Car Painting Spray Gun – Which One Is Better

Car Painting Spray Gun allows you to quickly and efficiently paint the surface of the car. The best automotive spray gun applies the material in an even layer, which is usually difficult to achieve with other technologies. The choice of a suitable device depends on whether you will use it in everyday tasks or for professional activities.

Spray Gun for Car Painting

How to choose the best spray gun without the help of a consultant? First, you need to understand the basic characteristics of the tool and determine the planned frequency of use.

For a rare car paint job, there is no point in an expensive spray gun. Here, an inexpensive model with an HVLP spray system will also cope. Another thing, if you are going to paint seriously – here you need to think carefully.

Spray gun systems-HP, HVLP or LVLP

You should start by choosing a spray system. Currently, there are the following variants of paint sprayers:

• HP (High Pressure)
• HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure)
• HVMP (High Volume Middle Pressure)
• LVLP (Low Volume Low Pressure)
• HTE (High Transfer Efficiency)

HP (High Pressure)

HP paint guns have long been the only tool for painting in auto repair shops. They consume a relatively small amount of air and operate at an inlet pressure of only 3-4 atmospheres. The absence of the need for a productive and expensive compressor is a clear advantage, but what about the disadvantages?

The main thing to remember is that the “HP” spray system allows you to transfer from 30 to 45 % of the paint to the product. Everything else (about 55-70%) goes into the paint mist, which does not fall on the surface of the paint.

HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure)

HVLP paint sprayers are superior to their predecessors’ (HP) inefficiency at the cost of more air consumption, and therefore a more productive and expensive compressor. Most often, models require an inlet pressure of 2-4. 5 atmospheres, and spraying takes place with a pressure of up to 0.7 atm.

The low output rate contributes to a greater transfer of paint and varnish materials-65-70%. An important feature of using “HVLP” tools is the need to apply paint at a distance of 10-15 cm, which requires a well – “stuffed hand”.

LVLP (Low Volume Low Pressure)

The LVMP spray system is a modification of the HVLP in order to reduce the amount of air consumed. High performance, the percentage of paint transfer-65-70%, and not such serious requirements as those of HVLP paint sprayers make such a tool a desirable purchase for many craftsmen.

Like HVLP, it is perfect for painting a car, both periodically and permanently. LVMP is most often recommended for finishing work.

HTE (High Transfer Efficiency)

LVLP or HTE pulverizers are the leaders in the amount of paint transferred to the surface to be painted – from 70% and above. The minimum losses are achieved by technological features. The instruments use an inlet pressure of 1.6-2 atm and spray at 0.7-1.2 atm.

Due to this, it was possible to obtain a smaller spray torch than that of HVLP spray guns, but at the same time reduce the amount of air consumed. This type of gun is great for applying any paint materials, but it also has disadvantages.

A smaller torch and a lower spray speed all reduce the speed of operation, which may not be acceptable when the tool is constantly used, for example, in a car service station.

What to choose? Someone will decide that HP is not suitable at all, and LVLP is best. But don’t jump to conclusions. HP paint sprayers are most often purchased because of the low cost.

Many choose them under the condition of using inexpensive equipment, low compressor costs, and cheap paint and varnish materials. In this case, the extra paint consumption can be compensated by other savings.

As mentioned earlier, LVLP spray guns are more economical in terms of paint consumption, but they leave their mark on the speed of operation, which is not very profitable for large volumes.

HVLP and LVMP systems – something average and optimal. They are chosen both for one-time (periodic) work and for permanent use for professional purposes.

How to choose the right nozzle size

For absolute beginners in the use of pneumatic paint sprayers, we will explain that the nozzle is the most important element of the tool that forms the spray torch. The part has holes with different diameters to adjust to the viscosity of different materials.

There are certain recommendations for choosing:

1. 2 mm-suitable for a local painting
2. 3-1.6 mm-solution for base, varnish, water-soluble paints
3. 4-1.7 mm-for varnish and acrylic
4. 6-2.2 mm-for priming
5. 5-3 mm-spray liquid putty

Note that many craftsmen choose one optimal size and after gaining some experience, they use it with different types of materials. The exception is the primer and putty, which need a large diameter of the nozzle.

The nozzle can be monolithic and replaceable. The second option is preferable for those who are going to use the spray gun for several types of work.

What should be the tank of the car painting spray gun

The spray system and the size of the nozzle are undoubtedly the basis for choice. But the differences between modern models of spray guns do not end there. A lot of questions are raised by the choice of a tank for the tool.

Let’s start with the location. Where should the tank be located for convenient operation? Here everything is individual:

• The tank is at the bottom. When the lower position of the spray gun is freely placed on the surface, and the container itself for paint and varnish materials does not interfere with the visibility of the master.
• The tank is on top. Even once in front of your eyes, the top tank will not be a hindrance for some, while others will consider this feature a significant disadvantage. A special feature of this type is the complete consumption of paint without any residue.
• Side tank. Among the premium segment, you can also find such models. Most often, the tank is not just on the side, but the tool provides for the possibility of installing the tank in any position. The design eliminates any loss in spray quality.

The volume of the tank is selected depending on individual preferences – the larger, the longer you can work, but the tool becomes heavier. Again, you should choose something that will allow you to work more comfortably.

Tank material- There are a few important points here:

• Plastic barrels of the spray gun weigh less and load the master. They clearly show the remnants of paint. They are perfect for water-based and acrylic paints. Therefore, they are chosen most often.
• Metal barrels of the spray gun are selected as necessary. When using solvent-based paint materials, the master simply has no other choice.

Consider all of the above and for sure choose the best tank option for your needs.

One, two, or three – how many car painting spray gun to use

Currently, there are models of spray guns recommended for various purposes. Many masters get a separate tool for the base, applying varnish or primer. Of course, this is convenient, but it is not necessary.

There are many examples of craftsmen who use one spray gun for many types of work. However, here you will need to develop the skill for high-quality use of the best spray gun for cars.

Which compressor is suitable for a car painting spray gun?

Experts advise you to choose a compressor for the tool and not vice versa. Exceptions can only be made if you buy ready-made kits, for example, the FUBAG MASTER KIT compressor with a whole set of tools. If you need to choose the best option for your spray gun, follow several important rules:

1. The output capacity of the compressor (!) must exceed the average airflow rate of the spray gun by at least 20%.
2. The compressor pressure must exceed the maximum operating pressure of the paint sprayer by 2 atm.
3. For an ordinary master, the volume of the receiver 24-50 is quite enough.

Practical tips for using a spray gun

Having decided on which spray gun to choose for painting a car, you can safely take and use the tool. But how to set it up correctly? How do I test the paint sprayer to eliminate the possibility of problems? In addition to the above material, we decided to add some practical tips.

How to set up a spray gun for painting cars

Before you start working, you should correctly set the necessary adjustments. The following functional parts can be used for this purpose:

1. Air supply regulator
2. Paint supply regulator
3. Torch Shape Adjuster
4. Air pressure regulator (optional or compressor setting is used))

Of course, there are no universal instructions for adjustment. Each master adjusts the tool to suit himself, ensuring maximum efficiency. The main thing is to understand in time when to fix the setting. And there are key pointers here.

For air supply:

• The excessive air supply can be determined by dry paintwork and over-dusting.
• If there is a lack of air, visible drops will appear, due to poor splitting of the paintwork.

Experienced craftsmen regulate the air supply through the pressure regulator, which is installed at the junction of the hose and the spray gun. This allows you to set more accurate values and remember the optimal modes.

If there is no adjustment adapter, you can use the compressor pressure regulator. However, this will be more difficult, because for every meter of the house there is an additional pressure reduction.

And one more important point: To adjust the pressure, the paint supply and the torch regulator is often completely unscrewed. And the pressure itself is tested during a test spray, which we will talk about later.

For the paint supply:

• A weak supply will significantly slow down the working process, which is unacceptable in conditions of a large volume of work, for example, in a car service station.
• The reverse value can cause a lack of air and cause a lot of problems.

Together with the paint feed rate, increase the air supply. This will speed up the process, but do not forget that you will have to move much faster if you want to get a uniform coating.

What do experienced craftsmen do? Specialists often twist the regulator to the maximum and adjust the speed of their own movements. And this is clear because they need to cope with the task as quickly as possible.

Note that in addition to this, they also slightly divert the spray gun from the surface. With proper skill, this will allow you to effectively apply paint and varnish materials without smudges.

For the torch shape:

• A small torch guarantees an overly saturated spray that is sure to cause drips. To prevent this, usually reduce the speed of the paint supply.
• The larger the torch, the faster the work, and the application are more uniform.

The torch setting is selected based on the tasks performed. Please note that on many spray guns, you can change the angle of the torch.

Setting up the spray gun experimentally

Prepare the masking paper and adjust the spray gun according to the following recommendations:

1. Set the pressure on the regulator when the trigger is pressed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations (if you are a beginner, then any in the available range).
2. Using the torch control, expand it to the maximum value (unscrew it completely), and then reduce it slightly.
3. Fully tighten the paint adjuster. Then use it to set the desired value. For the fitting, we recommend making 2 full turns of the regulator.

For the test, it is enough to point the spray gun at the sheet at a distance of 15-20 cm and pull the trigger. Use the image below to determine whether the settings are correct:

Adjust the parameters to get an optimally colored cut.

Nuances of car painting

Applying paint to the car body is at least a semi-professional task. In such works, special rules should be observed. The operation is performed in several stages, and with different spray guns.

So, the primer, varnish, and paint are applied separately. It is advisable to use compressor sprayers, although in some cases electric ones also show themselves well. How to use an electric spray gun for painting cars? It is better to use a combination of a sprayer with a remote or built-in turbine.

This is also a kind of compressor device with the support of electrics, so you can count on a decent quality of a painting. For example, such models include devices of the Wagner WallPerfect Flexio line.

What is also important to consider, body painting is rarely performed with standard nozzles with a diameter of 1.5-1.8 mm. Experts recommend small-format nozzles for 1.2-1.3 mm, the jet of which will provide a higher quality of the coating.