Determining the spray gun for car painting is really difficult. There are many best spray guns on the market. You have to get the best out of it. Don’t worry, read this article and make your decision.
Spray Gun for Car Painting- Which Better for You
The choice of a paint sprayers is the central process in providing the painting chamber with high-quality materials. You can choose products by design and technical characteristics, class and price, manufacturer and country of manufacture.
There are literally hundreds of worthy offers, among which the choice becomes quite a difficult task. The question of how to choose a spray gun for painting a cars, today often worries professional craftsmen, as the model line is constantly updated.
But today we will talk about the selection of a tool for self-painting. Your car requires not just a good paint sprayer, but a comprehensive tool for applying paint.
Choosing best automotive paint gun for beginners is not easy, since there are dozens of brands on the market offering a huge number of models. You can choose expensive equipment, but not always at the same time your car will get excellent body coating characteristics.
The most important thing in this case is to choose the right characteristics for the device, to ensure its normal operation in exactly the camera conditions that you have implemented. Let’s talk in more detail about how you can choose the most suitable device option for your conditions and use it.
What is a spray gun?
A special device with which enamel, varnish or any other liquid solution is applied is called a spray gun. Fine-dispersed spraying allows you to get a thin and uniform layer, practically without smudges, on the treated surface.
| Important! The device helps to work out hard-to-reach areas, corners and relief surfaces not only on the car. With its help, even the inside of central heating radiators and other points with difficult access are painted. |
What is a spray gun for?
Car sprayer, in addition to painting works, can be used:
- for whitewashing and priming walls and ceilings;
- varnishing of wooden surfaces;
- applying anti-corrosion materials to metal in the garage;
- cleaning of old wall wallpaper — uniform moistening or application of a special composition to facilitate their removal;
- spraying plants on the infield with compositions from pests.
Individual confectioners managed to adapt the equipment for velour cakes.
| Important! The equipment is used for repairing premises at all stages of work, when painting vehicles or embodying creative ideas. |
Device
In spray guns for painting a car, the following components are distinguished:
- handle – necessary for directing the sprayed composition and holding the device;
- tank — it contains a liquid composition used for spraying;
- trigger – sets the locking needle in motion, when pressed, paint begins to spray;
- the nozzle is located in the front of the gun, the nozzle is part of the spray base.
In pneumatic models, the pressure regulator (p) is located in the rear area of the gun, it is necessary to adjust the level at which air is supplied. The second similar mechanism is a locking screw that regulates the intensity of the liquid material supply.
Spray gun systems
Pneumatic equipment is divided according to the technological features of spraying:
- with high p — HP system;
- small p with small volume – HVLP;
- small volume and p – LVLP.
| Important! When buying equipment, you need to pay attention to the abbreviation present in the model names. |
HP System
The devices are characterized by high output p values reaching up to 1.5 atmospheres. Fast and uniform application of the solution is provided by a wide forming torch and a large air flow.
The advantages of the system include:
- short work execution time;
- high-quality spraying;
- uniformity of the paint torch.
Disadvantages are presented:
- high air consumption, requiring a powerful compressor;
- high p values, which require certain skills in handling the tool;
- consumption — about 60% of the materials goes into the “fog”.
| Important! Due to heavy air pollution, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment when working with garage equipment. |
HVLP system
It is characterized by a reduced output p, which helps to obtain a denser application. Low indicators allow you to keep the device close to the surface, reducing paint consumption and air pollution.
The advantages of the best automotive hvlp spray gun include good coating quality and a small loss of solution of 30%. The disadvantages are the high cost, the need to use a powerful compressor due to air consumption.
| Important! Saving almost 20% of paint and varnish materials allows you to quickly recoup the cost of buying equipment. |
LVLP system
During operation, the equipment requires minimal volumes of air at the inlet, it is resistant to pressure fluctuations in the compressor.
The list of advantages of the system includes:
- minimum solution losses – no more than 20 %;
- resistance to unstable p;
- low air consumption.
The disadvantages of the system include its high cost and the need for skills to work with the device.
Types and marking of the spray gun for cars – choose the best
To purchase a suitable variant of painting equipment for your conditions, you need to get more information about labeling. Then immediately 90% of the proposed elements will be unsuitable for you, and among the remaining it will be much easier to make a decision.
The question is which type will suit you. Professionals prefer HVLP (large volume of paint and low pressure) or LVLP (small volume of paint and low pressure). But such solutions require professional equipment.
For painting works in the garage, you need to take into account the following criteria:
- the car needs a good transfer of paint, otherwise you will simply lose money on a large consumption of material;
- it should be taken into account which compressor is installed in the chamber, this will determine its ability to connect the gun;
- for a small compressor up to 300 l/min, it is better to buy HP (high pressure), such products are unpretentious to compressors;
- if the equipment allows, it is best to choose LVLP products with simpler paint application for garage purposes;
- for a professional camera, HVLP or LVLP is also recommended, and HTE (the largest transfer) can be used;
- take into account not only the material consumption and pressure, but also the overall design of the equipment for operation.
These criteria will help you choose which is the best option to buy equipment for the camera? If you base your choice on such parameters, you will be able to take into account a full range of factors, such as the type of compressor, the features of the camera itself, the type of paint and the frequency of car painting.
For a garage with unpredictable air supply quality, it is recommended to use unpretentious HP equipment. But keep in mind that such a spray gun is unlikely to help apply paint professionally and without flaws.
The design and manufacturer of the spray gun are important selection criteria
To make the right choice of a spray gun for painting a car, it is also important to read reviews about the set of purchased devices. Forums and professional websites will help you choose good solutions for painting.
