Spray guns

[gunny]

Just starting to consider painting my bike in an attempt to save some bucks, maybe. Any idea on a good spray gun that's not to expensive but will do a good job. I've been looking at Binks and Sata HPLV guns in the $150 to $250 range. Any coments about guns, painting techiques, paint brands, etc is appreciated.

 

[Stretch]

Most of these questions and their answers can be found using the search feature (upper right hand corner). I've often found the answers I'm looking for without needing to post.

Good Luck-Stretch

 

[Jim]

Gunny,An HVLP is probably not a good idea for a beginner,Devillbiss makes a nice top loader(gravity fed) for $100.Great gun to start with.I think it's called a finishline.You can use it for primer,base and clear coat.It is my understanding that HVLP guns are a little tuff to learn for clear coats.I have a finishline and it works pretty good for the money.

 

[flamethrower]

As a jumior member, I have the utmost respect for Jim, but I must disagree with his opinion on HVLP and beginners. I have two HVLP guns and have had no trouble with either of them (Sharpe Cobalt & Devilbiss GTI Millenium). I struggled with the old style high pressure guns so I bought these two HVLP's and they were great. With little practice I was shooting with no sags, runs or orangepeel on my first bike job. I would say to buy a good quality gun and make sure you spend the time to set it up right. Then let her rip! If you do the prep right and set the gun up right I don't see why you wouldn't do just fine with the HVLP type.

 

[John Pierce]

One very important thing to point out to new painters is air supply... the guns recommended above are all going to need a compressor capable of putting out 11-15 CFM at 50 psi minimum.

If you have an air compressor that puts out less than that your selection of guns is much more limited. I use a Sharpe Platinum HVLP that requires minimum 7.5 CFM at 50 psi and it works very well on my small 6 hp 25 gallon compressor rated 8.5 CFM at 40 psi.

John

 

[John Pierce]

Oh, and one other thing... (I just read the initial post again). A lot of folks think they are going to save a bunch of money painting their bike themselves; in reality this is not gonna happen.

If you don't have any of the stuff to paint you can figure on spending about $450 retail on materials -- that's if you already have the compressor, gun, buffer, respirator, sanding blocks and other stuff which could run another $1000 without even trying.

Okay, so if you are a beginner you can plan on spending about 4 times as much time as a pro painting your bike, so let's say 60-80 hours. How much is your time worth?

I say if you are doing it as a hobbyist partly for the fun and education, go for it. If you are just trying to save money, you might be surprised how much you will spend in the end.

John