Hi,
With spring around the corner, I will be turning my attention to the body of my 72 Chevelle. I have been using conventional paint guns for years, but have decided to go the HVLP route for less overspray and waste.
I have been reading as much as I can about the subject, but am still not sure of what to buy. For now, I'm looking at a Sharpe Cobalt primer gun with a 1.8 tip. I am also considering a Sharpe low volume Platium for the PPG base/clear coat, but am confused on the model, such as 2015 or 3013. Has anyone that used these guns give me some reviews or maybe someone else with HVLP painting give me their opinions on their equipment?

Thanks!
Mike

Mike, I have used Sharpe stuff.. Awesome... www.sharpe1.com (http://www.sharpe1.com) and find the ask Dr. Gun message board and post your Q's there on which you should buy.. I bought the 1.3 for base and clear, and the 1.5 for primers... Good Luck

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X-Ray View of my Chevelle :D (http://www.normieschevelle.com/sideview.jpg)
Getting Closer (http://www.normieschevelle.com/passfull.jpg)

Another good place for info and supplies http://www.autobodystore.com/cgi-bin/config.pl?index

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ACES member# 5093
Elcaminos are special!
I'd rather walk around with a Chevrolet hubcap in my hand than drive a Ford

Ole Paint (http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/olepaint1)

Jeff,
When you say you use the 1.3 for base and clear and the 1.5 for primer, do you mean your using the same gun for both? What model is it? Thanks for the info!
Mike

Hey mike I have been using hvlp guns for about 7 years now and in some counties they require hvlp guns to be used at all times. Sharpe was one of the first Ive used and have had excellent success. Now I spray out of Sata jets. One thing I have to admit is hvlp and clear coat for me does not mix. I have two hvlp's for base and for clear and single stage I have 2 Sata gravity feed guns. Basecoat lays better for me with hvlp, but when I spray clear it looks like one big grapefruit. Some painters swear by hvlp for clear but I just dont have the patientce, nor are we slow enough for me to try for a week. Maybe they will work out for you, try it.

good luck


http://budruski.myplace.com/

Budruski, try raising the pressure onyour gun for clear. If you are using an NR90 Sata, you should be able to spray clear smooth enough so that you won't hardly have to buff. If that doesn't work, try using a higher quality clear like Spies/Hecker. Youwill be amazed at the difference

Gordon VM
Restoration Motorsports

Mike you need to look at the brand of paint you will be applying. Each manufacture has a different tip nozzle needed to do a certain job. For ex PPG on most of their basecoats and clears require a 1.3-1.4 tip. On the primers a 1.6. If you have a too big of a nozzle you wont be able to break up the product, instead of many small droplets of paint you will get a few big droplets. If the nozzle is too small you will have a hard time getting anything to come out of the gun without increaing the air pressure and increased pressure means more waste and more orange peel.

That 1.8 tip is more for a sprayable body filler not for 2K urethane primer, go with a 1.6-1.5 tip.

As for Sharpe guns I hate them never had any luck with them. We have a cobalt gun at work and it collects dust, some people swear by sharpe but that cobalt gun is piece of junk. My personal gun is a Sata nr2000, and at work we use a Sata reduced pressure dont know the number. But every gun sprays different, once you find a gun that you have luck with and feel comfortable with stick with that.

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http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/sevt_chevelles

PPG, Dupont, Glasurit, Diamont, Spies-Hecker, Standox, Sikkens, and others are all QUALITY products which all "offer" a lifetime warranty program. To say that any one of those products is any "higher quality" than the other is like saying Toyota is a higher quality vehicle than a Honda......it's simply an opinion and what, or in some cases "who", works for you.........and that's all I have to say about that.

Budruski......you and I spray the same product. I spray mine thru Sata's always and Sata HVLPs most of the time. I do have my guns dialed in so the clear sprays easily and smooth.....the only "hardly having to buff" we do is to remove the few dirt nibs. The texture is, well, as slick as most of the "flow coats" I've seen and the gloss is....well, "you'd be amazed".
Getting any of today's clears to lay down smooth and easily is all in the paint gun setup. Feel free to email me the specifics on your HVLP guns and your usual spray pressures and product setups (clear/hardener/reducer), etc. I bet I can help you out.....and you won't even have to swith paint brands.

Shannon

Shannon, I only have a problem with spraying clear through an hvlp (Im sure you understood that part). Recently I purchased the Sata NR200 hvlp and used it evryday for about 2 weeks spraying only clear. I adjusted and adjusted and sprayed and sprayed and just couldnt get it to spray right. My 90 sprays clear like glass and after 5 years of spraying out of that gun, Ill admit, Im spoiled. Ive used everything from Binks to Sharpe and Devillbiss and found NOTHING that sprays like my 90. Every once and a while I will pick up that 2000 and have at it on a fender and blend job but Im just not happy. The Rep that comes by recomended I add about ~~~ 5% more reducer in the clear. It works alittle but what I really need is probably a little more practice, you know how those stubborn painters are (set in there own ways). I dont know if you knew what line I spray, its the Global, how about yourself. Do you use the 893 or 894 clear? and how do you like it. Let me know and thanks for the help cause it made me pick it up again the last few days and its aaalllrite, gettin better.

thanks

budruski, I know you are a pro, but if you haven't been using an HVLP my "How to atomize basics" may help you out (if you can't find it in the archives, let me know and I will repost it). An HVLP does take some extra care and setup time. It may even be your air supply. Again, the HVLP needs a lot of volume. I have seen MANY shops that had to spend some time on the air supply to use an HVLP.



