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spray gun for frame painting ?

4K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  Nottso 
#1 ·
I want to paint all my parts (frame, oil tank, rear wheel, fender, sissy bar, cylinders?).

I have a pretty solid grasp from reading of the epoxy painting process from bare steel forward...

Now I'm stuck -- I have never painted other than rattle cans.
I can only assume I will be painting with epoxy first.

Sufficient air pressure not being an issue, what gun should I get?
Is a water lock / filter air filter setup necessary for the process?
 
#4 ·
The gun from Lowes (the hunnert dollar one, not the 70 dollar one) has made a friend of mine thousands of dollars. He owns a body shop, and that's his gun. It's a really good deal and sprays great.

I use mini guns. I like the Sharpe FX1000 mini. Sprays great for around $100.

And yes, get the moisture trap.

Good luck.

C
 
#5 ·
I have sprayed with cheap guns that worked fine, and I have sprayed with name brand guns that sucked. But, as a general rule, the name brands, like Binks, are a better gun to spray with, if you plan on spraying a lot. If you are only going to spray once a year or less, the cheap gun will probably do you good as the more expensive one. Just don't get the cheapest on the display. You want one that has flow and spread controls, and even a regulator to hook up, with a water trap, so you can control the air pressure and help with the moisture control.
 
#9 ·
And routinely replace the cartridges. They go bad within days after they are removed from their sealed package. Once they go bad they don't do their job anymore.

I'm an amateur painter and I use a devilbiss finishline. It works well for me and costs around $130. Do a title search on this board for 'summit urethane' and you'll see some of my recent work with that gun.
 
#7 ·
You can get a moisture trap/filter that plugs right into your gun. If there's an automotive paint supply store near you, they will carry them and some less expensive mini guns. I recommend a mini gun for the frame and smaller parts.
 
#10 ·
thanks all for suggestions/advice, this is my first go through it so it helps. The guys at the paintshop have a lot of good info and the shop is stocked with ppg/hok stuff

the mini gun looks choice, especially for the task at hand (plus it doesn't cost a shit load)
stoked to get my hands on one to try primer within the next couple weeks

I was going to use a DPLF epoxy primer (fender/frame/wheel) with metal cleaner/conditioner on all the parts
Is there UV resistant materials used in topcoat/clear used to prevent the painted parts from chalking out in the desert sun?
 
#11 ·
I just started painting with a gun, and I just painted a bike last month. I had a touchup gun, but it sputtered like crazy, turned out the needle was bent. I went down to the local harbor frieght and bought the gravity feed gun for 25.00. It works great! I put on about three coats and then color sanded and buffed and it looks perfect. I was surprised how easy it was to learn, especially given the cheesy tools. I can only imagine how much easir it'd be with decent stuff.
 
#13 ·
When painting over bare metal you have to use ETCHING-PRIMER first or your paint will not adhere well. No need to sand to metal unless needed, paint will stick well over factory finish. Sand,sand and then sand, every inch. Paint will not stick to shiny surfaces. As far as guns go, I've taken my Sata MJ into many fucked up battles and she still shoots straight, excellent gun.
 
#15 ·
I have a small gravity feed Harbor Freight gun (purple) that was on sale for $10. I have used it on projects but oddly enough, never to spray paint. The only problem i had was regulating the pressure. Works pretty decent for a cheapie gun though. I had a flawless rattle can job that looks like sh*t now because i have a bad gas cap gasket. Rattle can paint doesn't like gas spillage.
 
#17 ·
Pusher, thats fine but your first coat of anything has to be etching primer. It is a lightly acidic primer that "etches" itself to the metal (tin,alum.,brass,etc.) otherwise, its like painting over glass. There are success stories but why take a chance. It can be purchased in rattle can at Kragen O'Rielly stores or at any automotive paint store. Etch-prime, sanding and taking your time is your m.o. When its time to paint, have a couple of shots, relax and dont be scared, have a spotter and lay that paint down! Good luck!
 
#19 · (Edited)
I have always swore by the PPG DP series primers!!! cheap insurance, they may cost a little more up front.... but you can use them as a sealer/primer or a primer/surfacer or if you reduce it proper a good top-coat..... I was laying DP90 as a semi-gloss black top-coat for a "old school" look. like I said if you reduce it right it lays and dries like glass (no peal).
I did ONE tank using cheaper primer, the fuel vapors wicked into the primer (between the paint and metal) and caused the paint to blister and lift....the DP series....you can wipe it down with lacquer thinner, no problems..its epoxy based!
Oh, I also use a cheap "mini" gravity gun for smaller stuff. My larger gun of choice is a Binks M1-G....have sprayed unknown gallons of urethane clear with it. The first day my boss let me use his, after work I went and ordered one! That was over 10 years ago and it is still my gun of choice.....
Any decent gun will give you good results, it is just the matter of getting it dialed in (not to much fluid, not to much air pressure) and becoming comfortable and familiar with it. I have shot with everything from cheap H.F. guns to OLD Binks 2000 setups with 5 gallon pressure pots....also becoming familiar with the chemicals you are shooting... the stuff you shot last month is NOT the same formulation is not the same you will get next month....ask your supplier if there has been changes made...
Diamont DC 92 was a clear I had used forever and loved it for wood finish work...I could reduce it 70-80% and use it as a sealer then less reduced to build coats...One day I mixed it, shot it and it was like string shooting out of my gun....long story short, I found out they changed the formulation...partially my fault as I was not supposed to reduced it that much...
Just remember to shoot your primer as if your shooting your top-coat. It will give you good coverage and more comfortable when you do get to the color and clear,
...and as stated earlier.....GET A GOOD RESPIRATOR.. OR FILTERS... this was the reason I stopped doing it for a living....I have seen 3 good friends die from liver problems, cancer or health issues from not taking simple safety precautions....
Dont forget bad bodywork will make a great paintjob look like sh-t!... great bodywork will make a decent paint job look great!! spent time to get things prepped and straight before you top-coat it...
 
#20 ·
A few years ago I found myself in the same position you find yourself in now. So, here's some thoughts from one semi-noob to another.

I have a few different gravity fed HVLP guns. I don't have anything real expensive, but the one I have that works the very best came from Home Depot of all places. It was right around a hunnert clams. There's a center hole at the outlet surrounded by smaller holes. This one has like seven really small holes as opposed to 3 larger ones and it atomizes the paint really nicely.

The 2 best things that I did were to ask questions of a custom painter that I've "known" online for a number of years now, and to buy my supplies from an actual paint and body jobber store. The guys there were plenty knowledgeable and plenty happy to answer all my stupid noob questions. They consistently steered me in the right direction and they didn't try to sell me a bunch of shit that I didn't need.

As said before, get a GOOD respirator. Also, follow the time frames in the instruction sheets carefully. With epoxy paints/clears it's real important to allow the proper time between coats and especially important when it comes to wet-sanding. You have to give it the proper time to cure, but the longer you wait, the harder it gets; and the more difficult it becomes to wet-sand.

Good luck going forward. Let us know how it goes.
 
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