Earlex Spray Station HV5500 HVLP

[Doug Colombo]

I am looking to purchase a HVLP system for spraying stain, finishes, and also possibility some latex / oil paint. Has anyone had any experience with the Earlex HVLP system ?

[Curt Harms]

Not sure about latex & oil paints unless you thin 'em a bunch. The Earlex 5000 is a 2 wheel machine that doesn't produce all that much pressure. Due to having a pressurized cup it feeds pretty well. I haven't done any major projects since I got mine and have used it mostly with acrylic enamel. I thinned that maybe 10% with water and it went on well and has held up well in exterior applications-porch post, trellises and the like. Mine came with a viscosity cup. It should work great for most wood finishes I'd think and you can get different sized needle/air cap sets.

[John McClanahan]

I watched an Earlex demo at the Woodworking Show. The basic model (don't remember the model number) doesn't spray latex very well, but sprays oil based finishes fairly well. The higher priced model does a better job with latex.

John

[alex grams]

Here is a good video review from the Wood Whisprer

[Doug Colombo]

Thanks for the info and the video link - it was good to see the unit operate and how it works. Most of the spraying will be finishes, so it sounds like this may be the way to go.

[Paul Ryan]

My 5500 just showed up on thursday and I had a chance to spray that afternoon. I sprayed a waterborne top coat and it worked very well with a 1.5mm needle. I guess that 5500 produces about twice the air flow as the 5000 so it will spray more materials with out thinning. The waterborne stuff I sprayed was really runny so it had no problem spraying it. The system will handle any un-thinned material with a viscosity of 160 sec or less in a #2 zahn cup. The finish I sprayed was 26 sec. I was very happy with the system though. I went from an auto body siphon gun to this system. The earlex is much more simple I wish I would have made the change sooner.

[Doug Colombo]

My 5500 just showed up on thursday and I had a chance to spray that afternoon. I sprayed a waterborne top coat and it worked very well with a 1.5mm needle. I guess that 5500 produces about twice the air flow as the 5000 so it will spray more materials with out thinning. The waterborne stuff I sprayed was really runny so it had no problem spraying it. The system will handle any un-thinned material with a viscosity of 160 sec or less in a #2 zahn cup. The finish I sprayed was 26 sec. I was very happy with the system though. I went from an auto body siphon gun to this system. The earlex is much more simple I wish I would have made the change sooner.

Great to hear that you are happy with the unit. I think I am going to order mine this weekend. Where did you purchase yours from ?

[Paul Ryan]

I bought it from woodwerks. It included the 1.5mm needle and a pair of coverals that wont ever get worn. The price was fair considering it is a new model. I was just about to buy the 5000 a package through woodworkers supply for a few bucks less than the 5500 with 1.5 needle. Highland woodworking had just the 5000 no other acc. for $249.00.

[Doug Colombo]

From the specs it looks like it is well worth getting the 5500 vs the 5000. I just looked at the Woodwerks site and may just order it through them (vs Amazon). I chatted with Woodcraft yesterday to see if they would price match (I have a Woodcraft not far from my home), but at least on line they said no. May call the store before I order, but am planning on getting it ordered or picked up at the store this weekend. Thanks !

[paul cottingham]

Do you think you could spray shellac with it? or tried and true?

Sorry for the hijack....

[Paul Ryan]

Paul,

I dont use shellac so I dont know for sure. But I have heard of other guys using the 5000 to spray shellac, so I dont see why the 5500 unit couldn't do it.

[Steve Schoene]

Shellac can be thinned to any desired viscosity and should work just fine. Start with about 1 1/2 to 2 lb. cut.

I can't imagine wanting to spray any of the Tried and True products. They dry slowly--the varnish oil dries at glacial pace. That means the droplets of overspray WILL be still wet when they land on anything in your space. The Danish Oil still needs to be wiped off, but is so easy to wipe on that cleaning a spray gun would be morework than wiping it on almost any sized project. The Varnish Oil just couldn't handle being sprayed. You would get too much on the surface, and that would me it would virtually never cure. Varnishes need metallic driers to work well and taking them out for bogus marketing reasons leaves a very substandard product.