Speaking of painting

[OBXTucker]

So as to not derail Jim's thread (he's tired of painting and wants to start cruising again anyway!), I wanted to ask people's opinions of this product:

http://shop.preval.com/collections/vfan/products/complete-vfan-system

As discussed in another thread, I'm in the process of restoring an older Whaler Montauk. She's been cleaned up, compounded and ready for paint. Honestly, she looks pretty darn good after hours of compound buffing, but since all the hardware is off, I might as well paint the deck and rails.

The Praval vFan system listed above looks perfect for the job. Additionally, I thought this would be great to leave about our LRC for touch ups.

Any thoughts? Anyone used one of these?

 

[34Hatt]

Do you want to retire while doing it

If its buffed out and your satisfied I would leave it as is!

 

[jim rosenthal]

Don't forget I still need to do the deck box.... would this work with my little Sears compressor, I wonder...... looks like a neat toy.

Jeff, you should just put your Whaler back together and not embark on a painting jihad like I did...

 

[OBXTucker]

Oh come on Jim! Life is full of these joys and nightmares! LOL
Some are surprises, others (like this) are self inflicted!

Seriously though, I may not undertake the boat, but I'm going to at least start with the engine and cowling. It's 28 years old, looks like crap and in need of a major facelift. This little toy should be perfect for that job and other smaller touch ups.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

That little air brush is too small for the job. Get an automotive detail gun.

http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-detail-spray-gun-92126.html

 

[jim rosenthal]

Good idea. And maybe I can run it from my compressor, I will check it out.

 

[OBXTucker]

Puurdy color!

 

[the kuz]

I have used a similar trim gun from Harbor Freight (spraying Imron) with good results on small to medium surfaces (cabin door, front window eyebrow, etc.). Practice a little (you can even use mineral spirits on a cardboard box to get the hang of the coverage/pattern). Start on flat surfaces if you can. I have also used the little airbrushes from Harbor Freight (they don't last long, but at $10.00 or $5.99 on sale who cares). Buy several and toss when they start to clog/sputter and no longer put out a nice even fan pattern. I have cleaned them but eventually they go bad. They are great for small areas/items, like toe rail sections but only hold an once or two of paint. That will cover about a 5 SQFT area wiith a good coat or a little more with a thin/tack coat. You can't keep a wet edge on anything wider than about 10 inches to a foot with the airbrush, so the trim gun is absolutely needed for anything bigger. I like the airbrush where it will work because you can get very little overspray. You can mix 4 to 6 ounces of Imron and get it applied in the cure time even with the air brush if you have several of the little glass jars ready for the airbrush. I keep the mixed Imron refrerated and that slows the cure a little. Both the airbrush and the trim gun work fine with a regular air compressor like you would use for air tools since max air of 3.0 CFM @ 50 PSI is in spec for most of them. If you have a water drain on the compressor tank, it is a good idea to drain the tank and be sure there is no condensed water in there before spraying, but I have not had ta problem with that either. All the spraying I have done has been at 30 - 35 PSI. The little 1/4 inch hose that comes with the airbrush is junk, but will work if you are carefull not to pull on it.

I'm certainly not a professional, but wanted to pass on my personnal experiences with these inexpensive sprayers. With proper prep and a little practice, you can get a nice results. Makes me wonder what a person could do with a good gun and more practice. Remember to use a real mask or breathing air. Spray from wet to dry, downwind and in an open area if you can. I like Imron or some other paint that is the same all the way through so that I can rub out my runs and/or mistakes. Not too hard to get very nice results on small areas/items and touch ups.

Good luck, Bob K

 

[krush]

come on guys....if you are going to be spraying expensive paint, why not spend a few bucks and at least get a decent HVLP gun? It will save you in the long run.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I love HVLP guns, and have used them to paint cars, but Azko/Nobel, the folks who make AwlGrip, don't like them. They mention them in the instructions and procedure books, and not in a favorable way. I think, though, that if I were in the business, I'd have them and teach them how to spray AwlGrip. I can't speak for Imron and the other paints. I think HVLP guns are great, and ought to be first call for all of this kind of work.

 

[krush]

Ok, well at least a decent well made gun. I think we all can agree that with the cost of paint and trouble of preparing, having a quality gun is important.