good,decent priced all around paint gun for a beginner?

[bug&kadettfan510]

Im looking to get info on a quality paint gun for automotive painting...I have around $200. any recommendations or tips are much appreciated.. thanks..

[Ol'fogasaurus]

A very interesting question and a very good one. I haven't been around a body shop for many, many years; we were shooting lacquer back then but with the changes in the laws hence the paints (including the many types of primers and paints) to match the laws things got expensive: paint, paint guns, respirators', supplies, rules, etc..

I did a couple of quick searches one using "good quality automotive paint guns" and from what I got out of them the good quality paint guns (on line) started at just over $200 and went up from there depending on manufacture and.... Adding the word "hvlp" after automotive got some additional info and higher prices.

The Devilbliss name I am familiar with and as I remember it is an OK name. Now days there are a lot of names I am not familiar with.

Also, the guns seem to be specialized as to what you are spraying and how much paint you want to spread. The spray patterns are more important than when I was doing/hanging around the shop. There have been several shows on the Spike network that have gone through the paint sequencing for good quality paint jobs, how to match paint and how to do other types of painting including the wet look painting (spraying water on the hood then painting over it... not something I cared for but interesting). I am sure that there are painting videos on line also but I haven't gone there... yet.

I guess it is the same old thing of how much paint work you are going to do and how good you want it.

My two-bits worth on this.

[SCOTTRODS]

This is not the worst you could do for the money... but for 200 bucks the pickins are kinda slim for "GOOD QUALITY".
http://www.eastwood.com/iwata-air-gunsa ... -9276.html

[bug&kadettfan510]

Right on.. I'm definitely gonna check it out.. thank for the info guys
any recommendations on paint types? which is the most forgiving ?

[asteff1]

This thread is just what I needed. Thanks guys for the information provided!

[rsb]

Generally speaking the paint gun is the cheap part... the compressor, that's another story. You need to match the specifications of the sprayer to the specifications of the compressor.

I bought a Cocours LT100 HVLP gun from Eastwood. It was cheap, but my buddy that worked in autobody didn't laugh me out of his shop. I use a Dewalt DXCM301 to power it... that's the tricky part. I think the compressor ran me about $500 or so. It was the smallest compressor i could get away with to throw paint. I deeply wish I spent the money for a proper compressor that would support air tools, but when you are hemorrhaging money on paint and supplies, sometimes you just have to make do.

Then head to harbor freight for an air drier and misc supplies. I think I was able to be all in on sprayers for under $1000. Several hundred in sand paper and gloves, and around $1500 in paint. (ballpark... I have been meaning to add up receipts, but never got around to it)

For paint, 2 stage is the most forgiving category. Avoid metalics and dark colors until you have practice as they tend to accentuate flaws.

Other pieces of advice;
~buy quality sand paper... it makes a difference.
~Make sure you match you paint chemicals to your environment at the time of spraying... if you bought cold weather hardener because you thought you would be spraying in spring but now it's summer... fork over the (lots of) cash for the proper hardener or wait for winter. Trust me.
~ Don't paint hot metal. Like you decided to prime your car in the driveway on a sunny day... just don't. unless you like learning painful lessons and sanding... so much sanding.
~you can make a (relatively) cheap spray booth out of a pop-up tent with walls, plastic film for the floor, and some misc. supplies. buy a couple box fans and frame them in. buy a bunch of furnace filters for the other wall and frame those in. Make sure the fans face out and draw fresh air from the air filters. Should be able to do it for $500 or so. Go with the 10x20 pop up... I used the 10x15... it worked, but it was unpleasant. put plastic sheeting on the ground.
~get lots of lights... for the sanding area, for the paint booth... lots. of. lights.

Hope that helps.

[Kafer_Mike]

Take a look at the Astro Pneumatic EuroPro HVLP spray guns and reviews. I've been happy with the results from mine -- and less than $100.