To achieve a smooth and professional-looking spray painting pattern, use the pressure control knob to set the spraying pressure. This guide covers airless, LVLP, and HVLP sprayers, and adjust the spray pattern and pressure settings according to the specific conditions and surface type. To minimize overspray, get comfortable with the spray gun and maintain the recommended distance from the surface.
Before starting the spray painting process, thoroughly clean the house exterior by removing dirt, dust, and mildew using a pressure washer or a mixture of water and household detergent. Scrub the area thoroughly.
Spray the direction depends on the construction, such as spraying exposed trusses, wood beams, or boards by aiming the spray fan pattern to follow lengthwise. Primer (optional) can transform any home into a brand-new abode, so spray painting is an option for those looking to avoid labor-intensive roller painting.
When using spray paint, spray with a light hand, almost misting the surface, in back and forth movements. The correct air pressure is high enough to give sufficient break up (atomization) and low enough not to cause excessive overspray. Spray tip size is designated by three numbers, and turning down the pressure as low as possible while still spraying a good pattern saves paint and reduces overspray.
Achieving a uniform coat requires maintaining a consistent distance from the surface and moving the sprayer smoothly across the area. An airless sprayer is used for large interior and exterior surfaces, operating on a pressurized paint system that can reach 2000 psi. Adjust the pressure just high enough to ensure even coverage without lines along the edges.
Test and adjust the air pressure for your specific painting project by performing test sprays on a scrap surface or test panel.
📹 How to Setup the Perfect PSI on Your Spray Gun
In this Episode I show you the best and most effective way to prepare your vehicle for paint! CHECK OUT OUR ONLINE …
What pressure to spray 2k paint?
In order to apply paint, it is necessary to mix the 2k Solid Colour with the 2k Hardener and 2k Reducer in accordance with the recommended ratio. The thinned paint should then be strained with a paper paint strainer, and the surface should be gently wiped with a tack rag in order to remove dust.
What is a 515 spray tip good for?
Wagner offers a variety of spray tip sizes to accommodate material compatibility requirements. The 515 High Efficiency Airless tip has been designed for use with Wagner Control Pro and Titan ControlMax airless paint sprayers. It is particularly suited to the application of solid color stains, oil and water-based paints, and primers. Wagner offers customer support via a variety of channels, including chat, phone, email, and self-help resources. Additionally, the company provides detailed owner’s manuals for its products.
How to know what spray tip to use?
To select the right spray tip for your project, follow these recommendations:
Choose a tip with an orifice size rated for the paint or coating you’ll be spraying. Light coatings like lacquers, stains, and enamels require a small tip, while heavier coatings like texture require larger tips.
Size the spray tip according to the tip rating of your sprayer, ensuring it can support the tip you plan to use. If you plan to use multiple spray guns, choose a tip size that matches the multiple gun tip rating.
Most spray tips are identified by a three-digit code, which tells you the fan width and orifice size, which determine the amount of fluid left by the spray tip. The combination of fan width and orifice size determines the thickness of the coating you’ll spray.
What pressure should I set my paint sprayer?
The nozzle’s pressure range is 15-20 psi for airbrushing, touch-up, shading, sunbursting, and thin finish materials. It can reach 20-25 psi for soft, velvet-like coverage, especially for lacquers. The average spraying range is 35-45 psi for sealing and topcoating. Waterbase lacquers may require higher pressure. Start at low pressure to atomize the finish and flow out. The 1. 8mm orifice can spray many finishes without thinning, including waterbase clears, sealers, solvent lacquers, and some thin varnishes. More thinner is needed for light stains or “melting in” repairs.
What pressure should you spray paint?
The optimal air pressure for spray painting depends on the specific paint and spray gun used. HVLP spray guns typically have a recommended air pressure of 20-30 PSI, while conventional spray guns typically require higher pressures. To determine the ideal air pressure, perform test sprays on a scrap surface or panel, starting with a lower pressure setting and gradually increasing it until the desired spray pattern, atomization, and paint coverage is achieved.
The viscosity of the paint can also influence the optimal air pressure, with thinner paints requiring higher pressure for proper atomization. The type of surface and desired technique can also impact the ideal air pressure. Experimentation and practice on similar surfaces can help determine the best air pressure for your specific application. Adjust the air pressure in small increments and observe the resulting spray pattern, paint flow, and finish. The best air pressure for spray painting depends on finding the setting that achieves the desired finish and meets the specific requirements of the paint, spray gun, and project.
What is the best pressure to spray base coat?
To apply base coat and clear coat systems, use a HVLP spray gun with a high volume low pressure (HVLP) setting. The pressure should be between 26-29 PSI, measured by pulling the trigger and letting air flow through the gun’s tip. For clear coat, increase the pressure by 2-3 psi for better atomization and better flow out. The HVLP spray gun has a 1. 3mm nozzle for surface painting and a 2. 5mm nozzle for clear coat painting. To ensure optimal results, adjust the pressure according to the specific needs of your project.
What pressure should I use for 2K paint?
To apply wet 2K paint, clean the surface with wax and grease remover, then wipe it again slowly. Use a spray gun with the right pressure level (27-30 psi) and make a perfect blend of 2K color, 2K reducer, and 2K hardener. Load the sprayer with the mix and strain away any thin paint on the tip.
Apply the first layer of the spray paint on a clean, dust-free surface. Repeat the process until the entire surface is fully covered. Allow the surface to dry for ample time.
For clear 2K paint, create a glossy touch on the surface, usually in metallic or pearl colors. Prepare the spray gun with a 1. 25-1. 45mm tip and set it up for 28-30 psi. Prepare the paint spray mix with a fine blending of 2K clear coat, 2K reducer, and 2K hardener. Strain away any thin paint on the tip using a paper paint strainer.
