How to choose a spray gun for home and car painting

It is possible to paint the car body, the walls of the house or whitewash the ceiling in two ways: long and poorly - manually, or quickly and beautifully, but using an airbrush. But only today's models have little in common with the plastic nozzles for vacuum cleaners that our parents used. Modern spray guns have become much more convenient, more productive and more diverse. We'll figure out how to choose the right equipment, which will cope with the repair in the house or work in the auto repair shop.

The best paint spray gun manufacturers - which company to choose

If you are looking for a reliable and durable spray gun,known firms that produce highly specialized equipment for professionals.

There are several recognized leaders who offer a truly high-quality products:

1. Sata

2. Walcom

3. Devibiss

4. Wagner

5. Bosh

More information about the products these manufacturers can be found in our ranking of the bestspray guns, and even choose one of the models considered if you do not have time for a thoughtful study of the characteristics. But it's better to carve out 10 minutes and find out how to find a spray gun that will meet your requirements.

The device and the principle of operation of the spray gun

The spray gun has a fairly simple design and consists of only a few basic units:

• Spray gun;
• Paint container;
• Pressure regulator;
• Nozzle and filter for paint;
• Air head.

Also, depending on the model, the spray gun kit may( or be purchased separately): a compressor with a receiver or an electric pump, a battery or a normal power cord with a plug.

Despite some design differences, all sprayers perform one job: blow paint from the built-in tank or external container with a solid spray cloud. For this, the compressor or the spray gun pump is responsible for squeezing the emulsion through the nozzle under high pressure.

There are two separate channels inside the gun: the air is closed by a valve, and the paint intended for a paint - with a special needle, literally clogging the nozzle from the inside. When the trigger is pressed, the compressed gas begins to come out first. When you drown the lever deeper, the needle will move, releasing the paint into the nozzle. Here, the emulsion blends with the air that escapes under pressure, and you immediately get a cloud of a dye of a certain shape - the so-called torch.

By releasing the trigger, you stop holding the needle in the open position, and the internally mounted spring immediately returns it to its place. Only then the air supply is blocked. Thanks to this decision, even the first and last "spots" of paint will fall to the surface exactly - without drops and stains.

Types of spray guns

Mechanical

The weakest in the whole family, they do not differ in either particular accuracy or speed of painting. But their cost is much lower than for any other models, so for simple tasks like whitewashing they are used quite often. Mechanics work on the principle of the most common pumping chamber( as in a children's water pistol).Pressing the trigger several times, you force the air inside. And as soon as the pressure reaches 0.4-0.6 MPa, the valve opens and the paint starts to exit through the nozzle.

Pros:

• The simplest design;
• Paint fairly evenly;
• Do not require special skills in the work;
• Very low cost.

Cons:

• Necessity of constantly pumping air manually;
• Large percentage dispersion of the suspension.

Pneumatic

Such spray guns are usually made of lightweight but durable aluminum. They are qualitatively, though not always economically distribute the coatings on the surface: the percentage of emulsion transfer varies from 45 to 70% depending on the model - the rest of the paint is dispersed in the form of fog.

The main work here is performed by the compressor, which supplies compressed air to the gun. It is able to create a pressure of 0.7 to 2 bar at a gas flow rate of 150 to 1000 l / min. Pneumatic spray guns can have both a built-in tank of 0.5-2 liters, and an external one can be connected via a hose. In the second case, the capacity for paint is increased to 25 liters in models for home use and up to 600, when it comes to professional equipment.

Pros:

• High speed and excellent painting quality;
• Ability to use external tanks of very large volume;
• Work with any paint and varnish materials;
• Simple and easy to maintain.

Cons:

• This is a professional technique, and it is not cheap;
• Average percentage of loss of paint output.

Electric air spray guns

These spray paint materials are no longer pressurized by compressed air, but by a pump. Such a device operates from a normal 220 V network. Electric spray guns are compact, easy to disassemble and assemble, do not create problems in maintenance. All these advantages make the air very popular with home masters.

The weight of the device with an empty tank is from 1.4 to 2.5 kg, in the built-in capacity is placed up to 1 liter of paint - that is, the weight of the spray guns is quite convenient. But the transfer quality of such devices is somewhat lower than that of pneumatics. But good power and performance( about 0.35 l / min) make them indispensable for home use.

Pros:

• Portability and light weight;
• Easy to maintain;
• Large selection of attachments included;
• Good performance;
• Low cost.

Cons:

• Shumnovato work;
• The painting quality is lower than that of pneumatic sprayers.

Electric plunger( airless) spray guns

In such models, the emulsion pushes out a special piston - plunger. The quality of the painting here is not the best, but due to the absence of air blowing, the formation of "fog" and the consumption of the mixture will noticeably decrease.

