Wagner power painter

[Stephen Sebed]

Is it safe to spray lacquer through one of these? If it's OK, is i the same as spraying through a regular pnuematic gun hooked up to a compressor?

I'm asking because I really like the lacquer finish compared to a poly finish, and I don't have the money or room for a compressor large enough for a spray gun.

Thanks,
Stephen

[Jim DeLaney]

If you're talking about the electric 'buzz box' sprayer - <B>DON'T DO IT!!!</B>

The sprayer works by vibrating a solenoid plunger to pump the paint at a very high pressure. The combination of heat (from the pressure), sparks, and the volatile chemicals could create a veritable hand grenade out of the rig - except that you won't have time to throw this one...

[Lee Schierer]

My Wagner power painter book specifically lists lacquer as one finish that can be sprayed. THey call for special sized tips.

Not to start an argument, but as far as creating sparks goes, if you make sparks with your power painter, it is time to replace it. There are no open contacts or striking parts in a Wagner power painter. Making sparks anytime you are spraying a finish is a bad idea, even the contactors on your compressor pressure switch make sparks.

I recommend reading your book or contacting Wagner if you are unsure.

[Geoff Siemering]

Another option would be to use waterbased lacquer. I use the Target Coatings brand and have been happy with that (although there are other brands out there). WB are a little more fussy than solvent based, but you don't have to deal with breathing the solvents either and cleaning up with water is VERY nice. If your sprayer is built to handle latex paints it will work with WB finishes (which are often more viscous than solvent based).

I'd contact Wagner and see what advice they might have.