Painting your work

[Rocky D]

I'd like to get some feedback on what you think about HVLP paint sprayers, vs airless, vs regular paint sprayers. I do a lot with expanded metal, and I have been thinking that it might go faster with a High Volume Low Pressure paint sprayer. I've been using a roller before welding, but still I get rust spots.

Maybe I'll start using rust-colored paint. :D

What's your preference and why?:confused:

[Danco]

i do a lot of painting expanded too. i looked into every process for painting and ive stuck with my wagner deluxe airless mainly beause of speed, but also price and portability. either system youre going to get lots of overspray, the most vulnerable areas are always where metals overlap. if im sparaying in the field i use a backing board to prevent the paint from getting on other items. i also do roller and brush too.....depends on the situation. i was only lucky enough to have one job that wanted rust colored paint!

[fatcpa]

Rocky,

I do a little hobby welding and a lot of woodworking, mostly cabinetry. I have found that this Wagner HVLP gun does a great job for the money. It sprays evenly, with very little overspray. Conserves paint well. This is about the best price around.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&langId=-1&catalogId=4006970&PHOTOS=on&TEST=Y&productId=389504&categoryId=0

Jack Phillips

[Mike Sherman]

Rocky, the type of spray system you use should depend on how much painting you do, how fast you wish to do it, portable or stationary and how good of a finish you require. I have invested many, many thousands of dollars into my painting, but I started out with one little old used spray gun and have tried everything in between that and what I use now. Answer my four questions and I will make a suggestion on the system you need.

[Roger]

Airless sprayers are great they will spray paint with less dilution and really cover big area in short time with fewer coats. Shipyard used LP air powered airless sprayer that were about 4"D X 36" Tall plus hose and spray gun on a cart. Air powered airless elminated shock hazard aboard ship so less hassle and supper reliable.
Electric powered are ok also. Rent if you want try for big project or paint house.

Small wagner airless sprayers are also nice just cover smaller area and don't cover as even.

Air sprayers require thinned paint. Don't try to cover too well in one coat as you will get runs. Can get best looking paint job this way. HVLP puts more paint on work than regular air spray gun due to low velocity causes less bounce back. That is why they are required now days for auto body shops. 2 kinds of HVLP, one is supplied by LP air reduced to lower pressure the other is supplyed air from cintrifical blower as used in vacuum cleaner. The blower heats the air supply which could cause problems if wrong solvent is used to thin paint. Wind effects air sprayers almost as bad as MIG welding.

Best most durable paint is powder coating. Done properly you can really abuse it and it still protects. First saw it used on U/W cameras that looked new after years of use.
I cut up old Rheem AC compressor/condenser housing and welded it into a MIG cart. It was nice 18 ga. powder coated metal already folded just cut and weld like a kit sheet metal project. Problem was removing the powder coating before welding. Couldn't scrape it off and wire wheel tended to just heat it then move it around a little. Had to clean a small area with an awl then welding arc burned it off.

[Danco]

roger, i had contacted a powder coating company in regards to a expanded metal cage i had built....the problem with powder coating is it wouldnt get into the seams that are especially created when working with expanded metal. the owner advised me against it. i was disappointed because i dont particularily like painting but it always needs to be done and it always has to look good!

[Rocky D]

Originally posted by Mike Sherman
Rocky, the type of spray system you use should depend on

1. how much painting you do,

I would probably be using it once or twice every couple of months. All depends on what "honey-doos" are on my to-do list

2. how fast you wish to do it,

I hate painting, so I need to do it fast.

3. portable or stationary

Portable

and 4.how good of a finish you require.

I'm not pickey..mainly don't want rust.

I have invested many, many thousands of dollars into my painting, but I started out with one little old used spray gun and have tried everything in between that and what I use now. Answer my four questions and I will make a suggestion on the system you need.

[Arbo]

Rocky,

You keep welding, and have your Honey-Doo the painting.

