The AWLGRIP Knowledge challenge

[the1much]

i even go as far to clean up the outside of my hose(painting hose) after each use with my reducer,,then if paint does build up they become my " can i borrow" hose,,,if they dont get eaten up by the reducer before then

[jimslade]

Please be careful spraying 2 part urethanes, they can ruin your liver if you don't wear a good respirator. You can also buy a fisheye eliminator that works well. Just be careful it causes the paint to layout fast and can run.

[the1much]

respirator? is that those thingy's that take all the "good" fumes from us? heh i had one of those once, fer like 2 days,,then after hand lay'n a 65 foot hull,,and i discovered all the "fluids" that collected in it a bit TOO much fer me heh
in fact to spray awl-grip your pose to have a tyvek suite, gloves, and a HOOD WITH FRESH AIR PUMPED TO YA,,positive air flow crappy somethin or whatever
but HONESTLY everyone that sprays should have all that and more.

[Kaptin-Jer]

That's why you should roll and tip!!!

[grady]

What would the best tip size be for all around painting ie.. priming and top coating or should you use different guns with different sized tips.

[the1much]

i use the same set up for primer or top coat,,,fluid nozzle=.046 orifice (#63bss)
fluid needle #663a
air nozzle #63pw
and thats for a pressure pot system
for HVLP its,,fluid .040 (#91)-.046
fluid needle #54-4382
air nozzle #93p
and with all above i recommend plenty of fumes and beer
i have a gun for primer only,,high build only, and top coat only,,,,and NOONE is even allowed to touch any of them,,or even LOOK at my top coat gun

[grady]

Hey Jim do you know the metric conversions for those sizes.

I'm using a 1.2 mm tip HVLP gun but it's a economy model (cheap)

but I plan on investing in a better gun Just for my topcoats a conventional one this time. (middle of the road)

any suggestions on a make and model

[the1much]

my gun and pressure pot is Binks, their the best and have several models ranging in prices.i'll look at mine and see if i can still see their model number.i believe it or not,,my hvlp gun is a dam "harbor freight" special,,cost me like 49 bucks,,and i've painted alot of cars and boats with them lately ( trying to get out of high pressure before government makes me)
they have funny numbers too,,i'll check em tomorrow and tell ya what they are..yours sound close tho.i think the first tip i tried was like 1.7 or 1.4,,the .7 blew it out like a fire hose heheeh( good thing i forseen it and added to the quote before hand )

[Jimbo1490]

It depends on what you mean by primer, I guess. I shoot mil spec primer and most topcoat with a Graco ProXS2 ES gun with a .055 (1.5mm) fluid nozzle. For the heavy primer surfacers I use a conventional gun, a Devilbiss JGA (I forget what nozzle but I think it's big, like .070") Metallics go through a different gun yet, a Sharpe 975 with clear coat air cap and .047" fluid nozzle

I don't care for HVLP guns shooting Awl Grip, though I have to admit that the Accuspray did OK. I got one free as a demo unit back in the 90's but ultimately went with a Graco Pro3500 SC, which was replaced by the ProXS2. The Graco cost 10X what the Accuspray cost ($350 vs $3500) but it paid for itself quickly in saved paint.

If you shoot things made of metal the ES gun is the way to go! It's like getting a 50% discount on paint. Probably won't help that much in the boat business since boats are not usually metal until they start calling them 'ships'

It has not been mentioned but the pressure at the gun is very important to getting a good finish with Awl Grip. It should be NO LESS than 60PSI (If you setup can't maintain at least 60 PSI, you prob'ly should not shoot until you get a bigger compressor) 70-80 PSI being ideal. This is with a conventional gun. Remember that this is pressure AT THE GUN with the trigger pulled, which may be quite different than the pressure at the regulator and with the trigger released.

Jimbo

[jimslade]

I use a 1.5 tip for primer and a 1.3 Satajet gun for base clear and single stage urethanes. To get the proper pressure readings you need HVLP air fittings. They are larger than the standard 3/8 fitting. I use a 50ft hose and run 80 psi. at the regulator.

[the1much]

with a pressure pot, your pot should read 8-12lbs,with 50-60 lbs atomization,,,,with a cup gun and primer and high build,,,should be 50-60 lbs.
and with hvlp should be at least and not fall below 80 lbs
you can even shoot all this with an airless, with a .028-.043,,
isnt that "slow painting" called AIRLESS Kapt? hehehe

[grady]

The majority of the primer I've used was awlgrip's 545, I tried some high build but didn't really like the results.

The tip recommendations for their products by awlgrip, leaving some room for conversion misalignment, was right around 1.1mm if I remember correctly.

But it seems as though you guy's are all using larger tips.

As far as the compressor goes, I hope and pray that I don't have to buy a larger unit. I should be able to modify my application technique to give the compressor some breathing room. After all it is a relatively small boat.

[the1much]

high build is for more fine fairing then anything else,,,but MAN aint it hard!! as in as a rock,,and dont customers pay big bucks to have me sand that "stuff"
i jus checked my hvlp and its a 1.0mm and it doesnt seem much difference then my pot gun <fumes again heh)

[grady]

I've got a line on a couple of guns.

A devilbiss jga 510 with 1.4 mm tip for $193.00

or a binks 2001 (that a model # not product year)

Is it true that you need a larger tip to achieve higher pressure at the tip?

[grady]

the binks was $173.00