fizch Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I just bought an Earlex 5500 a couple of weeks ago. I have never used a HVLP system before. All of my painting was done with a brush. So I bought this new system and started playing around with it. I got the latex paint that I was going to use and wasted about an hour trying to thin out the paint. I tried mineral spirits and paint thinner. Neither of which did anything to thin the paint. Then I noticed on the back of the mineral spirits that it said not use with latex paint. Then I noticed that the paint thinner said the same thing. What's the point of calling it paint thinner if it isn't going to thin paint? Well, I did a little more research and found that I should thin it with water. After my first coat of paint, I thought it would be a good exercise for me to go ahead and clean it out before the next coat. The directions on the paint said to wait 4 hours between coats, so I had time. I dumped the excess paint into a cup for reuse later. I cleaned everything per the instructions in the manual and got it all nice and sparkly before my next round. My question would be, how long is ok to leave the paint in the spray gun's canister? Would it be alright to leave it in the while i wait for the next coat or would it dry in there and cause a lot of headaches? What about with other materials such as stain and lacquer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizch Posted July 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I'd also be careful with stains, you really don't want color residue. Does that mean that you wouldn't put stain in the HVLP, or you just wouldn't leave it in there between coats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 8, 2015 Report Share Posted July 8, 2015 I only use airless for "latex". There's no air in the system, other than on top of the paint in the bucket. I just drop the gun in a bucket of water when done for the day/morning/afternoon, and however long the job lasts in days, it doesn't matter-just run water through it when done, and suck some Pump Armour in to set until next job next year or two. The good thing about airless and latex is that no thinning is needed-ever. Sorry, no help on the HVLP question. I clean them when I'm done for the day, but again, never bother with latex in one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 HVLP isn't ideal for latex,,It will work but not great. After you rinse the gun well and then take it apart for a thorough cleaning w brushes thru every passage( gun cleaning kit !!!) I always run about a 1/4 to 1/2 pint of lacquer thinner thru the gun. Shake the gun to rinse the cup well then spray out the thinner. Some water bourne finishes reccommend a rinse with denatured alcohol . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceHoleInOne Posted July 9, 2015 Report Share Posted July 9, 2015 I would clean the gun if I had a 4 hour wait. Sometimes that can lead to 5 or 6 hours. If your spraying water-based, it's no big deal to pour off and shoot some water through the gun. If you have a cheap spray gun made from non stainless steel parts, it's recommended to spray some alcohol through the gun to prevent corrosion, just do it with a good gun as well. A spray gun is a tool. Take the time to keep it clean, It's not a storage container for finishes. If your re-coating in 20 min to hour, not a big deal to leave finish in the gun. Just make sure to remove the aircap and soak in thinner and wipe the fluid nozzle. Don't forget to stir or shake the gun to mix the contents in the cup. -Ace- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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