Ensure the surface is clear, dust-free, and dry. Start with one single coat of the paint and allow it to dry for 5-10 minutes. Apply the second coat, allowing it to dry as well. Check for the desired glossiness and proceed with the next step. Repeat the process for the rest of the surface.
What PSI should I run my sprayer?
To ensure optimal spray performance, it is recommended to operate a nozzle in the middle of its recommended range, allowing for small pressure changes during spraying. Avoid operating an air induction nozzle below 2 bar (30 psi), even if it’s rated lower in the manufacturer’s nozzle table. Most AI nozzles perform best at 4 bar (60 psi). Pressure can be used on-the-fly to make minor changes to flow rate while spraying, but it should not be used to make significant changes to flow rate, as it takes a 4x change in pressure for a 2x change in flow rate. Operating pressures at the upper or lower limit of a nozzle’s range can negatively impact nozzle wear, median droplet size, and swath uniformity.
What PSI should I spray walls?
The production of wall finishes often necessitates a minimum pressure of 2200 psi for optimal atomization. This can result in challenges during application and an increased consumption of paint, with rates ranging from 10 to 30, contingent upon environmental conditions.
How much pressure do you use when painting?
Manufacturers typically recommend a minimum spray pressure for the optimal application of their products. Many production wall finishes, for instance, necessitate a minimum of 2200 psi for the effective atomization of the material, thereby ensuring the requisite working pressure at the tip is maintained.
What psi is good for painting?
The size of an air compressor for spray painting cars significantly impacts its efficiency. Smaller tanks may require multiple refills and introduce more paint variance, resulting in uneven coats. A tank size of 50 gallons or more is recommended, while a tank size of 60 gallons or more allows for an entire vehicle to be coated in one pass without refilling. A higher CFM rating is necessary for breaking up paint into small particles, ensuring even paint application and uniform finish. A high-volume, low-pressure (HVLP) compressor is usually sufficient for auto paint jobs, with 2-stage compressors delivering close to 20 CFM.
Pain (PSI) is less important in an air compressor for painting cars than CFM, with a minimum of 15 PSI, with some applications better-suited to 20 or 25 PSI. A 10 HP compressor is typically sufficient for auto painting, but higher HP compressors may operate more efficiently and can be used for other tasks. Kaishan offers an extensive range of rotary screw air compressors with the qualities and features ideal for painting cars, including 2-stage compressors, dryers, filters, and a focus on efficiency, value, and performance.
📹 How to Setup your Paint Gun to Spray a Car Guide!
All those controls can be confusing. In this video I will show you what the three basic controls are in order to optimize the settings …
Thanks for your articles. I am painting my second car now with your article help. Mine isn’t coming out as good as yours but for having a cheap gravity feed gun, painting outside and never painting a car before, I am quite pleased with my results. I have had project cars in the past that I never finished because I was to afraid to paint. But listening to you, don’t over think it, it’s just paint, made me do it. This one is a van I am painting 2 tone. If you haven’t already, you should do a 2 tone article.
Decades ago when I was painting, I mounted a true pressure regulator on my guns, not just a variable restriction valve as we see in the beginning. This was long before HVLP was invented, but maintaining the exact pressure to get perfect fan and atomization was just as important. With a true pressure regulator the difference indicated with trigger off, and full air flow, is virtually the same, not high pressure off, and way lower with flow. Setting the spray pressure with test pattern as we see here is a critical skill to develop. It only takes a few moments to adjust and look, adjust and look, then get to the job. This is a fantastic article! Makes me want to paint again, after 30 years away from the craft. I was part owner of a hi-fi speaker company. I painted thousands of cabinets with everthing from full automotive finishes to classic clear urethane clear wood finishes. Also painted guitars for a few luthiers, solids and metallics, even metal flakes. Lots of fun with the custom stuff👍👍
Dude, I watch your website exclusively. I am done perusal backyard auto body since I found you. Great job explaining detail. My daughter and I are restoring a 1988 Bronco she bought. I am in the middle of body work and constantly perusal your instruction, in preparation for the upcoming paint. I feel confident that it will be a great paint job, thanks to you. Awesome website. Thanks Bro!
LOL, this is a article that I suggested you make about a year or more ago. That said, it gave me an idea. I’ve been having issues with the small gun mounted regulators failing in weird ways, sometimes obvious, sometimes not- I had one that squeeled and popped every time you hit the trigger on the gun, that one was obvious. I think I might try something different. I think I’m going to get 25 or 50′ of flexzilla hose and mount a full size regulator at it’s inlet and then just skip the one on the gun, so when I want to paint I just plug in the “painting hose” with the regulator at it’s beginning and have a lighter gun and a heavier duty regulator which is always at the same place with the same length of the same hose between it and the gun, so whatever pressure/flow drop is the same every time. I won’t know the exact pressure I’m running at the gun but I’m not sure that those little regulators are all that accurate anyway
First, I love your articles. You mention that the DV1 sprays at a lower pressure but I noticed the digital gauge is close to the air cap. I recall taking a seminar years ago and I think it was PPG that gave a very low PSI rating and the instructor explained that this low pressure was AT THE AIR CAP and then explained that no gun (at that time) had the ability to measure pressure at the cap therefore the tech sheet psi was very misleading and was causing problems for people. I just went online and found the manual for the DV1 and there is a chart in it that says that inlet to the gun of 29 psi equals 15 psi at the digital gauge. So in reality, it doesn’t spray at a lower pressure, it simply displays the lower pressure which is present at the air cap which is something all guns could benefit from in my opinion as it removes the pressure drop between the two which would be different for each gun.
