Earlex 5000 users - need input!!

[John Keeton]

Just bought the Earlex 5000 while on sale at Woodcraft. I have very limited spray experience, and then only with paint. I want to use this to apply finish to my furniture projects, and there appear to be many positive reviews on the Target finishes.

Before I run out and buy a gallon of finish (sounds like a LOT of finish for a weekend worker!), I would appreciate having your comments of things to do, and things to avoid. What are your favorite finishes, and what should I watch out for?

What are your worst finishes?

Thanks!!

[Neal Clayton]

since you have limited options for flow control with these earlex sprayers, the most important thing is to find a sweet spot of flow and spray pattern that works and leave it alone.

due to its runny nature and low cost, shellac would probably be a good finish to test with to get a hang of the gun.

in general...

spraying too little doesn't hurt anything, spraying too much leaves an orange peel/alligatored/etc finish. so the idea is to test a finish with a bit too much flow, and a bit too concentrated a spray pattern, and dial back the flow and open up the pattern until you get satisfactory results. then that's what you stick with for that particular finish.

[Barry Vabeach]

John, one great thing to get ( which should be cheap except for the shipping ) is a viscosity cup and a notebook. It doesn't matter which cup you get, so long as you stay consistent. Temperature affects viscosity, and since you can't make a finish thicker, many come thicker than you may want it and you are expected to thin it to work with your system. If you buy a gallon, which is a lot, pour off some into a smaller container and check the viscosity, noting the temperature of the room ( not all that precise, but 70 v 95 is a big diff ). Then try spraying it, then add a little water, then spray, until you are getting good results - then measure that viscosity and you know what to shoot for. In terms of gun setup, one goal to to hold the trigger for a full second 10 - 12 inches from your test piece ( cardboard works well after you have used it a few times, the first time it is too dry and will just soak up the fluid ) and then look at it a few seconds - is the fan the width you want, has the material started to run ( if so dial down the fluid or widen the fan ) you have the setup dialed in well if you see a full fan shaped like a cigar, evenly moist from center to ends and no runs. Good luck.

[Jim McFarland]

No experience with the Earlex, but very happy with Target Coatings EM6000 (replaces Target USL). Burns-in like traditional lacquer and you can also rub it out to desired sheen if you're not happy with the off the gun finish. The Finishing Zone has it on sale for 35% off until May 31 -- use promo code "ANV0509" to get the additional 10% off. I would recommend at least 1 gallon -- IME, the finish has a shelf life of at least a year -- I've always finished off the gallon in that time frame, anyway and I only spray smaller projects (a couple of times a month on average).

Edit to add: To be accurate -- 1 year shelf life was for USL -- I've only used the replacement EM6000 for a couple of months but from what I've read it's the same base product with a few improvements.

[Josh Rudolph]

John,

I too am new to the spray finishing world with the exact same setup as you. I am going through the same decision processes as you right now as to which to start spraying with. I have sprayed General Finishes Sanding Sealer and the High Performance Poly. Since then I won a gallon of Target Coatings EM2000WVX. I have not had a reason to spray it, but should here in a couple of weeks.

The General sprayed on a little orange peelish, but I 100% believe that was from me not having a clue what I was doing. However it leveled out as it dried and looked very good. So I lucked out.

The Target Coatings are also rumored to be very forgiving. I would not be hesitant to use either General Finishes or Target Coatings. You may want to go to Target Coatings and then poke around in their forum a little. From what little bit I read in there, there seems to be quite a bit of good info and the President of the company appeared to be chiming in on the majority of the questions.

I have been doing a lot of reading and bought some DVD's on finishing since then. The next round will hopefully be better. I am definitely excited about learning to spray finish.

Good luck and let us know how things work out.

Josh

[Rob Cunningham]

John,
The EM6000 is very user friendly. It might have a little orange peel look when first sprayed, but will level out as it dries. Don't spray it too heavy, 2-3 wet mils is good. If you don't have a wet mil gauge, I would suggest investing a couple of bucks for one. Use it for a while and you will develop an eye for spraying the proper thickness. Good luck.

[Al Navas]

... I want to use this to apply finish to my furniture projects, and there appear to be many positive reviews on the Target finishes.

Before I run out and buy a gallon of finish (sounds like a LOT of finish for a weekend worker!), I would appreciate having your comments of things to do, and things to avoid. What are your favorite finishes, and what should I watch out for?

What are your worst finishes?...

John,

I believe Target Coatings is at the forefront of the waterborne technology - their shellac, lacquer, and alkyd varnish should prove quite good for many of your applications. Their forum is quite good, and Jeff Weiss (President) answers many of the questions himself, as Josh already pointed out.

Some things to do, and some to avoid (although I use a Fuji Pro Q3, some of the principles apply):

To do:

• Practice, practice, practice - I used water for a while, then switched to the least-expensive coating. Worked great!
• Best setup I came up with was some Kraft paper spread on the back panel of the spray booth. You can see my booth setup at this thread on SMC.
• At every spray setup, change the distance to the Kraft paper - this will give you a good idea of how the pattern changes. It is critical you have a feel for this, as orange peel is the result of spraying too far from the target surface, at too low flow rate.
• Overlap your passes about 30% to 50%. Learn how changing this affects the amount of fluid, and the quality of the results.
• Maintain a constant speed, and move the spray gun in a straight line; pull the trigger before you get to the surface, and continue pressing it until you beyond the surface being sprayed.
• I have started incorporating the SA5 retarder / smoother (available from Target Coatings) into the EM2000 I spray. The results are great, as the SA5 truly helps with leveling of the finish.
• Sand lightly between coats with 600 grit sandpaper, available from Homestead Finishing Products (Jeff Jewitt). This grit will minimize the risk of cutting through the finish too quickly, while leveling all dust nibs, etc. Sometimes I sand using a small cutoff folded in quarters, using my fingers; for larger surfaces I sometimes use a sanding block, but get near corners with a small sandpaper cutoff, folded in quarters. It is amazing how well your fingertips telegraph how well you have sanded an area, even with this grit.
• Wear a respirator. Waterborne coatings contain solvents you want to avoid breathing.
• Have an air exhaust system, away from the machinery in the shop. Some folks prefer to simply cover their machines. But you can get a mess if not exhausting to the outside. You can read this article by Jeff Jewitt on how to build a spray booth inexpensively, or seach my blog to learn how I did it using inexpensive foam insulation sheets but an explosion-proof exhaust fan.
• Get a good book on finishing, and spraying in particular. Google is your friend on this one.

