Fine Finishes

When using fine finishes  HVLP systems for factory quality  systems, usually smaller projects we can make them look factory finished. When using sprayers, house  to apply clear coats, stains and paints quicker, which reduces the time it takes to complete a project. You also have the ability to apply coatings evenly on any type of surface. We regularly paint doors & furniture. Anything you can think of that would not look right or adhere best with a brush and roller, or airless sprayer might be a good candidate for using the HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) Sprayer.

It controls the flow and fan and air and materials so it is very versatile. This is one of my favorite tools. It took me the better part of my painting career to learn exactly which unit worked best for me, and could shoot(spray) newer coatings. Some which are thicker and more difficult to spray than oil based materials which were the only fine finishes years ago, These days everything is going the waterborne coatings route for more environmentally friendly low VOC coatings. Which are now many times the better materials and non-toxic.

HVLP and low-VOC products are the way the industry is going so I will be referring to them in this discussion on painting and paint guns. Also, some areas of the country are “VOC Regulated” and require the use of HVLP for automotive painting. So if you aren’t HVLP yet, you will be sooner or later. The good news in this article, though, is most basic issues dealing with HVLP can be applied to conventional guns — atomization is atomization. The HVLP just arrives at it differently.

       The object of the sprayer is to break up the material into small particles and lay them in little rows. The whole outcome rests on how well the gun is doing. Picture the droplets of PSPC coming out of the fluid tip of the gun and then the air making them into smaller droplets.

       You have 2 things help you with this process, air and solvent. Solvent means something that’s already in the material you are using. By the way, you should always mix in proper ratios. The thinner the material or the more air you have at the fluid tip of the gun breaks it up more. The target for you is getting the perfect balance needed. Too much solvent and the PSPC will have no body, fill, durability, etc. Too much air and you blow the PSPC everywhere but the car, poor adhesion, excessive texture, etc.

       So, the answer is proper air supply and gun (and fluid tip) choice, and how you adjust it.

       With today’s high-solids, low-VOC products there is less solvent. And with HVLP guns there is less air at the cap to break up the PSPC. Thus, proper air supply and gun setup is more important than ever.