Paint guns

I used to paint some years ago. Mainly bikes but a few cars. Need to paint a few bikes soon, so the question is: What guns are good and where is a good place to get them? The paint shop I used to go to is out of business and my old guns have sat so long I don't think they can be revived. I'm not looking for el cheapo...I am looking for a decent quality gun that won't put me in the poor house...a gun that will lay down a decent coat of paint but I don't need a professional gun either. Any suggestions from you paint gurus?

Cmon their got to be somebody that knows abought paint guns.

A Harbor Freight paint gun seems useable.

Post edited by: steell, at: 2006/11/29 18:47

Have one of those stores around here. Will go and take a look. Also was told some auto parts stores sellthem too, so will have to check them out too. Thanks.

as long as its hvlp with pattern/volume adjusts you should be fine.
take wiredgoerges advice and test your shot patterns on a scrap piece preferrably the same material you plan on spraying.
most generic enamels require 4:1:1 ratio but some require up to 10:1:2

EASY BREAKDOWN
4: (paint)
1: (reducer)
1: (catalyst)

hvlp:
high volume low pressure.
this ensures that if you are using a low volume compressor(10-50 gal.) you dont burn it up.

Post edited by: mykznme, at: 2006/10/16 23:10

i suggest a sharpe finnex Fx300 , I recently bought one for under $100 from my local napa auto parts and it is an awesome gun for the money..HVLP, Aluminum Cup, Wide pattern, and very even spray pattern awesome value for the money.

wagonmaster69 wrote:

Cmon their got to be somebody that knows abought paint guns.

oh ya know that was too good to pass up!:evil: :woohoo:

Take a lot of "balls" to paint a bike that way, wouldn't it!?

I am no expert when it comes to paint. This was my first venture into real paint, and I am really pretty satisfied with the results from an HVLP gun. Have heard/read a lot of good things about the Harbor Freight gun. Good luck, post lots of pics!

the harbor freight gun is great, I use a gun that I get from advance auto I think they are 45bucks, spray good these guns are all over the place same gun different brand names, but never the less the same gun, parts interchange I have a couple of other guns I paid tons for but they don't spray any better, I have a hi dollar DeVilebiss that sits on the wall never use it sprays terrible and a couple of gravity HVLPs I use once in a while, for the money the harbor/advance gun is well worth the money especially if you don't paint a lot, I have 7 or 8 of the cheap ones

agawam wrote:

the harbor freight gun is great, I use a gun that I get from advance auto I think they are 45bucks, spray good these guns are all over the place same gun different brand names, but never the less the same gun, parts interchange I have a couple of other guns I paid tons for but they don't spray any better, I have a hi dollar DeVilebiss that sits on the wall never use it sprays terrible and a couple of gravity HVLPs I use once in a while, for the money the harbor/advance gun is well worth the money especially if you don't paint a lot, I have 7 or 8 of the cheap ones

I'll go for that.

Over the past 35-odd years, I've used a TON of guns - DeVilbis, Sharp, Binks, you name it. Suction, gavity, and power pot feeds.

The biggest single misconception I've ever come across in the topic of slinging paint is the notion that somehow, someway, spending great gobs of cash on some Star Wars gun is going to magically convert some talentless hack of a balloon-tosser into the next big guru in custom paint.

It just don't work that way, folks.

AG's 45-clam Harbor Freight gun is likley to be more gun than the average shade tree will ever need.

Atomization (the fine-ness of the droplet size in the fan mist), fan balance - the equivalence ratio of paint sprayed from one side of the fan to the other, fan adjustment, pressure adjustment and moisture filtering are the key issues in whether a particular gun is worth the powder to blow it to hell.

I've got two HVLP gravity guns. One is a Binks that's about competent for shooting primer. The other is a cheap-ass Chinese DeVilbis copy, and I can lay paint smooth as a baby's ass with it. Go figure.

The *biggest* variable to a paint gun is the dOOd doin' the slinging - painters are like snowflakes - ain't no two alike - and likewise you can take two talented painters, give 'em one gun - and one is likely to love it while the other would just as soon beat his kids with it.

It helps to have a decent set of eyes. You've got to SEE the paint going on, and depending on what you're trying to accomplish - what you can get away with...

It helps to have a sense of rhythm. You don't have to do the bugaloo, just get one arm or the other - or, if you're really hot stuff - both arms capable of making sweeping, graceful strokes.

Being able to read is a big plus, and mastering whole number ratios like 4:1 will almost get you to the big time.

Then just get out there and sling paint. You're gonna screw up. Everyone does. You'll run jobs all over the floor. So what. You'll shoot dry. You'll make peel that'd bring tears to the eyes of a Florida orange if it had any. And every time you screw up, you'll learn what not to do the next time.

Experience is always gonna be the best tool in your box.

The Devillbiss finishline guns are supposedly pretty good for the money,parts are availible pretty much anywhere body supplies are sold.
I'd stay away from the Harbor Freight stuff if you are anywhere serious about doing more than one bike,think of it this way,if you were used to walking everywhere,one ride to town in a Model T would be great..Until you caught a ride in a Caddy!
What brand of paint do you plan to use?
Different lines of paint have reccomended tip sizes,name brand guns have several availible,some come as a kit/w various tips...
How much air do you have?
Usually,the cheaper the gun,the more air it uses,shouldn't really be an issue w/ bike parts unless you have a real small compresser.
Go w/ a Urethane Basecoat/ Clearcoat paint system,especialy if you are gonna spray any metallic paints,pretty much any screw ups,peel,etc,can be sanded and buffed out of the clear,not so w/ acrylic enamel.
Check out autobodystore.com,try posting this on the discussion board.....
Also check out the tools in the paintshop link,prices are comperable to what you would pay from a jobber w a "trade discount",and the board is pretty active.
Good Luck!
82 Ltd 1000
82 HD flhs
77 DT 250
86 KTM EXC 250
Too many cars to count,work in a bodyshop,keep buying wrecks!