What sort of spraying set up do you have Simon, if you don't mind me asking? I can see what looks like it might be a sort of tent affair.
I've used wipe on poly thus far which I've made from yacht varnish, however I'd like to try (experiment) with some different finishes and was wondering what I'd need to have a go with spraying?
I have a small air compressor, some mini-spray guns and a pop-up toilet tent as a spray booth. And I’ve been using nitro.
The current compressor is smaller and far quieter than the original one I had, which was sized for a full-sized spray gun. I discovered that (certainly with the 1.6mm nozzle size it came with) this was far too big for spraying guitars as you could get through the large paint cup the gun came with in about 30 seconds of spraying. Fine for spraying a bus, but not a guitar body. So a switch to a mini gun with a 0.8mm nozzle was a far better choice and gives a similar spray volume to a spray can.
So the compressor stays in the garage (away from any spray mist that could quickly block the air filters) and the tent goes outside. I made a square wooden base frame the tent attaches to so it sits on the patio rather than on the grass.
I close the tent up for 5 minutes after spraying to minimise the risk of dust and insects settling on the finish, and then open up again to let the vapours out whilst I wait between coats. You still need a fairly still day to avoid dust. This year’s tent is a silver white, which does keep the internal temperature down on a sunny day compared to the two green camouflage tents I used before.
The nitro solvents eventually rot the fabric, but this one cost £23 from Amazon and should last three years.
I’ve got a board that I’ve fitted a couple of gun rests to, and that sits on top of a workmate by the tent.
And I use jam jars to mix up the nitro with thinners.
Thanks for the info re spray equipment as I have also found it difficult to get a compressor and gun for spraying guitar bodies.
Could you please let us know the brand/models you have found works for you?
Jim
That's brilliant thank you.
I can concur that the mini- or touch-up guns are the way to go for guitar bodies and necks.
Mine is also a .8mm nozzle and there's heaps of flow. Mine came with a 125ml cup, which has been okay, but can empty out pretty quickly. I've been meaning to get 250ml, but it's not like I'm spraying a guitar every week, so the small cup is actually work fine.
This is my gun - edit add: You can spend way more than I did, but the Star is decent quality and works great for the money.
I started with a "full size" gun like Simon (but I was using a 1.4mm nozzle) with a 600ml cup. I didn't have find that I rapidly went through paint, but it was definitely a bit of overkill and created more overspray due to the size of the spray pattern. The smaller gun gives a better focus, more control and less overspray IMO.
My compressor is definitely way more than I need, and I've been contemplating downsizing. It's 2.5HP belt-drive with 50L tank and 155 LPM. I can't recall what Simon's new one is but it's the equivalent of what I want!
Last edited by McCreed; 20-06-2022 at 06:33 PM.
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
My compressor is this Huyundai one.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/produc...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is my 'high pressure' spray gun (I have two, one I keep just for clear)
https://spraygunsdirect.co.uk/produc...of-the-r150-q/
And I also bought this HVLP gun, which I don't think gives any better results. https://spraygunsdirect.co.uk/produc...ini-spray-gun/
Not that the gun doesn't come with any push-on connectors, and you'll need airlines and the relevant connectors for those.
I started out with this kit https://spraygunsdirect.co.uk/produc...-displacement/ which got me going, but the compressor turned out to be very noisy and bigger than I needed for the mini guns. Note that this doesn't include a connector for the spray gun.
There seem to be at least three types of hose quick connects, so you need to make sure you get them all the same as they aren't interchangeable.
I ended up fitting the in-line filter + regulator that came with the kit to a piece of wood, so I just can stand it up on a garden chair. I've never actually seen any water collect in the filter bowl (compressing the air should release a fair bit of water), though it's important to depressurise the compressor and remove the drain plug after use to let any water in the tank drain out.
A blow-off gun is a cheap useful attachment (useful for removing dust from guitar bodies) which I normally fit to let the air out of the compressor, as it's far quicker than using a spray gun (with no paint).
You'll also need a good vapour mask. I use a disposable 3M one https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/produc...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Though it says good for 1 month, I think that's with a lot of use. I buy one a year as I don't do a lot of spraying. It's got a carbon filter in which absorbs the solvent vapour. If you can smell solvent, then it's finished and you should stop spraying at once and change it. If you can't smell solvent, it's fine.
Cleaning the gun and paint cup afterwards is the biggest chore. A lot of messing about with thinners (reusing dirty thinners to start with and then the minimum of new thinners after that).
I've bought quite a few paint cups as sometimes they get so messy that I like to start off with a new one, especially if using a light colour. And I tend to keep different cups for clear, tinted lacquer and solid colour paint.
And I use disposable nitrile gloves, as the cellulose thinners don't attack those like vinyl gloves. If you don't use nitro, then the solvents are a lot friendlier, but still always wear a mask and keep the paint and solvents off your hands if you can.
Compressor with old grey compressor in the background (must get rid of it):
Mini spray gun and stands, also showing the blower attachment and a lacquer mixing jam jar (hi-tech stuff):
Pressure regulator and filter mounted to some wood (more hi-tech):
The spray tent. If you look you can see the wooden base frame, the wooden hanging frame I made during the first lockdown and the Lazy Susan I use as a turntable when spraying flat objects (I prefer spraying bodies flat as you can put a thicker but more thinned coat on without runs, which does help to fill the grain quicker). I've never quite got round to making a 'spit' style body holder so a body can be rotated in situ and both sides sprayed whilst flat without having to wait for one side to dry properly before doing the other.
Ok, that's a seriously impressive setup (to my eyes anyway!).
Thanks for showing that, definitely gives me something to think about.
I love seeing people's setups, for whatever aspect of guitar building it happens to be, really interesting.
Thanks for yhe brilliant information- very helpful!
Jim
It looks like the Hyundai air compressor is not available in Australia - does anyone have other recommendations for a similar compressor suitable for painting guitar bodies and necks?
Jim
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