Initial Impressions of Qualspray Spray Gun

[jteneyck]

I use a 60 gal compressor that can output about 10 cfm at 40 psi. I bought it used for $300 about 6 years ago. No problems at all running the Qualspray gun.

Keep in mind, there are two versions of that gun, a HVLP and a LVLP one for use with lower cfm compressors.

John

[Bope]

It depends what you are spraying. I use an 8gal 2HP compressor and have no problems with the purple HF gun or my qualspray gun. I mostly spray things about the size of a large hope chest. If I was doing a full set of kitchen cabinets I might have to wait every so often and let it catch up.

[Mr Eddie]

I bought a Sanborn 60 gallon at Menards.  It was on sale for $400 and I had a 10% off coupon from Lowes.  Specs say 13.4 cfm @ 40 psi and 11.5 cfm @ 90 psi.  My only complaint is it's loud.  Not as loud as an oil less but when I forget about it and it comes on - it scares the **** out of me!  To get a really quiet compressor you need to get your wallet out probably 2-3 times what I paid for this one.

Lonnie

[Snipe Hunter]

When we talk about compressor sizing, we need to talk about the gun and it's requirements. This is probably not the best thread for that as it's a Qualspray Turbine gun thread... but

All (halfway decent) guns have a rating. The compressor should have a higher rating than the gun. For instance, the compressor may have a rating of 40 psi @ 5 cfm. You'll need (you should) use a gun that comes in under that rating like 40 psi @ 4 cfm as an example. That way your compressor won't have to catch-up to the gun and the only way it can do that is if you take your finger off the trigger until you have sufficient volume and pressure to spray again. The changes in pressure and fluid and air volume can really screw up a paint job. Gloss to grainy real quickly. People break these rules all the time but they are still limited in thetyped of jobs they can do. Procuction vs smallish one-off projects. Once you get into the 6+ cfm range, your looking at fairly large compressor.

If you aren't looking to spray big projects and can get away with spraying one panel at a time or aren't intending to paint an entire car, you can get away with a gun in the 4cfm range and a smallish compressor in the same range. You should be able to find a compressor in the 4 cfm with somewhere around a 20 gallon tank. The low cfm guns are typically called "mini-Guns". It can be a little challenging finding a small compressor and small gun.

You'll see CFM and SCFM in equipment specifications... I really wouldn't worry too much about the difference between the two. Maybe if you were building a rocket motor but not for spraying. One problem that you'll find is some compressor mfgs use CFM @90 psi. You won't use 90 psi for spraying. Probably never more than 40 - 45 psi. Guns are almost always rated in the 40-45 psi range. So, you'll have t do some research.

You can get into a setup with gun,compressor, hose, driers and oil separator for under $500. And you can fill tires and use compressed air in the shop. Turbine equipment uses "wind" to atomize the paint, not pressure. Turbine equipment is always under 10psi and most are really between 6 and 9 psi. You'll be hard pressed to get into a quality turbine setup in that price range. Not because it's better equipment or more expensive to build but because it's a smaller market and the decent stuff is extremely overpriced.

I have been using a two stage accuspray turbine for 10 years and I keep saying I'll replace it with a three or four stage but I can't kill it.

[jteneyck]

Just to clarify, this thread started out as a review of a Qualspray HVLP conversion gun.

John

[Snipe Hunter]

I'm talking a few hundred. Something you could find at the big-box stores or tractor supply. Change the oil when you're supposed to and drain the tank after every use.

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I keep forgetting. The Qualspray isn't a turbine gun.

That being said, you should be able to find something under $400.

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I keep forgetting, the Qualspray isn't a turbine gun.

You should be able to find a compressor under $400. Change the oil and drain the tank after each use. If you want to use it for air tools, buy a bigger one.

[Stwood_]

Just to clarify, this thread started out as a review of a Qualspray HVLP conversion gun.

John

Great review.
  To me, that gun looks kinda clunky, with the pot hanging way down, then 2 regulators hanging off of it.

[jteneyck]

That's what I had to do to use the gun right away. Later, I installed a new gun regulator about 20 ft upstream. So now it only has the filter and cup regulator hanging off the gun. It is very well balanced. The 30 oz PPS CUP may look awkward, but it'S not. They make smaller PPS cups, too, but for my work the large 30 oz size works well. I can spray things now that I never could before with my top cup gun, because I can turn the gun at any angle including upside down. I can spray deep drawers and into cabinet interiors that I never could have with my old guns. I can spray the bottom of a shell just by turning the gun upside down, instead of having to turn the cabinet over. Of course it's not as easy compared to a gun with a pressure pot, but clean up is much easier with the PPS cup and you don't need or waste as much finish.

John

[Gregory of Sherwood Forest]

John, you use a filter AND a regulator at the gun?

I have a filter just a few feet off the compressor and then a hose reel with 20ft of hose hanging from the ceiling, should I have a filter at the spray gun, also? I have a regulator on the gun already.

[Stwood_]

I keep a water filter on my pc guns all the time.