Ill post vid later, because I didnt take any yet. :-)
Anyway, I got this gun from HF today (We have a local store):
http://www.harborfreight.com/industrial-paint-spray-gun-43760.html
I painted a 3ft by 2ft piece of scrap metal, I still need to figure out the settings a little better, and try a more precise mix of paint to thinner, but so far, Im impressed as hell! Once I get this method down good, Ill never rattle can again!
I shot some gloss black paint, and I now know I can use this for the floor of my truck after I get it patched up.
My compressor is a 1/3hp with a 2 gal tank. I just KNEW that wasnt enough to shoot paint, so I added in-line a 7 gal air tank for a total of 10 gal of air and painted with no problems. Now, I didnt paint long enough to run out of air, and I already know Ill be happier with a bigger compressor, but the results I got out of this low-buck setup today, Im happy as a pig in mud!
Compared to can paint:
The spray pattern is much larger, about 6 times larger, this translates into a lot more paint going onto the work. Also it goes on wetter but without runs. The paint should go on wet... when you do that with a can you almost always get a run. Overspray with the gun, even though it is NOT an HVLP gun, and is a traditional siphon gun, is a lot less than with a can. Two coats of paint on the scrap metal I did and I could tell it had great coverage! There was no visible signs of overlap, no signs of overspray or dry spots, nothing... Just a GREAT paint job!
Now, I would hesitate to paint a BMW with it.. but the wife's '96 Geo Tracker is going to get a new paint job, like I promised... but its not going to cost $850, AND I will be able to put 3 passes of clear coat on it, and change color for about $125 in supplies, maybe less. For this project, Ill get that instant garage that I linked earlier to keep it as dust free as possible. Maybe not perfect results, but Im sure I can do better than the Schibe!
I took auto body in high school, and never really paid attention in class, but some many years later and Im learning a LOT now and am really enjoying the whole process!
Ill post a vid later on my ghetto fab compressor getup, its a hoot to see, but she works! Im even going to paint my shed now that Ive got a quick and cheap way to do it! Brown enamel is pretty cheap!
Oh, and Im lucky to have an automotive paint supply shop very close to me! WooWoo!!
Andrew
Don't forget to do some decent ventilation in your quickie garage. Also, if your Blazer isn't straight, you might want to not use a high gloss paint because gloss shows body errors much more. So, perhaps a nicely colored primer would do the trick.