you are a great teacher. you explain everything very well. just spent my whole weeked perusal your articles and tossed everything out of my head that i thought i knew about painting and starting over now. but its not a bad thing to just take a step back once in while and relearn something i like to do thank you for all your great articles and tips
HI BRIAN, I HAVE A PROBLEM WHEN I AM SPAYING ON STAINLESS STEEL SHEET WHICH IS SUPER MIRROR FINISH.WHENEVER I PAINT ON THIS SHEET I GET LOTS OF PIN HOLES ? I HAVE TRIED LOTS OF CLEANING METHODS BUT IT STILL COMES? WITH THE SAME SETTING WHENN I SPAY ON BRASS I GET A PERFECT FINISH. DO YOU HAVE ANY SOLUTION BRIAN? THANKS .
Awesome vid👍 Like you say, “Don’t overthink it, it’s just paint”. I’m just a self taught home painter and when I first started I stressed alot about what gun to get/what psi to use. I now look at what material I’m using, the viscosity taking into consideration how much it’s thinned/mixed, the temperature of the material, ambient temperature, using an appropriate tip gun, and adjusting the psi/fan/fluid to get the right pattern/atomization. Spray guns are not complicated. They all spray paint they just have different tips and air caps that change the placement and size of the airholes. Some are better at certain jobs than others but all basically do the same thing albeit with some workarounds and fine tuning. I guess it is alot for beginners. I appreciate articles like this that break the info down for the beginner and a refresher for people who don’t spray all the time like me👍
Just discovered your website. I spray with W400 and pro lite for base. Sata 2rp and 3rp for clear. 1,2mm / 1,3mm Do you have any advice for setting on the Satas ? They are a bit of a different beast compared to the other guns. I have used everything on max and 29psi. The overspray is a consern. Its like a London Fog when spraying clear.
I used this article to “setup” my paintgun for my first ever spray gun experience – I later found a article from another youtube where he goes over to start with setting the static pressure vs. working pressure. The regulator at my tank was setup for 40 psi… which didn’t allow my working pressure to ever get above 12 psi at the gun – yes, my spray fan looked like the 12 psi orange peel shown in this article.
Thanks for the article. You taught me the relationship between air pressure, material volume and viscosity. When I’ve got the spray gun in my hand, and the work in front of me, that is what I want to understand; and how to make adjustments to achieve the optimum spray pattern. I have always re-sprayed my own car when required, but often have had too much pressure and too much volume, resulting in ‘orange peel’. With acrylics, this takes ages to sand back because the coatings are so hard. On he strength of your advise, hope to get it right next time.
Great article as always Brian. One thing that I think it is very important for people to understand about the DV1. It isn’t that the gun is somehow magically able to spray at very low pressure, it’s that the gauge on that gun is reading the pressure higher up inside the gun vs at the inlet. The inlet pressure from the wall is going to be similar to most other guns. If you were to use the version of the DV1 that doesn’t have the digital gauge and wanted to use a traditional gauge at the inlet or on the wall, you would set it up as Brian is demonstrating for guns in general (22-25psi to start).
Agreeing with the article. Before I started painting, and having only a 20 gal/175 psi comp, I thought I could use my hose volume as an extra supply of high pressure air and that the regulator on the gun could step that down to a precise 22 psi for me. I did some testing amd proved to myself that this DOES NOT WORK! Reasons: 1. the gun regulator cannot handle that large a delta P with any precision, and 2. even if your gun regulator could handle such a high delta P, the hose pressure will drop tremendously as the compressor’s tank pressure drops – it will not stay at that high pressure. So your gun regulator is going to play hell because its inlet pressure is dropping continuously and by a LOT. Exactly as the article says, I keep my hose pressure at 45-50 psi and I try to get my coats done before the tank pressure drops to that pressure because below that pressure, my air delivery will start to change because the delta P at the gunis not longer more or less constant. This and pre-shoot patterning on the wall have kept me from screwing up so far. So yeah this is why larger volume tanks and higher cfm compressors help you cover more surface area per coat.
Great article, and well explained. This is definitely going to help me get used to my new HVLP setup. I couldn’t get my primer to spray yesterday. It was extremely slow coming out and did not fan properly. Adjusting the pressures didn’t help with it. I assume it needed to be thinned. But today with the paint, I feel like I will be better prepared. Thank you
Brian, you do such a nice job with making these articles. By following your instructions I was able to see and understand why using the proper tip size is so crucial especially when spraying 2k primer . with the 1.3 tip I was getting a texture finish the spray pattern was to fine . I just wanted to get a little practice, as you always say consult with the manufacturer, I called them. They said I could reduce the product or switch to a 1.9 / 2.0 tip I am looking forward to doing a little practicing with everything set up properly….
Happy New Year Brian. Another V well explained article, simple and to the point with plenty of examples as usual. Loved the “back yard” spray can article too. This is how i do nearly all my painting, Will do more morning work in the future where possible to avoid the flies etc in the afternoon. Thanks again from the UK
Im using a new gun (Kiwami 4) and having issues with droplet size in base coat. I even have orange peel in the base which is embarrassing. This is happening around 20 PSI. Im going to keep dropping the paint flow dial until droplet size gets better. There’s no worse feeling than having to sand your base off and restarting.
Hey Brian, thanks for the info. The comment I have is that when I was looking at the specs for my paint gun they mentioned both gun pressure and tip pressure. The specs said I should run about 29psi at the gun to achieve the recommended 8-10psi at the tip. I was wondering if your digital measured the pressure closer to the tip and that is why it is set at a lower pressure. Thanks. This DIYer appreciates your articles.
