Seeking spray gear advice

[McCreed]

Hey all.
I will preface this by saying I pretty much know sfa about spray guns other than there are LPLV & HPLV types.

I'm finally considering getting a proper spray set up as I'm tired of being limited to rattle can colours and all the pitfalls that come with using them.

I'm looking for advice on a set up that will not break the bank, be reliable and be suitable for single-car-sized shed. I'm not looking to do mass production, just a few guitars a year max.

I'm particularly interested in what is available here in AUS as importing stuff from USA or UK will likely be cost prohibitive.
eg: Can a decent budget-friendly kit be acquired at Supercheap Auto or similar.

Thanks in advance for any ideas or suggestions.

[Sonic Mountain]

I bought a $100 HPLV gravity feed gun from supercheap and have had good results with it. I haven't got around to busting it out on the guitars, but I used it on my last Val project and it was pretty good. For what you are chasing it would probably be fine.

The key with any spray gear is maintenance. You need to keep them really clean, so total dismantle and clean after every job, and stored so they don't end up full of dust.

One issue with the SCA ones is I'm not sure you can readily get replacement 'o'rings and seals for them, which might affect the longevity of the gun.

Those are the two main reason I've just been using rattle cans. The clean up is a PITA and with amount of time its' been sitting it probably needs new seals.

This guys has a list of his favourite guns here which might help


https://thegunman.net.au/the-gunmans-top-10-spray-guns/

His number one recommendation is only around $200 on ebay

https://www.ebay.com.au/i/283332190771?chn=ps

Do you already have an air compressor? With guitars it's probably not as big an issue, but you want something with enough capacity that the compressor isn't constantly cycling. I have a fairly cheap one with a 40L tank which is enough to do about 2/3rds of a valiant before it cycles up to pressure again.

You also need to figure in a pressure regulator and water traps.

Anyway, there are a few guys on here who know a lot more about this than me so hopefully they'll chime in as well.

[Richy17]

Like sonic said What kind of compressor do you have as that will help narrow down what might work best for you.

HVLP - High volume low pressure. Will make less overspray than a conventional spray gun as it will spray at much lower pressure but the downside is it will use more air so if your compressor isn’t up to the task you’ll find painting very annoying. They are great for painting bursts. I personally love HVLP guns but they aren’t for everyone.

I can’t really comment on LVLP as I haven’t used one in a long time.

Since guitars are small you’d probably be best with a nice mini gun. Something with a 1 or 1.2mm set up. They are great because you have a bit more control spraying around horns etc. The other bonus is because they spray so fine your peel will be finer so less blocking before buffing. One downside is they can struggle slightly with thicker materials but you can work around that by thinning them more. Always spray test panels before painting your project.

My last couple were painted with a Devilbiss SRI pro 1.2mm and a Sata Minijet 4400 HVLP 1.2mm. You definitely don’t need guns in this price bracket to get a good job. ANI make some great affordable guns- This site has great prices and fast shipping. They are even cheaper than trade price here https://www.spraygunsdirect.co.uk

If you do have your heart set on a full size gun - The Devilbiss SGK 1.4mm HVLP is a nice gun for the money. I just find it a bit slow (which sucks for cars but ideal for guitars) but again this is providing your compressor is up for the cfm required. Air gunsa also make good trade quality guns that aren’t overly expensive. They are owned by Anest Iwata (one of the bigger gun companies). You can usually get a 2 gun kit for around $200-$250.

The thing I’ve always found about cheap guns is they are most sensitive to not being cleaned properly. The fan control is always the first thing that goes and after that they aren’t much use. Also because they usually have pretty average seals they usually don’t cope well with more extreme cleaning products.

TLR - spend a couple hundred on a nice mini gun 👍🏻

[McCreed]

Thanks guys. That's good info on the spray guns. Lots to consider.
I should have mentioned that I don't have a compressor yet. I've sort of been holding off because the points you both made about getting the right one for the job. I need my homework in this area as well. Don't want to buy something that will just need upgrading down the track.

I guess I need to start saving my bikkies for some spray equipment instead buying more guitars and kits for a while

Thanks again

[phrozin]

doing guitars doesn't need a killer spray gun set up i have guns from $20 to $1000 but i use because of not a big area to paint with a little knowledge you can get almost as good job with rattle cans, i only use my good guns for automotive but if you just want it to do the odd guitar with out outlaying big money


here's what i use and i get good results, 2 guns a large gun and a touch up gun which im impressed by its of the gun finish don't bother buying spay gun from super cheap as their rubbish, the touch up gun doesn't spit either so you dont get spots of stain in you dye colour

this gun is a little ripper i use to spray stains and paint to do burst with i wont go into the jargon

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RF602AG-...53.m2749.l2649



this gun i have 2 i use doing guitars, 1 i only use with 2k clear with 1.7 needle and the other i use for lacquer clear and colour 1.4 needle this gun comes with 1.4-1.7-2.0 size needles and caps great value

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Spray-Gu...53.m2749.l2649



as you can see their not that expensive they do a pretty decent job as for a compressor the belt drive super cheap one is a excellent piece of kit and you can pick them up for a little over $300 on special, which happens quite regular, its fast enough to keep up with those guns autobarn have a scorpion which is basically the same unit


https://www.supercheapauto.com.au/p/...050101#start=5

https://www.autobarn.com.au/powerbas...essor-pb-02550


i have recently upgraded my compressor to a 20cfm 100lt tri pump as i dont just do guitars but i used the super cheap for about a year and preformed pretty good but couldn't keep up with my big iwata and sata guns and it quiet don't get suckered in to paying for something you will never need


@phil doesn't the gunman annoy the crap out of you he never shuts up some of his waffling isn't actually correct


Mark

[Sonic Mountain]

@phil doesn't the gunman annoy the crap out of you he never shuts up some of his waffling isn't actually correct


Mark

Honestly, that's like 98% of every video on the internet! Just thought it was a reasonably well broken down list of guns as a start point.