Time to buy some spray gear....

[murky]

Looking for recommendations for a reasonably solid finishing setup? Buy once, cry just a little bit.....

Assuming I need a gun, compressor, hose, a few cups, and cleaning gear?

Highest use will probably be nitro on guitars, but the first victim will probably be shellac on a tweed cab. Can see an air gun being pretty handy in the workshop too.

Appreciate any advice......

Cheers team!

[robthemac]

Looking for recommendations for a reasonably solid finishing setup? Buy once, cry just a little bit.....

Assuming I need a gun, compressor, hose, a few cups, and cleaning gear?

Highest use will probably be nitro on guitars, but the first victim will probably be shellac on a tweed cab. Can see an air gun being pretty handy in the workshop too.

Appreciate any advice......

Cheers team!

Yep, HVLP gun, and focus on capacity of the compressor rather than horsepower.

[murky]

Recon something like this might be up to the task?

https://www.topmaq.co.nz/18v-li-ion-cor ... 2yrp40KhLe

[robthemac]

Recon something like this might be up to the task?

https://www.topmaq.co.nz/18v-li-ion-cor ... 2yrp40KhLe

Nope. I suspect you're gonna need something that moves a lot more air to get sufficiently fine droplets and even distribution.

I think my compressor has a 40L capacity (which makes it the size of a large dog). It'll need to refill after 2 coats, and thst takes a minute or two with a 230V wall supply. Don't think a battery is gonna cut it.

[jeremyb]

Its a decent investment to get a HVLP setup so you might be better off just getting spray cans made up?

In other thoughts, I have wondered if the XVLP sprayer I use for our fences could do a guitar https://www.bunnings.co.nz/wagner-flexi ... r_p0133012

[GrantB]

Aren't those fence guns pump based?

This as a minimum compressor (but really, spend more).
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ozito-40l-2- ... r_p0283491

Then a gun like this https://www.thetoolshed.co.nz/product/1 ... oryId=2177
or this https://www.thetoolshed.co.nz/product/3 ... oryId=2177

And then about $3411 of nitro, hoses, moisture filters, shellac sanding sealer, 3M sandpaper (the ONLY sandpaper to buy), acetone and specialist thinners.

And then you'll be halfway there.

[MikeC]

Here's my story... buy the right compressor, HVLP gun, hose, connectors, regulator & air drier. Buy a spray tent, goggles, respirator, safety wear & disposable gloves too. Buy the nitro, thinners, solvents, sand paper etc. Read, read, read and ask GrantB too just for good measure. Create a "how to spray nitro" document (I'm happy to send you a copy)! Practice on pieces of smooth scrap. Get advice from your son who although is now a full stack web developer used to paint the very expensive Sealegs boats. He repeatedly mentioned that you can "always sand it off and start again". Then have a crack at your swamp ash Tele body that you spent 2 full days grain filling and sanding. Fuck it up, sand, try, fuck it up again, ask your son for more advise and be advised of the best grit to sand it all off with. Then offer all your spray gear to your son if he'll just paint your guitar for you. Wait one year for winter to end and nearly come round again until he can finally get it done after stuffing it up the first time. My son Tom did admit that spraying nitro was harder than he thought! My advice, unless you're keen to learn a new trade, leave it to an expert. Thank cripes I'm handy with a soldering iron!

[GrantB]

My post isn't meant to put you off murky. You should totally do it. It's a journey, and it's costlier than one might imagine to get really good outcomes, but it's worth the journey imo.

I have the StewMac book on finishing I can scan for you. It's a great start! let me know

[Bg]

Toolshed are now doing oiless compessors, quieter and cleaner. On my wish list not my need list

[Snarblinge]

I really wanted to kick my rattle can addiction, a while back, but I only make pedals, so no nitro research conducted, but here is where I am at.
I started out with a single action airbrush Procon boy SQ and one of those airbrush compressors, both were not up to the job, so I purchased from ali express a cheap hvlp gun (mine is blue with a white cup, looks like grantB's one in the other active nitro thread, but cost me about 20. I have the same compressor as he does too.

the gun is too big for what I need, mainly due to the cup size, I still plan to use it when I undercoat a collection of enclosures at once (yet to happen) to date only sprayed water with that gun, which it seems to do really well. Although I really don't need it, I'll keep it and it seems to work. if I ever spray a guitar, I'll use that happily, better than rattle can.

the compressor is fine for the job, but I really want one of the "silent" ones, its too loud to use late at night in my garage, or while the night shifter in the house is asleep, seriously reducing times it can be used, I'd happily buy a blackridge again though. id go up a tank size from what I have, but mine works fine for anything I have needed in the shed.

I have since bought a procon boy ps290 which is ideal for me. 0.5 needle, i bought the expensive handle for it too. its possible to get a larger cup if you needed it. Grex make a similar thing which can be purchased in a kit and can run bigger or smaller needles, might be a good option if you want to spend 15 - 20 times as much as a cheap hvlp gun.