sort of pressure do you recommend? im currently running about 35psi at the reg outlet. and toning the fan in a bit as i thought more paint would go on the panel that way.

anyways, looks like a hplv is a no go for me.
i was told this is the biggest compressor i can run off my 240 volt outlet, to go a bigger compressor would involve either a 15 amp plug or 3 phase.

this is the compressor i bought
McMillan CAST IRON 12CFM COMPRESSOR 240V [C12] - AUD$835.00 : Talair United Tools Pty Ltd

 

[flashtimes]

You're very welcome...I am pleased to help!

From your last posting, I think I see what might be part of the problem???? (I think...LOL) IF you are setting your pressure at the regulator, you don't have the right pressure at the spray gun; and here is why. The 30' hose that you are using is robbing you of pressure and volume. Believe or not, you could be losing half of the air that you need. Here is a posting from the Binks official website.

Only 34 PSI at gun inlet - 25 feet of 1/4” I.D. hose causes a drop of 26 PSI between the air supply and the gun. (NOT RECOMMENDED)
48 PSI at gun inlet - 25 feet of 5/16” I.D. hose causes a drop of 12 PSI between the air supply and the gun. For this reason Binks recommends the use of 5/16” hose. (RECOMMENDED)​

If you are trying to achieve 35psi at your gun, instead of trying to do all the math to figure out what type of pressure loss you are going to have, I recommend you purchase a small pressure gauge/regulator that attaches right at the gun. You take the nipple off of the guy, install this small gauge/regulator on the gun, and then attach the nipple on the regulator. That way you know exactly what kind of pressure you have at the gun. I have seen situations where it takes 65psi at the regulator/filter, to achieve 35 at the gun. You could be in that same situation. By the way, these are fairly inexpensive. Here is a link to my favorite...Gun Mounted Air Regulators ...the non-digital is just fine for guys like us.

I am 99% sure that you are dealing with an air starvation situation, and I think that if you install this small regulator, you might (and I stress might) see that you don't have enough air to properly break apart the 2K clear that you are using. And it takes a LOT of air to break up urethane clear....with most 2K clears anyway. Some of them are very thin in viscosity and would probably spray in low air situations; but then you would need to spray 4, 5, or 6 coats to get the recommended DFT (dry film thickness) for UV protection and overall gloss.

Hope that helps?

Be SAFE! Don't forget to keep your eyes and skin free from overspray!

 

[zedxten]

Thanks Flash.
im definitely still in the early stages with this, it feels like i have plenty of pressure but i wil get a gun gauge so i can get it right.
what pressure do you recommend at the gun pressure regulator for your average 2 pack clear, with a conventional gun?
i notice a lot of tech sheets say 8-10 psi but this must be measured at the tip im presuming.

 

[g0000]

Penitence is something that enervates our spirit, causing a greater loss than loss itself and making a bigger mistake than mistake itself, so never regret.