HVLP Mini Spray Gun

[StevenGuthmiller]

Does anyone have any experience with this type of spray gun?

I'm considering purchasing one for painting bodies.

The larger fan spray pattern seems like it might be a nice option over the narrow round pattern that you get with an air brush.

At less than $20.00 I thought it might be worth a shot.

 

Steve

 

[Pete J.]

If this is a true HVLP(high velocity, low pressure) then I do have quite a bit of experience with it.  I originally bought mine when my Badger 175 went up and I had several 1:12 scale autos to build.  It has proven to be a very useful tool, but I have to say, I didn't buy a cheap one. I bought the Iwata HLP-50 and it was a couple of hundred but that was a long time ago.  To go into a huge explanation of what an HVLP gun is and how it works would take several pages, but luckily Paul Budzig has just added a YouTube video on the subject.  Here it is.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zs89hoyNM0  

Now a few personal bits.  This is a very precise tool and requires some work to master.  It works similar to an airbrush but there is a lot about it that is different.  I will leave that up to Paul to explain but I will say this.  I bought the Iwata with three different tips and use all of them a lot.  The Iwata's sweet spot is about 13 psi but it takes some doing to adjust the paint and the three different air adjustments to get it right.  I like the Iwata because you can get an attachment that lets it use the standard siphon feed airbrush bottle which is very handy.  It also makes it easy to keep a spare bottle of thinner around to clean it up at the end of use.  

Knowing what I do about this tools, $20 seems too good to be true and this doesn't look like a true HVLP gun.  One too few adjustment so it may just be a cheap touchup gun but for $20 what do you have to loose.  If it doesn't work but you need that type of work done, then you paid $20 for a lesson.  

Good Luck!

[Kit Basher]

I have used the gun in the picture. It is not a true HVLP gun, even though it says that on the packaging. I have not painted a model with it yet, but was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked for touching up cabinets.

I was using latex house paint, and it atomized nicely. The fan and paint controls worked fine. I used a regular compressor at about 40 psi.

For model car bodies, I think you would have to close down the paint supply, and probably reduce the pressure. Even then, I suspect it would be closer to a rattle can than an airbrush. The trick would be using low enough pressure to get good control, while still getting good atomization. The cup holds several ounces of paint, way more than would be needed for a 1/25 car body.

All that said, I do intend to try it for models. If you beat me to it, I would be very interested in your report on how it works. I think it might be really good for larger scale cars, and if I ever build my 1/72 scale B-52, I will see how it works using several bottles of Metalizer!

[Erik Smith]

If this is a true HVLP(high velocity, low pressure) then I do have quite a bit of experience with it.  I originally bought mine when my Badger 175 went up and I had several 1:12 scale autos to build.  It has proven to be a very useful tool, but I have to say, I didn't buy a cheap one. I bought the Iwata HLP-50 and it was a couple of hundred but that was a long time ago.  To go into a huge explanation of what an HVLP gun is and how it works would take several pages, but luckily Paul Budzig has just added a YouTube video on the subject.  Here it is.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zs89hoyNM0  

Now a few personal bits.  This is a very precise tool and requires some work to master.  It works similar to an airbrush but there is a lot about it that is different.  I will leave that up to Paul to explain but I will say this.  I bought the Iwata with three different tips and use all of them a lot.  The Iwata's sweet spot is about 13 psi but it takes some doing to adjust the paint and the three different air adjustments to get it right.  I like the Iwata because you can get an attachment that lets it use the standard siphon feed airbrush bottle which is very handy.  It also makes it easy to keep a spare bottle of thinner around to clean it up at the end of use.  

Knowing what I do about this tools, $20 seems too good to be true and this doesn't look like a true HVLP gun.  One too few adjustment so it may just be a cheap touchup gun but for $20 what do you have to loose.  If it doesn't work but you need that type of work done, then you paid $20 for a lesson.  

Good Luck!

I thought HVLP was High VOLUME, Low Pressure?

[gtx6970]

Ive used one similar to it for painting 1/1 parts .  Never tried to use one on a model but I can see where the spray pattern itself  might be beneficial over an airbrush or rattle can .

I have a couple of the different harbor freight guns. And for my uses they work good. If you were to plan to make a living with one. IMO,,,,Look at other options

 

That said  a couple friends of mine use a full size gun on models with EXCELLENT results.  BUT they paint 1/1 cars for a living and have guns costing FAR more than $20. I know one of his guns was over $1000

[Ace-Garageguy]

I thought HVLP was High VOLUME, Low Pressure?

It is.

Just about every gravity-feed gun out there today is labeled HVLP though, kinda like the light brown white bread is labeled "whole wheat".

The thing is, just by being gravity-feed, they don't have to run as high pressure to get the siphon to work.

A decent gravity-feed touchup gun is a very nice tool to have in the arsenal, but of the five cheapo guns like this I've bought over the years, not ONE of them has lasted beyond two or at most three paint jobs.

