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Jeep Paint Gun Requirements?

Discussion in 'The Tool Shed' started by bigbendhiker, Jun 20, 2020.

  1. Jun 20, 2020
    bigbendhiker

    bigbendhiker Member

    U.S.
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    I've been painting smaller Jeep parts with rattle can primer and paint. I'm using a semi gloss olive drab paint from Kaiser-Willys. As I prepare to paint larger parts I'm realizing that rattle can paint is going to be expensive. My son had purchased a paint gun set 8 or 9 years ago that he never used. I have it but couldn't find it to post a picture. I'll keep looking. I've read that a lot of people have had good luck with the inexpensive Harbor Freight sprayers and I'm not opposed to buying one or more of those. I have a Craftsman air compressor that is 30 to 35 years old. It's specs are in the picture below. Can I paint with this compressor and if so, what else do I need? I Googled, but most of what I found seemed to be for professional painters. I plan to just use single stage paint, no clear coat. Those of you with experience, what is your advice? Thanks in advance.

     
  2. Jun 20, 2020
    ITLKSEZ

    ITLKSEZ Hope for the best, prepare for the worst

    Liberty Lake, WA
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    You’d probably be ok with that if the paint is reduced. My compressor’s specs are about the same as that (but my tank is bigger), and it has no problem spraying paint.
     
  3. Jun 20, 2020
    IRQVET

    IRQVET Bubbaification Exorcist

    Tallahassee, FL.
    Joined:
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    Couple of tips:

    1. The HF HVLP Purple Gun for $10-15 is awesome for what it is.
    2. Your air compressor would work fine, just make sure you purchase an air dryer ($15 from Home Depot) that connects to your air line.
    3. Back the fan all the way out, then give it a quarter turn. On those HF guns, that tends to be the sweet spot 9 times out of 10.
    4. Thin your paint with acetone, 4:1 is usally enough for most paint applications.
    5. If you use a paint hardener (and you should) know that if you add too much or too little, it will change the apprence of the paint and makes it more of less shinny. Most spray pants don't use hardener, thats why they chip so easily.
    6. If your unsure regarding your skills, practice on a cardboard box and paint all horizontal and vertical surfaces until you discover what works to reduce runs on your final product.
    7. Keep the gun at least 18-20+/- inches away from the surface of what your painting. Once you get the hang of it, you can move a bit closer. Just know the closer you are to the sub straight, the more paint your piling on. This can cause runs if your not careful.
    8. Overlap your spray pattern by 50% and move in one consistant direction if possible. (Right to left, or up and down)
    9. Solid surface prep is 99% of a good paint job. Take your time during preparation!

    You can make alot of these mistake on cardboard with zero issues. Do not practice on what you plan to paint! Remember paint is CHEAP, having to correct painting mistakes is not! (Tip I learned when painting aircraft in the 90's)
     
    Last edited: Jun 20, 2020
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  4. Jun 20, 2020
    bigbendhiker

    bigbendhiker Member

    U.S.
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    Thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed answer. I'm actually looking forward to giving it a shot. I think I'll start out on a cardboard box first though, good advice.
     
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  5. Jun 21, 2020
    timgr

    timgr We stand on the shoulders of giants. 2022 Sponsor

    Medford Mass USA
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    Acetone, really? I thought that each paint brand had its own reducer. That's what I've used. Suspect that your paint could suddenly congeal into a gelatinous blob if you don't use the right reducer.
     
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  6. Jun 21, 2020
    Dave Deyton

    Dave Deyton Member

    Fuquay-Varina, NC
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    I like to use the reducer that is the same brand as the paint. Others will work, but sometimes you can have problems with wrinkling or lifting if you mix brands.
    Base Coat / Clear coat can really shine, but I like single stage urethane. The Base Coat / Clear Coat seems to be less scratch resistant.
    The HF HVLP spray guns work pretty well and are cheap. I keep a few in the boxes waiting to use, since I found them on sale.
    The main thing is prep work. Good sanding, oil and grease remover, tack rags, good taping, all make for a better paint job. I always print off the data sheets for the paint I use and mix them according to the sheet instructions. Using the cheap mixing cups ensures you have the proper ratios of all the parts (Paint, reducer, and hardner).

    Lots of instructions on You Tube.

    Dave

     
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  7. Jun 22, 2020
    Dave Deyton

    Dave Deyton Member

    Fuquay-Varina, NC
    Joined:
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    The other thing I have battled is lighting. I tend to get runs in the places I cant see well.
    Last time I got some Led lights (like the old Halogen lights) from Home Depot. I have 3 or 4 of them so I can see all angles of what I'm painting.
    I make sure the compressor is drained of water and use an air line filter also. Last time I got in a hurry with the primer and got runs putting the paint on too heavy.
    When you can see the paint going on, its easier to not load it up and get runs. The data sheets for the brand of paint tells time between coats.

    Husky 2000-Lumen Portable LED Work Light-K40170 - The Home Depot


    Dave
     
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  8. Jul 11, 2020
    teletech

    teletech Member

    Santa Cruz, CA
    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2016
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    236
    The HF gun works and is impressive for how well it works for the price. That said, I pretty much don't use mine anymore.
    They use a lot of air and put a lot of paint just out in the air. A quality gun will get more paint on the vehicle and less in the air, using less air to do the work. Considering the cost of high-end paint the better gun might pay for itself pretty quickly, plus the reduced air requirements might mean you can run faster with a smaller compressor. Sounds like the paint you are using and compressor you have will get the job done without a better spray rig this time.
    Lighting is pretty key.
     
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  9. Jul 11, 2020
    TIm E

    TIm E Aggressively average

    NW Arkansas
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    This is a pretty good 2 part series you may find helpful...

     
  10. Jul 11, 2020
    teletech

    teletech Member

    Santa Cruz, CA
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    I like a lot of what he has to say, but some of his air-line suggestions neglect basic physics.
    Using larger fittings and as few as needed from the regulator to gun, good advice if your gun is a full-size that uses a lot of air.
    Using a 3/8" air line to the gun might well be a good idea, *if* your gun can benefit from that much air.
    Needing some big air log in your shop is basically just silly unless you have several folks in the shop or the shop is huge.
    If you are running say 25PSI to the gun in a 3/8" hose, and your main line is at 90PSI. it could be 1/4" or less and still not effect the flow at the gun unless it was quite long.
     
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  11. Jul 16, 2020
    Steve's 70-5

    Steve's 70-5 Active Member

    Louisville, Ky
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    The gun will be OK. You have never painted before so you will not know a good gun from a bad gun.
    Make sure your have a good respirator. I very important thing. Get 5 gallons of lacquer thinner to clean up with and empty gallon cans to dump dirty thinner into.
    On my guns I take the little filter out in the bottom of the cup. The filter will get dirty and slow down flow. Strain your paint as you dump it in the cup.
    When I did my Jeep. I had a primer gun, base coat gun and clear coat gun.
     
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  12. Jul 16, 2020
    teletech

    teletech Member

    Santa Cruz, CA
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    If you are doing your first paint job, a tiny fleck of primer in your base or base in your clear is likely to be the least of your worries. I'd rather have one good gun than three cheap ones. Actually, the Accuspray system isn't a bad compromise. Tolerable gun with disposable spray heads so you can have different tip sizes. The list is kinda high on a strater pack but sometimes you can score online for like $120.

    +1 on the respirator. I actually went with a positive-pressure hood after fooling with a half-mask for a while. You can cobble one up for a couple hundred bucks and it's absolutely worth it.

    I don't find I need anything like 5 gallons of thinner but it's true that the HF guns take a lot more to clean.
    I find having one can for really dirty thinner and one for thinner that was used for the final clean of the gun, that way I can use the "pretty clean" thinner for the first pass next time. Cuts down on waste a lot.

    One way to reduce cleanup and also reduce the risk of spills is to use something like the 3m PPS:
    Mix in the cup, then put it on the gun and shoot. The filter is in the lid too so no pouring mixed paint from container to container through a separate filter. You can shoot with the gun upside-down if you have to and it won't spill no matter the orientation. The off brand stuff mostly works OK but I cut off the tabs and use the 3M hard-cup. Then you shoot and when you are done you just toss the lid and liner. I feel bad about the plastic waste but it saves a ton of cleanup.
     
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  13. Jul 16, 2020
    dane71

    dane71 Member

    USA
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    I think that compressor is going to slow you down a lot. Mine is 30 gallons and 5.9 cfm (at 90 psi) and we had to wait for it to refill multiple times, but that was while doing the whole tub. Im no expert but I think you could get away with it if you pay attention to your pressure and be patient.
     
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  14. Jul 16, 2020
    teletech

    teletech Member

    Santa Cruz, CA
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    With the semi-gloss OD it should be somewhat forgiving of starting and stopping, but if it just won't keep up and it shows then a spray gun that's more efficient with air than the HF gun might save you from having to get a bigger compressor. The better pattern and reduced air means you spend less money on paint that just goes into the air, so you can save twice.
     
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  15. Jul 18, 2020
    Steve's 70-5

    Steve's 70-5 Active Member

    Louisville, Ky
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    A Jeep tub is easy to paint. You can divide it up into smaller areas. I painted my firewall engine side. Painted the inside of the tub. Then painted the outside of the tub.
     
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  16. Jul 18, 2020
    bigbendhiker

    bigbendhiker Member

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    Good to hear. This is what I was thinking about doing.
     
  17. Oct 30, 2020
    IRQVET

    IRQVET Bubbaification Exorcist

    Tallahassee, FL.
    Joined:
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    ANother tip if your using a smaller compressor. Hardner comes in generally three drying speeds- slow, medium, fast.

    I paint most of my cars using a 10 gallon air compressor, so I use a slow hardner so if I have to wait for the compressor to catch up, I have all the time in the world and I don't have to feel rushed.
     
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