Again learning something new. I always painted high pressure.. now I’ll go set my itelco at 29psi as you showed. My uncle told me to spray at low pressure. Biggest mistake. I end up becoming a paint reaction manager or call my self Mr reaction. Just last night got solvent pop because pressure to low, to much paint at time. I managed to solve it somewhat at the end. I have 100 litre compressor. I use to always paint on 45psi. Good call
Hi. I watched your article regarding the pressure setting for spray guns. I really liked the article as it was very informative. Because my compressor specs wouldn’t support your typical HVLP gun, I purchased a highly rated LVLP gun from Amazon. When I received the gun, it appeared to be solid and good quality. I noticed that the operating pressure range was between 29 and 50psi. That made me say hmmm… since you suggested starting out around 22psi. I must say that this was my FIRST paint project. I thought I was prepared for the project (a hood, bumper cover and spoiler) after perusal a couple of your articles. The gun came with 3 tips/nozzles (1.3, 1.5, 1.7). The first item I painted was the bumper cover with the 1.3 tip and 40psi. The 40 gave a nice texture on paper and gave me a pretty decent paint with some minimal orange peel. I applied the clear coat with great results with some orange peel. My hood turned quite differently as I have quite a bit more orange peel. Overall, I believe the hood paint job is salvageable as I think color sanding will smooth it out. I’m not sure, but could you recommend something different I could try with my LVLP gun to arrive at better results. I feel like my distance from gun to surface was mostly consistent but maybe my speed could’ve been adjusted… maybe slower or faster, I’m not sure. Thank you.
When you set pressure on the wall I like the trick Kevin tetez uses a gauge in a air fitting block that has that plugs into the end of the hose so you know exactly what pressure is at end of the hose just before the gun with air triggered on….just because I may use a 25ft or longer hose on a big job from the wall.
Hello Brian, I’m zaly from Indonesia.. Thanks for exercise Brian.. paint society is a great website for Learn how to set up spray gun, how to set up the air, and how to set up the best finish clear coat… When I start to be a good painter, I watch your website.. Thanks you so much Brian.. God bless you.. And once more, I need your permission to used words “don’t overthinking, it’s just paint”
About the psi at the compressor… At home i tried using my supernovas and in order to actually maintain 26-30 for clear, i did have to bump it at like 110 because otherwise it would not bump at the gun for some reason. Not sure if it was a regulator issue, but tried with 2 of them, also iwatas and had the same result. But when using the lph400 i didn’t need to. I know the lph and novas CFM requirements are quite different, my guess was that because of THAT, is that i had to keep higher psi at the wall. Compressor is 60g/13cfm or so.
I’m a hobbyist perusal these articles (using an Iwata PS-290 and spraying small items) and seeing the same thing with droplet size, the larger droplets are just not blending well together. It’s such a fine balance with the air pressure, paint viscosity and spray distance/speed. Thanks for the explanations.
At 10:52 you mention that the droplets are finer, but to my eye, and this is what it’s all about is ability to judge, it looks almost the same as the first shot you did with the sealer where it was too low of pressure and the droplets re too big and would result in orange peel. When you can see the individual droplets and they’re the size of a BB, it’s pretty obvious that’s too big and too little pressure. But it was also hard to tell the difference between optimum atomization and being too dry, I guess too dry would be too much air pressure. But then we get to the fluid delivery knob, and the combination of that knob combined with air pressure at the regulator is more than a little confusing. And also, if nobody uses the the air pressure knob on the gun, why do the manufacturers keep putting them there? If every regulator is different, the term “regulator” might be quite the misnomer, and a better nomenclature might be “estimator”, or better yet, the infamous, “CFM annihilator”. Also, if the desiccant filter is after the regulator, wouldn’t that affect the actual PSI being delivered to the gun? It seems like it would be better off BEFORE the regulator, so the regulator could regulate the ACTUAL last component air into the gun. Also, we definitely understand that the hose, fittings, etc, all add up to affect the actual PSI and CFM, and at the end of the day, dammit that I hate that cliche, so when the product is ready for delivery, it was your ability to judge the product’s delivery to the recipient surface that dictated the worth of said product.
Hello Brian, from Ecuador 🇪🇨 . Sending you a big hug. I have the same Iwata LVLP gun you show in the article when applying the Sealer. My question is… Should I use the same working pressure of 22 PSI when working on wood and spraying nitrocellulose lacquer? Does the same pressure apply as when you use polyurethane? Thank you.
Brian, I’m going to attempt (??) to paint my 02 Silverado which I have never done. I’m use to spraying lacquer on wood, but never a truck. I have an Eastwood LT100 I just got. The manual says 30lbs for air. Any ideas as where I should start or does that sound right. I’m just looking for a decent job. I don’t expect a job like yours, but something I don’t need to be embarrassed by either. Any help is much appreciated!!
My gun says to use at least 45psi and the paint shop owner told me to spray at 4 bar (60psi?) Isn’t that way to high???. It looks like a normal gravity fed gun. This is my first time painting. My compressor is a 3 cylinder 13cfm. Should I paint at this high psi or dial back the volume and drop the psi to around 35? I played round with a panel and primered it at 35 to 40 psi and had the fan and volume wide open. I ended up with parts of the bonnet having a bumpy gritty feel and after wards I ran my hand over it and it was covered in heaps of paint dust. I’d really appreciate any advice. Thank you.
