Spraying small items

[echnidna]

I make small items and am considering spraying them.
Would a touch-up gun be better than an airbrush.

Or should I forget spraying and work out a way of dipping the items.

I am inclined to use lacquer coz it dries so fast but would consider shellac or other finishes..

[bitingmidge]

If they are really small, like turned knobs or doorstops or whatever, the airbrush is the go, and a really cheap one can be made to work for that purpose quite satisfactorily.

I use a touch up-gun once the surface area is about 6" square or bigger (because my el-cheapo airbrush gets a bit difficult after that).

I'd be interested to hear others views!

Cheers,

P

[journeyman Mick]

Bob,
I'd be inclined to go for a full size spray gun unless you're planning on buying several guns. You can spray small stuff with a big gun (just turn it right down) but you'll be at it forever and a day if you're spraying a larger item or multiple small items.
At times I've had to spray lots of small mouldings for a boat. I usually stick them to a sheet of ply with some no more gaps, I've found this to work well. I figured that PVA mightn't want to let go and screwing through from underneath is slow and not always feasible. The no more gaps stops the air pressure from blowing the small pieces away but you can still remove them easily. (I've never left them stuck down for hours though, probably best to remove them as soon as the lacquer has hardened up.)
I don't own a touch up gun but I did borrow one once (touch ups on the ute) and didn't like it at all, but that's probably a personal like/dislike thing coupled with the fact that I'd been using full size guns for years.

Mick

[bitingmidge]

I had a big gun before any other too, but can never come to terms with needing to load it with ten times more paint than the job is going to require.

Mick's dead right, it is just a personal thing! My touch up gun gets more use than the big one these days, because it seems to have just about the right size paint pot!

cheers,

P

[rodm]

I use a touch up gun on all my work including large cabinets. I find it much easier to manouvre inside the cabinets than the large gun. You can get a fair volume of material through a touch up gun as well. I find the pot just the right size to take a break and let all the airborne spray clear. To get consistancy I mix my material in a large coffe jar before starting and decant to the gun.
I guess it is just what I have been doing for years so I am more confortable with it.

[gatiep]

I only use gravity feed guns. I have a standard gravity feed spray gun, a HVLP spray gun, standard gravity feed bowl on it and a small gravity feed touch up gun. I have resprayed a white colorbond sheet 1800 x 900 mm to red with one fill of 2pack paint.Only needed one coat. Those little guys can go a long way if the paint has good solids content.I have two airbrushess but find them useless unless only spraying small model stuff or special effects on signs. When using gravity feed guns you can put as little as 30 ml of paint in a full size gun and spray away. So I guess my answer is: I'll use my gravity feed touch up gun.

Cya

[echnidna]

Thanks for all the comments everyone has been very helpful.

I already have a large gun but it pushes so much air out it probably isn't practical for the light veneers that I am finishing. So today I got a touch-up gun and an airbrush.

Down the track I will get a new gravity feed gun as they are great for woodwork. My last one found itself a new owner without telling me.

Micks suggestion about sticking things down is brilliant but I might try blue tack instead of no gaps. Just hope the clear lacquer goes over the back without showing where the bluetack had been but theres a solution to every problem so I'll sort that out in due course.

[bitingmidge]

Bob,

Not trying to upstage Mick(!), but I keep a roll of double sided tape beside me for all sorts of uses...not the padded permanent stick sort, the clear
"sticky tape" sort with stick on both sides.

It's quite easy to peel off once the bond is broken, but works for all sorts of things, like holding things to router templates for example as well as any temporary hold-down.

Cheers,

P

[soundman]

I have a few guns full sized normal, hvlp gravity.....

I spray quite a lot of small parts, like bits of theatre lanterns... I find the suction type touch up gun is great. they can run on reasonably low preasure & will pick up small ammounts of product.
I find it easey to manover & gives a gentle airstream that doesn't blow things about. Spraying the inside of confined spaces (like inside a lantern, imagine spraying inside a letterbox) you get much less back in your face.

I havn't tried one of those little gravity touch up guns but they might be worth a look.

I'd go the touch up gun. the little star is much nicer than the cheapes & worth the extra.

a good moove is to fit a swivel to the air connection, makes the hose less of a drag.
cheers

[Cliff Rogers]

... I'll use my gravity feed touch up gun.

Cya

OK, I'm interested... I have 2 Airbrushes, a small gravity feed & a larger bowl type.
I also have one of those reverse vacuum cleaner thingos that's good for repainting
old cane lounge suites & applying a new coat of matt black to muso speaker boxes.
(& applying liquid fert to the plants in the bush house :eek: )

I'd like something in between for turned items.

[soundman]

The little touch up gun gets a lot of work but I'v gota say the the HVLP impresses me more & more.
By accident it sits in the middle because the cup only holds 600ml but you can put very little in & it works just as well, sprays evry last drop.

the little touch up gun only holds anout 150ml & most of the bigger guns hold 1L.

I'm using the HVLP more & more but it still isn't as agile as the touch up gun.

[Cliff Rogers]

...I'm using the HVLP more & more but it still isn't as agile as the touch up gun.

Names, darling, names, names, names...

(Quote from Ab. Fab.)

I'm looking for names, what's your HVLP & what's your touch up gun?

[scooter]

Cliff, I have one of those old Electrolux vacuum cleaner sprayers, r u fair dinkum, can you actually use it for spraying paint or varnishes?? Is it better with thick or thin stuff?


Sean the wonderer

[vsquizz]

[QUOTE=Cliff Rogers](& applying liquid fert to the plants in the bush house :eek: )
QUOTE]

And I thought that type of thing only happened down at Machens Beach

Cheers

[Cliff Rogers]

Cliff, I have one of those old Electrolux vacuum cleaner sprayers, r u fair dinkum, can you actually use it for spraying paint or varnishes?? Is it better with thick or thin stuff?


Sean the wonderer

I use mine with plain old water based paint. I works fine but the biggest problem is the sheer volume of air carrying overspray everywhere.

When ever we move house, the old cane lounge usually gets a bit dinged up so we take it out in the back yard & sit it on some flattened out cartons & give it a new coat.

I do the same thing with my MDF speaker boxes when ever they start looking a bit sad.