Paint mixing for spray guns?

I was hoping someone could give me some advice:

1. I inherited an old 'Beaver' spray gun. It comes with a device to check the paint is thinned properly by timing the flow through the funnel. Can anyone tell me how long it should take?

2. And, is this mix right for other spray guns? I'm using a compressor and normal air spray guns of various sizes.

Any advice is appreciated.

Hi Brinesharks,

The cup you are describing is called a Viscosity Cup, if you google it you should find more info on it.

Unfortunatley as far as the mix goes, finding the right vicosity for your gun is dependant on the tip size and the finsh you are spraying.. There is no standard mix for all spray equipment.

Normally the supplier will provide you with a mixing ratio and a recommended tip size. The viscosity cup might come in handy though if you wanted to try tweaking the ratio's yourself.

good luck

joez

If your spraying with acrilic paints, and doing a fair bit, then check to see if you can get a ceramic tip. Metal ones get bigger after a while as the acrillic is quite abrasive.

I chucked that thing away pretty much as soon as I got it, messy, not right, just a right pain in the posterior to use, I guesstimate my gear and usually get it "about right" I use the old tried and true method of 60%- 75% "stuff" to 25%-40% thinners, tweaking the "mixture" each refill of the pot until it is "about" right, after a few uses you will quickly find that you can get it right, of course this is not the "technical" answer that you seek but it works for me and has done since I bought my CIG spray gun a million years ago

I still have my instruction book for the Little Beaver. If you PM your address to me, I can photocopy it and post to you.

I doubt that I have followed the mixes strictly but rather have used Dave's method more often.

Hope that helps

This is a subject that can be very confusing, there are so many variables it is difficult to advise accurately. The best you can hope for really is to find a viscosity that suits your particular gun and material and sprays satisfactorily for your needs. Experiment with the material and viscosity cup until you find the right combination for your material and equipment. This will vary on the material you are using,

Thanks for everyone's responses. I find the beaver great for jobs like re-coating my eight seater outdoor setting in linseed oil every six months. There's a lot of surface area to cover and a 50/50 mix of oil and turps makes it look like new. Works a treat for spraying on stain as well for big jobs.

I used my other spray gun for painting my pergola. It worked quite well once I got the mix right. I tried typical ratios like 25/75 (water/paint) but in the end I found 10/90 worked the best. Got good coverage, almost no runs and it dried off very quickly.

I didn't use the viscosity cup in the end - but at least I know what it's called now!

Thanks again

submerege cup in paint.note time in secs.it takes to drain until the stream breaks.
it should take 30-35 secs.if more than 35 add thinner a little at a time