Choosing an HVLP system - recommendations?

[canadamike]

Hi,

Does anyone have any advice on choosing an HVLP system? I don't have the space for a large compressor so need to go the turbine route.

I am doing small furniture as well as built-in projects and have been outsourcing my finishing. Laquers and some waterbased finishes. I am leaning towards the Fuji 3 or 4 stage offerings, but don't have the experience to know what features I need and if the noise reduction offered by the Q Gold series is worth the extra $.

Also open to other recommended brands.

Thanks in advance! Mike

 

[tiralie]

Hi,

Does anyone have any advice on choosing an HVLP system? I don't have the space for a large compressor so need to go the turbine route.

I am doing small furniture as well as built-in projects and have been outsourcing my finishing. Laquers and some waterbased finishes. I am leaning towards the Fuji 3 or 4 stage offerings, but don't have the experience to know what features I need and if the noise reduction offered by the Q Gold series is worth the extra $.

Also open to other recommended brands.

Thanks in advance! Mike

Hey Mike, if you are in the neighborhood (I know it's a bit of a drive) you are welcome to come and try my Fuji Q4. I am not sure the noise reduction is needed if you are not spraying all day, but after a couple hours of spraying it does make it a little more pleasant to spray with less vacuum sound.

There is a long rambling and somewhat entertaining thread discussing various HVLP systems here.

Which brand of lacquers and finishes are you using? Some brands of lacquers have a much higher viscosity than others and would require a 5 stage vs. a 4 stage turbine.

Tim

 

[canadamike]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for your offer and reply! I will likely be in your area at the end of this month, I will know later this week.

I am a complete newby at finishing. I have left the final finish decisons to a couple of cab shops in London.

We recently sold our place in London and am setting up a shop on the Bruce Peninsula. Not much support for finishing so I am thinking to add that to my future offerings.

Is the Fuji a good entry point...or do you suggest another path/brand?

Thank you, Mike

 

[Scott B.]

Hi,

Does anyone have any advice on choosing an HVLP system? I don't have the space for a large compressor so need to go the turbine route.

I am doing small furniture as well as built-in projects and have been outsourcing my finishing. Laquers and some waterbased finishes. I am leaning towards the Fuji 3 or 4 stage offerings, but don't have the experience to know what features I need and if the noise reduction offered by the Q Gold series is worth the extra $.

Also open to other recommended brands.

Thanks in advance! Mike

Hey Mike, if you are in the neighborhood (I know it's a bit of a drive) you are welcome to come and try my Fuji Q4. I am not sure the noise reduction is needed if you are not spraying all day, but after a couple hours of spraying it does make it a little more pleasant to spray with less vacuum sound.

There is a long rambling and somewhat entertaining thread discussing various HVLP systems here.

Which brand of lacquers and finishes are you using? Some brands of lacquers have a much higher viscosity than others and would require a 5 stage vs. a 4 stage turbine.

Tim

We've become much more economical with words since then  [big grin]

 

[tjbnwi]

Those were the days my friend....................... [thumbs up]

Tom

Fugi Q4

 

[Paul G]

Perfect timing, doing HVLP shopping right now.

Are Fuji guns bleeding or non-bleeding and can they connect to a compressor or turbine only? I've been leaning towards the Apollo 7500 connected to my compressor, non-bleeding would keep my compressor from cycling too much, there are many cap and needle and cup options for that gun, and also it can hook up to a turbine with a connector change.

Curious of the opinions of bleeding vs non-bleeding? Is there a difference in finish quality and does it impact the air quality from a turbine to use non-bleeding, assuming the turbine is even compatible, I've read some require a bleeding gun.

Also, any thoughts on where the Graco HVLPs rate in the field of contenders?

 

[tiralie]

I am a complete newby at finishing. I have left the final finish decisons to a couple of cab shops in London.

McFaddens has a spray course which will really help you understand how to get a good finish for your projects.

Is the Fuji a good entry point...or do you suggest another path/brand?

I haven't used another HVLP system, but I did buy the Fuji as an entry point and it hasn't disappointed me. The Fuji customer service is excellent, the parts and accessories are readily available so I have no complaints. I have the XPC (gravity and siphon) guns. There is a new gun design which I have not tried.

Except for the gun design, and all things being equal, comparing 4 stage Fuji to a 4 stage Graco, I think all HVLP systems perform similarly. For the most part they all seem to use Lamb motors and the fittings and hoses etc. are more or less similar. Some use more metal some use more high impact plastic parts for connectors etc. I think the guns are the differentiation and choosing one over the other is a matter of personal taste and experience with other guns.

