trz Posted May 29, 2015 Report Share Posted May 29, 2015 So, I'm trying to learn how to spray and as you can see I need more practice. This is two coats of amber shellac out of a HF hvlp gun using a 4hp 12 gal compressor. The 1/4" maple plyw. Leaning on edge and I sprayed up and down. I cut the Zinnser amber shellac to about a 2lb cut. So now Om looking for tips and advice . Stripes do to tecnique, air pressure/material adjustments? Im open for suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 It's kinda hard to tell, but to my eye it looks like you need to adjust your spray pattern width or move a little closer to the board. How's the texture? Is it rough and grainy or pretty smooth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Get yourself a refrig box, roll of craft paper, etc... Spray water till you get an even pattern... Much easier to see results, less messy and far cheaper... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trz Posted May 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 I might add that each pass overlapped the previous by half the fan width. Texture feels a little rough! What does that indicate? Craft paper and water will be coming out tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 BTW -- with paper and water, play with the settings -- spray too much until it drips, spray too little until you get just a mist... The goal is to get a feel for how the fan looks when adjusted properly and improperly... With most coatings, you want an even, wet and full fan covering the paper, but no drips -- just under that --- wet, but no runs... ==>Texture feels a little rough! Too dry a fan... You want wet, but no drips, runs, errors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 First coat of shellac can raise the grain a bit. Sand lightly before trying your next coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raefco Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 You will get more opinions and answers than you can possibly process, many problems can be over came with technique as quickly as a gun adjustment, while your learning your equpment and material make small singular adjustments, for example if the finish is rough this could be too much air, not enough material or moving the gun to fast, only change one of the above at a time till you close in on what you like. Not everyone's opinion of a good finish will recolncile you must work to find what it is that makes you happy... The best I can tell looking at the pics on my phone, it looks pretty uneven and that could be the wood absorbing at different rates inconsistencies in the equipment or travel speeds, if I were spraying that I would spray the periminter then I would travel horizontal starting at the top going to the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Last couple posts have brought-up good points – Shooting some finishes can raise the grain slightly or interact with the wood in such a way to feel rough... Shellac is one... If I’m sealing with #0.5ct, I’ll shoot two coats to get some solids, and then sand-back to even-up the surface... BTW: #2ct is too thick for those new to spraying – thin it down to #1ct... But get good with water/paper first... It’s also quite correct that many factors can lead to your results: a dry fan (too much air, too little fluid, wrong needle set, etc), erratic application technique, gun movements, etc... The list is endless... What type of gun are you using? BTW: 4HP/12g is too small to shoot a finish on anything other than a very small piece... Sorry, but that’s the way it is... You can certainly learn to shoot with the setup you’ve got, but if you decide to get serious about spray finishing, capital investment will be required. If you shoot shellac and solvent-based topcoats, you can save some money and get an Earlex... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trz Posted May 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Using the harbor freight hvlp gun It has a 1.4 tip. I know the compressor is inadequate but I don't want to buy another compressor, I've been watching craigslist hoping to find a steel on an Earlex 5500. Just want to thank you all for the tips and I will be trying all of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barron Posted May 30, 2015 Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 The Fine Woodworking I received today has an article on spray finishing. I've only glanced at it, but one tip I liked was putting a little dye in the water to make it easier to see your results while practicing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trz Posted May 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2015 Thanks Barron I'll try that. If thry have any other good advise feel free to share it as that magazine along with most others is to pricey for me! They wouldn't be so bad but about 75% of them are ads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted May 31, 2015 Report Share Posted May 31, 2015 ==>little dye in the water to make it easier to see your results on white paper... I suggest butcher/craft paper just because it's so much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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