Harbor Freight HVLP is great!

[Tim Solley]

Okay, just to qualify this statement, I've never used a "real" HVLP gun before, so I can't compare the results to a high dollar system.

I bought the HF turbine HVLP a month or so ago and used it last night for the first time on a real project to spray Behlen Solar Lux dye on an ottoman I'm building. I have used this dye before with disastrous results because I was wiping on. The result was awesome with this sprayer. I'm totally sold on HVLP sprayers!

Anyway, I picked it up at HF for $64 after presenting an ad and having a coupon. Rockler has the same sprayer for $100. And now Woodcraft has also picked up the sprayer and is selling it for $100. The bottom line is, if you're like me and you want to get in to the spraying world with minimal investment, this is a great way to start!

Tim

[Alex Berkovsky]

Tim,
Is this the same sprayer you are refering to? If so, I have one still sitting in the box and I am hoping to use it this weekend to spray shellac. Any tips you can offer are appreciated?

[Tim Solley]

Alex,

Yes that's the sprayer I bought. It's a great sprayer for the money, I'll tell you that. I'm totally sold on spraying. Last night I put the first coat of Waterlox on my project with it, and it came out great. I've never used shellac, but I believe it has about the same viscosity as the Waterlox. I plan to spray another project with shellac this weekend myself. The sprayer comes with three tip sizes, use the smallest size and you should get good results.

I highly recommend you practice first on some cardboard, whether you've used sprayers before or not. That's what I did, and it allowed me to get the hang of how it worked. I tried out the vertical, horizontal, and circular spray patterns. I got a feel for the flow setting.

When you're ready to shoot the shellac on your project, adjust the fluid flow all the way in so that no fluid will flow. Turn on the sprayer, and slowly open that valve while holding the trigger and spraying at some cardboard. Keep the fluid flow VERY light so you can go slow. Then start spraying the project using spray techniques that are availble on the web or in books. Keep moving and keep the coats THIN. Material will build up super fast and run if you're not careful. I found that a bright halogen shop light at an angle to the piece was very helpful at showing me what parts I had already hit with the finish. That cuts down on the chances of a run.

Whew. That's about all I've got from my limited experience. Good luck with the spraying. Just practice first and then go at the piece with confidence and you'll likely find that like me, finishing can actually be fun, and not something to be dreaded!

Tim

[Alex Berkovsky]

Tim,
Thanks for all the tips. I will definitelly practice spraying first. Can I use tap water for the practice run? Did you set up some kind of a spray booth or did you spray outside?

[Tim Solley]

I too started out spraying tap water. But I found that I couldn't tell whether I was getting the right results or not. So I thinned down a little bit of dye and used that for practice (it was a color we didn't like anyway). That way I could tell if my technique was good or if I was missing spots or doubling up.

As for a booth, I just opened up my garage door half way for ventilation. Then I used some big black binder clips to drape a canvas drop cloth across it, creating a "blast wall. I then put my project on a cart and sprayed it up against the garage door, so any over spray went right into the drop cloth. I haven't seen any material get on any of my tools or anything. I hardly see any overspray at all for that matter.

One tip I'll share with you if you haven't already heard it. If you can, drive a drywall screw part way into each corner of your project on the bottom. That will get the whole thing off the table and allow you to get good material flow around the bottom. I did this on my latest project and it works great. I also plan to make a turn table platform for finishing, so that I can easily turn the piece and always be shooting against my "blast wall".

Tim

[john whittaker]

Tim...thanks for the review. I am looking at this unit to spray lacquer and other finishes. The low price has me concerned but I'm not a pro and will use it very sparingly so I might give it a shot.

Do you think the Woodcraft model has any upgrades over the HF model? More accessories etc...???

Thanks again...

[Alex Berkovsky]

...Do you think the Woodcraft model has any upgrades over the HF model? More accessories etc...???

John,
I think HF, Rockler, and now Woodcraft are all exactly the same units.

[Tim Solley]

Tim...thanks for the review. I am looking at this unit to spray lacquer and other finishes. The low price has me concerned but I'm not a pro and will use it very sparingly so I might give it a shot.

Do you think the Woodcraft model has any upgrades over the HF model? More accessories etc...???

Thanks again...

I don't think the Woodcraft model has anything extra, just the price. FYI, I was in a HF store this evening to pick up a air stapler, and saw the HVLP sprayer for $69. If you use a 20% off coupon, it's an even sweeter deal than I got it for.

Oh yeah, Alex, and I just finished up spraying a project with shellac. I used the smallest tip and just had to increase the fluid delivery a bit. It sprayed on beautifully.

Tim

[John A. Williams]

Tim, thanks for the tips. where did you get the 20% coupon?

[David Scigliano]

You said this comes with 3 tip sizes? what are the sizes? What size fan pattern does it spray? Just trying to see if it is better than a detail gun....Thanks

[Tim Solley]

Tim, thanks for the tips. where did you get the 20% coupon?

If you sign up for HF's email list on their web site, they send you coupons once or twice a week. If you need to get one now, you can search SMC for HF coupon and you should find something. I myself keep a whole stack of them in my truck for whenever I go into one of the stores. They're expired, but a manager just comes over and overrides it.

Tim

[Tim Solley]

You said this comes with 3 tip sizes? what are the sizes? What size fan pattern does it spray? Just trying to see if it is better than a detail gun....Thanks

I'm not really sure what the tip sizes are. The manual that came with the gun stinks. The manual on Rockler is better, though I'm not sure if it details the tip sizes or not. Same goes for the pattern size, I have no idea. Maybe the Woodcraft version has a better manual.

Tim

[Jeff Caskie]

where did you get the 20% coupon?

Here are the two links where HF posts their coupons. Then tend to stagger them... and currently no 20% going on..

link1
link2

note- they also use three different websites. If you find it lower on the website, print it off and bring it in. They will usually price match (at their discretion).

www.harborfreight.com
www.harborfreightusa.com
www.harborfreightsalvage.com

[Tim Solley]

It just so happens I have a 20% off coupon saved on my computer. As Jeff said, find the lowest price and print it out. Then print out the coupon. Take them in to the store (my store has the HVLP for $69, which is cheaper than their web site). Hand them the ad (if needed) and the coupon. When they scan the coupon, it won't show up in their system because it's expired. If they're nice, the manager will override it and give you 20% off. If not, you still get it for lots cheaper than Woodcraft and Rockler.

Tim

[Vaughn McMillan]

Tim, I've been reading this thread with a lot of interest. I've never used an HVLP system. How difficult or time-consuming is it to clean it after you use it? Does it waste much finish in the process of priming the gun (and afterwards, when you clean it)? Most of my project pieces are small (like trinket boxes), and I'm trying to decide it the HVLP system would save time, or if the finish is appreciably better, if the added time would be worth the final results. (Using a spray can or brush seems fast, but if I spend half my time fixing flaws in the finish, the time savings is lost.) At $70 (and maybe less, depending on whether my local store accepts the coupon), it's very tempting, but I'm wondering if it will improve my quality or quantity. Any thoughts or suggestions?

- Vaughn