HF Adjustable Detail Spray Gun

I am tired of the limited color choices with rattle can paint. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on equipment. I have a compressor that would drive this gun. Has anyone used this gun or one like it. I saw the thread about HVLP guns but it is 8-9 years old.

https://m.harborfreight.com/adjustable-detail-spray-gun-92126.html

Its $14, go for it. I would be stunned if it did detail work, but it probably does just as good as a rattle can for spraying large areas. You need a moisture trap for your air hose. Cleaning this kind of stuff can be a pain and make you long for the days of rattle cans.

Yeah that is what I was thinking. I don’t plan on stopping the use of rattle cans. I just would like to put a metal flake paint job on a rocket I am building for LDRS.

Their actually surprisingly decent spray guns. I've sprayed acrylics, lacquer and epoxy paint with them without trouble and good results. If you get one tear it down and clean it really well before you use it. There's a fair chance that there's gonna be bits of metal shavings and oil in the guts.

They make decent guns, but that one isn't the greatest. Do a proper cleaning and set up on the gun and compressor/filter/air line and it'll be more than servicible for lacquers and enamels for rocketry work. Realize it's limitations, watch a few youtube videos on setting up a spray gun, try it with water on cardboard to get the feel, then move into working with primer to get a feel for how it works with paint (since primer will be mostly sanded smooth, it's a great learning platform).

If nothing else, it'll be fine for primer coats (which most lower price/quality guns normally get relegated to if/when you move up in quality), and let you know IF you want to invest more money into better equipment for the long term.

https://www.duplicolor.com/product/paint-shop-automotive-lacquer-finish-system/ (avaliable from most local auto parts stores. Cheap, easy, forgiving, easy to get, and does a very nice job for rockets)

https://tcpglobal.com/pages/restoration-shop (HUGE selection (lacquer/enamel/urethane), mail order, great quality, a little less forgiving, but produces amazing stuff)

davdue said:

. I have a compressor that would drive this gun.

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got the specs on the compressor? tank size, pump output, cfm rating?
i'll guarantee that gun uses more than 3 CFM @ 50 PSI.
youd be better off with this one
https://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-8-cfm-gravity-feed-spray-gun-67181.html

tomsteve said:

got the specs on the compressor? tank size, pump output, cfm rating?
i'll guarantee that gun uses more than 3 CFM @ 50 PSI.
youd be better off with this one
https://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-8-cfm-gravity-feed-spray-gun-67181.html

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That's the gun that I use. There are several versions, some more desirable than others, in the production run, often mixed on the same shelf all in the same box with the same part number. Watch the YouTube videos, they explain it all.

For rocketry use, even a modest compressor is sufficient as long as you spray reasonably and have a good, clean supply line of filters and moisture traps. A piston compressor with a tank of some nature works best, though.

I have a Harbor Frieight gun like the one Bonzai and tomsteve mentioned. Watch the you tube videos on it. Like they said the biggest thing is to take it apart and clean it real well and then practice with it before spraying something important.

-Bob

I bought a HF HVLP gun this winter and managed to clog it. I also had trouble getting it to spray evenly. I’ll keep at it, but there is a learning curve.

tomsteve said:

got the specs on the compressor? tank size, pump output, cfm rating?
i'll guarantee that gun uses more than 3 CFM @ 50 PSI.
youd be better off with this one
https://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-8-cfm-gravity-feed-spray-gun-67181.html

Click to expand...

That is actually the gun I was looking at first. It’s on sale for $9.99 right now. I have a couple compressors that I think would work. I’ll have to look to see their ratings for sure. The only reason I looked at the other one was from reading the older thread someone mentioned using a detail gun instead. I like the 20 oz size of this one better.

I use HF guns all the time with catalyzed acrylics and urethane clears. There is a learning curve, however that would be true for a $14HF gun or a $400 DeVibliss. As mentioned,m you absolutely must have a desiccator and water trap in line. The detail gun is a misnomer. It's just a small capacity gun. I like it as I can manage small batches of paint.

One good thing about the HF guns is that once they get gunked up, I just toss them out. I usually get 10 or so uses. I could do better, however I'm lazy and the cleaning solvents really suck.

I use them for shooting two part automotive primer, and for that they work great.

I have often hated rattle cans and wondered the same thing, about switching to a 'real' spray gun and more (durable?) and (better looking?) paint. Does anyone have a Pros and Cons list comparing the two? Is the switch worth the effort for an occasional rocket job? Then again, I really do hate rattle cans...

This might sound crazy, but are there any issues with using a water-based paint, like a latex, with a clear gloss coat?

Exterior latex is tough, scuff resistant, flexible and easy to spray and clean. Plus, you can get little 'demo' bottles of paint at big box stores for a song and they'll even mix a custom colour for you.

Viperfixr said:

I have often hated rattle cans and wondered the same thing, about switching to a 'real' spray gun and more (durable?) and (better looking?) paint. Does anyone have a Pros and Cons list comparing the two? Is the switch worth the effort for an occasional rocket job? Then again, I really do hate rattle cans...

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Use montana gold rattle cans, best paint for your self professed occasional use.

Banzai88 said:

Use montana gold rattle cans, best paint for your self professed occasional use.

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Never heard of that brand. All we have here is Krylon, Rustoleum, and other various cheap off brands. The cheap off brands don’t always spray right so no way I’m using them on my rockets.

davdue said:

Never heard of that brand. All we have here is Krylon, Rustoleum, and other various cheap off brands. The cheap off brands don’t always spray right so no way I’m using them on my rockets.

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Sold at art supply stores or amazon. Best rattle cans, not cheap stuff. Google 'em, lots of colors. Tough paint, forgiving application.

