Today’s topic is all about the Best 20 – 30 Gallon SMALL Air Compressors for Auto Painting!
We've been getting a lot of queries about the best air compressor for a mini spray gun, so I’ve decided to make a video for all of you.
I’ll be making another video for large compressors that are required to paint an entire car.
]]>Today’s topic is all about the Best 20 – 30 Gallon SMALL Air Compressors for Auto Painting!
We've been getting a lot of queries asking about the best air compressor for a mini spray gun, so I’ve decided to make a video for all of you...
I’ll be making another video for large compressors that are required to paint an entire car.
Here’s a 20-gallon Campbell Hausfeld horizontal electric air compressor. When you’re using a full size spray gun and not a mini, you should be using an LVLP Spray Gun when you’re using these smaller air compressors.
There is an exception when painting with a mini spray gun because it uses less air. So using a small air compressor for your mini gun should not be a problem in most cases. The mini spray guns are made for small jobs and graphic work.
I don’t recommend using an air compressor smaller than a 20-gallon because you need the air volume reserve when you’re painting. The smaller air tank you have, the less reserve you have of stored compressed air.
Imagine using a 5 or 6-gallon air compressor that will be running continuously to pump out air for you, which is called CFM. Then, the small air compressor will struggle, specifically if you are painting an entire car.
Smaller air compressors are ideal for painting motorcycles, car parts like a car fender or bumper covers. I recommend you use at least a 20-gallon or 30-gallon air compressor. To save space in your shop, I recommend you buy a vertical air compressor or something upright just like what I show you in the video.
This is a good deal at $189. It’s the same version as the vertical one. Check out the video as I show you some of the products that I find. When using a mini spray gun, you’ll be doing at about 25-27 psi continuous air flow since you’re only doing small areas. You will not be 40 psi.
Sometimes the gun rating says 7-12 psi of CFM rating but this will just give you a guide and may not be actually what you’re painting with. It is a gray area and tricky sometimes when you see these specifications. If you’re sanding with a 30-gallon tank, it will die out very quickly because it will need a lot more air to feed that DA Sander.
If you are looking for an awesome mini spray gun, check out the Atom Mini X16 Spray Gun on Zoolaa now. The Atom Spray Guns are the BEST alternative spray gun if you are looking for something less inexpensive than the popular brands that are out in the market.
Do you want to get cranking on your own custom projects? Grab your FREE 85-Page Auto Body And Paint Manual.
Cheers!
I hope you enjoyed this post,
The ZooLaa genie...
]]>The first one is a conventional style siphon feed spray gun (with the paint cup at the bottom of the gun). This type of gun is an older design for automotive use, but is still used for some industrial applications today.
30 years ago, siphon spray guns were very popular in automotive body repair shops. Some people still use them today, but in general, it's a dinosaur model for most automotive refinishing applications. Conventional spray guns are inefficient, have a bad transfer rate (only 35%), waste a lot of paint material, and create a lot of overspray.
The second and third type of spray gun, the type you want is the gravity feed HVLP, or LVLP spray gun. The Atom X calls theirs the MP-LVLP because it's more of a hybrid low-volume low-pressure and medium-pressure spray gun which makes it very unique compared to other spray guns on the market.
The HVLP gravity feed spray gun is the most efficient and popular type of spray gun today. It does not need compressed air to feed material to the fluid nozzle, and therefore it uses less cap pressure (about 10psi at the cap) to spray and atomize the paint material.
As shown below, the Atom X27 HVLP paint cup is located at the top of the spray gun and the paint feeds into the gun body through the force of gravity.
It looks like this:
High-Volume Low-Pressure (HVLP) spray gun.
What is HVLP?
HVLP spray guns deliver the paint material to the car at pressures of approximately 10 psi at the air cap. Because of environmental concerns, the HVLP gun is now required in most areas, and in body shops across the U.S.
When using High-Volume Low-Pressure spray guns, there is considerably less overspray, so they offer the added advantage of material savings.
To be used for surface coating application, all spray guns must have at least 65% transfer efficiency, which means that at least 65% of the material being sprayed is applied to the panel that is being painted.
This is one area where ATOM X shines. Through hours of research and testing, transfer rate of the ATOM X can reach up to 76%. Of course this will depend on the material being sprayed and your spray gun settings.
Low-Volume Low-Pressure Spray Gun (Atom X MP-LVLP).
What is LVLP?:
Low-Volume Low-Pressure, means exactly that. It uses less air volume pressure to function. This type of spray gun is not only recommended for users who have a smaller air compressor with less volume, but it's an ideal type of spray gun for spraying clearcoats. This spray gun is perfect for DIY'ers and Professionals.
Air Cap/ Tip Selection Tips: A 1.3 and 1.4 tip is the perfect size for all around automotive and woodwork refinish work.
It's really user preference.
Tony uses a 1.4 for most of his basecoat and clearcoat painting. When it comes to spraying thicker primers and filler/primers, ideally you'd want to use a bigger tip size for the thicker material to flow out better.
If you use the 1.3 or 1.4 when spraying primers, you'll notice that the spray gun will strain when spraying. This is because the thicker viscosity of the primer. You need a bigger orifice for better material flow. You'll also notice very dry spraying and sand like texture on your panel. The 1.8, or 2.0 tip kits are best for primer/filler spraying.
Although there is a way to successfully use a 1.3, or 1.4 when spraying primers, as Tony says, just thin out your primer 10-20%. The down side is that you'll need to spray more coats to get a fill, and you won't be spraying and laying on the material as recommended.
If you can and have the budget to, it would be wise to just pick up a tip kit for your specific spray gun that will allow you to spray thicker primer materials the proper way.
The great thing about Atom X spray guns is the affordable cost of extra tip kits. Most high end spray gun companies charge you an arm and a leg for fluid tips, and air caps. You could end up paying as much as $300.00 for a complete tip kit from SATA.
Atom's tip kits are a complete and can be swapped out in 30 seconds flat. You get the fluid tip, air cap, nozzle, and needle in one package, and pricing varies from $50-$80 depending on where you shop. See sample Atom Tip Kit Here.
Here is one more video where Tony breaks down both HVLP and LVLP spray guns. Enjoy and please comment below!
Hope you enjoyed this article and videos 😃👍
Shop ATOM X Spray Guns Here!
Learn more about DIY auto body here and how to get amazing professional finishes from your home or shop without $900.00 spray guns, or a professional spray booth!
-The ZooLaa Genie
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