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What is you favorite spray rig for lacquers and similar finishes?

I use Graco and leemar spray rigs. But I’m a carpenter painter. So I can bring my equipment home from work and spray. But I great option for people looking for a great alternative to rattle cans is a pot sprayer, they sell fine ones at harbour freight. You put the whole gallon of lacquer or quart in pot E6299CE0-FD74-4A63-8FAD-4A48620F8174.jpeg and pressure it with your own compressor. A great sprayer option! And a small learning curve.
 
John King said:
Rattle can lacquer. The only way to go. No mess. No equipment to purchase. No clean-up. Cost effective. Excellent results. - John
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When you say cost effective. I’m assuming you don’t go through much. I spray 5 gallons a week. A could not imagine how many 10s of thousands of dollars that would be in rattle cans when 5 gallons of lacquer is a few hundred dollars. And you can’t buy industrial excellent quality lacquer in rattle cans. Just homeowner quality in hardware stores. I’ve had some very bad results with some of the hardware store style can lacquers. Pitting, orange peel effects etc. Trouble with each layer melting into the previous layer. Etc etc. But it is a no clean up option.
 
Tim Tucker said:
Thanks for the suggestions Glenn. I will look at that. Was hoping to find something a bit more compact....but I am open to look at options. I do have an 80 gal. 2 stage compressor.
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Also I turn a lot of items then have a finishing day. Spray 20 30 items all at once. You can put a large number of coats of lacquer on in an afternoon.
 
I have been using a small Harbor Freight gravity feed gun that is billed as HVLP and I can take the lacquer right from the can with out thinning. The gun with out a regulator cost under $20.00 so it doesn't bother me that I am on my second one. The one with the regulator is worth the extra because you do not need to lower the pressure on the Air compressor or the wall mounted regulators. As for the rattle can method I don't think you would save much time and expense because you can apply more solids in 2 or 3 coats using the spray gun then you would with 10 to 15 coats with the rattle can.
 
John King said:
Rattle can lacquer. The only way to go. No mess. No equipment to purchase. No clean-up. Cost effective. Excellent results. - John
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For the average turner, rattle cans are a good option. Even I use them. My favorite part is no clean up. I prefer the Deft lacquer.
 
Thank you all for your input on this. I just did a Google search for spray equipment...and WOW...my head is spinning. I do like aerosol cans for convenience.... (And use Deft too Emiliano ) but for versatility, and the "itch" I have for experimenting with different stains, dyes, and finishes....something like what Bill suggests ( Sprayit SP-33000 LVLP ) looks like it could be the next level up in capacity and volume. I do not put out enough work yet to really justify the size and bulk of the full size pressure pot/spray gun combo as Glenn suggested...but I understand why he chose that based on having a finishing day, with a large number of pieces to spray.

Looks like I have bit of continued reading, research...and shopping:D. This isolation period is expensive...I think I am single-handedly keeping our UPS driver employed. Surely I have earned some free shares of stock in Amazon via my "customer loyalty" of late....:rolleyes::oops::eek::D
 
Don Wattenhofer said:
I have been using a small Harbor Freight gravity feed gun that is billed as HVLP and I can take the lacquer right from the can with out thinning. The gun with out a regulator cost under $20.00 so it doesn't bother me that I am on my second one. The one with the regulator is worth the extra because you do not need to lower the pressure on the Air compressor or the wall mounted regulators. As for the rattle can method I don't think you would save much time and expense because you can apply more solids in 2 or 3 coats using the spray gun then you would with 10 to 15 coats with the rattle can.
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That’s one of the biggest draw backs with rattle cans is consistency. It runs so quickly compared to a commercial gun. I don’t know if it’s the lacquer quality in the can or the nozzle. I can put a pretty thick coat on with a commercial gun. 3 coats gives me max lacquer you want to put on. A rattle can most goes into the air and you can put 10-15 coats on to get same depth and quality of 3 coats from a better sprayer. And ofcourse your options for high quality lacquer in quarts of gallons is endless.
 
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Bill Blasic said:
Take a look at the SPRAYIT SP-33000K LVLP Gravity Feed Paint Spray Gun Kit w/ Regulator. Works great with a ton less overspray.
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What is the difference between a gravity sprayer with the can on top, and a suction sprayer with the can underneath? You'd still have all the same clean-up chores.
 