Why? The internal seals are made of some Chinese mystery elastomer that dissolves or hardens, no matter how well you maintain it.

Just a few contacts with actual solvents, they're toast (your results may vary...the new ones MIGHT have decent seals).

Edited February 16, 2017 by Ace-Garageguy

[Impalow]

I use this one... usually there is a coupon to get it for around 10-12.00... I love it, and I've sprayed lacquer, urethane basecoat, nail polish and urethane clear out of it with no seal issues.    The spray pattern is smaller than a rattle can, and larger than a airbrush.. great for overall color and clear...

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/adjustable-detail-spray-gun-92126.html

The only issue I've ever had with one- make sure you tighten all the connections on the gun before you use it the first time  I poured paint into my brand new backup gun, and it just ran out all over my hand... nothing was wrong, just the seals around the needle were loose.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I use this one... usually there is a coupon to get it for around 10-12.00... I love it, and I've sprayed lacquer, urethane basecoat, nail polish and urethane clear out of it with no seal issues.    The spray pattern is smaller than a rattle can, and larger than a airbrush.. great for overall color and clear...

 

Good to know. I'll try one.

I haven't bought a cheapo for over 5 years, so it's worth a shot.

[crazyjim]

Looks like the cheapy I bought from Harbor Freight or Northern Tool. Return it if you can and get an Iwata fan spray.

[Pete J.]

I thought HVLP was High VOLUME, Low Pressure?

You are right.  brain fart!

[restoman]

I've been using mini HVLP guns for years to spray models. After spraying real cars with full size production guns, HVLP, RP, and LVLP equipment, I just can't get my fingers to contort enough to operate an air brush with any accuracy - it's like learning to ride a bicycle backwards... I have a cheapo gun like the one pictured and it works fine. Also have a MAC copy of a SATA gun and an ANEST-IWATA HVLP.

Of course, the IWATA outshines them all, but it cost almost $300 while the cheapy was $14 on sale at Princess Auto.

The tricks to the mini guns are to use the right sized tip - nothing bigger than .8 - fully break it down for cleaning after every job, NEVER use anything other than a sharp toothpick to clean out any deposits, NEVER immerse it in thinners or any other solvent, keep the needle packing lightly lube'd with vaseline, and like with any spray equipment - practice, practice, practice.

You'll find your paint and clears may need to be thinned differently than what you put in an airbrush and it's best to cut the fluid back until you get the hang of things, but in my not-so-humble opinion, they outshine an airbrush for over-all spray jobs, no question. Rattle cans... not even in the same ballpark.

Edited February 16, 2017 by restoman

[Phirewriter]

That gun looks exactly like one sold at Menards. If so definitely stay away from it! As stated above, the seals are junk. A friend bought one to paint motorcycle parts and after one use it leaked right out of the needle/nozzle assembly. He brought it to me to repair and upon disassembly found the seals basically melted out. If you looking for a gravity gun I would suggest spending the money for a quality one. Grex make a number of nice guns both in a smaller trigger airbrush (with a fan tip) and larger touch up guns and you definitely can't go wrong with a SATA or Iwata.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks for all of the input guys.

I think I might give it a shot.

 

That gun looks exactly like one sold at Menards. If so definitely stay away from it! As stated above, the seals are junk. A friend bought one to paint motorcycle parts and after one use it leaked right out of the needle/nozzle assembly. He brought it to me to repair and upon disassembly found the seals basically melted out. If you looking for a gravity gun I would suggest spending the money for a quality one. Grex make a number of nice guns both in a smaller trigger airbrush (with a fan tip) and larger touch up guns and you definitely can't go wrong with a SATA or Iwata.

I get your drift Michael, but I just want to take this idea for coffee, I don't want to marry it! 

There's no way that I'm going to jump right in with a $300.00 investment on something that I may not even like.

If this $17.00 gun bites the dust after a week, I'm only out $17.00.

 

Steve

[Phirewriter]

I totally understand, I've use a variety of spray equipment both professionally and for hobbies and have a habit of "if I'm going in, I'm going all in" with certain things and loose sight of the fact it's not practical for everyone or every job. A gun such as your looking at are nice for bigger scale subjects. Go for it!!

[StevenGuthmiller]

I totally understand, I've use a variety of spray equipment both professionally and for hobbies and have a habit of "if I'm going in, I'm going all in" with certain things and loose sight of the fact it's not practical for everyone or every job. A gun such as your looking at are nice for bigger scale subjects. Go for it!!

I appreciate the input Michael.

I have not taken the leap yet & am still shopping around for possibly a little "higher end" product.

Like say.......$25.00!

