Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a good air compressor and am looking to buy a decent gun to spray lacquer and KTM9. What are some good HVLP recommendations and places to buy?

Thanks!

John

I love the SATA mini-jet. I got it at a Sherwin Williams store.

John I have used the Wagner 3 turbine with great sucess. I have one I will sale for 375 plus shipping Never used in any way. Was going to use it but never had chance. You or anyone interested PM me and make arrangements. I am heading for Maine in the next week or so, but sold home and moving to temp quarters this weekend. Will be pretty much out of pocket then for awhile . It is the 2600(I think, any 3 turbine system and at time top of line

John,

I'm using a mini-touchup gun from Harbor Freight and spraying KTM-9 over epoxy filler. Works pretty well, but if you can afford the Sata, I've heard they are the best. I'll probably switch to one in the near future, but if cost is a big issue, the Harbor Freight does an adequate job. It just doesn't put down as smooth a coat as the better guns. It adds to my sanding time, so if time is a big issue, I'd opt for the Sata.

_________________
Jimmy Caldwell
http://www.caldwellguitars.com

I used to have a fuji Q-3 and I really liked it. Worked marvelous., and was
pretty dang quiet

_________________
John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

John,

I have used the Fuji system and as John said it is a great system. I also have used the Turbinaire system. YOu can't go wrong with either of them. Both are quite expensive and will set you back between 600 and 800 bananas.
You mentioned however that you have a good compressor. This tells me maybe you are interested in buying a converison HVLP gun and using it with your conventional compressor. These types of guns have come a long way but there are some things you might want to consider. When using a conventional compressor you could still have problems with the air supply. The air could be contaminated with water, oil or both. It is also "cold". With A true HVLP system with its own turbine you have good clean warm air to work with. This will definitely affect the results in your finish.
Another consideration is do you need an HVLP system to get the results you are looking for? KTM9 for example does quite well with a conventional spray gun for under 20 bucks. I personally spray a catalyzed gloss urethane and it does better with my 20 dollar touch up gun from harbor freight.
just some things to consider.      

Robbie,

I think you hit the nail on the head, a spray gun is more of what I'm looking for. I guess I didn't fully understand what HVLP entailed. I will mostly french polish on my classicals, but I'd like to try and spray a few things as well as spray my SS Gurian I'm restoring. I don't mind a little extra sanding if that's all that is needed. Time to go check harbor freight. BTW, what size nozzle should I be looking for?

Cheers!

John

I like my SATA MiniJet 3 with the 1.0mm tip. Works lovely for waterbased stuff, and the nitro I've sprayed through it, both straight outta the can. It was pricey, but so, so worth it compared to the cheap nasty gun I had before. Smooth adjustment, easy to use and clean, great results. Eventually, I'll consider a dedicated HVLP system, but this is the cheaper option.

I am not quite sure on the nozzle size. I think all those touch up guns come with one size only. I have sprayed KTM9, laquer and catalyzed urethanes out of them with no problems.

The harbor freight touch up gun comes with 1.0mm tip I believe. anyway it works fine for me.