Spray Gun Advice

[ANGRY harold]

Hi all,

I currently own an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS as my main and only airbrush, alongside an Iwata Sprint Jet compressor. The spray pattern I'm getting from this combo isn't large enough for some of the bigger paintings I'm making. I have a panel that is about 2'x4', and I need to spray a flat, uniform background color in acrylic paint. I'd like to purchase a spray gun, but i think i may need a new compressor as well.

I was looking at the Iwata G5 or G6, but they're fairly expensive. I also don't know what type of compressor I would need. I'm finding it hard to find information about this stuff, so if anyone has recommendations, please let me know.

 

[JackEb]

Hi ANGRY,
before we start getting into details, how about popping over to the introductions section and telling us a little about yourself, like where in the world you live and what you like to paint (art work/murals etc. ) also what sort of paint you use, it can help us determine if you need something specific or a little more generic.

what type of compressor do you currently have ? is it a studio/hobby type or a workshop compressor, because that will determine what brush / gun is recommended. the smaller HVLP guns can be found cheap enough from the local building supply store, but like you say you would likely need to upgrade your compressor

 

[ANGRY harold]

I'll post over there as well, but I typically do fine art work. I mount 3oo LB watercolor paper to cradled wooden panels, and collage painted and drawn pieces of watercolor paper onto the surface. I usually work at a smaller scale, but I'd like to have the ability to fill in large sections of my paintings without resorting to a normal brush. I use Golden Heavy Body Acrylics thinned out with Golden Airbrush Medium and water, and Golden High Flow acrylics, not generally thinned out. So, in summation, fine art painting on paper with thinned out acrylics. I live in Wisconsin.

I have a studio/hobbyist type of compressor. This one specifically: http://www.dickblick.com/products/iwata-sprint-jet-studio-compressor/

I don't usually render my entire painting out in Airbrush, but rather fill in large blocks of color, or gradients, and draw over them with colored pencil. I can post a link to my site if that would help clarify.

The pieces I need a spray gun for are commissions from a local artist who needs a flat, uniform background rendered in airbrush. I can manage the details with my Iwata, but I need to lay down a base color first before going into the smaller areas.

I've been looking for a spray gun for a while, but I have no local resources that I'm aware of and it's hard to find information outside of automotive spraying tutorials on youtube.

I'd rather not get something very cheap if the results will be shoddy, but I'm not looking to break the bank either.

 

[Phaze]

Not sure where you live but i picked this beauty from Princess Auto. https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/hvlp-mini-gravity-feed-paint-spray-gun/A-p8155582e

I can run it with my 1/2 hp compressor with a 1 gallon tank. I am in Canada

 

[ANGRY harold]

Not sure where you live but i picked this beauty from Princess Auto. https://www.princessauto.com/en/detail/hvlp-mini-gravity-feed-paint-spray-gun/A-p8155582e

I can run it with my 1/2 hp compressor with a 1 gallon tank. I am in Canada

how's the quality of the spray? i'm a newbie when it comes to a lot of this stuff. is something like the Iwata G5 or G6 overpriced? Can I get similar results if I'm just doing something simple? Also, is 1/2 hp the minimum required to run the gun? Forgive my ignorance.

 

[Squishy]

A mini Hvlp should be good for what you need you will need to check whether your compressor can handle that, but more forgiving than a full size gun air consumption wise If its just going to be for occasional use then you can get one pretty cheap. It's nice to have an expensive one, but they are not as fussy performance wise as airbrushes IMO.

 

[Phaze]

how's the quality of the spray? i'm a newbie when it comes to a lot of this stuff. is something like the Iwata G5 or G6 overpriced? Can I get similar results if I'm just doing something simple? Also, is 1/2 hp the minimum required to run the gun? Forgive my ignorance.

The quality is not as much of a concern. I can only speak that as advice i got in the real world, and now from Squishy. I cant really speak of the difference between that $30 gun and the $500 iwata gun. I can only imagine that the Iwata is bounds better, but does it accomplish what was intended? Yes it does. I can spray out Auto Air Sealer with ease. I can blast transparent with metal flakes, and pearlescence..

As for the air compressor question. I wouldn't go anylower. In fact, i have been looking for used air compressors that i would just use for the gun because it works that little compressor more than i would like it to. It especially becomes an issue when cleaning the gun out and the air compressor is trying to get the tank filled again. And i got a bigger HVLP and it destroys my tank volume. I could only do a couple passes and then i lose air pressure

 

[Chris g]

I wouldn't try to cover 2'x4' panels with my Eclipse HP-CS or my airbrush compressor.

An HVLP gun with a matched compressor would be better. This needn't be expensive, (if I've understood what your trying to do is a background), you don't need anything too fancy just check out that the compressor, (with a tank), can deliver what is needed by the gun. The key thing is HVLP means high volume of air but spraying your panel is not like say spraying a car so you don't need to go overboard.

 

[Squishy]

The difference between cheap and expensive is performance, (though as I said not as much as with airbrushes Imo. Isprayed a whole bike with one to show winning standard - it won a show anyway ) but also in smoothness of trigger, and quality and longevity. The expensive gun will last a lifetime with heavy use, the cheapie will not. But for occasional work, and the knowledge that its as easy to just replace rather than fix a cheapie is ok. If you want to use it regularly, or semi regularly, then its worth buying a better quality one, which will last in the first place.

 

[JackEb]

I have an expensive one for clearcoat and only clear coat, but several 'cheapies' for large backgrounds