Thanks for your tips on getting the correct pressure set on my paint gun. I had a similar thing happen to me. Last week I painted my bedroom this bright Alien Green color. Speaking of Aliens, I have something to say about that. Aliens are real. I know for a fact that the two toe alien is a member of the cosmos alien species. They are from the star cluster nebuli galacticas. They are a very timid, but rather friendly species. They mean no harm to the people on earth. They actually have several underground living quarters here in the USA in various States that I swore to them not to disclose to anyone. Back in 2017, I actually met with 3 of these members of this particular species, in a heavily wooded area just South of Auburn, New York. They speak to me telepathically. I found out that for some strange reason their body required no liquid water. As far as food sources for them, the only thing that I have found that they will eat are raw red onion skins. After communicating with them for several hours over various subjects, one of the interesting questions they asked me was “what makes me happy”. I told them and they gave me one of their members to help me out in this matter. I have taught this particular member of their species to give me some “oral sex”. Speaking about something that is out of the world, it was an experience that I will never, ever forget. There is no “suction” involved. It is more of a pulsating and tingly experience. After about 3 minutes in time, I “nutted” like never before in my lifetime.
Thanks very much for your tutorials, I’m finding them really helpful to get me started as a beginner! However, I have a question about this one… I get that the PSI is important to get the right atomisation but you didn’t talk about the paint control setting. Is it fully open? Have you throttled it back? Surely that then has a bearing on your spray pattern etc? Thanks for any advice!
Was getting ready to paint my old car, blocking done. I decided to practice on a panel shooting single stage over sealer, I just can’t seem to not get orange peel. Using a tekna gun 1.3 tip at all kinds of pressures (40 psi was best looking). Now I’m scared to paint car myself, to many hours of blocking to screw it up, lol.
Hi brian thanks for the info I have never painted but always wanted to. I just ran into a steel post and damaged the front and rear right doors on my 2022 Ram truck with two-tone paint. can you help me with that? I would love to talk to you in more detail about that and what I want to do. I am very impressed with your knowledge and your ethics in teaching people. Not many people do that anymore. keep up your lessons.
Thank you Brian for such an educational and informative article. I bought my first spray gun and am about to attempt to spray an engine compartment. I was just out in the shop messing with the gun and not knowing the first thing about what pressures to use. So checking YouTube I found your article and now I’m feeling more confident about just doing it. I was overthinking it… it’s just paint!
I get the pressure drop issue. Recently I sprayed 2k urethane primer at 28 psi and it sprayed like sand. What’s confusing is the product spec sheet says 8-10 psi on Hvlp at the tip with 1.6-1.8 tip. I used 1.7. The pressure converts to 40-50 psi if I understand correctly but the gun says max of 28 psi whic is why I chose 28. . I upped it to 40 psi and it sprayed perfect. Very confusing. It doesn’t say it can be thinned and that would make you spray more coats anyway with more loss in the air. That seems counter productive on a product you want sprayed down heavy.
I thought you adjusted the regulator on the gun wide open and then adjusted actual air pressure from the wall mounted regulator? Preferably a diaphragm type. Otherwise you get increased airspeed at the nozzle causing a more dry spray pattern. I have to know what air pressure I spray at to match certain basecoats. Air pressure alone can drastically change base color.
I know I’m one year late on this article, but can you recommend a air pressure gage at the gun that has a glass lense, not plastic. My efforts to clean the lenses of paint residue causes the plastic to smear and melt due to the chemical cleaners. I believe if I can purchase pressure gages with glass lenses my problem will be solved. Thank you.
A “smoother factory style orange peel” at the 18:36 mark is what you say is consistent with what you want. Most car manufacturers do have a slight orange peel to it, but wouldn’t most want to eliminate it altogether? I enjoy the annual EAA Oshkosh air show where many experimental plane builders put together their own creations. While a few paint jobs might have a slight orange peel, quite a few do not. Is it possible to paint without any color sanding a nice smooth glossy paint job without any orange peel?
I’m digging your articles. I have been a DIY painter over the last 25 years or so and have painted half to all of a vehicle about 16 times. Up until now, I have been using a Sata 90 styled knockoff gun. I’ve been restoring a Karmann Ghia and decided to treat myself to a Devilbiss GPG. It came with a regulator, which I believe is just a cheater. It ready my full supply pressure until I hit the trigger (26ish). This is a cheater, correct? The regulator I used to have would read close to the spray psi and would only drop 2-3 psi at trigger pull. Is this a diaphragm style? I remember hearing you say something about one type over the other. Might you advise me on that, as I want a good setup for the new gun. Thanks and great articles!
Brilliant once again . Thank you Brian. Out of all the other painting website’s on the tube I followed. I only follow 2 now. You have explained in very easy terms for the novice just how to. That is confidence in tackling this process. I can’t thank you enough. I do have one question Dv1 base Dv1 clear?? Why the 4600 for clear? Does the Dv1 clear not give factory orange peel?
Great vid Brian, just one question?. What SCFM is required and how many liters a minute do you require for the DV1 to operate ?. From what i can make from the spec its at 400l/min @ 14.1scfm delivery ?. Just so DIYers like myself buy a compressor fit for purpose . Keep up the great work, every days a learning day . spec on page 8 autorefinishdevilbiss.com/Portals/0/documents/product/SB-E-2-992-DV1-Basecoat-9-2020.pdf
Regarding setting pressure at the compressor: with my home setup, it seems that I can’t get 30psi (or so) at the gun, without having it set pretty high at the wall. I have an 80 gallon compressor in my cellar below the garage. Hard piped up into the garage. Then I have an Eastwood filter/dryer/regulator, then 20ft hose to my filter & regulator at the gub
Let me see if I got this right. Less air = more paint, bigger drops, less atomization, smaller fan. More air = less paint, smaller drops but uneven and smaller fan pattern, but too dry to lay down flat. Set the air source to a little above the approximate psi (+10psi) Keep your paint flow all the open if the gun has the adjustment. Paint volume and Spray pattern dictate the settings.
