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· 3rd Generation Painter
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142 Posts
anyone have any tips on this? i'm not having much luck- specifically with thinning to the correct ratio to keep it from mucking up and still covering.
The trick to using a HVLP is to get the material thin enough but not too thin. Mine is a Croix (since taken over by Graco). The instructions recommended thinning the material to a consistency that when a stir stick is taken out of it, you wait until the paint stream coming off of it breaks into individual drops. Those drops should be about 1 second apart. For latex I use a 2mm fluid nozzle and a 1.4mm air cap.
 

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745 Posts
I use a 4 stage turbine, and basically, you end up thinning a tad more than is advisable. Is it that you just need more practice?

As IBSOCAL says, "It's so easy even a caveman can do it."
r
 

· 3rd Generation Painter
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142 Posts
yes Mopaint has it right.........use it and you will be reborn!
... I gotta try those FF tips!
r
Reading all the hype about them on here I'd like to try one too, except for the fact the most of the times I would need it is just for small jobs. The thought of flushing out the airless, getting it primed and cleaning it up again all take time. It only takes about 10 minutes to clean up my HVLP, I'm sure it would take considerably longer with an airless.:(
 

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77 Posts
I am a huge fan of the HVLP...it's easy to use, but yes you do have to have control. Thinned paints are tricky...but as I was told, don't try to cover your surface in the first pass. Thin and even coats will give you what your looking for. I have a capspray 4 stage, and a 2 stage. I love them for the Lacquers.
 

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My concern with HVLP is that it leaves much thinner coats and the material has to be thinner considerably which means each coat may be leaving much lower dry film thickness behind, so it would probably need twice as many coats in the end to achieve the manufacturer's recommended dry film thickness. And, it is slower to apply each coat than an airless.
 
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