Paint spray guns

[robgul]

Not a review but a request for info . . . .

I have an ancient Clarke Jumbo compressor that came with a paint spray gun (which I've never used) - the compressor is a "continuous pump" type - i.e. does not have a tank to store compressed air. I've only ever used the Jumbo with a tyre inflator and the blower gun to shift sawdust etc.

I'm thinking about buying an electric compressor with a tank . . . will the spray gun work with this type of compressor? Research draws a blank.

 

[Katomi woodsmith]

You are better with a tank of air, I have used air brush for some 15 years and a compressor with a tank is much better.
As you use the air from a non tank the psi drops and ends up with uneven coverage
Hope this helps

 

[robgul]

You are better with a tank of air, I have used air brush for some 15 years and a compressor with a tank is much better.
As you use the air from a non tank the psi drops and ends up with uneven coverage
Hope this helps

That's pretty much why I am contemplating buying a tank model as the air from my current machine comes in "fits and starts" when, for example, inflating tyres -

BUT what I need to know is whether the spray gun I have will work with tank compressor . . . .

 

[meccarroll]

Spray guns require/consume air usually in cfm, the amount of air (cfm) depends upon the spray gun some spray guns consume 3-4 CFM some may consume 9 CFM or more.

Compressors generate air CFM, the amount of air CFM generated depends upon the pistons size used in the compressor etc.

You need to match your compressor to the required CFM of your spray gun.

This is just a very basic explanation but generally compressors with no tank produce low CFM so if you do buy a compressor with an air tank it could be very possible that it will supply enough air for your current spray gun.

 

[johnnyb]

True story. I brought a compressor from aldi maybe 15 years ago. Think it was £99maybe more. With a full set of air tools. 6 years ago I broke the air filter! I use it for my air assisted airless I've sprayed lacquer with the free gun. Use it for nailing. Blowgun, Use it everyday. Still going strong...empty the rusty water out every few months fine.
It's a piston compressor and is OK for what I do tbh. Avoid those oil free ones as there not great though.

 

[johnnyb]

25l tank

 

[deema]

Spraying technology is real down the rabbit hole with Alice topic. First off, I’d suggest you determine what sort of stuff you want to spray and what sort of paint you will be using that will point you to the most appropriate technology. So for painting wood, walls and nothing that needs the finest finishes which is most stuff you are probably better off with an airless or air assisted spraying setup. For spraying machines, and higher finish requirements probably a HVLP system with its own dedicated / integrated compressor such as the Fuji Q3,4,5 etc. for the finest automotive finishes there are traditional spray guns / LPLV guns that need a huge range of air pressures and volumes depending on technology.

 

[robgul]

My spraying plans are pretty basic - wood, possibly walls and a lot of fence (with a garden paint, not stain) - digging out the unused spray gun and it just says "Max 3.5 BAR" on the can .... so I guess I'd be OK with that if I set the compressor to that?

I also want the compressor to pump up tyres, a blow gun for sawdust shifting, nail/staple gun (probably the cheapie Silverline as used, I think, by @petermillard ) - and a very basic, small media blasting gun (Temu's finest!)

 

[petermillard]

My spraying plans are pretty basic - wood, possibly walls and a lot of fence (with a garden paint, not stain) - digging out the unused spray gun and it just says "Max 3.5 BAR" on the can .... so I guess I'd be OK with that if I set the compressor to that?

I also want the compressor to pump up tyres, a blow gun for sawdust shifting, nail/staple gun (probably the cheapie Silverline as used, I think, by @petermillard ) - and a very basic, small media blasting gun (Temu's finest!)

Silverline nailers still going strong here.

 

[robgul]

Silverline nailers still going strong here.

What sort of/brand of compressor are you using?

 

[deema]

So for what you’ve specified as your spraying needs I’d get one of these. (I did for a project)

https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-eaps600-electric-paint-sprayer-600w/394kr

The tip it comes with is fine for spraying emulsion on walls, and then just buy a professional tip for any specific needs. All standard tips fit, so Wagner and others that arnt custom will all fit. The pressure regulation is crude but effective, and it will pump the most glupy stuff straight from the tin. The biggest difference between it and the best sprayers is the tips, and you can buy and fit them it comes with both a can and gun filter. It carries a 5 years warranty and is good for around 100 to 200 litres of spraying before it gives up in my limited experience, which works out around £1~£2/ litre……unless you just get your money back if you’ve got the receipt!

If you’ve never sprayed before the airless is by far the easiest to learn / get proficient at quickly.

 

[johnnyb]

I think most general painting is in water based so hard to say which will work. I've found air atomised to never truly work with most water based. I'd suggest talking to someone that knows a bit otherwise its a not that simple(but not rocket science)

 

[robgul]

. . . my requirement for spraying anything is probably only around 5 or 6% of the anticipated compressor use - most will be tyre inflation (I work on a lot of push bikes and pump up tyres), nailing/stapling and blowing sawdust - the media blasting is also peripheral.

 

[ajs]

We really need to put some numbers of this. So far we have one - max pressure for your spray gun is 3.5 bar or approx 50psi. That's essentially uninteresting as any compressor can easily achieve that. What matter more is volume - the CFM figure which can also be approximated from the power rating - watts or horsepower - the conversion varies a little based on the type of compressor but it's good enough except at the fine margins.

Next you need to look at your spray gun. Clarke spray guns vary a lot in their air requirements, principally based on nozzle size but also the paint feed system. Their very smallest touch up guns are fine on 1HP going up to 3HP as size increases. Some of their professional gun may actually require 4HP but I'd do my best to avoid them as you have absolutely no hope running them on a 13A socket - 3HP is marginal already. I'm excluding HVLP from the equation right away here.

I'm wondering if a single compressor for all roles is actually going to be you best bet. Road bike tyres operate at high pressure - typically 8, perhaps 10 bar. Realistically to reach those pressures in a tyre you need a 10 or 12 bar compressor which are at the higher end. Most low to mid level compressors will top out at 8 bar. My own will inflate to 8 bar but only immediately after the compressor has just cut out. In practice I use a good track pump which is designed for those pressures and given the actual volume of road tyres surprisingly quick.

 

[robgul]

I'm going round in circles with this - I'm going to get the Silverline nailer/stapler and see if that works with my existing (non-tank) ancient Clarke Jumbo compressor - I see no reason why not, it's just that it has to have the motor running*

The Jumbo pumps bike tyres up to 100+psi with no problem (I do have a couple of good track pumps too) - it also charges my SKS AirTank up to 160psi to use to blast tubeless bike tyres onto the rims. The blower gun moves sawdust adequately. My need for spraying isn't until about next May so I have some more time - I will probably try out the existing compressor and spray gun to see how it fares.

I do have one of these https://www.screwfix.com/p/energer-enb771srg-400w-electric-sprayer-240v/829kr - but have found it to be excessively noisy for what it is and pretty useless for flow/coverage control

I may be back . . . . . .


*I'll probably put it on a socket controlled by a (manual) remote in the same way my dust extraction switches on and off.