I just bought the Turbinaire HVLP sprayer and do not have experience with pray finishes. Usually I do my finishes by hand.
Can someone please direct me to any online resource where I can get information on the best way to finish cabinetry with my HVLP? What can go over what? Pros and Cons of urethane…lacquers, etc?
Or…if some of you can give me some basic DO’s and DOn’ts it would be very helpful.
Thanks!
Replies
I would highly recommend you pick up Jeff Jewitt's latest book from Tauton press called "Complete Illustrated Guide to Finishing". He goes into great detail about spraying. I would also recommend you go to his website: http://www.homesteadfinishing.com and check out his product selection and also read/search his forum. He is on the forum everyday and answers ALL of your questions. You can't beat that!
Cheers!
Dark Magneto
Thanks. This is helpful
I second the recommendation for Jeff's book. I would also recommend that you buy some cheap lacquer, oil based enamel, and stain and practice spraying the different materials on a vertical large sheet of ply wood to get a feel for how the material reacts using different airflow settings, material feed rates and fan and spray patterns. You want to be able to see the how the material is going on and also to learn to avoid runs and sags. This will also including learning the point of optimum thinning, if necessary, of each material as well as when you have to retard or accelerate the drying process. The other factor to consider is ambient air temperature. Turbine-feed air becomes hotter the longer the unit is running. As the air increases in temperature, the material thins, the rate of atomization increases as does the "flash-off" of the solvents which can result in dried particles on the surface of your work leaving a "gritty" feel and visible whitish particles unless you adjust your settings.
I suggest this only because I just went through this with a new HVLP and had to re-learn all of these factors after using my old turbine for 20 years. One of the changes I became most attuned to was something I never consciously considered before: the "sound" of the spray. Everything was very different from what I use to and it took me about a quart of lacquerl before I felt confident to spray my project. I will also have to perform these test steps when I switch to a different material such as shellac or stain.
Good luck - Doug
Edited 3/3/2005 9:57 am ET by Doug
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled