LessPaul Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 I hate brush marks, and have never been able to master a brush-mark free finish using one. Some 30 years ago I worked at a woodshop where we did a lot of lacquer finishing with a standard compressor and Binks/Devilbiss style guns. However, these days I'm pretty sensitive to fumes, spray in a home workshop rather than a huge paint booth, and would rather avoid flammables as much as possible. I read a while back about the advances in waterborne finishes and how HVLP eliminates the need for a huge compressor. So I'm now the proud (and befuddled) owner of a Fuji Mini-Mite 4, along with 1.0, 1.3, and 1.8mm aircap sets. I've done a little bit of project painting (cornhole boards) with 10% thinned Valspar latex using the 1.8 nozzle and had good results. Clearly the HVLP is a different beast than what I have used in the past. Now it is time to try my hand at some fine finishing of furniture, but the world of finishes is a bit confusing, AND the manual that comes with the gun appears to assume I know all about HVLP already. Now, I could buy a bunch of different finishes and ruin a bunch of projects while learning the ropes. Or I could come here and ask you fine folks for some tips on which finishes to use and how to set my gun for the best results. And yeah, I'm sure I'll get varied opinions, but at least that's a better starting place than going at it blind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 General Finishes endurovar is a nice water-borne finish. When spraying I use a 1.5mm nozzle/needle so probably your 1.3mm one will be just right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 First of all, Welcome. You really can’t go too far wrong with a MM4. Which gun? You can lay-down most finishes through a Fuji setup and get reasonable atomization. The world of WB finishes is too broad for forum posts… The most obvious is to take a class at your local Woodcraft, et al. and/or join your local woodworking club/association/whatever and ask for pointers -- Woodworkers are fairly generous with their time… Where are you located? There’s a database of woodworking associations by Zip… What are you trying to spray? A kitchen table has different coating requirements from a decorative box… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LessPaul Posted October 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 First of all, Welcome. You really can’t go too far wrong with a MM4. Which gun? You can lay-down most finishes through a Fuji setup and get reasonable atomization. The world of WB finishes is too broad for forum posts… The most obvious is to take a class at your local Woodcraft, et al. and/or join your local woodworking club/association/whatever and ask for pointers -- Woodworkers are fairly generous with their time… Where are you located? There’s a database of woodworking associations by Zip… What are you trying to spray? A kitchen table has different coating requirements from a decorative box… Thanks to all who have replies so far! HHH -- I have the T series 600ml gravity gun. Though it is called a gravity gun, it is pressure fed. My first "real project" is going to be 2-fold: 1) A new build oak headboard. My boss (read: wife) wants it to be approximately the GF "antique oak" with a satin or semi-gloss topcoat. 2) A 'golden oak' commercial dresser she would like tinted to approximately the same color as the new headboard. One of my great woodworking conundrums is that I never seem to do the same thing twice. The next project could be lawn furniture, a jewelry box, or who knows what will next catch my fancy. As to where I'm located, I'm in the greater Lansing Michigan area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Here is a first pass on clubs – I won’t say local clubs, because MI is a large state and I think the closest is about 60miles from you… Berrien County Woodworkers Guild 700 South Park Road Benton Harbor, MI 49022 Phone: 269-944-5077 Email: corsair@triton.net Website: http://www.orgsites.com/mi/berriencountywoodworkers Eastern Michigan Woodworkers 3619 Pitkin Avenue Flint, MI 48506 Michigan Woodworkers' Guild 25575 York Road Royal Oak, MI 48067-3057 Email: williamgayde@home.com Website: www.michiganwoodworkersguild.org Southeast Michigan Woodworkers Ypsilanti, MI Website: www.semiww.org I’d give each a call and ask about members in your area. Someone’s got to have a 4-stage HVLP and willing to spend a few hrs on a Saturday talking about woodworking… Same goes for Woodcraft… Give them a shout and ask about classes/local members. Some staff members at Woodcraft moonlight with private lessons… ==>A 'golden oak' commercial dresser she would like tinted to approximately the same color as the new headboard. If you could, I’d push-out anything to do with color matching and spouses – it’s a recipe for disaster. I’d get myself some serious experience before I tried to color match... Another resource is Charles Neil’s on-line finishing course. Content is there, but CN has a bit of a “throw it at you and see how much you can catch” presentation style. Production values are a bit hit/miss…But the content is solid. He also sells two books – you can find my review of one somewhere on WTO. Both are good with caveots that I mention. The ‘formulas’ book would help your ‘color match’ project. Good luck and again, welcome. PS. ==>One of my great woodworking conundrums is that I never seem to do the same thing twice. Actually, that's what I like about hobby-level woodworking -- differnt projects bring differnt challanges... diferent challanges bring new opertunities to learn... If my woodworking was repetitive, I'd do something else... Just the way I'm made... My motto is always exploring... It's how I approach things... Except for holliday gifts, then I want simple-batches where I can knock-off ten gifts in two weekends... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 The frustrating thing about HVLP is that most of the finishes you want to use are meant for commercial purposes, which means you have to go out of your way to find a Sherwin Williams Commerical / Pro shop. You really don't want to spray latex or oil. Solvent based lacquers spray the best (in my opinion), followed by water base. Shellac sprays nicely too but many folks don't think it is durable enough as a top coat. In terms of color, tinted lacquers or water base do better than paint, but that is where you will need a pro shop. I live in chicago, arguably a pretty big market, and there is only 1 Sherwin Williams store that I know about that will tint lacquer, and it is 30 miles from my house. Your every day paint and box stores don't do that, at least not in this market. EPA regulations I believe. . Its really a matter of education. If you can mix paint you can tint lacquer they just don't know they can do it. They are unaware that they have the right pigments sitting right in front of them. Rodda is a much better option since they have teamed up with valspar and are training their counter people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 I have the MM4 with the XPC gun and found the 1.0mm tip works best with waterborne topcoats. When I got going this book and DVD was great and quick to the points: http://www.amazon.com/Spray-Finishing-Simple-Step---Step/dp/1600850928/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414422787&sr=8-1&keywords=spray+finishing+made+simple I learned by spraying a lot of test boards. Is also tried a few different finishes and these are all good - GF Enduro-var, GF High Performance, and Old Masters water-based poly. My favorite is Old Masters because of ease of use, durability tests, and available locally for a lot cheaper than the GF products. Here is a store locator if you want to try it: http://www.myoldmasters.com/store-locations.htm I have a Google spreadsheet with all the parameters and results for each spray. There are a lot of variables to spraying and once you find out what gives great results you can always look it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 Well....since your not new to spray finishing, it's like riding a bike, you don't forget how. As to what finishes, It's like anything, you get what you pay for. The reason good water-based finishes cost more is they have better/more ingredients. If this were me, General Finishes High Performance or Sherwin Williams Kem Aqua -Ace- Remember: You should try to match the topcoat to what is required for the job. In the long run it's cost effective to do so. Example, a mantle clock or small boxes, picture frames. They don't require a lot of protection. Less $ for these finishes typically acrylic. Kitchen tables, coffee tables, table tops, wood floors, require more protection. More $ for these finishes, typically poly acrylic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted October 27, 2014 Report Share Posted October 27, 2014 +1 on genral finishes high performance poly. Fantastic stuff - it's my "go to" poly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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