If I had to do it all again, I would probably buy a 5 stage turbine (Titan or Graco) and an Accuspray 10 pro 1 with PPS system. The 5 stage gives you a little more runway in terms of different types of coatings to spray, but you can always add a small compressor to augment air pressure at the gun.  If I have a complaint at all with the Fuji it is that the conversion to PPS is a not well documented. Because I flip back and forth between finishes when using my Turbine system, I find the PPS system very convenient.

Hope that helps. Let us know if you have any more questions. We'll try to be brief and to the point.

Tim

 

[tiralie]

Are Fuji guns bleeding or non-bleeding and can they connect to a compressor or turbine only?

Fuji guns are non-bleeding. They are designed to connect to a turbine only. There is an adapter that allows you to augment the air pressure from the turbine by attaching the gun to a compressor via a pressure pot. They cannot be operated on a compressor alone. To my understanding there is no conversion for that although you might be able to do a conversion with the Accuspray 36-00 special regulator.

Curious of the opinions of bleeding vs non-bleeding? Is there a difference in finish quality and does it impact the air quality from a turbine to use non-bleeding, assuming the turbine is even compatible, I've read some require a bleeding gun.

Never used a bleeding gun. My understanding is that early HVLP systems used bleeding guns to reduce the back pressure on the motor, to reduce wear and tear, but  new motor design keeps the pressure relatively constant.

Also, any thoughts on where the Graco HVLPs rate in the field of contenders?

See my comments above. Scott B. would be the best person to answer this...or the Graco rep.

Tim

 

[tjbnwi]

The Fugi can be converted to a bleed gun. Never used it that way, don't know why anyone would want a bleed gun.

I know Scott has the Graco gravity HVLP gun. I know he likes it, I have not seen a full review by him on the gun.

If I had a passport I'd go bother Tim and try his CAT gun.......

Tom

 

[Paul G]

Thanks for the feedback Tom, am I correct in assuming you're making a typo by writing Fugi vs Fuji or is there a brand named Fugi I'm unaware of?

 

[tjbnwi]

Thanks for the feedback Tom, am I correct in assuming you're making a typo by writing Fugi vs Fuji or is there a brand named Fugi I'm unaware of?

I guess I need to check spell check. I'll have to add the proper spelling.

Tom

 

[Paul G]

Thanks for the feedback Tom, am I correct in assuming you're making a typo by writing Fugi vs Fuji or is there a brand named Fugi I'm unaware of?

I guess I need to check spell check. I'll have to add the proper spelling.

Tom

Thanks for clarifying, I can just imagine getting a Fuji and it's not what you said and you then telling me no, I said get a Fugi!  [big grin] [scared]

 

[canadamike]

Hey Tim,

Thanks for the info on McFaddens, I signed up for a course with them today. I'll check out the thread also.

Mike

I am a complete newby at finishing. I have left the final finish decisons to a couple of cab shops in London.

McFaddens has a spray course which will really help you understand how to get a good finish for your projects.

Is the Fuji a good entry point...or do you suggest another path/brand?

I haven't used another HVLP system, but I did buy the Fuji as an entry point and it hasn't disappointed me. The Fuji customer service is excellent, the parts and accessories are readily available so I have no complaints. I have the XPC (gravity and siphon) guns. There is a new gun design which I have not tried.

Except for the gun design, and all things being equal, comparing 4 stage Fuji to a 4 stage Graco, I think all HVLP systems perform similarly. For the most part they all seem to use Lamb motors and the fittings and hoses etc. are more or less similar. Some use more metal some use more high impact plastic parts for connectors etc. I think the guns are the differentiation and choosing one over the other is a matter of personal taste and experience with other guns.

If I had to do it all again, I would probably buy a 5 stage turbine (Titan or Graco) and an Accuspray 10 pro 1 with PPS system. The 5 stage gives you a little more runway in terms of different types of coatings to spray, but you can always add a small compressor to augment air pressure at the gun.  If I have a complaint at all with the Fuji it is that the conversion to PPS is a not well documented. Because I flip back and forth between finishes when using my Turbine system, I find the PPS system very convenient.

Hope that helps. Let us know if you have any more questions. We'll try to be brief and to the point.

Tim

 

[tiralie]

If I had a passport I'd go bother Tim and try his CAT gun.......

You're welcome anytime Tom...not sure the effort to get a passport will be worth it. Maybe we could meet in VT, I can bring the gun and Scott can put us through the paces. [big grin]
Tim

 

[tiralie]

Thanks for the info on McFaddens, I signed up for a course with them today. I'll check out the thread also.