Tom Albrecht said:
What is the difference between a gravity sprayer with the can on top, and a suction sprayer with the can underneath? You'd still have all the same clean-up chores.
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The gravity sprayer with can on top you just clean can on top and gun. Run a bit of thinner through and done. A suction sprayer usually has lines attached which you have to run a lot of thinner through to clean the lines.
A gravity sprayer has less parts to go wrong. I’ve never had one fail.

The ones with container on bottom it’s the same principle but I find you need more air flow to draw up lacquer and I find you are stopping and starting as it does not spray as evenly as the gravity one. And there are two tubes going down into container, like little hoses. More things to clean. But the one with container on bottom you can spray at more angles then the gravity one.
So if you where going to go that route the gravity one, like a large air brush would be best as more even spray in my experience and easy quick clean up.
 
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Glenn Lefley said:
.... you can’t buy industrial excellent quality lacquer in rattle cans. Just homeowner quality in hardware stores. I’ve had some very bad results with some of the hardware store style can lacquers. Pitting, orange peel ....
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You can, but it is a special order item. Our club buys high solids pre-cat lacquer in aerosol cans by the case and then sells it to club members at cost.

I agree that it is difficult to get good results with some rattle can lacquer although I think that Deft is pretty good. Deft gloss doesn't have a marble in the can.
 
Bill Boehme said:
You can, but it is a special order item. Our club buys high solids pre-cat lacquer in aerosol cans by the case and then sells it to club members at cost.

I agree that it is difficult to get good results with some rattle can lacquer although I think that Deft is pretty good. Deft gloss doesn't have a marble in the can.
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Hey Bill...can you share with us the brand of aerosol lacquer that your club buys for you all?
 
I have used Sherwin Williams precat lacquer with very good success. One thing to point out about precat - it has a shelf life of 4-6 months after the catalyst is added. Good chance some will expire if you don't use it every week. The turnings I use lacquer on are not for use, but to look at, so softer nc lacquer is fine, and I think the shelf life is 2+ years.

As for guns, I use a CA Tech CPR-G (stainless for wb finishes - I spray wb on flatwork), and the kit has 4 needle/tip sets so I can spray about any viscosity. For just solvent lacquer, even the cheap HF purple gun will do ok. The cheap guns will have lower xfer efficiencies vs good ones, will use a bit more air to get atomization, and wont lay down quite as good of finish, but for the occasional use they are fine. For a fully filled piano type hi gloss finish you are going to rub out the final finish regardless. The big advantages of a spray gun are mixing in dye for toner coats, spraying instead of wiping 2nd dye colors eliminating color bleed, and mixing retarder when the weather calls for it.

Dont recommend a pressure pot system unless you are spraying gallons/week. Dont recommend suction cup guns - more cleaning, more air use, and more “fiddly”. Don't recommend a turbine spray system unless one needs mobility - they can be finicky with viscosity and wb finishes. Gravity feed conversion (supplied with high pressure air) HLVP is the best for most hobby sprayers, and with the 3M PPS (there are other brands) cup system the gun will spray upside down. Easy to change colors or spray medium, easy clean up. Different size cups are available. Not sure if the cheap guns can use one of the cup systems.

A decent size air compressor is needed. I think the scfm @ 90psig can be ~60% of the gun rated scfm with a 40-50 gal tank. I can get the ratings on my stuff if needed - spraying turnings there is plenty of gun off time for the compressor to keep up. 3 things are must have - eye protection, organic vapor respirator, and ventilation with outside air. It's relatively easy to set up a temporary spray booth.
 
For most of my cabinet & furnature work I use an Asturo ECOS which is fed via a 2 quart CA Technologies pressure pot. I also have another Asturo gravity gun. I spray mostly waterbourne finishes and these guns have all stainless steel parts. Been using them for years and they never disappoint.
 
One other point concerning rattle cans or air brush verses spray guns.
Correct me if I am wrong but I think the spray gun is the only choice with an adjustable spray pattern along with the ability to use less thinner.
 
Tim Tucker said:
Larry, Doug and Bob - THANKS those are all great posts and give me a lot of info to work with.

Doug - What model 3M PPS do you recommend?
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I have the legacy product 32 oz size (had it for 12+ years) and then p/n 3M-16115, 6 oz size. I use the 32 oz for big flat work, the 6 oz works out very well for doing a good size turning, say 15" tall x 9" dia, or smaller. If buying everything now I would probably go with the 2.0 version, but I think the gun fitting and the cup top are different, so I stuck with the legacy version on the 6 oz I got a few years ago.
 