Hi Brian, another great article! One question tho: how would tip size change your air pressure selection? For instance, if I have a 1.3mm tip in a small gun that lays down base nice, but I want to use a big reservoir gun I only have a 1.7mm for. At 1.7 is there going to be a Goldilocks air pressure and fluid setting or will this big tip always put out too big a droplet?
Thank you Brian for this amazing articles I am a intermediate painter and had face small problem regarding it and by going through your articles I got a good solution for it . Which had so much satisfied me as a painter . Can I request you to provide me a solution for clear coat run, which can help me solve it as well . Once again thank you and appreciate your articles 😊
I have to say, its been almost 50 years since Ive painted. Using acrylic laquer because Im spraying in my garage and looking for driver quality. Sprayed some primers and came out ok, just knew it could be better. After looking at your article, I sprayed primer on my roof. It came out so much better, my fluid adjustment was perfect with very low overspray. Thank you for the tips!
Brian, I so much appreciate you taking the time to teach. I haven’t painted since the 80s (old acrylic enamel days) ha! Things have changed so much every time I watch you it’s a learning experience. Im restoring my 67 Fastback and of course i plan to refinish myself, down the road so I perusal and learning. thanks for all you do.
My last few projects have been nothing but orange peel so I had to figure out what was wrong, after this article I figured out everything I was doing wrong.painted a roll pan for my truck today as a test panel before I jump on my truck again (yes this is going to be the second time I try and paint it) and the pan came out awesome, really hope I can replicate the results from today on the rest of the truck.
Thank you for such an excellent overview Brian. You explained everything brilliantly – and the fact you went into the actual technique and discipline behind it was even better. You’ve inspired me. I’m going to order a 100L air compressor and a few HVLP guns and test out my newfound knowledge. On my sisters car first though 😉
Brian, I just wanted to say thanks, the more I watch your vids, the better I understand the overall concepts, and my projects keep getting better and better. The old school learn by fire methods don’t produce as well despite embracing them for years. It goes to show that just because you’ve been doing something for years doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve been doing it right, or truly understand what’s happening.
Awesome! I really like your enthusiasm and passion to help people. This article really helped me fully understand how to set up my spray gun. All of your examples on your chart were great. Plus you didn’t try to make your article funny or cool with a bunch of unneccessary music or stupid effects. It was very professional!
Hey Brian, really appreciate your articles…easy to understand and very practical. Question: would you use a zahn, or ford cup for proper viscosity and what # cup would you use? Question: what is proper time for the cup you decide to use? I’ve been doing it visually with a stir stick, but it has caused some inconsistency with paint jobs, so I decided I should try a viscosity cup…Your thoughts?
Hi Brian, you’re really amazing. I learned how to paint from this article. I also learned how to use clear coat on your other article. It’s funny, I’ve watched so many articles and they are doesn’t work. But after perusal your article, I succeeded in just 1x try. I have a question for you. It looks like I applied too much clear coat. Do you have any trick or tips how to get perfect clear coat for me? Thank you very much. You’re a great one. I can’t wait to see the next tutorial.
love your articles! When painting at home would it be possible to spay at a lower pressure and maybe less fluid to keep over spay down. would you please discuss spraying in a booth versus spray at home. seem like I have a lot of over spray at home where in a booth the overs pray is sucked away can’t have all the neighbors cars with over spray. thanks
I think you covered things pretty well with the exception of gun pressure. I think you hinted at things, like I think you said that you need more gun pressure to flow more fluid, but you didn’t cover what it looks like when you don’t have enough gun pressure vs how it looks like you have too much. Secondly, a question: you show setting up the gun for about 8-10″ away from the panel. I’ve always assumed “you go at the speed the gun wants to go,” but if you have the distance and pattern set correctly, can you turn down paint flow so you can spray slower without getting dry spray? Say if you are worried about getting a run at some detail or something? I think I’ve tried spacing the gun away from the panel, to go slower which doesn’t work, you very quickly get dry spray from that.
Great article man! I’ve been a subscriber for a week or so. I was thinking about the air pressure thing. You mentioned in a previous article that atomization is better with more air pressure, but you went around 30 psi. My question is: why not 40? 50? Max? If more pressure is better, why not max it out? Thanks for your time!
So I tried setting the fan wide open as you discussed on a iwata az3 hte . The when I squeeze the trigger full nothing came out but air. I had to back off the adjustment for paint to come out. What have I done wrong? Also I think the regulated I had was rubbish the adjustment between 0-100psi was to close. The higher you go above 30psi (say 50-100) cause the paint to be thinner when doing the paper test? Thank you
I bought a 3m 2.0 pps gun and seem to have real issue getting the atomization, I can get a nice fan but the droplets are absolutely huge, also when I run the gun the air pressure drops to 10psi if I open up the regulator it increases a few more psi but never up near 20, the compressor is 100 litre 12bar and I’ve opened the regulator fully at compressor Air out, what the heck am I doing wrong, I’m trying to spray a 1k isolator which says 2 thin coats and ready to spray but I either barely get a dusting or it goes on in big blobs, I’m about 8 inches away from my sheet(s) cardboard I’m practicing on, help 🙏
it seems like the HVLP guns I use recommend around 10 PSI. I’ve noticed in your articles that you seem to be using near 20 psi consistently. Am I doing it wrong? Do I really need to work at getting the air dialed in when I paint? I typically just set it at 10-12 psi going into the gun and leave it. I’ve had decent success, but I have noticed more orange peel especially when i’m painting the hood and deck lids.