You can thank a fellow Fogger "junk" (John Kee) for the McFaddens info. He's the one that told me about it. You are still welcome to try the Fuji, just PM me when you are coming down.
Tim

 

[canadamike]

Hi Tim

Thanks so much for your suggesion to take the Finishing School course at McFaddens. I learned alot; it was well worth the time and travel.

One question I am hoping you can help me with.

The rep teaching the course was adamant that turbine driven guns are only useful for small touch up jobs done on-site. He said that compressor driven guns were the only way to go for a shop setup. Most of us at the course were small shops, with 1 to 2 persons, not production shops.

I was ready to buy a Fuji Q4 or similar, but now am re-thinking/confused.

What are your thoughts/experiences with the air supply?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[Scott B.]

I find turbines to be just fine for most small scale use. If I need something more, I am going to a different system.

 

[mastercabman]

The rep teaching the course was adamant that turbine driven guns are only useful for small touch up jobs done on-site. He said that compressor driven guns were the only way to go for a shop setup. Most of us at the course were small shops, with 1 to 2 persons, not production shops.

I was ready to buy a Fuji Q4 or similar, but now am re-thinking/confused.

Mike

Most(and maybe all) cabinet shop/paint shop uses compressor style spray system
It is said that finishes atomize better at higher psi.There are still a lot of people using old school conventional gun that uses 50-60 psi
The turbine are great for onsite or hobby.
I like the compressor better.I used to have a Fuji 3 stage and did not care for it.Getting too hot for solvent based finishes so if you are planning on spraying for a long time you may want to go with a compressor system

 

[junk731]

Hi Tim

Thanks so much for your suggesion to take the Finishing School course at McFaddens. I learned alot; it was well worth the time and travel.

One question I am hoping you can help me with.

The rep teaching the course was adamant that turbine driven guns are only useful for small touch up jobs done on-site. He said that compressor driven guns were the only way to go for a shop setup. Most of us at the course were small shops, with 1 to 2 persons, not production shops.

I was ready to buy a Fuji Q4 or similar, but now am re-thinking/confused.

What are your thoughts/experiences with the air supply?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Hey Mike

Just looked at this thread and glad you got to the course at McFaddens. I've got 2 CAT guns and 1 Devilbiss Transtech gun with and 2 quart pressure pot that I use regularly. The are supplied by an Omega PK-5020 portable 20 gal. compressor. This was recommended to by a compressor shop in Kitchener. It has a better performance rating than most in the same class. This compressor has never let me down no matter how much I'm spraying. I used Mcfaddens WB products for a while and while I like Aqualente it gives off to much blue hue. My go to finish for most all my uncoloured projects is a coat of Blond or Garnet shellac to pop the grain and top coat with Target EM2000. If your down in the Guelph/Erin/Orangeville area type at me.

John

 

[CarolinaNomad]

When I took the class awhile ago, many beers ago, the McFadden's Paint system had a CAT gun, a pump for paint delivery and an air compressor that could deliver 14 psi plus at low pressure and 150 gallon tank.  

First, the gun is nice, but it's designed to handle 14 cfm at low pressure.  It was designed that way.  The fugi and apollo are designed to handle the cfm delivered to the gun.  Matching the gun to the cfm delivered to the gun is key to atomizing the paint.  The higher the cfm the faster you can paint while yielding great results.

The pump, which is just for paint delivery.  And no matter what system you select, it all boils down to how big are the projects.  Quart, Gallon or 5 Gallons.  Has no effect on quality of finish.

Technically, any gun or paint delivery will yield great results.  And only you can control that.   What you can't control is the duration of painting.  

I personally think the decision boils down to the air compressor and a spray booth.  The only difference between the HVLP and an air compressor is speed of painting and the form of air delivery.  So yes, you can paint faster while getting great result with an air compressor that delivers the 11 cfm plus at low pressure.  But if you don't have a permanent space for an air compressor, or you plan to paint onsite, then an air compressor is not viable.  Also, with higher cfm comes overspray.  Not that your wasting more paint due to overspray, but the ability for paint to spread further throughout the room.  So having a spray booth becomes more important for a system having 11 cfm plus than say a HVLP system.

So, basically if you have the money and space, getting an air compressor will allow you to paint faster than a HVLP system.

I chose the Apollo 5 Turbine because I don't have space for a big air compressor and it delivered the highest cfm at low pressure at the time of purchase.  Secondly, I'm not painting a bunch of doors everyday.