I toyed with the thought that this should be in 'Modding' but decided against it. If that was the wrong decision, sorry! Right, I've been using aerosols for some years now, and frankly, on the occasions I've been able to use a spray gun, I've loved the experience. I think, next month, I will finally invest in some good spraying equipment. However, since I've very little knowledge of the whole thing, really (I used one at a local garage, but that was of insane cost, but by god, it was awesome. Don't fancy blowing that kinda cash though). I need some advice. So, guys'n'gals, in your opinion, what's the best in terms of performance vs. cost in the spray gun world, and what would I need compressor wise to run it well?
personally i prefer the gravity feed models similar to this one http://www.diy-compressors.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=29_59&products_id=211 you can get an economy one without having to sell your first born child and it would be sufficent for most of whats done in the trade here. the main thing to remember..for the most part its not how much you pay for the gun., its how clean you keep it. thuroughly clean it after every use and you can get years out of them. as for a compressor you can chose from nearly anything that will provide sufficent air flow. your best bet is a compressor with a holding take attached as it holds a more steady preasure without pulsing when your shooting the color. something like this http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/n...refview=search&ts=1215702312132&isSearch=true would last you for years with minimal maintenance. they are a bit on the loud side but its hard to find a quiet compressor now adays all my painting gear is still back in the states waiting for me to go back in 4 yrs. for now i settle for aresol or airbrush cause in my place in the UK i dont have room for the comp or area to spray lol
Okay, thanks for the advice on the compressor, surprised that B&Q actually had something worth buying What's the best method for keeping them clean? Whatever solvent cleans the paint out or something?
Well, if you're just going to paint computer cases and things that are smaller, get a good 26 to 30 gallon compressor and an HVLP gun and you should be well on your way to some good practice/painting. You can read up on HVLP sparay guns here and browse around/learn here example air compressor here There is a great magazine called Airbrush Action magazine that covers both airbrushing and spray guns. It also includes allot of instructional DVDs and books in the back. You should also be able to find a wealth of information on YouTube about painting with a spray gun and airbushing. You may also want to consider airbrushing as well as it's very similar and once you have the equipmenmt for a spray gun you will also be set up for airbrushing minus the airbrush itself. I hope that helps. I'm still a novice at working with air propelled brushes but that should get your foot in the door. also a good site here. Yes, whatever the base paint is get a solvent for it. Water based paints are the easiest (IMO) to learn with and you can clean them out easily with a mixture of window cleaner and water. Once you clean it out with that solution, run straight water through it afterwords to make sure you get the window cleaner out. ONLY USE DISTILLED WATER!!!!
Games workshop do a spray gun now, although it's just a glorified spray can really. You get a spray gun with a pot you can put your paint in, then you can attach a propellant cylinder that costs about a fiver The main advantage of it is it looks like a hand flamer so it's extra awesome
While this is an older thread thought I would contribute. You definetely want a good compressor. If you have a small compressor (less than 20 CFM) it will have trouble keeping up with spray guns (especially HVLP) as they require a lot of air. This site has a lot of articles on spray guns from HVLP to choosing a particular kind. If your paint is not to thick you could probably go with a gravity feed HVLP spray gun it would keep clean up easy and be versatile.