Just subscribed to you as I have seen a few of your articles. I have has super results out of a can but now time to move into real spraying. I fly giant Remote Control planes and want to paint them from time to time. You are a great teacher, I love your articles and I think you are great at what you do. I’m glad I found your website. I think you are a genius in your skills. Thanks Bob New York State
I know I’m 2 years late to the party but I also wanted to say thanks for this. I’m getting into guitar refinishing using spray and trying to work out where to start/skills to practise etc. I know that there will be a lot of learning by making mistakes but articles like this are very helpful. Thanks again.
If I have the Inokraft D1 LVLP Drizzle that only comes with 1.3 1.5 and 1.7 but I need to spray metallic single stage paint, would you recommend using the 1.3 or the 1.5, or should I try to find a 1.4 nozzle that will fit it or buy a different gun (beginner here, the last time I sprayed was in high school long ago)
I got an issue I’m looking for help with. I have an Iwata LPH-80 1.2mm (E4 cap) Hvlp mini gun spraying at the Iwata recommended 14 PSI. I’m running off a small 1HP compressor that says its rated for 4cfm @40PSI. When I test spray some water through it I get the full 5.5inch fan pattern but when I put paint in it (properly reduced to paint manufactured specs) my fan pattern shrinks significantly to about 3.5 – 4 inches. Any ideas why this is happening? Is my compressor not supplying enough CFM to push the paint out properly?
i am learning to paint i race motorcycles and i paint my own race bodywork lately been thinkin about helping my friends and pain their race bodyworks but to do all this i need a good reasonable price gun that i can own and pain for fun so i was thinking ANEST IWATA Iwata W-400-134G(1.3mm Nozzle) Bellaria Spray Gun can you tell me about this gun please thank you in advanced
Is dry spray what creates texture when it hits the surface dry? I painted something a few years ago with a thinned oil based paint, and it looked like Linex lol… I swear I was seeing floating strings in the air while spraying, what adjustment did I mess up? Ps: once it dried, it was rock hard and crazy hard to sand down due to being textured. I’d like to know what o messed up so maybe if I have a use for that finish, I could replicate it and also learn to prevent it.
Thank you for your very educational articles. I’m a loyal subscriber. I plan on painting my 91 Firebird in the summer.. it will be going from a white car to a black one. I’m also using a $15 Harbor Freight gun…. since I’ve never sprayed before ( other than rattle cans!!) What is the best materials to use for a beginner and what advice can you offer me?? Thank you… (Steve)
Hi, We are using challenger series of paints, the GAV Record 2000 series spray gun. We finding that the setting pressure at 2.2 Bar is not atomising the paint well enough. We adjusted the fan to wide open and then quarter back, and fluid wide open. We finding that the pressure needs to be set at 4 Bar to atomise. Please advise if this is suitable or we should recheck something.
Hi Bryan I love your articles they have teach me ah lot!!!! I’m a beginner painter and I have a question a painted mi bumper 6 months ago and yesterday I painted again because a break it and what happen is that al the paint cracked and I sand it down and painted again I have done the same thing 4 times and the 4 times it cracked what can it be?
Hi, amazing article by the way, I’m guessing that you teach anyway!! I have a project ( mk1 mx5 in white) which, when I have completed the bodywork, I will be giving it a complete re spray! I have the compressor, guns and hose, but any advice would be really appreciated! I have literally never done this before, I do feel confident I can learn to give a real good finish, I look forward to hearing from you Best wishes Chris ( Devon, England )
Brain, I see your article and really inspired with your work, my colour get fade with rain and sunlight and i am going order air compressor, 5L 2k black color and spray gun; i will try on my trailblazer. please let me know how can start it or share your previous articles link to start and finish. Oh by the way I am from Mideast Dammam KSA. Thank X
When I set the pressure to 2 bar (29psi) at the gun with the trigger pulled it works fine. But when I release the trigger, the gauge at the gun reads like 7 bar (100psi) Is that normal? Am I doing something wrong? I’ve got a 100L (26gal) 2HP compressor and I lose like half a bar (7psi) of pressure when I paint one streak on the roof.
Howdy! I’ve watched several of you articles didn’t over think it and my base coat was HORRIBLE! runs everywhere! temp Warwick 881H gun 78° RH 64% 1:1 PPG Shopline metalic . If I did the 75% overlap runs. if I pulled it back…tiger strips. what is the most likely cause? ( I know there’s lots) I’ve painted a motorcycle before and a car, never had this issue?? Thx!
Very interesting info..I would like to learn the difference of a sealer to a primer and reducer and so on..I just subscribe I would to lear to paint my motorcycle plastics myself instead of paying someone to it. I’ll start with my own parts first…just in case I mess up..and I would like to start with paints that DON’T require to much mixing of chemicals..thanx for your help..👍
Wow! The Gods have aligned the stars in having me stumble upon this article, just as I am embarking on correcting my, new to me, 2012 Lexus CT200H with all its cosmetic faults, e.g. bump & grind parallel parking, front & rear bumpers, crap resprayed front passenger quarter panel and assorted door dings. I call this “urban patina”. Practicing everything from chip repairs, panel repaint, paint correction on this car before restoring my 88 Porsche 944S. Your article adds to my confidence. Greatly appreciate it!
