Neil
Oboyoboyoboy are you in for a treat.
I've been making furniture since god was a boy and still I find finishing the hardest part to get right. My setup is very amateur, I'm not a pro with a big workshop and purpose-built spray booth. Yet even I think I've cracked it.
Pssst. I'll tell you what I know, which, I'll grant you, isn't much.
As Scrit says, HVLP is a good start for the keen hobbyist. I've had two, the first was adequate, my current one is excellent. Both are Apollo. I believe the Fuji is good too. Don't expect the same results from, for example, an entry-level Earlex. Not the same.
Use good materials. Terry's Chestnut Lacquer is expensive but good. You can get an excellent finish in 3 coats. I get my thinners elsewhere, much cheaper, but the lacquer and sanding sealer are worth the extra dosh, if you buy it in the 5l size. You don't need a cat and the build-up is excellent.
You need somewhere to spray. I spray outside, which means Winter is out, as you need above 12 deg C. And wind is your enemy. I have a makeshift Gazebo spray-booth. I got some flack for it when I wrote about it in GW, but I stand by it, it's not a pro booth but better than nothing, and in fact there is more vent in that than in some "proper" booths I've seen operating.
Spray a full wet coat and don't be impatient waiting for it to dry.
I've only really been spraying for 2 or three years, and I don't do it very often, but it's something you learn very quickly. The problem is that your first results are unlikely to be excellent, and the finish is, of course, what finishes off a lot of hard work.
It's not an easy step to take, but when you crack it, your work moves up a notch or two.
HTH Steve
