The Ford Barn

Richard Lorenz · 05-18-2012, 08:13 PM

I have an old Sharpe Cobalt HVLP with a 1.4 mm nozzle. Is this gun good enough for acrylic enamel? I have used it off-and-on with good results, usually. Any comment or recommendation?

wrndln · 05-18-2012, 08:57 PM

Personally, I think the gun you have is OK. It is not the top of the line, but not bad. I use an Anest Awata LPH400, which is a very good gun. I use Concept (acrylic urethane) and color sand it to give the paint a very smooth finish. I don't know about acrylic enamal as far as color sanding. I don't know how picky you are as far as the final finish, but the better guns atomize the paint better, but if you colorsand the paint you can smooth out even a so so paint job. You just need to make sure you have 2 or 3 coats of paint so you don't sand through the paint. Hope this helps a little.
Rusty Nelson

Kevin in NJ · 05-19-2012, 07:59 AM

I have some cheap guns and a nice mid range gun. The cheap guns do not lay in the paint as nice, but with enough of the right light you can compensate.

I am not the best painter and do not have the best place to paint so I am always getting some dust in the paint so I have to color sand. So it kind of does not matter how perfect I can paint. I did get the higher grit 3m paper that does not need water to do my initial cutting. A bit pricey, but you get more control over how much you cut over wet sanding. So you can stop just when you are though the problems.

A better gun atomizes much better and probably saves enough paint to pay for itself when used by a pro for money. For the hobbyist the cheaper stuff can do the job fine. The really cheap guns like the harbor freight smaller gun I bought for small projects is a pain to clean because of the metals they use. I spent money and bought a new Devilbiss bumper demon with the larger cup. It does lay out paint nice and can do projects like fenders and is very nice to do small stuff. I looked for used ones, but the slight savings on ebay was not worth the risk of something not being right. Cost of parts would exceed savings if I had to put in a new needle or tip.

grj · 05-19-2012, 01:15 PM

I now use a SATA with a 1.4 nozzel and both it and the mini jet are great. As with all one must be right on with the pressure at the gun and..................................

PATIENCE!

1oldtimer · 05-20-2012, 01:45 AM

It should work fine, but you'll get some orange peel (the paint and gun) so if you want it flat you'll have to color sand. Urethanes flow out better to give less orange peel. Here in California GOOD acrylic enamel is gone and so is concept (both PPG), I still have some of both left. I just bought a Devilbiss GTI, bumped my Finex down to a primer gun (couldn't use the harbor freight gun anymore, the purple one SUCKS) and I love it. I haven't tried the only good urethane left yet (Limco). I'm just a hobbyist and don't work in the autobody/paint field.

BRENT in 10-uh-C · 05-20-2012, 06:53 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 1oldtimer

It should work fine, but you'll get some orange peel (the paint and gun) so if you want it flat you'll have to color sand. Urethanes flow out better to give less orange peel. Here in California GOOD acrylic enamel is gone and so is concept (both PPG), I still have some of both left. I just bought a Devilbiss GTI, bumped my Finex down to a primer gun (couldn't use the harbor freight gun anymore, the purple one SUCKS) and I love it. I haven't tried the only good urethane left yet (Limco). I'm just a hobbyist and don't work in the autobody/paint field.

I initially heard from my PPG Rep that it was to be phased out by the end of last year but now I am hearing that PPG was met with quite a bit of opposition from their jobbers and consumers so their phase-out plan has been tabled. With the price they get for DCC products vs. other competitors, it make me wonder if this was not a marketing ploy to go up another 10-15 percent on pricing. Definitely old enough technology that the R&D costs have been fully ammorized out meaning it should be pure profit even if the prices were 35-40 percent lower!!

theHIGHLANDER · 05-20-2012, 07:34 AM

The nozzle size is ok for opaques and heavier materials. Economy guns will typically leave more texture in the sprayed finish, but a good finisher knows how to compensate. If you add approximately 20% more reducer and reduce the volume just a bit you'll get a decent finish and a bit of extra flow out to the surface. The danger is how easily it'll run. Try 4-5 light coats instead of the normal 3.