Hey Brian. The only thing I am unsure of is when/why you would need to change the air cap on a gun. I get why you need to change the fluid tip and needle to account for different types and viscosities of paint but, the air cap? I’ve seen a couple of articles where the Youtuber says ‘”I have used ‘X’ size fluid tip and changed to ‘Y’ air cap” but not explained why the change of air cap was needed. Can you throw some light on this?
Hello.. just came Across your articles when I was looking for how to paint single stage paint I started a new position of my work as a painter started painting with single stage paint but not sure exactly how much pressure I should be using to eliminate fish eye and for a nice even blend and glossy surface thank you so much for your articles
Hi- good job! But the air part was weak- 29 psi only? (love that guage) I would have liked to seen what 20 and 40 psi did (especially to the nice edge of the fan)- could you do another article and include that? A lot of the guys perusal are still probably hit and miss on that. And the pressures that work for the different materials ie. basecoat, sealer, clearcoat, primer, blender, etc. That DeVilbiss will do some incredible things at lower pressures and with the TE10cap. This could also be expanded into the different size fluid tips do, too. ( You mentioned what happened with the Iwata- that could be part of this demo…) Thanks for your hard work, I know what a pain it is to put these vids out!
Thank you so much for this article. I’m a hobbyist who purchased an Iwata LPH-80 gun to paint high power rockets. I was really struggling with gun adjustments and getting a decent paint result. Your article (along with the gun cleaning article) made a HUGE difference in my paint finish results. Thanks again!
Definitely an excellent watch. Makes me feel super confident I could even do it. I just looked up the product on eBay. I keeping seeing primer gun, is this not a PAINT gun? Or is it just a generic term? So this is for prime, paint, clear coat? What’s the recommended bottle size too? Great knowledge you’re passing on here ❤️
Hello. I am having a problem with the pattern. After I get the gun set it seems to change about 1/2 way in the job. I do a lot of complete jobs and have tried many different guns do you have anything I should look out for. I like a wide pattern 6″ or so cause I like to lay it on but like I said I start out 6″ pattern then it seems to go to about a 4″ about 1/2 way maybe 2/3 but it does change.
Very Nice article, GREAT info!! In the Facebook Group could you make a chart at what PSI to spray primer, sealer, base, and clear. Also which nozzle is best for each. One more thing how much reducer/hardener should be used at different humidity percentages. I will be painting my Beagle this summer and here in Kentucky the humidity gets high AF and I will be painting in my makeshift paint booth. Thanks!!
Hey bro thanks for your articles they’re extremely helpful. Today while attempting to prep the passenger door on my 2014 Chevy Silverado I got a spider looking flaw, I sanded it down and clean the surface very well, then shot primer and it did the same thing. So I repeated the sanding and cleaning and shot it with sealer and got the same results, Help!
Awesome! What tip size were you running with that sealer? I’ve been having issues with orange peel using epoxy primer. My paint store advises adding reducer which has helped, but certainly not to an acceptable finish that doesn’t require 3 coats of 2k primer and block sanding. Any help is appreciated
I have watched your articles on how to set up your paint gun. Amazing! I decided to paint my car and learned a couple things. One thing i found out the hard way was using rubber gloves. I was painting along and then the sweat just ran out of the glove and down the new paint. Second thing I found was follow the tech sheet for the paint. This single stage paint required 35-45 psi and had the gun at 25 psi and the finish was orange peel. So after waiting a day I sanded the whole car down. I decided to try just doing the front bumper. Sprayed it at 40 psi and it came out amazing. Now I can attempt the rest of the car. Thanks for your articles
This is a great tutorial. The problem I have is that I paint a car about once every 10 or 15 years. Each time I have to learn to set up the gun again. It is really hard to spray enough material through a gun to get it right without wasting all the material. In the past I have “practiced” with the primer coat. With this information, I am hoping I can at least get a good starting point and keep some sort of track of the adjustments. I have an old Craftsman gun (in really good confition – I take good care of it), but they dont make the manual for it any more so I think I will try the 22 psi to start. Thanks for a lifesaver article.
I been sayin for years somebody needs to do auto body and paint consistently on youtube. Your a legend for this man. Your explanations and detail is literally perfect. I might actually give it a shot with some stuff on my rx7, you’ve given me hope. I have A whole library of articles to go through now. thank you dude.
Hi there. Using older Devil gti pro, I am having an issue with constant air going through the nozzle. Paint will come when you squeeze the trigger, but air comes the moment you coonect it to the hose. Am I missing a part somewhere in the gun or am I just dumb or what? Great vid for rookies like me btw (Y)
Great article thank you so much I think it’s great that you explain it in such detail showing how the spray gun should perform I have had some problems spraying before with big droplets not enough air flowing I find when I turn up my air pressure even buy a couple of pounds how the spray gun changes I am using the Sarahjet 2000. That I purchased many years ago when I first started painting I really like the spraygun even though it’s an older model but I am finding that the newer models feel better in my hand and I definitely like the atomization of the spray guns I have tried a couple over the last year or so since I’ve been back in the paining i’m still using solvent bases I have not tried water base paint yet. Since most of the vehicles I work on our older cars and trucks. I’ve noticed that when you’re spraying you do not trigger on and off and you explained it in another article and I totally understand why I’m getting used to it now🙄 and for us guys who are not in professional shops or high output shops but more little quieter older backyard shops it’s really great to see you explain every detail about spraying guns. Thank you so much and keep up the great work😎🤙🇨🇦
Thanks for that article it helped a lot. Ive never done any kind of body work or anything close until I got the bright idea of trying to fix the rust spots and now I’m to the paint process and had no clue what was going on. I’m a visual person so reading doesn’t help much.. not sure if I can send pics in comments but when I’m done I’ll try.. appreciate the article