Hey brain trust.

The Mrs. scraped her back bumper pretty good a while back and I have gotten some decent dings on my 4-Runner over the last couple of years, so I have been motivated to do some touch-up paint work. Don't worry, I'll practice on junk-yard body panels first, but I am looking at buying a small spray gun.

I was inspired by a vid from the YouTube channel Mighty Car Mods, and thought to myself, "Self, you could do that!". (It's a fun channel if you like Aussie humor, buddies messing around on cars, cheap cars, Japanese cars, and general tomfoolery. If you don't like that stuff, you probably won't like it. LOL)

Anyhow, I was going to see if y'all had any recommendations since the ratings on the web for most of the little guns are on an inverse bell curve. Lots of "This is great!" with lots of "This is JUNK!"

Thanks in advance.

The Sharpe FX-1000 has been a great mini gun I have used ALOT.
I use it quite a bit for Cerakote and automotive Urethane as well as some wood finishing.
You need to get the correct tip for the viscosity of what you are spraying.
I am sure you could spend mega-bucks on an IWATA or SATA but I just wanted something decent without breaking the bank.
I think it is more Indian than Arrow - just make sure the unit is clean, correct settings/tip and practice your technique and you should do just fine.
Good Luck

Thanks smshulz. That looks like a great little gun, I'm just afraid my small tank compressor is probably not enough for that. Hmmm.

Ditch the compressor all together and buy a turbine unit. If you want quality and money isn't a major concern, this is what I'd recommend.

Fuji Semi-PRO 2

quote:

Originally posted by Otto Pilot:
Thanks smshulz. That looks like a great little gun, I'm just afraid my small tank compressor is probably not enough for that. Hmmm.

FWIW, I use mine with a 25-30 year old 'pancake' Craftsman compressor.
It can struggle a bit on larger jobs but is fine with small to medium ones.
The pressure is fine but the tank at 1 1/2 gallons is small and you have to wait sometimes.
I do need a bigger one and also make sure you have a line filter to keep moisture out.
Mine is a bit on the small side and I plan on getting a bigger compressor sooner than later.
No problem with the air bush either.

Well cool! That's exactly what I have. We may have a winner.

bigdeal, that looks really cool, but a bit out of my price range for this job.

You should be able to get a decent setup for around a hundo.
Keep in mind that automotive finishes are very
moisture sensitive. The old rule of thumb is a minimum 25'of air hose, then a moisture trap, then on to the gun. This allows for warm air to cool down prior to extraction.

No idea on the HVLP, but a +1 for MCM. Great channel & the guys are pretty funny.

As far as turbine HVLP systems, I hated the one I had, it was a Fuji. The suction feed gun is a pain and the air the turbine produces is hot, so hot, it dries the atomized paint before it makes it to your surface leaving a rough textured finish with water based at least.

I bought a Husky Home Depot cheapie HVLP and my results improved dramatically.

My thought on the turbine systems is if you don't get a "good one" aka $1K + then you are better off with a HVLP system and a compressor.
It depends on what the work is too.
YMMV