The thing about good guns vs cheap guns is how often you paint. I too run an Iwata. The efficiency of material application is worth the $$$, but you can easily adjust your gun and yourself to get a fine result. A great spray gun does not make a great painter, but it makes his life easier.

05-18-2012, 08:13 PM	#1
Richard Lorenz Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 447	Sharpe Cobalt HVLP spray gun good enough? I have an old Sharpe Cobalt HVLP with a 1.4 mm nozzle. Is this gun good enough for acrylic enamel? I have used it off-and-on with good results, usually. Any comment or recommendation?

05-18-2012, 08:57 PM	#2
wrndln Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lakeville, MN Posts: 5,164	Re: Sharpe Cobalt HVLP spray gun good enough? Personally, I think the gun you have is OK. It is not the top of the line, but not bad. I use an Anest Awata LPH400, which is a very good gun. I use Concept (acrylic urethane) and color sand it to give the paint a very smooth finish. I don't know about acrylic enamal as far as color sanding. I don't know how picky you are as far as the final finish, but the better guns atomize the paint better, but if you colorsand the paint you can smooth out even a so so paint job. You just need to make sure you have 2 or 3 coats of paint so you don't sand through the paint. Hope this helps a little. Rusty Nelson

05-19-2012, 07:59 AM	#3
Kevin in NJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South East NJ Posts: 3,398	Re: Sharpe Cobalt HVLP spray gun good enough? I have some cheap guns and a nice mid range gun. The cheap guns do not lay in the paint as nice, but with enough of the right light you can compensate. I am not the best painter and do not have the best place to paint so I am always getting some dust in the paint so I have to color sand. So it kind of does not matter how perfect I can paint. I did get the higher grit 3m paper that does not need water to do my initial cutting. A bit pricey, but you get more control over how much you cut over wet sanding. So you can stop just when you are though the problems. A better gun atomizes much better and probably saves enough paint to pay for itself when used by a pro for money. For the hobbyist the cheaper stuff can do the job fine. The really cheap guns like the harbor freight smaller gun I bought for small projects is a pain to clean because of the metals they use. I spent money and bought a new Devilbiss bumper demon with the larger cup. It does lay out paint nice and can do projects like fenders and is very nice to do small stuff. I looked for used ones, but the slight savings on ebay was not worth the risk of something not being right. Cost of parts would exceed savings if I had to put in a new needle or tip.

05-19-2012, 01:15 PM	#4
grj Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 1,415	Re: Sharpe Cobalt HVLP spray gun good enough? I now use a SATA with a 1.4 nozzel and both it and the mini jet are great. As with all one must be right on with the pressure at the gun and.................................. PATIENCE!

05-20-2012, 01:45 AM	#5
1oldtimer Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South Orange County, Ca. Posts: 685	Re: Sharpe Cobalt HVLP spray gun good enough? It should work fine, but you'll get some orange peel (the paint and gun) so if you want it flat you'll have to color sand. Urethanes flow out better to give less orange peel. Here in California GOOD acrylic enamel is gone and so is concept (both PPG), I still have some of both left. I just bought a Devilbiss GTI, bumped my Finex down to a primer gun (couldn't use the harbor freight gun anymore, the purple one SUCKS) and I love it. I haven't tried the only good urethane left yet (Limco). I'm just a hobbyist and don't work in the autobody/paint field.

05-20-2012, 07:34 AM	#7
theHIGHLANDER Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 492	Re: Sharpe Cobalt HVLP spray gun good enough? The nozzle size is ok for opaques and heavier materials. Economy guns will typically leave more texture in the sprayed finish, but a good finisher knows how to compensate. If you add approximately 20% more reducer and reduce the volume just a bit you'll get a decent finish and a bit of extra flow out to the surface. The danger is how easily it'll run. Try 4-5 light coats instead of the normal 3. The thing about good guns vs cheap guns is how often you paint. I too run an Iwata. The efficiency of material application is worth the $$$, but you can easily adjust your gun and yourself to get a fine result. A great spray gun does not make a great painter, but it makes his life easier.