Would an Earlex Sprayport 6002 make sense for what I need to do?

[Dave Schreib]

I am a DIY/woodworking hobbyist. Most of my projects have been things like mudroom benches, built in closet systems, etc. Typically I have painted these with latex paint and a brush/roller - and been happy with the results. I have used latex paint simply because it's what I am familiar with.

We are building a new house and I have 4-5 of these projects lined up. I recently saw an ad for the Earlex Sprayport 6002 (2 stage) sprayer and got thinking that it might be a good edition to my tool collection.

I read that a 2 stage unit would not be great for latex paint. I also read that there are other finish options that would get me that white painted look by using other finishing products - but I dont know what those are.

So if the goal is to have a nice white finish on these types of projects is there a product that I can spray on with an Earlex Sprayport 6002 that will give me a better result than what I can do with a brush/roller? As an aside, I might like to build myself some office furniture some day and the sprayer would also be used for that project.

Thanks

[John TenEyck]

I have no experience with an Earlex, so take this for what it's worth. Most people think you need at least a 3 stage turbine, but a lot of others report good results with the Earlex 5500 (I think; a 5000 series for sure), and that is a lower end unit than the 6200 - on sale at Peachtree right now.

You definitely want something other than latex wall paint when painting cabinets and furniture, regardless of how you apply it. WB Acrylic trim paint is a big step up, such as SW's ProClassic; or WB oil emulsion paint such as BM's Advance are both very good paints. They go on beautifully with a brush, fine roller, or by spraying. For spraying you likely will need to thin them unless you have a gun specifically designed to handle their high viscosity. In the spray only catagory, GF's White Enduro Poly sprays beautifully, again with a gun designed for its high viscosity. Are you getting the idea that most paint type products have a high viscosity? Most do. However, there are lower viscosity, WB alternatives, such as ML Campbell's Aqualente, which has a viscosity of only 35 seconds #4 Ford cup, no higher than many clear finishes.

My advise is to research which products you'd like to use and buy a gun that is capable of spraying them w/o thinning, or with minimal thinning. A pressurized cup is almost a must for the higher viscosity products, and I believe the Earlex has that feature. You will also need to match the needle/nozzle to the paint viscosity, so make sure the gun you buy comes with what you need, or that you can buy other combinations for it. And, most importantly, you absolutely need to be able to measure the viscosity of what you want to spray, so buy yourself a cheap $6 #4 Ford cup. Don't believe the viscosity info. the manufacturers put on their literature; while it's often accurate, sometimes it's way off.

John

[Dave Schreib]

Thanks. My preference would be to use a product that I can buy locally and have tinted to whatever I am using. ML Campbell apparently has a distributor in Syracuse. Dont know whether they sell retail or not but I will find out.

[John TenEyck]

As far as I know ML Campbell only sells through distributors. PondCove carries their products, but will only ship to a business address, which may or may not work for you.

BM's Advance is available at any of their stores and in BM's full color palette, two reasons I like it. It's also not expensive compared to most other alternatives available to me.

John

[Dave Schreib]

OK, Purcell's paints in E. Syracuse carries Benjamin Moore and I like dealing with them. So, if my plan was to use their Advance product, it sounds like you would advise brushing it on rather than using that 2 stage sprayer?

[John TenEyck]

Well, a three stage rig would be better, but the 2 stage may still be adequate; I just don't know. Maybe some folks here will step in and provide feedback on whether they have successfully sprayed Advance with a 2 stage turbine. My guess is it will work if you can be a N/N to match the viscosity. I have a pressure assisted HVLP conversion gun. Advance sprays beautifully with no thinning with 5 psi pressure on the paint and a 1.5 mm N/N. I think you will need at least a 1 5 mm N/N set for the Earlex, and possibly larger.

Sorry I can't offer anything concrete other than to say spray if at all possible. The quality of finish you can get by spraying just can't be replicated by hand, at least not by me. Of course, to spray you need to have a place to spray to deal with the overspray. It need not be fancy, but it's a requirement, so factor that into your decision process.

John

[Mike Henderson]

I've shot latex paint with a gravity feed gun with a 2mm tip. I thinned the paint a bit with water. The gun was a conversion gun run off a regular air compressor.

I was very satisfied with the results. Certainly better than I would have achieved with a brush.

Mike

[If you have an air compressor, look into conversion guns. You can try the Harbor Freight one (low price) but I don't know if they offer a big tip (2mm or larger).]

[Dave Schreib]

Thanks for all the responses.

Mike Henderson - I do have a compressor but since I have never used a spray gun or even seen one used, I am trying to minimize the variables that I have to consider. If I use my compressor and a HF gun and get a crummy result I wont know if its due to the gun, the compressor, the tip, the finish or the user. If I buy an all in one system I reduce the number of decisions that can go wrong.

I see that I can get an Earlex HV5500 for less than the Sprayport 6002. John says that he has heard of people getting good results with that unit and their web site says that it sprays thinned latex. Would it be reasonable to assume that it would also do a good job with thinner finishes?

