Thread: Garage Painting for Dummies

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Originally Posted by IC2

Depends on the gun air flow requirements(psig and capacity in SCFM) and the SCFM of the compressor at the rated flow of the gun. If you are using a Harbor Freight 'purple' 43430 gun, no. If you are using an Iwata LPH400 series, yes. DeVillbiss Finishline 3, yes. Sharp. yes

I have a 5hp campfeld hausfeld compressor(can't get to it to see the cfi), and a set of new Devil Bliss(starting line) guns, I bought last year from Summit on sale.

Originally Posted by stovens

I have a 5hp campfeld hausfeld compressor(can't get to it to see the cfi), and a set of new Devil Bliss(starting line) guns, I bought last year from Summit on sale.

Steve,
I also have a campbell hausfeld compressor that says it is 5hp atop a 20gallon tank, but the scfm is only 6.5 at 40psig, and 4.5 at 90psig. I now have a 3hp unit on a 60 gallon tank that drives a compressor that flows 13.5scfm at 40, 11.5 scfm at 90. There are two major problems with trying to scrape by with a small compressor, as I understand it - 1) heat due to the duty cycle on the compressor fills the tank with very hot air, and hot air has more capacity for entrained water which tends to precipitate out in the lines; and 2) heat due to the duty cycle can cause the compressor to blow a little oil into the air, and any amount of oil is going to fish eye your paint. If you "can't get to it to see the (flow)" does that mean you have it buried in a hole where it does not have lots of free air flow? That is another strike against a lower than ideal compressor - lack of free air drives up the heat even quicker. Not trying to rain on your parade, but air volume is king, and your compressor should not see more than a 50% duty cycle while spraying, to keep as cool as possible.

Roger my compressor is 30 gallons, but not sure on the rest of the specs. I',m incline to shoot some base color on the inside of the cab, before taking it to a pro to do the outside. Who knows it may stay primer gray for a few years just to hide all my mistakes!

Originally Posted by stovens

Roger my compressor is 30 gallons, but not sure on the rest of the specs. I',m incline to shoot some base color on the inside of the cab, before taking it to a pro to do the outside. Who knows it may stay primer gray for a few years just to hide all my mistakes!

Steve,
I hear you. They can put any size compressor atop any size tank, so tank volume really doesn't tell you much. The key is volume flow capacity on the compressor, because once you start using air and you reach your lower set point (usually around 80psig?) if your usage rate is at or exceeding your compressor capacity your compressor will run continuously trying to keep up, until you stop using air - it will never get up to the upper set point (may be 125psig, 150psig, or higher). More tank volume will delay the start of the compressor, but once it starts it may not shut off again. In fact, if you daisy chain several tanks together once your compressor starts you now have a massive volume of air you are trying to make up (to get all of those tanks back to your "compressor off" set point).
So far I have spent about $1000 on getting an area of the barn set up to paint, and it is in no way a pro paint booth. For me, it is a matter of liking to do things myself, and learning as I go. I love the challenge of tackling new things related to the build, and I don't plan to ever be at a formal "car show" where a $10K+ paint job is the expectation.

Roger I'm with you. I have no where near the skills to do show car quality, let alone quality!
I would like the paint to look nice though, just tormenting over self learning curve vs. big bucks shop finish!
I'm off tomorrow so I'll clear out the corner the compressor is in and check out the specs!

Originally Posted by stovens

Roger I'm with you. I have no where near the skills to do show car quality, let alone quality!
I would like the paint to look nice though, just tormenting over self learning curve vs. big bucks shop finish!
I'm off tomorrow so I'll clear out the corner the compressor is in and check out the specs!

Steve, I'd give it a shot. I figure every good painter who ever painted had to start somewhere, plus we've seen a lot of testimonies here that nice jobs can be done in garages. I've done 5 cars now, each has gotten progessively better, and i learn a little more each time. You can do it, brother!