As a rule, an airless spray gun is a compact device with a capacity of 0.8-1.2 liters. The feed speed of the paint in the "home" and professional models can vary between 0.3-30 l / min, which allows you to choose the right machine for any amount of work. But the main thing is that the plunger devices can suck out the paint directly from a bucket or can through a special hose.

Pros:

• Lightweight and easy to use;
• It's easy to clean;
• Sufficient performance;
• Economical paint consumption;
• Reasonable price.

Cons:

• Low painting quality;
• You can use only acrylic and synthetic paintwork.

Rechargeable

In fact, these are the same electrical models, only they do not work from the network, but due to the charge of the battery. In appearance, the spray gun resembles a hand-held screwdriver - the same convenient and compact. The device is additionally equipped with a tank capacity of 1-2 liters, while the power and performance parameters for it almost do not differ from the characteristics of electric air.

Pros:

• Compact size;
• Easy to use;
• Many complete attachments;
• A good paint quality, but not perfect.

Cons:

• Must be periodically recharged;
• Average painting quality;
• The cost is higher than that of conventional electric models.

Gun selection parameters

Gun type

In electric models the gun is balanced with the motor, therefore there is really nothing to advise here. In pneumatic devices, the situation is somewhat different - the workpiece must be selected independently.

Here are 3 options:

1. HP( high pressure)

Pistols of this design allow you to paint any surface very quickly. The operating air pressure with a relatively small flow rate reaches 5-6 bar, and the percentage of paint loss does not exceed 50%.Such pistols are cheap and easy to maintain, but the quality of the coating is not the best for them.

2. HVLP

Operates under low pressure with increased air flow, which allows the transfer of up to 65% of paint to the surface. The working gas is supplied to the apparatus under a high head, after which a rarefaction occurs, and its pressure reaches barely 1 bar at the outlet. The quality of the paint remains good at the expense of a stable torch, and the speed of operation does not decrease, which makes these guns the most effective.

3. LVLP

Use a small amount of air and create a low pressure. Due to this, they have a minimal percentage of paint losses( up to 20%).Pneumatic guns provide excellent color quality and are not very demanding on the performance of the compressor - there is enough 200 l / min for their operation. But also cost LVLP not cheap.

Power( for electrical models)

Sprayers with a power of up to 500 W are usually classified as domestic. They do not differ in the ideal quality of painting, they often give an uneven layer and do poorly with thick undiluted compounds. But such models are very cheap, and so much that they are sometimes bought for one-time work.

Models with a power of over 500 watts are already professional. Such devices are capable of perfectly and evenly covering the surface with layers of paint, regardless of its density.

But the power of pneumatics directly depends on the compressor used and can be from 0,7 to 3 kW.The most running characteristics are 1.2-1.8 kW.Also here you need to take into account the volume of the receiver, because it determines the performance of the device. For domestic work 24-50 liters will be enough, professionals at large facilities will need from 100 to 500.

Pressure

1. High( up to 5-6 atmospheres) - allows you to quickly process any surface, but it gives a large percentage of paint loss. But the quality of the coating will be excellent.

2. The average( 4-6 atmospheres) is the best choice. With such a pressure, it is possible to work with almost any paint and obtain consistently good coloring quality.

3. Low( 2-2,5 atmospheres) - gives not the most ideal coating, but allows to reduce paint losses to a minimum of 20%.

Attachments( tanks, nozzles)

Paint cans installed directly on the gun can be placed on top or bottom. The first always go in a lightweight version and are made of plastic or nylon. The volume of them does not exceed one liter, but to work with such a device will have to get used because of the shifted center of gravity. Tanks located below, usually more capacious and made of metal.

Nozzles in spray guns can have a diameter at the output of 1 to 3 mm, the most popular are nozzles with apertures of 1.4-1.7 mm. If you plan to use equipment for applying liquid mortars( for example, putty), you will need a model with complete nozzles of 6-7 mm, or they will have to be purchased separately.

Which spray gun to choose

1. If the spray gun you need for one-time work, and the quality of the coating is not critical( for example, whitewashing), you can take the simplest mechanical spray. For a more economical flow, a plunger device is suitable.

2. In a large house where you often have to paint something, it is better to use an air electric spray gun. Quality of application at it good enough, and to look after such technics it is simple. And most importantly - this device operates on a regular mains.

3. For professionals who work every day with varnishes and paints( automakers, finishers, carpenters), pneumatics with an external tank and a good HVLP or LVLP gun, which gives a stable torch, will do.

4. If you have to work with a spray gun in a tight space and in a relatively small area, take a battery model with good autonomy - on one charge it should last at least an hour.

Cost of spray guns

1. Pneumatic spray gun costs from 600 to 40,000 rubles - depending on the manufacturer's firm, the type of gun and the presence of various adjustments.

2. Electric air model can be bought at the price of 1500 to 6000 rub.

3. Plunger devices are in the same price category: 1700-5500 rubles.

4. The battery charger will pull by 5-10 thousand.

5. The mechanic can be taken for 800 rubles.