Arbo

[Mike Sherman]

Rocky, it sounds like you will be painting as little as possible. There are some really nice HVLP self contained portable air sprayers out there, but the price is pretty high ($800.00). For only painting occasionally and to keep the price ultra low, buy yourself a small airless sprayer. I think you will be happy with that.

[tooltime]

Hey Rocky D,for the rust problem try a metal prep before painting,
one I like to use and recomend is OSPHO. I get mine from my
hometown hardware store (1qt for less than 10 bucks) or can be
ordered online

[Roger]

Too late for your already built cage.
The best rust protection is galvanized steel. To weld galvanized steel and maintain protection from rusting TIG or MIG braze with silicone bronze.
ESAB All State has nice selection of Slicone Bronze consumables: .045, 1/16", 3/32", 1/8" cut lengths and .030, .035. .045. 1/16" wires on 25 pound spools.
Use argon shielding gas to 25/75 Argon/He.

[masu]

Why not just make it out of stainless....:D

I hate painting too.

Used to work at a steel fabricator, we made them huge garbage bins, the kind that are dropped off at construction sites. We had only air sprayers, way before the airless things got off the ground. We used filter masks, but one day some bonehead unplugged our air circulation fan to do something and the two of us inside painting did not notice, I woke up in the hospital with a very bad head ache. We were overcome by fumes.

Airless or the HVLP systems seem to be the way to go.

The roller works too :D

[e-z-ride.com]

What I currently use is an HVLP electric spray gun kit bought @ Harbor Freight for $60. It has a built in spray motor, small1" dia. 10' hose, spray gun and plastic paint canister.

The paint canister being plastic is also something I don't like. It's black plastic, and I mostly pour in gloss black paint. So it's really hard for me to see any clarity when I go to to clean it out.

I bought this initially to paint wrought iron fencing around the house. After I was done with that project, I began using it in my shop to paint my products after I welded it. This thing can lay down a fairly wide spray pattern and likewise will use up some paint! And it's very noisy. I must put on ear protection when I turn on this thing.

[Rocky D]

Originally posted by e-z-ride.com
What I currently use is an HVLP electric spray gun kit bought @ Harbor Freight for $60. It has a built in spray motor, small1" dia. 10' hose, spray gun and plastic paint canister.

The paint canister being plastic is also something I don't like. It's black plastic, and I mostly pour in gloss black paint. So it's really hard for me to see any clarity when I go to to clean it out.

I bought this initially to paint wrought iron fencing around the house. After I was done with that project, I began using it in my shop to paint my products after I welded it. This thing can lay down a fairly wide spray pattern and likewise will use up some paint! And it's very noisy. I must put on ear protection when I turn on this thing.

I was looking at that one...do you get runs easy? My main idea I had was to reduce overspray. What's your opinion of how it does with overspray?

[e-z-ride.com]

Rocky D:

This unit puts out a clearly defined and intense spray pattern. So in that respect, there isn't much of an overspray problem that I could see. The gun has an adjustment knob for volume control and an adjustment at the nozzle to control the spray width pattern.

Even so, it will lay down a sizable amount of paint. I put down some cardboard on the floor and as a back drop, and within the first two passes at applying the paint on my parts, the cardboard was thickly coated/saturated with the paint.

Do I get runs easy ? I got runs initially when I didn't know how much paint thinner to use to the rustoleum paint. Then I went to a commercial paint store and they fixed me up with the right stuff. They also told me that for my application, I should be using Xylol to thin.

So in retrospect, I have found that the runs get controlled better by the paint's viscosity than by turning all of those knobs at the gun.

If and when you do decide to get into this sort of painting process, also pick up a box of latex gloves. I go through like five to ten pairs each time I pick up that paint gun. YUCK!

[jimcaf]

We use it in the body shop bussiness,its for when you over lap 2 pieces of metal,you spay it on both sides and its not supposed to rust thru,,,its a Zinc rich paint,,,Icar and ASE reqiures its used,,Thought this may help on your over laps,,,,,,jim