Using Earlex 5500 to spray paint

[cme4dk]

I have been using the Earlex 5500 for quite some time spraying water borne poly and similar materials, but I want to spray paint with it.  I finished 2 planter boxes, and today I brushed a coat of primer on each.  Is it worth using the sprayer or is the brush the better way to go?

Jay

[fptahoe]

I always look at spraying (I have the Earlex 5500) based on.....is it worth cleaning the sprayer for this or should I just brush it on.

[jteneyck]

I have been using the Earlex 5500 for quite some time spraying water borne poly and similar materials, but I want to spray paint with it.  I finished 2 planter boxes, and today I brushed a coat of primer on each.  Is it worth using the sprayer or is the brush the better way to go?

Jay

If you have a 1.8 or 2.0 mm N/N set for it it should work fine with many paints.  I recently sprayed SW's Emerald Urethane Trim Paint and really, really liked how easily it sprayed and how great it flowed out.  Emerald house paint, on the other hand, is just terrible to spray.  

John

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

My opinion would be to brush them but to each their own.

[fredhargis]

Sounds like this is a good opportunity to try it out with paint if you have the correct needle set. I do consider the clean up of spraying versus brushing, but truthfully it doesn't seem to be that big a hassle to clean the spray gun (after a waterborne finish).

[cme4dk]

I sprayed the planter boxes yesterday.  The finish is smooth and it covered everything, but halfway through I had to stop and clean out the 2 mm tip.  When I was finished, I gave  everything a thorough cleaning, the different tubes all had a thick layer of paint residue and all of the orifices had to be cleaned.  It was a good learning experience and the end result is good, but I have to wonder how much longer I could use the sprayer on a particular project before the sprayer is totally clogged.  I have never used an airless sprayer, are they better for paint?

jay

[ajkoontz]

I sprayed the planter boxes yesterday.  The finish is smooth and it covered everything, but halfway through I had to stop and clean out the 2 mm tip.  When I was finished, I gave  everything a thorough cleaning, the different tubes all had a thick layer of paint residue and all of the orifices had to be cleaned.  It was a good learning experience and the end result is good, but I have to wonder how much longer I could use the sprayer on a particular project before the sprayer is totally clogged.  I have never used an airless sprayer, are they better for paint?

jay

IMO, yes. I've used the $150 Rockler HVLP for latex paint and it works- if you thin the paint, tweak the settings, etc. But an airless like this is a zillion times better for spraying latex. Any airless really, but I have the older model of this Graco and I can't recommend it enough.

[jteneyck]

I sprayed the planter boxes yesterday.  The finish is smooth and it covered everything, but halfway through I had to stop and clean out the 2 mm tip.  When I was finished, I gave  everything a thorough cleaning, the different tubes all had a thick layer of paint residue and all of the orifices had to be cleaned.  It was a good learning experience and the end result is good, but I have to wonder how much longer I could use the sprayer on a particular project before the sprayer is totally clogged.  I have never used an airless sprayer, are they better for paint?

jay

What was the viscosity of the paint?  For a 2 mm N/N and a pressure cup like on the Earlex it should be a max. of 150 - 250 seconds through a #4 Ford cup.  Most paints are 400 - 500 in the can.  Depending upon the specific product, you can sometimes spray them w/o thinning, but with most you will need to.  

John

[cme4dk]

What was the viscosity of the paint?  For a 2 mm N/N and a pressure cup like on the Earlex it should be a max. of 150 - 250 seconds through a #4 Ford cup.  Most paints are 400 - 500 in the can.  Depending upon the specific product, you can sometimes spray them w/o thinning, but with most you will need to.  

John

I did not time the paint flowing through the Ford cup (in retrospect I should have), but I added 4 ounces of water to the quart of paint.

Jay

[jteneyck]

I did not time the paint flowing through the Ford cup (in retrospect I should have), but I added 4 ounces of water to the quart of paint.

Jay

That's 12.5% which should be in the right ballpark for many WB paints.  But it depends upon the specific paint.  I added more than that to SW's Emerald house paint and it still sprayed poorly and it snotted up the nozzle and air cap after only a couple of minutes.  It was a fight no matter what I did.  Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel, however, sprayed beautifully with only about 6% water, and never blinded the nozzle or air cap.  It was easy to spray and flowed out beautifully.  

Yes, airless can spray paint more easily than an air assisted HVLP gun, but with many paints it still works well.  

John