[TimK]

Planning on painting some bike parts, and eventually one of the entire bikes I have. (when its warmer in the summer)

I've been reading up some, and seen several suggested paint guns to buy, ... and yes,... it is importand to match spray gun to tanks cfm..



Spray gun costs are close to each other, but the tank size and hp can very the compressors cost greatly.



So buying new..., and keeping the cost as little as possible,

What is the smallest horsepower and tank capacity that works fairly well for the seldome painter / occational air compressor?



I have an older napa 1.5hp 12 gal. >>> no idea of cfm at psi >>> good for tires and air nozzel....



Thanks for the advice !

Tim

 

[Blindstitch]

Seems like 12 gallons would work fine on painting a bike. Part are small and you won't be spending all day to get full coverage. I know I painted a few vehicles with a 20 gallon compressor. As soon as the compressor kicks on I ration my air till the compressor stops again.

 

[SteveinPA]

Tank capacity is very important, and 12 gallons should be good for painting parts. You want a compressor that doesn't need to run very much while you are painting, to minimize moisture and heat in the pressurized air. A small tank forces the compressor to run more resulting in hotter moister compressed air. Clean dry air is extremely important. A water separator/drier is needed in the air line to do top quality work. The air line from the compressor should be long enough to cool the air down before it gets to the gun, and should include some "drop legs" with a hose bib on them to drain the air line. The idea is to condense out any moisture in the air line and have it run down into the drop legs where it can collect out of the air stream. I use about 20' of 1/2" copper tubing for my air line. Plastic tube will build up a static charge, which can be dangerous while spraying flammable paints. Attach your compressor to the air line with air hose, and the gun air hose to the end of the copper air line. Have an air regulator at the gun to tweak the air pressure while spraying. Wear proper protective gear for the paint you are spraying, and spray in a dust free area. wetting down the floor helps keep the dust down.

This is a complicated system but shows the general idea. A good write up on setting up a home system is HERE

 

[Shep]

You need to match the compressor to the gun,



http://www.ehow.com/how_4687152_match-paint-gun-air-compressor.html

 

[TimK]

thanks for the link!,

since i can buy many paint guns variations, looking for the minimum compressor would be my first start...

My compressor, with 1.5 hp, may only be 5 cfm average for the tank size (looking at a similar 1.5hp & 20 gal evercraft as an example)



wondering if someone has experience with, 'say for example':

a 3 hp 20gal that didnt work, but a 2 hp 33 gal did...

.. that kind of basis for similar cfm but variables for hp vs tank volume...



of course any "this is the compressor you need, and by the way there's a crazy sale on them right now!" could help...

 

[SteveinPA]

I have painted cars and trucks and gotten excellent results using a 5 horse 5 gallon compressor. I use an Iwata LPH 400 LP gravity feed gun. Because my compressor is so small I had to go with the most efficient HVLP I could find. The paint work takes longer but the quality is high. I really have to pay attention to removing moisture from the compressed air because of the small compressor too. My gun is rated at 9.5 CFM of air at 16 PSI.

 

[Shep]

Although in the UK check out the HVLP guns from this company as they give details of what the minimum you require,





http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/search/filter/spray+guns/type/any/page/1



I'm an Aircraft Sprayer by trade

PS

I have a small compressor at home that is not really adequate for my Pro guns so have a cheaper system if I need similar to this,



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Wagn...Z330543099840QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools



http://www.harborfreight.com/hvlp-turbine-spray-system-66297.html



Good results can be got using these but having a compressor for blowing out parts/carbs etc is well worth it.

 

[jasonh]

I've been eyeballing that Harbor Freight system for a while. One of these days I'll pick it up.



correction, i was eyeballing this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-spray-gun-kit-44677.html

 

[Shep]

I've been eyeballing that Harbor Freight system for a while. One of these days I'll pick it up.



correction, i was eyeballing this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-spray-gun-kit-44677.html

That's the one I was trying to find.They don't have much fan control but it's really an issue so long as you follow the instructions on mixing the correct paint viscosity which isn't too hard.

There are two basic spraying techniques depending on the type of paint being used.Older oil based synthetic paints need to be,"Misted" on whereas more normal paints can be,"Laid" on after a dust/grip coat.

 

[TimK]

Ok, I hit harbor freight, the lil electric compressor spray gun, that was on sale this month for $75, I used a friends 20 % coupon and got it for $60... in a couple weeks I'll try and paint a tank ... lets see what happen then.... Thanks for the replys!!



once again. every one here is Awesome!

 

[Blindstitch]

Well fill us in when you start spraying.