airbrush vs spray gun

[swarfrat]

So I actually own a HF HVLP spray gun. And it has one jar, and it's huge, and for something the size of a guitar body there's a ton of waste.  I'm sure if you're doing five or six bodies at a time, a real sprayer would be the only way to do it.

But I'm curious about something like this:
https://www.harborfreight.com/34-and-3-oz-airbrush-kit-62294.html

I think a 3oz jar would be a lot better sized for a guitar body, and simplify cleanup, doesn't take a half a gallon of thinner to clean everything, and you can keep commonly used stuff in sealed jars.  I know the brush is the price of a hamburger and fries these days, but a compressor is still about one month's toy budget.

Anyone done it with an airbrush, or is it completely the wrong tool for the job?

 

[rauchman]

Interested in this as well

Correct to assume you'd need a compressor with this as well?  Any recommendations?

 

[swarfrat]

For models they sell cans of compressed gas. Not sure how long they last, but I'd guess about as many cans of reranch as it takes and you have to ask, why not use rattle cans?

Another alternative if you have say a big noisy compressor in the garage, is to use an air tank, but they're not cheap, and the airbrush compressors are quiet. $50 for a tank vs $100 for a compressor?

I don't see why it wouldn't work. It shouldn't be any slower than rattle can, and a guitar body just isn't that big. The biggest problem I can see is that someone using this method doesn't have 2000hrs experience, but that's true regardless of the method.

 

[swarfrat]

Then there's the temptation to get artsy..

I think other pursuits (ie the 3D printer) might make it worthwhile to have a small work bench spray method

 

[rauchman]

For models they sell cans of compressed gas. Not sure how long they last, but I'd guess about as many cans of reranch as it takes and you have to ask, why not use rattle cans?

Another alternative if you have say a big noisy compressor in the garage, is to use an air tank, but they're not cheap, and the airbrush compressors are quiet. $50 for a tank vs $100 for a compressor?

I don't see why it wouldn't work. It shouldn't be any slower than rattle can, and a guitar body just isn't that big. The biggest problem I can see is that someone using this method doesn't have 2000hrs experience, but that's true regardless of the method.

Interesting and informative...thanks.  I am very air compressor illiterate, and didn't know there are purpose built ones for an airbrush.  You sir, are making my wallet tremble as this will lead to investigation and money being spent.

 

[swarfrat]

This is actually the compressor I was looking at. Comes with a gun that looks a little nicer, but it's the gravity cup and I kinda like the idea of the jars for the stuff I do.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-spray-guns/air-brushes-kits/airbrush-compressor-combo-kit-57637.html

 

[swarfrat]

Still wading through but I ran across this guy:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-auNlQSzDA[/youtube]

and I think he's probably right  - a guitar body is probably on the upper end of air brush area/volume, and what he says about not buying anything without a tank rings true with what I know. For the same money you can get a quiet small tank compressor like this one, and the tank will be at a much higher pressure than the "air brush compressor" so it'll last longer before kicking in. And it'll be enough to run other small tools (brad nailers, and the ever handy "blowing crap off". (I once read someone's amusing screed where he talked about the weeks he spent researching compressors, two stage, CFM @ pressure, maintenance, noise, etc... and bought a big two stage 80gal tank, only to find that "99% of what I use it for is blowing crap off things.")

If you don't have a compressor, I think this looks interesting:

 

[rauchman]

This is actually the compressor I was looking at. Comes with a gun that looks a little nicer, but it's the gravity cup and I kinda like the idea of the jars for the stuff I do.

https://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools-compressors/air-spray-guns/air-brushes-kits/airbrush-compressor-combo-kit-57637.html

Thank you!

 

[swarfrat]

An informative article - apparently it's a thing, but a guitar seems to be on the edge between large tip airbrush and small spray gun.

https://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/finishing/airbrush-touchup

Most "airbrush" materials I've found are all about double action guns for artsy stuff. The article I mentioned above does recommend a single action external mix for shellac and stuff - so the $10 brushes at HF might be the ticket - plus a real air source.

This is the smallest "spray gun" HF sells . It needs about 3CFM @ 50 PSI.
https://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-detail-spray-gun-92126.html

This compressor has  a vastly higher CFM than the 1gal one I posted above - while still being small quiet and cheap.  Also the 2 gal tank will provide a bit more buffer.
https://www.harborfreight.com/2-gallon-135-psi-ultra-quiet-hand-carry-jobsite-air-compressor-64596.html

 

[swarfrat]

Also, if shooting shellac, denatured alcohol will thin, but if you need to really clean it use ammonia. Ammonia will actually break down the shellac and clear clogged/dried shellac. Which we would never ever allow to happen of course but just sayin.

 

[swarfrat]

I knew I couldn't be the first to trod this path:

https://www.tdpri.com/threads/airbrush-vs-hvlp.331053/

 

[rauchman]

I vote for a sticky of this thread specific to airbrushing!