You should not base your choice of a car device only on reviews under the product in the online store. It is better to collect important information from different sources and make the right choice.
To buy a good device, consider the following factors:
- Construction: It doesn’t have to be a plastic tool. Only high-quality metal will help to paint the car with the right characteristics. If you buy plastic or any other option, the durability will be low.
- Brand: Pay special attention to the offers of Devilbiss, Neiko and other brands in this price category. Remember that it is extremely difficult to buy a confident and reliable spray gun from an unknown manufacturer.
- Price: It is best to buy a device from a high price range, which includes the best manufacturers. It is simply impossible to buy a good device for 20-25 dollars. The price of a good solution is 350-400 dollars.
- Equipment: For non-professional painting, you can often choose parts that have several replaceable nozzles with pre-adjustment for a certain type of paint.
- Specialization: Carefully read the description, as you can choose not the most suitable tool for a car. If the gun is made for applying only a primer, it will not help you to paint the car normally.
I must say that today even many experts with experience in painting work sometimes cannot tell you how to choose a spray gun for painting a car.
The selection of equipment may be difficult for you, since it is almost impossible to choose universal spray guns. If you want to purchase only one device for all tasks at the same time, you will not be able to do this.
Universal tools often turn out to be not functional at all. With Chinese tools for all occasions, painting your car is unlikely to be optimal.
Accessories and materials for spray guns – which ones to buy?
To choose the optimal set of equipment and paint any car, it is not enough to choose only one remote control for paint. It is advisable to choose the optimal accessories for connecting the device to the compressor.
This will help to transfer pressure and significantly increase the reliability of the device. The spray gun can fail you if the hoses are selected without reinforcement, there is no normal endurance of the equipment.
If you are going to engage in services for car owners, perform professional painting, the quality of equipment should be much higher.
A device labeled HP and a compressor with a potential less than 330-350 l/min will not work here. You will also need a whole set of spray guns, which will be quite difficult to choose today. No car can be painted professionally from a bad spray gun.
Painting technique with a good paint sprayer
Today, a lot of attention is paid to the question of how to choose good devices for painting cars. But it is worth paying attention to the quality of the painting process.
The techniques of working with a spray gun vary greatly depending on the type of equipment purchased. For example, HVLP needs to be driven quickly along the plane, but LVLP should be driven slower.
It is also worth remembering such important points of working with the paintwork of a car:
- read the warnings and recommendations of the gun manufacturer regarding the application of different paint and varnish materials;
- pay attention to the settings of the remote control, setting the desired diameter of the outlet, as well as the paint spray torch;
- study the settings of the volume of the supplied paint, which depends on the type of material – metallic, acrylic or other type of auto enamel;
- get the necessary materials to erase the paint in case of improper application or the formation of streaks;
- buy solvents for washing the gun, painting with the transition effect and degreasing the surface;
- also get factory sets of accessories for various situations in the process of working with the car body.
You can also find other important accessories, materials and solutions that you will need in the process of working with the car body.
You should consider the type of coverage you want to create. This affects certain effects obtained in the course of work. Take into account the instructions of the paint manufacturer, as well as the manufacturer of the painting equipment.
There are dozens of paint spraying methods, and all of them should be studied to get a great effect. Sometimes you have to work with hard-to-reach, curved surfaces, and it is very important to fulfill all the requirements of such surfaces.
How to choose a spray gun for painting a car?
Before buying the device, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the basic quality characteristics. The consumption of paint and the quality of the work performed depend on the indicators.
Receiver Material
The choice depends on the class of equipment:
- for HP – receiver in 4-6 atm.;
- HVLP – in 1.5-4 atm.;
- LVLP – 0.7-2 atm.
| Important! The receiver is selected individually for each brand of spray gun. |
Location and volume of the tank
The location of the tank does not affect the operation of the air gun:
- installed at the bottom – selected by masters who are comfortable working with it;
- the upper one uses all the paint material to the last drop.
Plastic barrels are used for acrylic and water-based paints, metal barrels are used for materials made on the basis of solvents. The volume is chosen at the discretion of the user — too much weight can interfere with the work.
Performance and power
For household purposes, equipment with a power of up to 500 watts is used, professional models require large indicators. The latter are able to work with materials of any viscosity, they are always evenly distributed.
The performance of pistols is the volume of incoming and outgoing air. Stable spraying is ensured by a high level of efficiency of the spray gun.
Nozzle diameter
The parameters differ depending on the type of paint and varnish solution used:
- local application – 1.2 mm;
- varnishes, water-soluble composition, base – 1.3 mm;
- acrylic and lacquer — from 1.4 to 1.7 mm;
- primer — from 1.6 to 2.2 mm;
- liquid putty — from 2.5 to 3 mm.
Which compressor is suitable for a spray gun?
The device is selected according to the characteristics of the gun:
- the supply of a certain volume under the desired p – compressor capacity in cm3 should be 1.5 times more than needed for a spray gun;
- insufficient performance will not give good spraying;
- be sure to specify the air supply parameter — some compressors give only good pressure indicators.
Hoses with fittings are of great importance. A cord with a diameter of a quarter of an inch will interfere with the stable passage of air, for normal operation, a parameter of 3/8 inch with fittings that do not interfere with the air flow is required.
Summing up the results
A lot of work with the coating of the car can be done independently. If you wish, you can purchase and use painting equipment in your own garage.
You can finish a car well only if you have everything you need for this process. Often, the first time it is not possible to perform a really high-quality layer of paintwork, and it depends not on the quality of the devices, but on the experience of the master.
There is an opinion that a good specialist with considerable experience can paint a car even with the cheapest spray gun. This is not possible, since the quality of paint spraying determines the actual characteristics of the finishing layer.