Tom Albrecht said:
Bill Boehme:

What is the shelf life of that prodict?
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Somebody in the club called the manufacturer and IIRC the answer was a year. FWIW, I've used some that I know was over a year old and I didn't see any problem. I discovered a can that is over two years old yesterday. I'll try it out on a scrap piece to see what happens when the weather improves.
 
When it goes past the date the catalyst starts to deteriorate. So the laquer will take longer to dry. Finish not as durable.. then you will get wrinkling in Finish between costs. Etc etc. It is a slow downhill slide. Cabinet companies and painters like me when we buy lacquer the catalyst is added then. We have a three month window to use and after that in the garbage it goes. Can not guarantee finished product after that date.
Usually the better quality the catalyst the shorter the window, ie 3 months vs a year I’ve been told, but not directly from a manufacturer.
 
Glenn Lefley said:
When it goes past the date the catalyst starts to deteriorate. So the laquer will take longer to dry. Finish not as durable.. then you will get wrinkling in Finish between costs. Etc etc. It is a slow downhill slide. Cabinet companies and painters like me when we buy lacquer the catalyst is added then. We have a three month window to use and after that in the garbage it goes. Can not guarantee finished product after that date.
Usually the better quality the catalyst the shorter the window, ie 3 months vs a year I’ve been told, but not directly from a manufacturer.
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Glen, I assume that the Deft or other hardware store shaker cans are Nitrocellulose and not the Pre-Cat stuff. Do you have any idea what the shelf life of Nitrocellulose is?

It turns out that a lot of the products that we buy have a shelf life, even bottled water. But in most cases you have to contact the manufacturer to de-code the numbers. Sometimes the numbers are a manufacturing date and sometimes they are an expiration date, depends on the product. Hmm, I wonder if TP expires? There might be a lot of unhappy hoarders down the line.
 
Tom Albrecht said:
Glen, I assume that the Deft or other hardware store shaker cans are Nitrocellulose and not the Pre-Cat stuff. Do you have any idea what the shelf life of Nitrocellulose is?

It turns out that a lot of the products that we buy have a shelf life, even bottled water. But in most cases you have to contact the manufacturer to de-code the numbers. Sometimes the numbers are a manufacturing date and sometimes they are an expiration date, depends on the product. Hmm, I wonder if TP expires? There might be a lot of unhappy hoarders down the line.
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I’m not sure if the nitrocellulose has an expiry date. I have had a couple of cans that acted badly but I assumed it was the brand. I don’t use that stuff much. Being a painter I have access to all the industrial lacquers. The ones stamped for industrial use only not to be sold to general public. I’ll ask next time I’m in the paint store.
 
Tom Albrecht said:
Glen, I assume that the Deft or other hardware store shaker cans are Nitrocellulose and not the Pre-Cat stuff. Do you have any idea what the shelf life of Nitrocellulose is?

It turns out that a lot of the products that we buy have a shelf life, even bottled water. But in most cases you have to contact the manufacturer to de-code the numbers. Sometimes the numbers are a manufacturing date and sometimes they are an expiration date, depends on the product. Hmm, I wonder if TP expires? There might be a lot of unhappy hoarders down the line.
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Pre cat lacquer is nitrocellulose lacquer with a catalyst added that makes it behave more like a varnish that cures by cross linking rather than curing solely by evaporation.

There is also CAB (cellulose acetate butyrate) acrylic lacquer which dries crystal clear and doesn't yellow with age.
 
When I turn something with white woods I want a crystal clear finish. A finish that meets that requirement is Sherwin Williams CAB lacquer. It doesn't yellow with age, it comes with a UV absorber, and can be bought in different sheen's. Sherwin Williams recommends there vinyl sanding sealer as a first coat. That recommendation is so it will meet the KCMA (Kitchen Cabinet Manufactures Association) standards. I like Lenmars Ultralac Water White vinyl sanding sealer better, as I think it has a higher solids content.

For dark woods I might shoot Deft. Note, the can says it's brushing lacquer. I think it's something to do with government VOL's standards. Sprays just fine if one puts enough thinner in it.

Doesn't take an expensive gun to get good results with lacquer. I like one with a small 6 or 8 ounce cup. Most of the time I'm happy with an off the gun finish. I sometimes have a little trouble with orange peel using gloss. If orange peel happens, I can always buff for a couple of minutes.
 
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