tenorio41

I am looking at getting a spraygun for scale finishing. Should I get a standard
'pint' gun or a HVLP? I have a smaller wheeled compressor and was wondering which type of gun would work better with a smaller compressor (2hp 8gallon) ? Any info would be appreciated. Also, where is the best place to get one on a budget.
Thanks!

gilcon

Go with the HVLP. I bought a Walcom STM after reading about them on the RCU Jet forum and was quite satisfied with the results. Much better than the Badger Touch-Up gun.

http://www.spraygundepot.com/scripts...sdepotgate.bbx

Hall

majortom-RCU

My Feedback: (40)

Hall, what are you using for a compressor, or what does the STM call for by way of compressor?

gilcon

Majortom - The Walcom STM specs say 4.6-6 cfm@10 psi (at the gun). You're not spraying a car, so your duty cycle is pretty short. My friend has a 1hp 20gal setup and has no problems painting jet size models with this gun. My setup is 6hp 20gal which is way overkill, but necessary for our automotive hobbies.

Hall

DavidR

My Feedback: (1)

I was a big advocate of the Walcom STM gun for years but I have just recently purchased a SATA Minjet 3 and it is awesome. Paints better than the Walcolm (I still use my Walcom but not as much) I can dial it way down or I can crank it up and really hose the paint on.

klhoard

My Feedback: (10)

Where can we find a SATA Jet gun?

majortom

Keith, I did a google search on SATA Minijet and came up with a bunch of dotcoms handling the product. Allsprayguns.com also has the Minijet SR, which according to the blurb atomizes finer than the Minijet III, can run at 15-20 psi, spreads the same amount of paint in a wider fan for thinner film. I'm thinking I might be able to use the SR with a 1 hp airbrush compressor, save having to get a larger compressor.

David, did you have a chance to evaluate the SR vs the Minijet III? Any thoughts on the comparison?

DavidR

My Feedback: (1)

Mine is the Minijet III SR sorry I should have added that. I had just sprayed some clear on a few touch ups on an airplane with it last night when I saw the thread. You can dial the gun way down for almost airbrush like control, maybe a 3/8-1/2" pattern and as wide as 6". I have done extensive painting with my Walcom STM gun including the fine details on my F-4 Phantom. (It can be seen on BVM's website under several event coverages over the last couple of years) I have several tips for it from a .7 mm thru a 1.2 mm I have not purchased the other tips for the Sata (yet!) but will and you can even get a .35 mm tip for it. The thing I like about the Sata is the pattern seems a whole lot easier to control. On the Walcom the best I could get was a 4" wide fan but the Sata will go about 6". THe Sata will also really flow some paint, I cleared one of the new BVM Kingcats a month ago and it is huge, and the gun was not too small for it. You can also see that plane at www.bvmjets.com under the Superman 2003 coverage.

I did not buy mine from Allsprayguns.com I will look it up tonight and post the site I bought mine from.

Ben Diss

My Feedback: (23)

How are these guns better than the Badger Touchup gun? That's what I'm using now and I'd like to understand what would improved by getting one of these guns.

-Ben

Ben Diss

My Feedback: (23)

Spraygunworld.com show three versions of the SATA Mini-jet 3 SR. They show 0.8SR, 1.0SR and 1.2SR. Does anyone know the difference and which is best for painting lacquer primer, base coat and clear?

-Ben

DavidR

My Feedback: (1)

1.2 mm is the best all round tip for painting models. I use the smaller tips when doing fine detail work. THe difference over a Badger gun is the atomization of the paint, the control over your spray pattern and the ability to spray both small, and large parts. Comparing any top of the line HVLP detail gun to a Badger airbrush is like comparing apples and oranges.

CubCrafter

I like this SATA Mini-jet 3 SR spray gun but how big of a compressor should I get and what brand?
Would a Sears compressor work ok?

rustyrivet

My Feedback: (6)

If you don't need to pay extra for a name, a $50 to $60 Harbor Tools HVLP touch up gun should give you the same pleasing results as it gave me.
Just provide me with fine atomization out of the box, and I can adjust the dials on the gun for the flow rate, pressure, volume, etc. that I desire for a nice, smooth finish.

For small stuff, I started with a single action Badger air-brush years ago, and to this day because I am so familiar and comfortable with it, I guarantee you I can out paint the guy who buys the $100 fancy double action Paasch air brush.

For that matter, I did some really nice finish work on my Adrian Page R2 Gee Bee with the Harbor Freight $20 Touch-Up Gun (Same Gun Sears sells for $50, and Lowes for $29) BUT that is really pushing it, and I don't miss having retired this crude tool for the much better HVLP gun.

Just trying to make a point, that the equipment will make some difference, but YOU are the one who will produce the REAL results.

rik1024

My Feedback: (1)

I have worked in the auto body feild for over17 years get the sata mini gun or the full sise gun i cant rember the modle number but any gun by sata is the best on the market i paint cars every day of the week and that is the only gun i use .They are pricy but they are the best

EdwardB

My Feedback: (6)

Randall, I agree with you that good tools don't guarantee perfect results. But I have to disagree that the only difference between the spray guns you describe and the Sata (etc.) is the name... I have been building and painting models for quite a few years. I have used the Badger touch-up gun almost since the beginning. With the old K&B SuperPoxy, it was possible to put on a fantastic finish with this gun. With the newer products, including the automotive paints, I have not been able to get nearly as good results. At least not as easily. Plus I was getting tired of all the overspray and amount of work to clean up. I tried the HVLP gun from Harbor Freight, and was quite unhappy with it. No matter what I did, it didn't atomize or lay down paint like the Badger. This was with PPG automotive. This year, I gave up and purchased a professional gun. I bought the DeVilbiss - DEVSRI625G - HVLP GRAVITY SPOT REPAIR GUN, and all I can say is what a difference!!!! Absolutely the nicest spray gun I've ever used. Expensive? Yes. But my time, and the cost of the materials, make it a pleasure to put down a nice finish so easily. I'm not familiar with the Sata (wish I had been, because it sounds even better) but I'm happy with what I bought. My new 1/3 scale Extra 330L in the avatar was painted with the new DeVilbiss. Best purchase I ever made. In this case, quality really does matter.

