Spary gun suggestions?

[RedTwoX]

Spray gun suggestions?

I wanted to see what my fellow RPFers have to say about this. I have a Bobba Fett, Darth Vader, and X-wing helmets that need to get painted. I also have a new house that could do with some paint. Is there a "multi-purpose" spray gun that could serve both functions? Is there such a thing as a gun that handles both latex house paint and automotive enamels for the helmets?

I've looked at the Huskey spray guns at Home Depot, but I'm not finding any product reviews or feed back on these. Have any of you used these? What say you?

Thanks in advance folks!

{Edit in}

Does anyone have thoughts on this unit:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93305

It's a good bit less expensive than the guns I was looking at in Home Depot. Is this a "great deal" or a "get what you paid for" situation?

 

[T-VIRUS]

Hi RedTwox....really wish I could give you a solid answer. I have experiance in auto painting....not so much on houses ( thank god ) but think the two paints are very different animals.
The latex would be very thick compared to an auto paint and I have never run across nozzels large enough to handle that thickness of paint in a good auto gun. Likewise the nozzels for a house sprayer would be way to big for the thinner auto paint to produce any kind of decent paint job.
You could probably thin the latex down enough to spray out of an auto gun...but I would think that would adversely affect its coverage effectiveness.
Anyway...I'm no pro so maybe someone with more insite will chime in with better info for you. Good luck.:thumbsup

 

[franz bolo]

I was researching airbrushes and found the new Iwata Kustom Series.

They have some really nice brushes. I doubt they would be any good for painting a house, but they look ideal for helmet painting.

http://www.iwata-medea.com/products/airbrush/kustom/index.jsp

FB

 

[cheech9898]

I doubt you could spray house latex paint through even a 1.8 or 2.2 mm automotive primer tip without thinning it down excessively & causing run problems or excess moisture problems with the drywall. The 2nd hurdle would be the CFM & tank capacity required to actually use the automotive gun & not sit and wait for the compressor to catch up. You'd need something in the 17 cfm range minimum and want a 60 to 80 gallon tank to paint for any length of time.

You would also have to make sure none of the gun is steel as the water in the latex paint would cause rust issues with some of the gun models. Automotive spray guns with all stainless guts are getting easier to find with the EPA imposing a stricter solvent ban for auto paints starting in '09 supposedly & requiring the newer water based base coat systems, but they're still pricey atm. I've read Iwata, Devilbiss, & others are offering or starting to offer some upgrade parts or spray tips in SS to convert older guns, I have no idea of the cost to do that thou.

 

[robstyle]

keep prop work separate from home refurbishing. You will save yourself alot of trouble. Paint sprayers are just that, they "spray". Unless you want clumpy and uber thick peeling paint on your projects, invest in a cheap airbrush. On ebay some sllers off a complete kit with various air brushs, a compressor and hoses all for under $100.00, thats a great deal.

 

[RedTwoX]

Thanks for the replies guys. I've got an airbrush, but was looking for something to spray a larger area. I was hoping to save a little money with one spray gun that can work double duty, but having never sprayed latex house paint before I'm just not sure how well it reacts to being thinned. Sounds like "not so well" at least for getting thin enough to go through a sprayer designed for automotive paint.

Thanks for feed back guys. Looks like I need to two spray guns after all.