Considering a turbine - couple questions

[Matt Day]

I'm considering buying a turbine hvlp setup, likely 2 or 3 stage as I will just spray finishes and not paint. My concern is where to spray, especially in the cold Ohio winter which lasts about half the year.

Summer and warmer days I can use the garage with my knockdown booth and spray whatever I want. For winter, should I plan to cover everything inside and spray waterborne finishes? I have no exhaust possibilities based on my basement. If so, what do you recommend?

Any suggested 2/3 stage turbine systems to look at?

Thanks

[Jim Becker]

Water borne finishes still require temps in the 70ºs minimum by spec...'just keep that mind regardless.

I don't "ventilate" my shop in the winter when I'm spraying water borne finishes (the only thing I use outside of de-waxed shellac) as they are low- or no-VOC products. I use personal protection (respirator and eye wear) and to help "clear the air" of suspended particulates, I run my air cleaner. It's worked well for me for many years now.

I can't help with your turbine question, however, as I use an HPLV conversion gun.

[Matt Day]

Thanks for the comments Jim, that is very helpful. I have a storage area of my basement that would work then. I had my boiler in it, but as long as its waterborne that's okay right?

Remind me, a conversion gun uses a compressor right? I have an oiled 26 gallon CH compressor but I think that it's not quite big enough for spraying(?). I have a couple HF purple HVLP guns but I know that's scratching the bottom of the barrel.

What exactly do you spray? Product recommendations?

[John TenEyck]

How many cfm is your compressor capable of at 40 psi? If you have at least 6 cfm the HF purple gun should spray shellac and some WB products very well. Don't poo-poo the HF gun. It's low cost but it sprays low viscosty products really well. You can easily get a very high quality finish with it. It sprays Sealcoat shellac and dyes very well at about 20 psi inlet pressure and Enduro Clear Poly at about 29 psi.

Now to your basement. I would not spray anything indoors w/o ventilation. There's no danger of explosion with WB products, but they have chemicals in them that are not overly healthy. It doesn't matter if you wear a respirator. Yes, it protects you while you are wearing it, but it does nothing for you after you are done spraying and take it off. Those chemicals are in the air and will permeate through your house, even if you can't smell very much.

The good news is it doesn't take all that much work to create an exhaust system for any basement. I use the fan from my dust collector (bypass the bags) and vent it out a nearby window. 1200 cfm isn't all that much, but it works very well venting my 8 x 10 ft temporary spray booth. If you have no windows then I would put a hole through wherever you can to the outside. A large benefit of using a DC fan is that you only need a 6 - 8" diameter hole.

As for products to spray, I use a lot of Sealcoat Shellac, and my favorite all around WB clearcoat is General Finishes Enduro Clear Poly. Very easy to spray and forms a beautifully clear, flat, hard and durable finish. GF's HP Poly also sprays beautifully, and looks great, too, it just isn't as chemically durable. If that's not a concern, it's a good choice because it's cheaper.

John

[Matt Day]

Thanks John. I have 6.6cfm at 40psi so maybe I should give the compressor a go with my current equipment.

My basement has 2 glass block half windows in the shop but there's no room to spray there. The other basement area is storage where I could spray? And there is a vent where an old dehumidifier sytlsten (fart fan) exhausted to the garage. That could work for exhaust - run a flexible duct to a 20" fan with a hood scoop or whatever it's called.

[John TenEyck]

You're on the right track, but I doubt a box fan will develop enough static to blow much air through a duct. You'd be better off finding an old blower, or buying a cheap HF DC and just using the fan assembly. And remember, for the blower to exhaust you need to provide makeup air. I open another window on the opposite side of my shop. Before I installed that window, I left the door to my shop open and opened a window near the top of the stairs. In any case, you need makeup air, and you don't want it coming from the chimney your water heater or furnace exhaust to. None of this is hard, and it's worth the effort because spraying allows you to put down a truly professional finish that's very hard to get any other way.

John

[Matt Day]

Good points John. thank you
I can open the door at the top of the stairs for makeup air and maybe put a box fan in the door to help the air flow, which might also help keep the smells in the basement.

This all sounds reasonable enough for me to try it.