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Step by step on how to set up my spray gun?

Step by step on how to set up my spray gun?

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#1

Old

05-14-2012, 06:47 PM

NW 150

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Step by step on how to set up my spray gun?

Is there anyone that could tell me off hand by looking at the picture, how to set up this gun to paint my truck? I don't know where to instructions are right now so I figured I'd ask on here.

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#2

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05-22-2012, 12:35 PM

cyclopsblown34

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Set that regulator to 43 PSI with the trigger pulled.
Adjust your pattern **** down to just shy of a narrow point/circle.
Turn your material **** to just about bottomed out.
Now put some properly mixed paint in your gun cup.
Point it at a piece of paper taped to the wall, you prolly need a piece of paper three or four feet long and two feet high. Just use your masking paper and tape it to the wall.
Point the gun at the masking paper and gently squeeze the trigger, first you'll get air and then maybe some material/paint.
Adjust the material **** out in 1/4 turn increments until it runs after one minute when you spray your test paper.
Open the pattern/fan a little bit and test spray again.
Adjust the material a little more open...again in 1/4 rutn increments til you get a run after a minute and open your fan a bit more.
you should be close to ready to make a test spray along the rocker panel or some other not so obvious location. Wait a minute and look for runs.
No runs, turn up the material a little bit more.
Runs, turn down the material 1/8 turn.

You'll go through this routine every time you mix more material or change material.

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#3

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05-22-2012, 12:43 PM

Grubbworm

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This may help you also;
Adjusting Your Gun

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This may sound trivial to an experienced painter but the fact is very few painters know how to adjust their paint gun. This one item separates a sprayer from a painter more than anything else. The fact is a painter that knows how to fine tune his paint gun will turn a lot more hours and have a lot less problems because he is controlling the paint and is not letting the paint control him. This is why 80-90% of the painters today hate to spray High Solids clears. They vision runs or orange peel and if you don’t adjust the gun properly this is what you will get make no doubt about it.

First of all the number one question I get is what tip should I use? My personal feeling is for base-coat a 1.3 or 1.4 and for clear 1.4. The exception on the 1.4 for spraying clear would be certain HVLP guns where a 1.5 is made for spraying clear. And of course a true painter is only going to use gravity feed gun. Leave the old siphon feed guns for the enamel sprayers that they are made for, as these guns have no place in today’s body shops that are using Urethane's and Polyurethane’s.

What happens with an improperly adjusted paint gun?

If you’re applying base-coat chances are you’re applying it way too heavy and your blends are showing, your metallic are not lying down or standing out like they should so your color marches are a problem and the base is drying slower between coats than it should.

The number one clue the base-coat is going on too heavy is if you’re having a die-back problem with the clear after setting overnight (trapped solvents).

If you’re applying clear the clear is controlling you instead of you controlling the clear. With a High Solids clear you try to spray it wet enough that the orange peel will flow out but hope that it doesn’t flow so much that it runs on you. The next day you tend to have a clear that looks cloudy or milky because of the trapped solvents and it requires a lot of wet sanding.

The benefits of adjusting the paint gun properly will be faster application of paint and you will know what the final job will look like when you spray it and not have to guess.

How do I properly adjust my gun?

Place a piece of masking paper on the wall, then set the fan how you like it. Adjust the air pressure to the rate that you plan to spray with. Screw in the fluid adjustment all the way. Hold the gun from the paper the distance that you would normally spray (usually 6-8 inches) and give the trigger a quick squeeze and release. If anything comes out of the gun it should be very little and dry.

Turn the fluid out one full turn and repeat this procedure half a turn at a time until you are getting an even pattern and the paint is even in build. If it is metallic the metallic should spray even as well.

At this point go to a rocker or bottom of a fender on the car and make a 12-inch pass. You will most likely have to back the fluid out one-half to one full turn to spray at the speed you want then fine tune your air pressure.

Now the gun is very close in adjustment, you should be able to lay the clear orange peel free with out running it, and metallic should spray even and wet with out much effort. Keep in mind this is not your last adjustment; every base color will spray a little different and may require a half a turn in or out for the new color. If you're going from a high solids clear for an all-over to a spot repair clear you will need to make a minor adjustment again.

A simple formula to remember is orange peel is fluid adjustment and run control is an air pressure adjustment. If you’re getting a few runs try upping the air pressure 5-10 pounds more.

One final note, spend the money for a good set of paint guns! This is your career and the paint gun makes or breaks you as far as labor hours turned. NASCAR drivers don’t buy their race engines at a parts store to save money, so why would a painter want a $200 gun? Spent the $400-600 for a good base gun and again for a good clear gun the payback will be faster than you think. You will always get what you pay for with a paint gun!

