Reply 1
Matt,
Thanks for your enquiry regarding Iwata spray guns.
HVLP Spray guns run at lower air pressures than more conventional guns but do not necesarilly consume less air because they work on large volumes of air. HVLP guns can be a bit tricky to set up correctly as you need to monitor the air pressure at the gun inlet closely to get the best from them. They also tend to be more expensive.
As you are spraying acrylics I would strongly suggest you look at a spray gun that is rated as High Transfer Efficient or High TEC. This means that the gun has been designed to transfer more of the paint product to the surface and reduce the amount of overspray. In general they operate at pressures higher than HVLP but lower than conventional guns and are easier to handle. Acrylics by their nature contain a high proportion of solvent so the more you can reduce overspray and wastage the better.
I would also suggest you use a gravity gun. They tend to give a better more even flow of paint throughout the gun, the use less air because gravity does some of the work in getting the paint to the gun nozzle and you will find it much easier to paint the large flat areas such as the bonnet and roof because you can get the gun head closer to the surface without the fear of rubbing the pot against it.
Have a look at our website for further information, but in particular view the following:
Standard:
Suction Guns: W200, AZ10, W100
Gravity Guns:
W400, AZ3, W100
HVLP:
Suction Guns: LPH100
LPH200 Gravity
Guns: LPH400LV, LPH100LV
These guns range in price from around $200 to over $700. If you let me know where you are I can put you in touch with a local agent.
Cormack Anest Iwata
Unit 3, 10 Boden Road
Seven Hills NSW
2147
Phone: 02 9853 2000
Direct: 02 9853 2028
Fax: 02 9853 2090
Web:
www.anest-iwata.com.au
Reply 2
You can spray acrylics with HVLP but with whatever your final choice is you need a nozzle needle size of 1.8mm or 2.0mm in size. For this reason and because the WB was designed for high solids paints ( acrylics are low solids ), go for the standard W400 not the WB model. As a back up choice if price is an issue have a look at AZ3HTE in a 1.8 set up. Our website has under each gun a selection chart of model / set up size / paint material.
Gun prices vary widely depending on how aggresive the reseller is so shop around - most of the auto paint sellers cary our guns.
Special thanks to Karl Isherwood for the responses.
NOTE: I ended up going with the Iwata W400 which is a very good (and very popular) gun for spraying acrylic lacquer and is a high TEC gun. This is a similar concept to HVLP but still has a higher air pressure than HVLP but obviously a lower volume. Here is a link to the PDF document outlining the specs of the gun.
Site Name |
Rating/Comments |
| DeVilbiss Automotive Refinishing | The main rival to Iwata as far as professional sprayguns are concerned (IHMO). Still had trouble finding a flexible gun in the DeVilbiss range. |
| SATA Homepage | Sata sprayguns homepage. Lots of info on their products. Haven't heard that much about Sata guns but have heard that they are good, and being German (I think) they probably are. |
| Autobodystore.com | A equipment sales site but with good info on guns and car spraying |
| Four Wheeler Learning to Spray | Good tutorial on spraying expoxy primers and the like (please note that 2 pack paints require extensive breathing equipment as they contain iso-cyanates who's active ingredient is cyanide! Get the picture) |
| FX FJ Holden Home Page - Paint Technical | Very good page of FAQ's and deals with all types of paint |
| G n G Sales | Australian mob that sells spray guns. Haven't used them so no idea how good they are. |
| Gravity Feed vs Conventional Feed Spray Guns | An explanation of the difference between suction and gravity feed guns. Most people recommend gravity feed irrespective of gun type. |
| How to Color-Sand a New Paint Job | Tutorial on sanding clear coats, but unfortunately I think this relates to 2 pack, basecoat/clearcoat applications |
| http--www.binks.com-literature-sales-HVLPR-3.pdf | Sales pitch from Binks on their HVLP gun but has some interesting tidbits on HVLP guns |
| HVLP Paint Spray Guns | A little tutorial about HVLP guns and tip selection. Slightly disagree with the author's opinion that HVLP guns are easier to use than most other sprayguns. But then I ain't no expert either! |
| Information Source and more SPRAY PAINTING | Huge amount of links on this page about spray painting and also the hazards of spray painting |
| Paint Your Car at Home | A good step by step guide to painting your car at home. View this one! |
| PAINTING | Another good site with a short explanation on how to spray acrylics at home and save yourself some money. Gives you a good basic grounding. |
| Pearl paint jobs | Information on different types of paints |
| Permanent Painted Coatings | All you ever wanted to know about POR15. This is a very tough solvent invincible coating. Only trouble is it is very toxic so watch out |
| quickdir.com - car paint job | Another large listing of site on paint purchase and DIY paintjobs. |
| S2002 HVLP Gun | HVLP Spray Guns |
| Spray
Guns - Wholesale Industrial Supply Warehouse sell ing direct to corporations, businesses and individuals. |
FAQ's about automotive spray painting and info on different types of guns etc. |
| Spray Guns | Good examples of the different DeVilbiss spray guns and other types. |
| Spray Guns | One man's description of painting a landrover. Not a bad article but a little light on, on details. |
| Welle Auto Supply-Online! | Explanation of the different House of Kolor paint types. Not really that applicable to Australia unless someone know whether they have a distributor here. I have seen this group come up alot in my web travels researching painting cars. |
| http://www.qldsprayequip.com.au/ | Sales site located in QLD. Sales of all the big brands of gun etc including DeVilbiss, Iwata, Sata etc. |
| http--www.cormack.com.au | The Iwata homesite in Oz. Great spec sheets on each model so you can really decide which one you want to go for. Great site. Also if you send them an email they get back to you (see replies above). |
| Just Another Mini | A guy (Anton) from the Ausmini forum with good info on spraying Acrylics at home. All based on first hand experience. Very good site on all things Mini too. |
| AA Air Compressor Hire - Iwata Air Spray Guns | About compressor hire but gives good info on what type of compressor is needed. The only trouble being that it is unlikely that you will ever be able to afford the kind of compressors professionals recommend. I have an 80ltr 3hp compressor and this is small compared to the sizes and output they recommend (somewhere in the region of 5hp+, 2 phase or greater, 200ltr and 20CFM at 90PSI! Get real, if you are interested these cost $2000 minimum and are not moveable.) |
| 5 Star Autobody Products Primers & Primer Surfacers | 5 Star are an American mob producing automotive paints. This link takes you to one of their products and gives you the lowdown on how to mix it and specs on painting. |
| Automotive Body Repair News - Paint Shop | ABRN is a good site. Has plenty of free articles on just about every aspect of automotive repair. This link takes you to the paint section. |
| Automotive Painting - Applying Paint | Very good article discussing the general aspects of automotive spray painting and gives the novice a good grounding in paint application |
| FAQ Substrates | Stuff about golden paints, explains a few things about paint, not completely applicable but might answer a few questions. |