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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

It's not Jeff http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif I use the Low Volume Platinum for both base and clear.. 1.3 tip on that gun.. I'm telling you the first thing I painted came out VERY smooth, both base and clear.. VERY LITTLE buffing involved. I also have the 998 HVLP 1.5 tip it is a pressure gun (can on bottom) It took some fiddleing around with too get used too but it sprays out very nicely. I have extremely happy with both my Sharpe guns and they are re-manufactured.. I bought them through Sharpe's refurb plan and both guns delivered too my door were 333 bucks... I have also spraved with a devilbiss and a sata jet. Not being a pro I can say I did not notice a difference in either gun compared too mine. The one thing I will say is that the devilbiss was a tad more comfortable in the hand. One thing my sharpe guns have over the others.. I can use my 6 HP 33 Gallon compressor and spray till my hearts content... For the HOBBYIST I say there isn't a nicer gun out there...

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X-Ray View of my Chevelle :D (http://www.normieschevelle.com/sideview.jpg)
Getting Closer (http://www.normieschevelle.com/passfull.jpg)

Budruski,

Like I said.....we use the same products. I shoot 893 on just about everything and 894 on very large repairs and all-overs. In my opinion, (and that's exactly what it is, an opinion) , 894 is THE best looking clear on the market.

I promise you....the Sata 2000 is capable of delivering the same finish as the 90, just as easily. But, it does take some adjusting and setting up. MartinSR touched on one point of it about the air supply.

The 2000 is an air hog. You will not spray with it properly without using an air cap test gauge.

My first suggestion....set it up with a 1.2 needle nozzle. This is the perfect setup for this gun using the 893 and 894 clears.....that aint opinion, that's fact after having doing the dump tests to see that the gun flows a certain number of ounces of fluid in a given amount of time. With this nozzle there is no adjusting and fooling around with the trigger adjustment....use full trigger.

While its in my head.....forget the adding the extra reducer.....it absolutely is not necessary, that's a reps. excuse for not knowing how to help you set your gun up properly. Adding reducer will cause dieback and loss of gloss.

The next step is to get your hands on an air cap test gauge for the 2000. Whoever sold you the gun should have one and let you use it to setup your gun.....This step is necessary. The 2000 has to have 10psi AT the air cap to atomize the way it should. Forget that the gun body says not to exceed 29 psi. (going into the gun)....thats for a perfect air supply system and those are only found in Labs. Use the air cap gauge AT THE AIR HOSE WHERE THE GUN WILL BE USED. Make sure the regulator/gauge on the gun is working properly. With the aircap gauge on the gun pull and hold the trigger wide open. Adust the regulator going into the gun until the aircap gauges read 10 psi. Once you have 10 psi at the cap, make note of what the gauge going into the gun reads. Most shop systems will actually need 35-40 psi going into the gun to hold 10 at the cap. Memorize or write down the psi you need going into the gun. Now, if anything ever changes with the air supply system or that air station (new air hose either larger or smaller in diameter or shorter or longer, or changes to the wall regulator) you will have to use the air cap gauge again to see if it changed the psi requirement.

With that setup you should be able to spray the 893 and 894 like glass. I also assume you are spraying the clears as recommended....2 coats, both coats the way you want them to look. With the HVLP you may have been spraying a light or mist first coat then trying to flow it out with the last coat. Your probably used to the clear going on in big chunks and looking like millions of fisheyes. The above steps will eliminate that and allow you to spray 2 coats the way they should look....without having to work at it.

Out of curiosity....what needle/nozzle setup are you currently using in the 2000 and what psi have you been using?
You may be thinking, "is this guy crazy, using a 1.2....how slow can you go"....I promise, it aint that way. Sure, it's not as fast as my Jet/B conventional with the MSB (1.3) setup, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to use it, AND HAVE, on large all-overs.

Let me know....give it a try.

Shannon

Shannon, you are right on with everything. You mentioned "With that setup you should be able to spray the 893 and 894 like glass. I also assume you are spraying the clears as recommended....2 coats, both coats the way you want them to look. With the HVLP you may have been spraying a light or mist first coat then trying to flow it out with the last coat. Your probably used to the clear going on in big chunks and looking like millions of fisheyes. The above steps will eliminate that and allow you to spray 2 coats the way they should look....without having to work at it."

The 894, though I have never sprayed it is similar to Sherwin Williams CC635 and as with most lower VOC high solids clears what you said is very important. In other words the fist coat should look like you are done. For some many years the "tack coat" has been the norm, it is the a death sentence with these urethanes. The urethanes just don't like to melt themselves, so you are creating the high orange peel.

You have some important info there about the air supply, VOLUME is highly misunderstood.


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1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
"Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

I have read the above just quickly and took in mind the situations. Right now Ive been getting the velle ready for a show in Charlotte this weekend and havent had too much time to finish reading and test the suggestions. I didnt want to leave you guys hangin all weekend so I will test some more and post a topic next week to ask more questions. Like I said the 90 has been a dream for me but would love to spray the 2000 as good. Thanks and Ill be back