What not to do:

• Rush. Take your time, and be patient. Just like using a hand plane takes time to learn, learning to spray your finish takes a little patience, too.
• Spray from too far off the target surfaces.
• Rush.
• Rush...

This off the top of my head, John. I am certain I have missed something important. I hope someone else will add to the list.


.

[John Keeton]

Thanks guys for the comments and suggestions!!

Neal, I will start with the shellac - sounds like a good plan. Also, from what I understand, if I use Sealcoat as a first coat, I will not get as much grain raising.

Barry, the viscosity cup and mil gauge are next on the list - and the notebook! And, as Al says - practice, practice, practice, but don't rush

Jim and Rob, I pulled the trigger today on a gallon of EM 6000 - thanks for the tip on the sale and extra discount - that was a great deal! Net delivered - $40.47!! That is cheaper than any other finish I have been using.

Josh, I will try to post some early results from my attempts - it will be a couple of weeks as I have some family and other stuff going on.

And Al, as always, you are a wealth of information! I appreciate very much the links. I took a look at your setup, and Jeff's article - I think I recall seeing that in FWW. I read up on the EM2000, and overall, I think it sounds like a great finish. But, I like the possibility of finishing 3-4 coats in a day. I will start out with the EM 6000, and after getting the hang of this, I may try the 2000. Of course, I gotta build something to finish now!! Too late for the hutch I really wish I had made the switch to spray finishes before starting such a project - sure would have been easier.

Still open for input here if anyone else has some helpful do's and don'ts.

[Neal Clayton]

Neal, I will start with the shellac - sounds like a good plan. Also, from what I understand, if I use Sealcoat as a first coat, I will not get as much grain raising.

spraying in general will reduce grain raising. the natural tendency of a brush is to push the finish into the wood. for some finishes that's beneficial, like with paint primer.

spraying will all but eliminate over absorption.

[Josh Rudolph]

John,

Your Earlex 5000 did not come with a viscosity cup? Mine did and I just assumed they were standard with the system.

I will be getting a mil-card here soon, I would think that would be something that comes standard also...oh well.

Josh

[Al Navas]

...the viscosity cup and mil gauge are next on the list...

John,

Many companies, like Sherwin Williams, will keep several gauges in the store, as a give-away item when you purchase something. If you go in, buy a bunch of their fine paper filters (you must filter the coating every time, anyway), and ask about a gauge.

I forgot to add in the earlier post: Filter your coatings as you pour them into the spray cup.

If you use the satin finish, stir it thoroughly before filtering to mix in the flattening agents, then pour through the paper filter into the cup for your spray system:

...But, I like the possibility of finishing 3-4 coats in a day...

Although 3-4 coats per day are possible if no dust nibs get on the surface, the amount of sanding one must do in between coats will likely reduce that number. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of going over the entire surface between coats. Some folks will skip this and do it only at the end, but I have learned it really is something I want to keep doing.


.

[John Keeton]

John,

Your Earlex 5000 did not come with a viscosity cup? Mine did and I just assumed they were standard with the system.

I will be getting a mil-card here soon, I would think that would be something that comes standard also...oh well.

Josh

Josh, don't know as I haven't opened the box yet Better look before I buy one. Did you get yours from Woodcraft?

Thanks for the tip on the gauge Al - I will stop by Sherwin Williams today.

Al, what do you use to sand between coats? Doesn't the paper need to be stearate free?

[Josh Rudolph]

I did get mine from woodcraft, about a year ago when they were running a deal. I'd be willing to bet you have a viscosity cup in the kit.

[Neal Clayton]

yeah mine came with one too. i would also recommend getting whichever needle kit didn't come with the gun. i forget which it is, i think it comes with a 1.5mm and there's also a 2mm. 2mm will give you a bit more control over thinner finishes.

personally i use steel wool between coats. you're gonna have to tack cloth the piece after doing anything between coats anyway, so doesn't really matter, imo.

[Al Navas]

...Thanks for the tip on the gauge Al - I will stop by Sherwin Williams today.

Al, what do you use to sand between coats? Doesn't the paper need to be stearate free?

John,

You are welcome on the tip, re. the wet thickness gauge.

On steel wool: I suggest you stay away from steel wool when using waterborne coatings. They will cause rust stains, and are not worth the aggravation if you start having this problem.

On the sandpaper: I ordered the 600 grip paper from Homestead Finishing, Jeff Jewitt's company. You can download their Catalog at this link. Although I am not in the shop right now, I seem to remember my order was for the 3M 216u Fre-Cut Gold, item #9600 - 600 grit paper. I believe that this paper has a small amount of stearates, which is OK. Stearates in other sandpapers, such as the 3X stuff available at the BORG, is a no-no.

You may want to call Jeff Jewitt and talk to the man himself. He is a finishing and refinishing guru, and will confirm your needs.

BTW, Neal is correct, and I forgot to mention it: After sanding, always use a slightly wet lint-free cloth to remove the loose coating powder. This will go a long way to making sure you will have a smooth finish.


.