 

Steve

[BubbaBrown]

Steve, I tried a gun known as a jamb gun and I didn't think it atomized the paint fine enough. I didn't buy it for models, it was for 1 to1 projects in the driveway. I know alot of people like the Iwata's but for the life of me I don't know how you can beat the pasche VL VLS or the Badger 175. There probably cheaper. Lots of luck, everybody likes something different it makes the world go around.

[Pete J.]

Steve, I tried a gun known as a jamb gun and I didn't think it atomized the paint fine enough. I didn't buy it for models, it was for 1 to1 projects in the driveway. I know alot of people like the Iwata's but for the life of me I don't know how you can beat the pasche VL VLS or the Badger 175. There probably cheaper. Lots of luck, everybody likes something different it makes the world go around.

Steve, I have four air driven painting tools.  Tamiya HG, Tamiya super HG, Badger 175 and an Iwata HPL-50.  Each is unique in it's own right and does a particular type of painting better than the others.  None is a good universal tool that does everything.  In my mind it is very much like having a drawer full of screw drivers.  Yes, you can drive a phillips head screw with a flat blade screw driver but it isn't the best tool for the job any more than the wrong sized phillips head screw driver is the best tool for the job.  But it is also like comparing a DIY handyman to a machinist.  Each has different needs to do the work to their satisfaction.  The DIY guy doesn't need the precision of a dial caliper to measure the fit of a coat hook, but the tape measure that the DIY guy uses wouldn't work for the pricision that a machinist uses.  Each owns tools appropriate to the job and skill level that they need.  Same with airbrushes.  I use my Iwata for putting a good lacquer finish on large areas such as 1:12 scale auto bodies.  I would go nuts trying to do it with my super HG.  Where the Iwata does it in three passes it would take hundred with the super HG.  

  Having said that do I believe that every builder needs four or five airbrushes.  No.  I have them because I want to do modeling to my standard and having four aids me in accomplishing that.  It also has taken a lot of time and effort to learn the proper way to use each of these tools.  The finish I want requires that .  That is why I like having multiples and I didn't mind spending the money for them.  Not a choice that everyone can or would make. 

[Brett Barrow]

I have a Mr Hobby 0.5mm Trigger (basically an Iwata HP-TH without a MAC valve for half the price).  It's the perfect size for 1/25th bodies (although I haven't used it on any cars yet ) Can do a fan spray or round.  It's still an airbrush so it's not really HVLP.  Awesome brush, I love it.   If I were starting over from scratch as just a 1/25th car modeler this would be the one airbrush I'd keep.  

 

Edited March 9, 2017 by Brett Barrow

[StevenGuthmiller]

I have a Mr Hobby 0.5mm Trigger (basically an Iwata HP-TH without a MAC valve for half the price).  It's the perfect size for 1/25th bodies (although I haven't used it on any cars yet ) Can do a fan spray or round.  It's still an airbrush so it's not really HVLP.  Awesome brush, I love it.   If I were starting over from scratch as just a 1/25th car modeler this would be the one airbrush I'd keep.  

 

Thanks Brett!

That might be just the sort of thing I'm looking for.

Now, as long as I don't have to take out a second mortgage to buy one.........

 

Steve

[gtx6970]

Whats the difference between one with a .05mm and one with .03mm . it the tip size ? ,,or maybe cup size ?

https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Creos-Procon-Trigger-Airbrush/dp/B001AC51T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489096960&sr=8-1&keywords=mr+airbrush+trigger

 

https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Creos-Procon-Trigger-Airbrush/dp/B0007U92MU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1489096960&sr=8-2&keywords=mr+airbrush+trigger

 

 

[crazyjim]

I bought those Iwata HP-TH airbrushes and love them.  One is for color and the other I use for just 2 part urethane clear.  If you go through Iwata Medea they're like $400 each.  I went through ebay and got them for less than half of that.  Took a couple of weeks because they came straight from Japan.

[Phirewriter]

The difference between the .03 and .05 is tip and needle size. Heavier metallic and automotive paint will flow/atomize with the .05 but everyone has their own preference.

[Brett Barrow]

Whats the difference between one with a .05mm and one with .03mm . it the tip size ? ,,or maybe cup size ?

https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Creos-Procon-Trigger-Airbrush/dp/B001AC51T2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489096960&sr=8-1&keywords=mr+airbrush+trigger

 

https://www.amazon.com/GSI-Creos-Procon-Trigger-Airbrush/dp/B0007U92MU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1489096960&sr=8-2&keywords=mr+airbrush+trigger

 

 

Looks like the .3 doesn't have the fan spray option. 

[DrKerry]

I don't want to open a can of worms, I've been reading along as you all post on here and it is really a lot of great info. My question is I have a touch up gun that I bought years ago and haven't used it. Would this style be ok to use for painting bodies or would an hvlp style be a better gun to use???? 

The one I have is similar to the photo below.....

pic is borrowed from the web.....

[crazyjim]

Sure looks complicated to me, Kerry.