HVLP painting and a couple questions

[runewolf]

Hey guys,
I am getting ready to paint my bike using HVLP. I was tempted by the posts on on the Harbor Freight gun for $15 thinking if I messed up the gun, no big deal. But my wife has agreed to let me buy this Husky kit from Home Depot

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-HVLP-and-Standard-Gravity-Feed-Spray-Gun-Kit-HDK00600SG/203497812

When I look at all the parts that come with the kit it equates out to around $15 per gun.... So does anyone have experience with these guns? I know about needing an inline filter and a small disposable filter at the gun and have been reading some great tutorials on how to set up the gun. I've used rattle cans with good results, but want to step up and try this myself.

I will be sandblasting the tank and filling in the area where the emblems attach. I will also be removing the emblems and filling in the side panels. My plan is to take the bike from factory black to Dupli-color Burnt Orange using Dupli-Color BSP100 primer, BSP211 Burnt Orange and BSP300 gloss clear coat.

I know I need to wear a mask while painting. I am planing on turning the front of my garage into a paint booth with a fan pulling the vapors out of the front. So now my concern is how bad is that going to be for the wife, pets and neighbors and should I be concerned with how far to park cars away from the front of the garage? I know I'm not painting an entire car, but reading some of the warning labels has me concerned lol!

[rustybronco]

Just because something says it's HVLP doesn't mean that it is HVLP

That guns air requirement of 4cfm @ 40psi tends to indicate that it's not HVLP.

http://www.devilbiss.com/Portals/2/Repository/A54-113R%20FLG4%20Sales%20Brochure%202-13.pdf

Gravity feed HVLP recommended 13 cfm @ 23 PSI... Gravity feed conventional 9.9cfm @ 40psi

Both my Astro EVO4014 and my Iwata LPH400LV (both LVLP guns) have air requirements in the 7~9 CFM range.

This information doesn't mean those guns aren't capable of spraying well. I just means it's doubtful they're HVLP...

[spyug]

I know I need to wear a mask while painting. I am planing on turning the front of my garage into a paint booth with a fan pulling the vapors out of the front. So now my concern is how bad is that going to be for the wife, pets and neighbors and should I be concerned with how far to park cars away from the front of the garage? I know I'm not painting an entire car, but reading some of the warning labels has me concerned lol!

I don't know this paint but if its catalyzed i.e. requires a hardner, it is dangerous stuff to inhale, hell all paint is dangerous to inhale. So you need a good quality, rated mask with disposable filters and no one should be in the paint booth without one, especially kids and pets. Paper ones just won't do.Goggles are also recommended as yor eyes can react to overspray. If you are exhausting fumes and spray to the outside do not park anything within 20 feet of the exhaust and try and paint on a windless day as spray travels.

Also paint spray can be explosive so no open flame or spark source within the garage. Obviously, no smoking. Its always a good idea to wear disposable clothing and a cap as you don't want spray in your hair. Latex gloves also for the hands as the paint spray is sticky. You should also use gloves when handling the parts prior to painting as oils in your skin can negatively affect the paint.

Other than all of that, take your time and enjoy. Painting can be fun, especially when it all turns out.

Cheers and don't forget to show us what you create.

good luck,
spyug

[runewolf]

It is listed on their site as a high-quality lacquer ready-to-spray system that requires no mixing or reducing. I am getting a good mask and always wear goggles. I have to use nitril gloves, wife is too allergic to latex. No one else is going to be in the booth with me. I am just worried about how bad the fumes will be outside. When I'm spray painting with a rattle can, I just made sure the windows on that side of the house were closed. We have two outside cats, but they run for the hills when the air compressor kicks on lol. I may have to take this project somewhere else if I need to worry about 20 feet in front of the garage. I had planned on moving the bike and my gas grill out there. (Did I say how much I hate living in city limits? lol!) My other concern is sparks, guess I'll have to move the compressor outside the garage and run a hose in.

I don't know this paint but if its catalyzed i.e. requires a hardner, it is dangerous stuff to inhale, hell all paint is dangerous to inhale. So you need a good quality, rated mask with disposable filters and no one should be in the paint booth without one, especially kids and pets. Paper ones just won't do.Goggles are also recommended as yor eyes can react to overspray. If you are exhausting fumes and spray to the outside do not park anything within 20 feet of the exhaust and try and paint on a windless day as spray travels.

Also paint spray can be explosive so no open flame or spark source within the garage. Obviously, no smoking. Its always a good idea to wear disposable clothing and a cap as you don't want spray in your hair. Latex gloves also for the hands as the paint spray is sticky. You should also use gloves when handling the parts prior to painting as oils in your skin can negatively affect the paint.

Other than all of that, take your time and enjoy. Painting can be fun, especially when it all turns out.

Cheers and don't forget to show us what you create.

good luck,
spyug

[spyug]

Well don't use 20 feet as a fixed and firm number. A lot depends on your exhaust system and the air flow outside the garage at the time. If you can put a filter in the path of the exhaust (i.e. like a furnace filter) a lot of the overspray will get trapped. A lot of this will be trial and error for you and everyone's set up will be different. The thing to remember is that overspray will float on air and air currents can carry it a distance.

If you hang plastic "drapes" around the immediate area you work in same will apply. Overspray will be contained. You can buy the plastic sheeting used to cover insulation at the home depot type places. A $20 roll will make plenty.

What I have done is make a portable paint booth out of 4 panels. Get some 1x2 wooden stock and make the frames each about 4'x4'. Staple on the aforementioned plastic to cover (you can also use larger size trash bags). Now using spring clamps join 3 panels in a C shape and put the 4th on top like a flat roof. Now mount this on an old table or as I have, an old door set across 2 saw horses. Portable booth big enough to do all bike tins.

To make it easier, I also made stands out of 2X4 to rest the pieces on which I can rotate around to move the piece without touching it. Sorry but I don't have any pics to show you.

I've done my painting this way for 5 or 6 years now and it works out well. With the garage door wide open, I haven't had any overspray on anything outside and i,of course, cover anything that I don't want to get paint on in the garage with tarps and more plastic.


Good luck,
spyug

[runewolf]

Ah very nice ideas! I was planning on making the booth as wide as my garage using plastic sheeting (Not sure how wide it is, I know you can get a car inside and barely open the doors to get out of the car) and 6 to 8 feet into the garage with a fan pulling air to the outside. I could use the furnace filter idea on that fan. I was going to duct tape the plastic on the sides and the floor to seal the sides inside the garage to keep any spray from reaching the stuff in the back of the garage. My compressor is currently in the back of the garage, but it is easy to move around if I'd be better off to move it around to the back of the house. If I can sell or move my Buick out of the drive way, then I'd have a good amount of room outside the garage door.

I'm really excited to give this a try.

[Homie]

Allow me to make a couple of recomendations:

It takes some practice with the gun to get good results. So I would get an old car hood, trunk lid, door, etc and practice until you get comfortable with the gun and can get decent results.

Modern catalyzed paints come with data sheets as to how to mix and spray the paint - comply with the directions on the data sheet for best results. Of these one of the most critical aspects is having the correct air pressure "at the cap" (nozzle of the gun). It's impossible to know what the air pressue is at the cap without an "inlet conversion table" which correlates a given gun inlet pressure to a specific cap pressure. Most guns come with this inlet conversion table as part of their instructions. So as you can guess, you will need a small pressure gauge to install in the inlet of the gun to set the correct pressure.

Of course, protect yourself with some good personal protective equipment. Those isocyanates found in catalyzed paints are some nasty stuff.

Good luck. Now get painting and don't forget to show us the results when you are done!