CrashMeister

My Feedback: (4)

Hey guys, I'm looking at getting some spraying equipment as well. I like the sound of the SATA MiniJet 3.

1. Would the 1.0mm SR version work well with auto paint (like PPG) ? (or what size nozzle is best)
2. Would the Coleman 5.5hp 15gal (4 cfm @ 90psi; 6 cfm @ 40 psi) be a good compressor for this gun ?

What do you use to clean the equipment after using it ? How difficult is it to clean ?

Any and all help appreciated,
Craig.

EdwardB

My Feedback: (6)

Regarding clean-up, I can't answer specifically for the Sata, but the DeVilbiss I purchased is very similar in construction. Clean up couldn't be easier. With PPG, just use the cheapest lacquer thinner you can find (Home Depot variety, etc.) and wash out the cup and the nozzle. If you haven't used the HVLP type before, you will like this aspect. Other than the cup, which is very easy to clean, very little else gets dirty. This is unlike the traditional suction feed guns where you had the whole pick-up tube, cup including the top, in addition to the nozzle.

I have a similar size compressor Craftsman compressor for my DeVilbiss, which I believe is a similar size HVLP touch-up gun, and it does fine.

Ben Diss

My Feedback: (23)

OK, ordered the Sata, bought a bigger compressor. Do I need an air filter, seperator? If so, which one?

rustyrivet

My Feedback: (6)

EdwardB.,

You know...everything is relative. Because I have never owned a real good devlbis spraygun (I did have their $59 piece of crap model sold at Sears), I will never know just how much better it is then the Harbor Freight guns. The Harbor Freight Guns are both Gravity feeds. I must admit, while the small 4 oz cup Harbor Freight HVLP touch up gun delivered great results from the first try with 30 lbs pressure, the larger 12 oz. HVLP Gravity Feed Auto Gun gave me a lot of trouble until I figured out that it liked higher 45 lbs pressure, with the spray flow wheel on the side of the gun turned off completely. I believe part of the problem too, is that the larger gun is designed to put out large spray patterns on the side of a car (not the side of a 10" x 40" toy plane.)

I also use Rustoleum Paints, because this is what I started with years ago, and what I'm used to. When Rustoleum is thinned enough, the overspray is not a problem either.

But you know what.... I don't doubt that if I started using a top quality spray gun and paints as you suggest, that I might get spoiled real quick indeed, and wonder how I got by with these cheaper Harbor Freight gun and Rustoleum paints all these years. [X(]

EdwardB

My Feedback: (6)

Hey Randall, I agree everything is relative, and I sure hope you didn't take offense at what I said. I certainly didn't mean any. I've seen it both ways, and I'm sure you have too. People throw money at something (whether it's this hobby or anything else) and think that guarantees success, and of course it doesn't. Or people buy less than the most expensive, and have good results and maximum enjoyment. It is, after all, still all about care and good workmanship. I agree that a skilled craftsman could achieve better results with Harbor Freight (or others) than someone not as skilled and using the best materials and equipment. But given the same skill level, there would be a difference between the two, and that's all I was really trying to point out. I'm pretty confident that the finish award winners at Toledo and such are using the very best equipment. The results are breathtaking, and far from what I will every achieve.

Anyway, for me, I enjoy using nice tools, and the extra level of quality they give. My building time is limited and very valuable to me, and I want to get the most out of. But, I agree it's all in what you want, and what you are willing to put in. Neither is better, just different. Fair enough?

Roby

I know I'm jumping in a little late on this thread but
a question to Tenorio41. What kind of paint were you
intending to spray ? And what kind of finish are you looking for?
The reason I ask this is because
I have been doing my planes for the past several years
with latex. I have several high quality rigs but a low end
single action Badger ,(using latex)seems to work just fine
for this application.

Let your requirements determine the equipment.

Roby

Solo

My Feedback: (63)

Hi,
I have a 1.2m HVLP and looking for a good paint to use. Not too expensive. Ihave used PGP paint, but it's too expesive for my taste.

Nickrc3

My Feedback: (6)

For several years, I've used the siphon-feed touch up guns from Harbor Freight to prime/paint/clearcoat my warbirds. Last year I purchased one of those $49.00 generic HVLP touch up guns from the Internet. No instructions were included. After wasting much time with dozens of settings and pressures, not to mention the use of expensive basecoats, I abandoned it. Never could get this piece of crap to spray a uniform pattern with any consistency.

[b]Again, you get what you pay for![/b]

This SATA unit sounds like the solution I need. Who has the best price on this SATA Mini-Jet 3 gun?

Thanks Guys.

CrashMeister

My Feedback: (4)

I've seen it on the web for around $205. Do a google search and you will find a bunch of references.

Craig.

bipeaddict

I vote for the SATA mini-jet III HVLP. Get the 1.2SR tip if you intend on spraying Latex or Polyurethane paint. I use a Sears compressor that has 3HP and a 4 Gallon tank. It can produce 8 scfm at 40psi. When running a normal compressor with a HVLP gun you need volume.

I purchased my gun from www.woodfinishingsupplies.com. They have a great selection of small and large bottle for storing paint. Consider getting a cleaning set, and mini water seperator.

I use Nelson Hobbies paint, and I am going to try Createx Auto Air. Both these paints are water based polyurethane.