Is it fair to say that my desire to spray paint is what makes this decision a challenge? Seems like there are many systems that will spray more typical woodworking finishes but the paint is what makes this choice tough.

Thanks for your patience.

[Prashun Patel]

If you are building furniture and cabinetry then there are better solid color finishes than latex paint.

An HVLP system (or a compressor with gun - just make sure the compressor is large enough...) will open your world to be able to spray many water-based finishes. Each of these are more durable, harder, and less sticky than latex paint. These finishes usually cost more than latex, but are still a relatively small part of the cost of any project. A lower-end spray system can even spray shellac and home-center lacquer reliably.

I own the Fuji Semi Pro and the the Rockler HVLP (which is the same as the Harbor Freight and Woodcraft version I think). I suspect the Semipro is similar to the Earlex Sprayport 6002. They look almost identical except for the color. Both are sufficient for spraying the above items. I achieve - what I perceive as - relatively professional-looking finishes with both.

What the more expensive units get you is more bells and whistles, more solid/durable components, and most critically - the ability to spray a wider variety of finishes. Specifically, spraying oil-based varnishes and polyurethane is problematic with smaller units. BUT, if you pick the right finish - and there are plenty - then the avid hobbyist can achieve great results with the cheaper units too.

[John TenEyck]

Dave, how large is your compressor? What's it's output at 40 psi? If it can output even as little as 5 cfm at 40 psi you can get an excellent finish. At 10 cfm you have a very wide range of options. A LVLP or HVLP conversion gun gives you the greatest versatility for the least amount of money. Going with a turbine unit will not really narrow the number of variables or instantly make you a better spray finisher. But I know exactly where you are coming from with the confusion when looking at matching a gun with a compressor. I was exactly there about 6 years ago. No one to go to for advise, what goes with what, on and on. I finally dove in and bought a low end set of guns and learned what worked and what didn't. I learned to spray well and create some very acceptable finishes. Eventually I moved up to a higher end gun with more capability and that's where I recommend you start.

I now have a Qualspray AM-6002 SmartPak HVLP gun with 3M/PPS cup system. It will spray everything from shellac to BM Advance w/o thinning, beautifully. That gun requires 10 cfm at 40 psi, but there is an LVLP version that only requires around 6.5 cfm IIRC, and it sprays just as well but with a slightly narrower fan width. Call Jeff Jewitt at Homestead Finishing and discuss your situation with him, see what he recommends, and go from there. Make your decision of what to buy with full knowledge of what's available.

John

[Andy Giddings]

+1 on John's comment - Jeff's book on spraying is also an excellent primer when you're a novice

[Mike Henderson]

And don't forget that most spraying is not continuous, which gives the compressor time to "catch up". All compressors have a reservoir which you use when using air. The compressor cuts in when the pressure falls. If the area you're spraying is limited - say to the side of a piece of furniture - you can do that very well before the air in the reservoir is used up.

Then wait until the compressor catches up and cuts off before continuing your spraying.

Mike

[Jack Clark]

Dave,

Ask your Benjamin Moore dealer about this product: Benjamin Moore Paint Extender 518. It's sort of like FloTrol, except, in my experience, much better. I've used it to thin various heavy waterborne products (house paint, heavy clears, etc.) with excellent results. It does not seem to alter the final sheen (FloTrol does). I've used it to thin other waterborne coatings besides Benjamin Moore products, specifically a very tough acrylic from PPG called BreakThrough. It's worth a look.

Take John's sage advice and purchase a viscosity cup as your very first spray finishing tool. That simple little device will teach you a lot.

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/...paint-extender

Always test on scrap...!

[Dave Schreib]

My compressor is a Rigid. The label says 4.5 gallon, 6.2 scfm @90 psi and 150 psi max.

I dont know how to figure out what the output would be at 40 psi.

(Edit - with some googling I think I discovered that getting 6.2 cfm @90 psi means that I would get at least that, and likely more at 40 psi.)

[John TenEyck]

My compressor is a Rigid. The label says 4.5 gallon, 6.2 scfm @90 psi and 150 psi max.

I dont know how to figure out what the output would be at 40 psi.

(Edit - with some googling I think I discovered that getting 6.2 cfm @90 psi means that I would get at least that, and likely more at 40 psi.)

Oh, that's pretty small and probably oilless?. But if you've got 6.2 scfm at 90 psi, then you'll have more than that at 40 psi, so you could use it with the Qualspray LVLP gun I mentioned, but you'd want to add a receiver between the gun and compressor to increase your air reservoir and reduce cycling (and early death) of the compressor. On the other hand, you can buy a HF 21 gal oil lubed compressor for $180, and 20% off that with a coupon, that will supply 5.8 cfm at 40 psi.

Whether the conversion gun or turbine unit is the best choice for your needs - only you can decide that.

John