Recommend a sprayer?

Dan Birnbaum

Member
Messages
31
Location
Frisco TX
I'm a hobbyist... I turn out 3-4 big projects per year. The one I'm finishing now is a diamond pattern wall hanging wine rack...http://www.djmarks.com/woodworks/203.asp

Actually, I've made two of these to fit in a nook in our wine grotto. Anyway, I'm really happy with how they turned out and I started using water based poly to finish but I quickly found it very difficult to be brushing the poly in the deep crevices of each opening. Even with a long brush handle, it is very hard to apply nice even strokes.

I have always been reluctant to invest in a sprayer but this project may be the perfect catalyst for such an expense. Would anyone mind recommending a medium quality sprayer for a hobbyist? Again, we're talking about something I'd use a few times a year.. doesn't have to be industrial strength.

Thanks in advance!
-dan
 
i was taught on one of those that tods shows and have had good success with it,, have sprayed stain , shellac. and lacguer with it.. have a wagner hvlp set that can be gotten for around $100 to $200, and have used stain , poly and lacquer threw it.. worked well.. but i went with porter cable afterwards becasue of the smaller cup size..will try to find the link for the wagner.. they were sold threw gleem paint sales...
http://www.gleempaint.com/hvcongunw2qr.html this what i have from gleem
 
Last edited:
I have a couple of similar outfits Larry shows, but not the HVLP versions. I liked working with them for truck painting and overall paint jobs.

But I see one problem you might have with spraying your project. If it is all assembled, and the holes are blind, you are going to get a lot of "blowback" when trying to spray into them. Even at the lowest pressures, it is going to be hard to lay a nice coat down in there.

Can you spray your finish on the rack itself before final assembly? I believe that way you will get a much better finish on the insides.

Just thinking of my past experiences in trying to paint into holes.

Aloha, Tony
 
tony has some good points,, can yu leave the back of it off? and then yu could possibly spray from both sides... but david uses a lot of tung oil for his stuff, which can be applied by rag rather than spraying..
 
But I see one problem you might have with spraying your project. If it is all assembled, and the holes are blind, you are going to get a lot of "blowback" when trying to spray into them. Even at the lowest pressures, it is going to be hard to lay a nice coat down in there.
Can you spray your finish on the rack itself before final assembly? I believe that way you will get a much better finish on the insides.

Thanks for the comment, Tony. Unfortunately, the racks are fully assembled. With all of the glue areas, I don't see how I could have pre-finished any of these. Nonetheless, I'm hoping even with blowback I'll get a smoother finish than trying to sloppily squeeze my hands back in there. It got very messy very quickly.

Thanks,
-dan
 
tony has some good points,, can yu leave the back of it off? and then yu could possibly spray from both sides... but david uses a lot of tung oil for his stuff, which can be applied by rag rather than spraying..

Yeah, I believe David often uses several coats of tung oil and then applies a poly or something else as a final coat. He's also a master woodworker with jedi experience and technique. ;)

I could have finished the inside of the honeycomb portions before attaching the back, but then I'd still have to wiggle my hands through the openings to finish the inside of the backing...
 
Thank you Tod and others for the responses... I was also looking at this porter cable gravity sprayer since it received a ton of great reviews online.

I suppose my next newbie question is what type of air compressor / pump do I use to power it? :)

check it out at there web page for the cfm requirements and use that info for your compressor choice..
 
Thank you Tod and others for the responses... I was also looking at this porter cable gravity sprayer since it received a ton of great reviews online.

I suppose my next newbie question is what type of air compressor / pump do I use to power it? :)

my gravity gun will run off of a "buzzer" type compressor but not for extended periods.
since you`re just getting started and cost seems to be an issue this is the type of "buzzer" i have used in the past.
for a bit more money this is what i use.
 
Yeah, I believe David often uses several coats of tung oil and then applies a poly or something else as a final coat. He's also a master woodworker with jedi experience and technique. ;)

I could have finished the inside of the honeycomb portions before attaching the back, but then I'd still have to wiggle my hands through the openings to finish the inside of the backing...

the backing could have been finished first before applying it to the back and either tap off the glue surface or shoot it or screw in place.
 
Hate to answer a question with a question, but do you plan to use the compressor for anything other than spraying finish? You can do a lot of things with a compressor.

List the tools you would like to run, check out their cfm requirements and buy a compressor that exceeds the highest cfm needed. 220 volt motor is a plus. Avoid the "oilless" type.

kreuzie
________
vaporizers
 
Last edited:
Hate to answer a question with a question, but do you plan to use the compressor for anything other than spraying finish? You can do a lot of things with a compressor.

List the tools you would like to run, check out their cfm requirements and buy a compressor that exceeds the highest cfm needed. 220 volt motor is a plus. Avoid the "oilless" type.

kreuzie

Ya know.. I really can't think of anything else I'd use a compressor for so I might just start out with a small one. Although I'm sure once I buy one, I'll wonder how I lived without it and regret not getting a larger unit!
 
Ya know.. I really can't think of anything else I'd use a compressor for so I might just start out with a small one. Although I'm sure once I buy one, I'll wonder how I lived without it and regret not getting a larger unit!

if you`re serious about woodworking give thought to a compressor that puts out at least 10-12 cfm.
 
If you get a gravity fed gun it must be held in an upright position. With what you are doing that doesn't sound possible, a pressurized unit is not as fussy.

jerry
 
Thank you all for continuing to make recommendations... they are really fantastic and informative.

For now, I have been thinking about going with this compressor. It supplies 7.1 SCFM at 40psi which is more than sufficient for this smaller detail spray gun.

I was originally learning toward the larger spray guns but the CFM requirements would force me to purchase a 60+ gallon compressor and I think that might be overkill for me at this point. My projects are usually on the smaller scale (picture frames, end tables, small cabinets, etc) and I'm hoping this detail sprayer will suit. I'm making an assumption that I won't mind the little bit of extra work to use the detail sprayer even when I'm working on a large project because I only do a handful per year.

Also based on your comments, I was thinking the detail sprayer would work well in all the nooks of the wine rack.

Now would be the time when you either tell me:
A) You're crazy!
B) These tools should suit your needs at this time.

Thanks everyone!
-dan
 
Top