Stupid First Timer at Paint Gun Questions

[Subzero]

So I've pretty much made up my mind that I'm done with rattle cans and I want to buy a compressor and other paint equipment. I can paint well with a can, others have been impressed by the things I've painted and sold, but a paint gun just looks much more professional to me. Sargentrs pointed me in the right direction on my other thread here http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =7&t=76286 . I just have a few questions on how to use a paint gun and painting with different paints. I'm currently painting my frame with rust encapsulated and top coating with Extreme Chassis Coat high gloss. I'm also painting engine pulleys and brackets that are off the engine with high temperature paint that I may use the gun for if there's a good high temp paint out there not in a rattle can.

Do I need to mix paint thinner with the rust encapsulated or Chassis Coat? Do I just pour straight paint in the gun?
What are good methods for using the gun?
Sargentrs recommended cheap disposable guns for encapsulater and chassis coat but what kind of gun for engine enamel if I go that route?
What do I clean the gun with ( I have acetone and mineral spirits on hand)?

And most importantly....
Is it really cheaper/easier to paint with a gun than buying aerosol cans and are the results better?

If anyone can answer any or all the questions I'd great appreciate the advice or anything else you think a first timer should know
Thanks

[jimmy828]

Personally i don't see anything wrong with a good spray bomb paint. I have been using VHT( Very High Temperature) paint on all my small parts. I sandblast everything i'm going to paint then prime and paint with VHT. I have a pretty good spray gun (Devilbiss) but i don't go thru the trouble of of using it just for small parts and to keep from cleaning the gun all the time. As for cleaning the gun, i use lacquer thinner. Do some homework on the spray tips that come with the gun. Different tips for certain applications. The thinner the material being used, the smaller the tip. Good luck !!

[HIO Silver]

I would not spray POR-15 with a quality paint gun. Instead, get a cheapie $10 Harbor Freight gun. Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator has more open time than POR. It's OK to use with a good gun. Use enamel reducer or cheap lacquer thinner from Home Depot for cleaning.

Eastwood's paint gun kits are affordable and perform well. As with welding, practice-practice-practice... Even with HF gun is OK.. I shot a lawn tractor project with Rustoleum (thinned 20%) and only had a minimum amount of orange peel. Though Rustoleum is cheap, it takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to dry which opens it up to contamination..... A few little gnats crashlanded on the paint which really pissed me off. Oh well.. now I know the parts have to be in a booth or other controlled environment.

Catalyzed vs spray bombs.... spray bombs dry by evaporation and deposition. Catalyzed paints work by a deposition and a chemical reaction (hardener) and a bit of evaporation. It'll dry harder and be way more durable than off-the-shelf spray cans.

Spray cans are waaaay more convenient and fine for a clean driver and ya end up with good results if the preparation is spot on. But it is simply not as durable than catalyzed paints.

Watch out for HVLP and siphon/gravity guns. HVLPs require LOTS of air so at least a 60-gallon compressor ($$$) is required plus a good dryer. Siphon guns are more forgiving and usable even with Ingersoll-Rand's "Garage Mate" compressor that can also air and volume for pneumatic tools. It's portable too... try that with a 60+gallon compressor!

[68RGR]

For small stuff, when a rattle can won't work, I use an air brush. It's just a little spray gun with small, glass jars to hold the paint. They hold an ounce or two and have worked well for me on small items.

To me, the main things when using a gun are getting the gun adjusted properly for the paint being used, getting the correct air pressure and getting the paint thinned correctly. That requires experience, advice or both. Having everything "right" makes painting pretty easy if you can handle a spray can. But, getting it "right" requires patience, trial and error and experience. The problem comes when you are using expensive paint - The trial and error part adds to the cost. Ideally, the paint supplier will give you some general idea of where to start. Or, you could ask someone here. I am lacking in experience with POR so I can't help you there.

The downside to using a gun is the clean up. It takes time and thinner. With spray cans, there's nothing to clean. But, if you are applying lots of paint, the gun is the way to go. Just try to spray more stuff at one time so you aren't spending so much time cleaning spray guns.

[Subzero]

Would the paint be much different: spray bomb Chassis black vs quarter can/spray gun chassis black? I have used VHT with good results before, actually I bought blue engine paint from them in a can, but I bought some gloss black can paint and it didn't want to smooth out on my inner fenders I painted with it the first time, I never figured out why, maybe a bad batch? Right now I have the inner fenders painted with chassis coat and it looks great- most of the front part of frame ( trans crossmember forward, including I-Beams, springs, and under the giant crossmember) has been painted already with spray can Chassis black, but random bare areas still remain due to some bad planning on my part when I got low on paint. So a little over 2/3 frame remains unpainted currently. Should I finish the front part with rattle canned chassis black or does it not matter much?


BTW the paints I'm using are,
Eastwood Rust Encapsulater
Eastwood Extreme Chassis Coat High Gloss