 

[swarfrat]

Ah - a voice of pragmatism in the compressor wars:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpK6K2KMoW0[/youtube]

A lot of guys seem to think a guitar is a car when it comes to CFM. I've been waffling back and forth between the quiet 2 gal 2cfm @ 90psi deal and the same priced loud 6gal (@175 psi - so it's closer to 8 gal @ 135) 3cfm @ 90 psi compressor. The other consideration is that that slighter bigger compressor is pulling 12A which will basically consume a whole circuit, and my shed & garage are both limited on power. 

The other air hog I have occasional need of is seating beads on tires, but they sell what's basically a small air tank with a big dump valve on it for that. Speaking of which - the little 1 gal compressor is on sale right now for $109 - 0.7cfm@90 psi or about 2 cfm @ 30 psi. I figured that 1 gal would last 1.5 minutes at 3 cfm/30psi, but you can buy an 11 gal tank for $40 and now it's good for 18 minutes @ 3 cfm.  I can't believe this but I'm actually thinking about getting the small 1gal job. Partly because I think it's barely enough, and partly because I'm probably asking for this as a birthday present.

 

[rauchman]

Ah - a voice of pragmatism in the compressor wars:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpK6K2KMoW0[/youtube]

A lot of guys seem to think a guitar is a car when it comes to CFM. I've been waffling back and forth between the quiet 2 gal 2cfm @ 90psi deal and the same priced loud 6gal (@175 psi - so it's closer to 8 gal @ 135) 3cfm @ 90 psi compressor. The other consideration is that that slighter bigger compressor is pulling 12A which will basically consume a whole circuit, and my shed & garage are both limited on power. 

The other air hog I have occasional need of is seating beads on tires, but they sell what's basically a small air tank with a big dump valve on it for that. Speaking of which - the little 1 gal compressor is on sale right now for $109 - 0.7cfm@90 psi or about 2 cfm @ 30 psi. I figured that 1 gal would last 1.5 minutes at 3 cfm/30psi, but you can buy an 11 gal tank for $40 and now it's good for 18 minutes @ 3 cfm.  I can't believe this but I'm actually thinking about getting the small 1gal job. Partly because I think it's barely enough, and partly because I'm probably asking for this as a birthday present.

Could you expand on the bolded please?  I, like you, also find myself in the same need.  I replace my motorcycle tires when needed, and reinflating with a bicycle pump is not fun.  If I'm going to get a compressor for finishing a guitar, I'd like to have this capability also.

 

[swarfrat]

Kinda pricey for what it is, I thought these dumped air into the valve but no it's a widemouth hose. Makes sense because the valve is tiny, but still.. $40 will get you 11gal of tank and that's probably enough to seat a bead.

https://m.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200673910_200673910

 

[rauchman]

Kinda pricey for what it is, I thought these dumped air into the valve but no it's a widemouth hose. Makes sense because the valve is tiny, but still.. $40 will get you 11gal of tank and that's probably enough to seat a bead.

https://m.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200673910_200673910

I take it then this wouldn't be recommended for double duty as a tire inflator and spray gun / air brush?

 

[swarfrat]

For tires you don't need (or want*) super high pressure. You mostly want to be able to have a huge volume of medium pressure air that you can quickly dump into the tire.  Like 5-10 gallons.  A tire could be a couple gallons of air itself - so if you're trying to push 50-60 psi into it quickly, even a huge compressor with too small a tank won't really be able to do it.  Cubic feet per minute isn't helpful when you need cubic feet per second.

I think I've about reached my decision - going with that 2gal $160 2cfm@90 psi compressor. The $100 1gal / 0.7cfm @ 90 psi can supply about 2cfm at 30psi - which I think is barely enough to run a 3cfm spray gun for long enough to get a pass in, then catch up.  It's bumping the limits of barely enough. The 2 gal 2cfm@90psi can supply more than enough for a small spray gun, isn't much bigger, still fits on a circuit with other tools, and is enough to run various other small shop tools, and with some supplemental storage can do about anything I'll ever need.

*the neighbor's kid pumped up a wagon tire to 120psi or whatever his compressor was. Fortunately it didn't blow up in his face - people die that way. But in the middle of the night there was a huge BOOM - it just exploded. Took him  a day or two to find out what it was. Sounded like a stick of dynamite back.

 

[swarfrat]

Waiting on a callback on a 21 gal upright "2.5hp"  4.7cfm @90psi used mini monster for $100. Crossing my fingers.

2.5hp in quotes because it's a 120v unit and we all know two horses don't fit side by side on a 120 household circuit

 

[rauchman]

Slowly learning about this stuff....

Is HVLP or LVHP better?  I'd think HVLP?

 

[mayfly]

*the neighbor's kid pumped up a wagon tire to 120psi or whatever his compressor was. Fortunately it didn't blow up in his face - people die that way. But in the middle of the night there was a huge BOOM - it just exploded. Took him  a day or two to find out what it was. Sounded like a stick of dynamite back.

What did the wagon look like afterwards?