Spray gun / compressor combo recommendation

So I recently retired and always wanted to refinish tables / chairs so now I am ready.

I was wondering what recommendations you guys might have for spraying lacquer (which is what I am looking to do). I don't want to get too expensive with guns, nozzles and compressor but some combo that would give me a nice finish (yes, talent needs to be factored in).

Also, I would appreciate a suggestion or two on what lacquer to use and where I could get it. I see a lot of "brushing lacquer" out there.....not sure you can use it to spray.

I thank you in advance for any ideas that you may have.......

Frank, do you have or are you planning to build a spray booth that can handle flammable solvents? If not, I would suggest you forget about lacquer. There are plenty of excellent water borne finishes today that will do everything you ask of them. They can be sprayed indoors with low cost venting, lighting, and PPE.

You can spend a little or a lot on spray equipment without major difference in the results. I spent a little and get very good results. If you want really simple, get an Earlex or other turbine unit because they have done all the work to make sure everything works together.

John

Thank you John. I do not have a spray booth presently but it wouldn't take me long to build one which I will probably do regardless of what I choose for product or equipment. Bt water borne finishes I assume you are referring to EM6000 and the such. I had not looked too much into that product line since I plan on spraying in "cold weather"....either outside or in my garage where the temps are in the 40's at the worse and more like the 50's to lower 60's.

As for the Earlex, I really never looked at that system.....I was looking at some inexpensive gun combo from Harbor Freight or wherever. I will take a look at these and do a little investigating.

Thanks again.

Frank, please be aware that you need exhaust with an explosion proof fan and motor to vent a spray booth if you spray solvent based products like NC lacquer. Same thing for the lighting and anything else electrical. If you set something like that up in your home, garage, etc. and have a fire your insurance company might not pay. The benefit didn't outweigh the cost and risks for me. That's why I spray water borne products only plus shellac. I use pretty much only those from General Finishes, specifically EnduroVar, Enduro Clear Poly, and High Performance Poly. They require a minimum temp. of 60 F for some, 65 F for others. In my heated basement shop that's not a problem, nor is ventilation which I accomplish with my DC fan, bypassing the bags, and venting out a window.

My spray outfit is very modest but does a good job for me. I use low cost guns, including one from HF (purple with a 1.4 mm needle) which I bought for $9.95 on sale. It sprays low viscosity products like shellac and Clear Poly great. I have a 60 gal compressor that puts out around 10 CFM at 40 psi that more than meets my needs. I bought it used about 5 years ago for $300. I use nothing more than the regulator/separator that came with it on the tank. At the gun inlet I use a plastic in-line filter and mini regulator to adjust the final pressure to the gun. The other HVLP gravity feed guns I have I bought from my local auto body paint supplier. I paid about $100 for a 3 gun set including a 1.0 mm orifice detail gun, and a 1.4 and 1.8 mm gun for larger work. He told me if I wasn't satisfied how they sprayed that he would take them back - I still have them 4 years later. They spray very well and are easy to clean/maintain. They aren't even stainless internals but I've not had any corrosion issues spraying WB products with them. I just make sure to clean them when I'm done for the day and spray air through them afterwards to make sure they are dry.

You can spend a lot on spraying - but you don't have to to get good results. I mentioned the Earlex just because no thinking is required. Read the directions and expect good results. With the compressor, conversion gun approach you have to figure more things out on your own or by reading stuff on-line or someone's book. It's not very hard though and well worth the effort.

If you saw my posting on the Dressers in the Projects Forum recently, you saw how nice a finish low cost guns can put out.

Hope that helps some.

John