Curtis Enlow said:

This might sound crazy, but are there any issues with using a water-based paint, like a latex, with a clear gloss coat?

Exterior latex is tough, scuff resistant, flexible and easy to spray and clean. Plus, you can get little 'demo' bottles of paint at big box stores for a song and they'll even mix a custom colour for you.

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Clarification...
Latex is neither easy to spray nor to clean. Spray gun (and compressor capacity) requirements are higher than HF models shown by OP.

I use all the HF guns with great results. Clean them with lacquer thinner before and after. That particular gun I use for smaller projects that do not require a big tip. That one is .08mm, so spraying any kind of flake other than micro or paint with a fine metallic already in it will be challenging. For mixing your own pearls/flakes/effects you want a 1.4mm tip for flakes under .010 and 2.5mm tip for over .010 up to .025 flakes.

I paint A LOT for many many years using their guns and get amazing results. As with anything there is a learning curve to master. Take your time and try new things. From primer to true candy jobs I use those guns. I feel spending the money on real quality materials is better.

Rob702Martinez said:

I feel spending the money on real quality materials is better.

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+1

Fattbank64 said:

Clarification...
Latex is neither easy to spray nor to clean. Spray gun (and compressor capacity) requirements are higher than HF models shown by OP.

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I'm not sure what your experience level with latex-based paints is, but my experience has been quite different. If you're painting large surface areas, like a house it requires extensive gear to spray, but I have sprayed relatively small areas, such as cabinetry and architectural details, with gravity-feed 'detail' guns, 5-gal compressors, properly thinned latex and after market larger orifice nozzles & needles and it worked just fine, and was, in fact, far easier than enamels or lacquers in both application and clean up.

Using warm water & soap to clean up was far easier than using toxic thinners and environmentally unfriendly chemicals (that people rarely dispose of properly).

Curtis Enlow said:

I'm not sure what your experience level with latex-based paints is, but my experience has been quite different. If you're painting large surface areas, like a house it requires extensive gear to spray, but I have sprayed relatively small areas, such as cabinetry and architectural details, with gravity-feed 'detail' guns, 5-gal compressors, properly thinned latex and after market larger orifice nozzles & needles and it worked just fine, and was, in fact, far easier than enamels or lacquers in both application and clean up.

Using warm water & soap to clean up was far easier than using toxic thinners and environmentally unfriendly chemicals (that people rarely dispose of properly).

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My response was based on OP inquiry.

davdue said:

Yeah that is what I was thinking. I don’t plan on stopping the use of rattle cans. I just would like to put a metal flake paint job on a rocket I am building for LDRS.

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Just a friendly note. I put a Beeline 70cm GPS tracker in a FC airframe that was painted with rattle can Metallic Rustoleum paint and darned near lost the rocket. Found out real metalflake can attenuate RF energy. The effect is power and frequency dependent. When I recovered the rocket in question, a download of the BLGPS memory showed the GPS positions were received fine with a 7 to 11 satellite lock. I put the same tracker in another nonmetallic painted rocket and range reception was great.
This is the reason I switched to nosecone mounted trackers with a nonmetallic paint. The airframe can be metallic in that case. Just a thought to keep in mind. Actually, I flew two metallic painted rockets at the same time and didn't get any positions inflight from either one. Kurt

If you want metalflake, the safest way to do it is with your own paints and additives or with a known RF transparent paint based on other's experiences.

MOST metalflake isn't really metal, it's plastic particles. Non-metallic dry flake and pearls can be obtained in powder form, easily added to any paint, and sprayed accordingly.

I will say definitively that all of the Duplicolor and all of the TCP Global lacquer metallics and metal flakes that I've used or seen used in rockets with trackers are RF transparent to both the Missile Works RTX and the EggFinder GPS.

Not all non-metallics are good for RF either. You have to test.

Gerald

Thanks for the heads up on RF transparency. I picked up the 20 oz HVLP gun last night for a whopping $9.99. I spent more on stuff to keep the air dry than the gun. Rocket isn't built yet so it will be awhile until I can really start painting. I want to play with pieces of card board and wood first though. I am pretty good with a rattle can if the surface is smooth. I also usually wet sand between coats. My paint jobs aren't mirror finish like some of the ones I have seen on here but they work good for their purpose. Thank you everyone for your input. I will post my experiences later after I have painted somethings.

I actually have both the Detail gun (Central Pneumatic®- item#92126) davdue is asking about and the touch-up gun (Central Pneumatic®- item#62300) tomsteve mentioned. The detail gun is good but is light duty; basically an airbrush on steroids. Not a broad coverage gun but sprays well. I've used it for detail work on models I've had to build for work. The touch-up gun is a licensed knock off of an Ingersoll Rand 400G. This is one of the most versatile little guns I've ever used. Having the "Fan" control knob on the side allows you to make changes on the fly with a flip of your thumb (if you're shooting right handed). It also has a broader coverage range than the detail gun. My advise, spend the extra $3 and get the touch-up gun.

Viperfixr said:

I have often hated rattle cans and wondered the same thing, about switching to a 'real' spray gun and more (durable?) and (better looking?) paint. Does anyone have a Pros and Cons list comparing the two? Is the switch worth the effort for an occasional rocket job? Then again, I really do hate rattle cans...

Click to expand...

What I like about the “automotive” paints (I use the Finish1 and Martin-Senour brands) is that they produce a rock hard shiny finish. You don’t need to clear coat them unless you want to protect decals. The nice part of the guns is that you can get some beautiful colors from the likes of Auto Air Color.

I’ve also determined that the stock colors are actually less expensive than the rattle can stuff if you count $ per fluid ounce.

The catalyzed acrylics are also a bunch more forgiving with respect to redcoats and with the right hardener dry a whole lot faster.