Paint guns are a faster way to paint a surface than the traditional paint and brush approach.
Paint guns are used to spray paint onto surfaces. Paint guns and paint sprayers can be used for a variety of coatings including paint, varnishes, stains and lacquers. The two types of spray guns are airless and high volume/low pressure (HVLP). Airless spray guns use a hydraulic pump to feed paint to the gun, while most HVLP systems use an air compressor. While these systems are different, there are some common methods and approaches that can be used to set up a paint gun for each.
Instructions
1. Turn off power to the compressor, gun or hydraulic pump.
2. Assemble the paint gun according to its manufacturer's directions and fill the paint canister with the selected coating for your project. With a hydraulic airless paint system, a hose will feed from a paint bucket or can, to the hydraulic pump, and into your paint gun.
3. Connect hoses to the compressor, gun or hydraulic pump according to the manufacturer's directions. Most hoses are fitted with female ends that can be threaded onto the ends of the male connectors on the gun and air compressor or hydraulic pump. These hoses will feed paint or air to your gun. Ensure the connections are tight and use Teflon plumbers tape if leaks occur at connections by wrapping the male ends of threaded connections before attaching them to female connectors.
4. Turn on your hydraulic pump or air compressor and adjust the fluid control --- the amount of coating that exits the air gun --- by twisting the knob usually located on the back of the air gun. There are two knobs located on the back of most air guns: The top one is the fluid control and the bottom is the air micrometer.
5. Set the air pressure for HVLP systems according to the manufacturer's specifications by adjusting the pressure knob at the inlet where the air hose connects to your paint gun.
6. Twist the fan control on the side of the air gun to adjust the amount of air pressure that is used with the gun. This will determine the shape and diameter of the paint exiting the gun.
7. Turn the air micrometer knob on the back of the gun, usually located below the fluid control knob, to fine tune the amount of air and pressure used with the gun. A pressure guide and recommendations are generally included with your product's owner's manual.
8. Pull the paint gun trigger and test paint distribution on a scrap piece of wood or cardboard before painting your actual project surface. Adjust the settings of your paint gun to fit the needs of your project.