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#4

Old

05-22-2012, 01:40 PM

cyclopsblown34

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Join Date: Apr 2010

Location: Russellville, MO

Posts: 5,636

Received 36 Likes on 36 Posts

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grubbworm

This may help you also;
Adjusting Your Gun

PAINT GUN ADJUSTING

This may sound trivial to an experienced painter but the fact is very few painters know how to adjust their paint gun. This one item separates a sprayer from a painter more than anything else. The fact is a painter that knows how to fine tune his paint gun will turn a lot more hours and have a lot less problems because he is controlling the paint and is not letting the paint control him. This is why 80-90% of the painters today hate to spray High Solids clears. They vision runs or orange peel and if you don’t adjust the gun properly this is what you will get make no doubt about it.

First of all the number one question I get is what tip should I use? My personal feeling is for base-coat a 1.3 or 1.4 and for clear 1.4. The exception on the 1.4 for spraying clear would be certain HVLP guns where a 1.5 is made for spraying clear. And of course a true painter is only going to use gravity feed gun. Leave the old siphon feed guns for the enamel sprayers that they are made for, as these guns have no place in today’s body shops that are using Urethane's and Polyurethane’s.

What happens with an improperly adjusted paint gun?

If you’re applying base-coat chances are you’re applying it way too heavy and your blends are showing, your metallic are not lying down or standing out like they should so your color marches are a problem and the base is drying slower between coats than it should.

The number one clue the base-coat is going on too heavy is if you’re having a die-back problem with the clear after setting overnight (trapped solvents).

If you’re applying clear the clear is controlling you instead of you controlling the clear. With a High Solids clear you try to spray it wet enough that the orange peel will flow out but hope that it doesn’t flow so much that it runs on you. The next day you tend to have a clear that looks cloudy or milky because of the trapped solvents and it requires a lot of wet sanding.

The benefits of adjusting the paint gun properly will be faster application of paint and you will know what the final job will look like when you spray it and not have to guess.

How do I properly adjust my gun?

Place a piece of masking paper on the wall, then set the fan how you like it. Adjust the air pressure to the rate that you plan to spray with. Screw in the fluid adjustment all the way. Hold the gun from the paper the distance that you would normally spray (usually 6-8 inches) and give the trigger a quick squeeze and release. If anything comes out of the gun it should be very little and dry.

Turn the fluid out one full turn and repeat this procedure half a turn at a time until you are getting an even pattern and the paint is even in build. If it is metallic the metallic should spray even as well.

At this point go to a rocker or bottom of a fender on the car and make a 12-inch pass. You will most likely have to back the fluid out one-half to one full turn to spray at the speed you want then fine tune your air pressure.

Now the gun is very close in adjustment, you should be able to lay the clear orange peel free with out running it, and metallic should spray even and wet with out much effort. Keep in mind this is not your last adjustment; every base color will spray a little different and may require a half a turn in or out for the new color. If you're going from a high solids clear for an all-over to a spot repair clear you will need to make a minor adjustment again.

A simple formula to remember is orange peel is fluid adjustment and run control is an air pressure adjustment. If you’re getting a few runs try upping the air pressure 5-10 pounds more.

One final note, spend the money for a good set of paint guns! This is your career and the paint gun makes or breaks you as far as labor hours turned. NASCAR drivers don’t buy their race engines at a parts store to save money, so why would a painter want a $200 gun? Spent the $400-600 for a good base gun and again for a good clear gun the payback will be faster than you think. You will always get what you pay for with a paint gun!

Them's Brian Martin's instructions that are on Autobody101 and I think on Southern Polyurethane's website. They got me where tech school and local paint stores couldn't. No more sand and buff for me.

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#5

Old

05-22-2012, 01:49 PM

Grubbworm

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Quote:

Originally Posted by cyclopsblown34

Them's Brian Martin's instructions that are on Autobody101 and I think on Southern Polyurethane's website. They got me where tech school and local paint stores couldn't. No more sand and buff for me.

That is correct sir. SPI has a very good forum too, much like this one (full of good people, quality information, and guys that don't give you crap). I have been using their product since I started on my truck, and I find it to be of excellent quality, a very fair price, and customer service that beats everyone. I'm always trying to send new business their way.

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#6

Old

05-22-2012, 03:28 PM

cyclopsblown34

cyclopsblown34 is offline

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Grubbworm

That is correct sir. SPI has a very good forum too, much like this one (full of good people, quality information, and guys that don't give you crap). I have been using their product since I started on my truck, and I find it to be of excellent quality, a very fair price, and customer service that beats everyone. I'm always trying to send new business their way.

I need to try and get back to their forum. Our netnanny here at work blocked the site for some reason. Barry has some awesome products! Their customer service is better than any I've ever found elsewhere.

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#7

Old

05-25-2012, 04:09 PM

NW 150

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Thanks for the info guys. One last thing, other than the air psi, what **** are what?

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#8

Old

05-26-2012, 08:46 AM

Grubbworm

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Quote:

Originally Posted by NW 150

Thanks for the info guys. One last thing, other than the air psi, what **** are what?

You may have to google your make and model of spray gun to find out.

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#9

Old

06-03-2012, 01:50 PM

79 f350ts

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on the gun in the picture, the **** on the side is the fan pattern and the **** on the back is the flow

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