I'm planning on painting my 78' F-350 myself and was looking for your help on a gun. My thought and ?s are.
1. HVLP vs siphon
2. Compressor size & gal

The gun I'm interested in is a Finex 2000 series HVLP gravity 7.5 cfm, 1.8 tip

I know the cfm has to exceed the gun, just not sure on the gallons. This will be for a serious hobby and not a profession.

It's been quite some time since I've shot a gun but am anxious and plan on shooting my 78" (Gallery) then onto my 92'. I've just retired and plan on renewing an old passion, and any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks, Howard

 

Larger the tank the less the compressor will run, and better water seperation you get. If the compressor is unable to cycle and cool, the water stays in the air, which can end up in your gun. Water and paint don't mix. But look at the cfm specs closely. Some rate them at 40psi other 90psi with some at 175 psi. You do not want to use an oil less compressor, these are light duty and will burn up. I would look at a min of 12.5 cfm.

I resently started shooting by BHP after storing it for 20+ years. Sure is nice shooting again.

 

I would suggest a smaller tip such as a 1.4 for your paint. This should help you with a finer and smoother finish. I have used a 1.8 and it is ok.

 

I totally agree. A 1.0 -1.4 nozzle size is great for just about any paint or clear you may want to use. As far as compressors are concerned, you just have to figure out how much you will be using it. But if you have any sanding, polishing ,wrenching, or drilling tools that run off of air, you may want to head down to your local Tractor Supply. They have a dandy compressor for about $400 that will run just about anything you need.It sits up right,and mine is 100 gallons. Don't forget the air dryer . I ran my air lines at my shop over head ,and used copper tubing, like you would use for a gas line. Every 15 ft. or so, I put a drop in the line .It works kind of liek a pee trap under your sink. At the lowest point, I soldered a drain petcock ,and hung a string off of it. Every now and then ,when I walk by ,I give it a pull. Even a drop of water can be disastrous mixed with paint or especially with clear. I installed my air regulator at the compressor,with a quick coupler attachment up stream for high volume tools. You can shoot just about any paint or clear if you set that on 45 psi. Hope that helped. Hey , one trick I learned along time ago. When you get ready to paint, hang some plastic on the walls. The plastic acts as a magnet for dust or any other little gremlins that tend to fly around. Dragging an air hose around can stir whatever you didn't mop up right onto your new paint.

 

dessicant air dryers are pretty cheap ($50), also run 20' or so of hose or pipe before the dryer, this lets the air cool and make it more efficient