Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

D

Daniel Nickleski

Sophomore
Jan 11, 2011
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16
Chicago
www.soundworkspro.com
We are looking to purchase some sort of "spray" system that works with an air compressor to help us more efficiently (and cost effectively) paint cabs and cases. Are any of you using something like this? If so what kind of spray gun and paint are you using?

Thanks in advance!
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Daniel Nickleski said:
We are looking to purchase some sort of "spray" system that works with an air compressor to help us more efficiently (and cost effectively) paint cabs and cases. Are any of you using something like this? If so what kind of spray gun and paint are you using?

Thanks in advance!
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It depends on what sort of results you want-and how much you are willing to spend.

You can use a basic system with textalac (or similar) and a trunk sprayer works well.

Or you can use a normal car sprayer and regular paint. What type depends on how easy you want the cleanup to be.

Or you can go to a multipart system and the cost and learning curve-just went WAY up. But so did the quality of the end result.
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Ivan, Thanks for the reply. We are really just looking for a quick touch up or "full coat" touch up on older speakers and fiberglass trunks. We don't need anything crazy, we just want a fast way of doing it without going thru 2 cans of spray paint per box.

With that said do you or anyone else have any good suggestions in equipment.
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Hey Dan,
On the cheap side of things, I use a regular Harbor Freight paint sprayer with my compressor and have Home Depot mix me up some $20/ gallon semi-gloss latex Glidden paint with "black onyx" tint. I use it for just what you describe, giving old road trunks and speakers a quick once-over. I would give it a 6/10 for durability and appearence. The upside is its cheap and easy to use once you get the hang of it. It really beats the hell out of rattle can spray paint for big jobs. You will occasionally need to take the sprayer apart and clean it out, but a gallon of latex paint will go a long way and work better on porous surfaces than cheap spray paint. Everything cleans up with water.

I think Duratex makes a product that works in a spray gun that is probably more durable at a slightly higher cost.
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Tom Manchester said:
Hey Dan,
...have Home Depot mix me up some $20/ gallon semi-gloss latex Glidden paint with "black onyx" tint.
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Just an FYI: Glidden's "Black Onyx" is the darkest black that can be made with Glidden's regular paint. Also, if you're applying any type of paint over a previously dried coat of Satin sheen or higher, you'll want to rough the surface up so the new paint adheres properly. Otherwise, it'll chip/flake/peel off…can't tell you how many people would come back to the store because of that (and we told them, too).

Back to your regularly-scheduled programming...
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Daniel Nickleski said:
Ivan, Thanks for the reply. We are really just looking for a quick touch up or "full coat" touch up on older speakers and fiberglass trunks. We don't need anything crazy, we just want a fast way of doing it without going thru 2 cans of spray paint per box.

With that said do you or anyone else have any good suggestions in equipment.
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I did auto paint and body for many years to support my sound equipment habit. The air compressor spray gun combo is NOT the cheaper method. It is the quicker and better overall finish method. You can get a cheap copy of a $400 spray gun at Harbor Freight Tools for under $20 on sale that will work for awhile. It must be HVLP or most of your paint will end up in the atmosphere as overspray rather than on your cabinets. I recommend gravity fed (cup on top) for you to be able to use all the paint in the cup and for ease of cleaning after use. Your air compressor and tank needs to be big enough or you will run out of air way before you even finish one cabinet. I use a minimum 5hp compressor with a 60 gallon tank. More tank and a 2-stage pump is better but you can get away with much smaller if you are willing to wait while it catches up. You will need to have a pressure regulator, which most compressors have built in, to keep the line pressure constant at around 70psi or better (I use 100psi but my compressor turns on at 140psi and off at 170psi) and an oil and water trap to keep the air clean. Make shure there is not and has never been an air tool oiler in line or you will find out first hand what the term "fish eyes" means

Automotive paint is expensive and requires thinner to clean up the equipment afterwards. If you are going to go to this trouble I would at least buy a 2 part catalyzed urethane paint for durability.

The cheap method that we still use is the 99 cent spray can economy paint from Home Depot. Available in flat, semi gloss, and gloss black. Works great for a quick touch up as well. We also use a black Sharpie for a quick scratch or ding fix on sight if needed. Good Luck!
 
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Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Daniel Nickleski said:
Tom you pretty much hit the head on the nail with what I am looking for. Eric thanks for your input as well. Now time to paint!
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This the one I always use as a cheap unit. Gravity Feed Spray Gun - 20 Oz. HVLP At $15.99 on sale they are almost disposable.
The HVLP transfer efficiency can be better than 85% vs as low as 35% for a standard high pressure design. Let us know how everything works out.
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

I used this hopper gun last time with a bucket of Duratex - Textured Paint Spray Gun . I felt like the overall coverage may have been better with the gravity feed gun that Eric mentions, with a final texture coat using the hopper gun. With the hopper gun, there was definitely a large amount of overspray. Definitely something to take into consideration if working indoors.
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Here are a couple before/after photos. The 'before' was after patching any dings, digs and scrapes - sanded (L) and unsanded (R). The after photo is self-explanatory. Again, this was all Duratex with the hopper gun I linked above. My only gripe is that I felt like I could have gotten better coverage with a different gun for the first coat, but the multiple nozzles included with the hopper gun did help with a nice finish.
 

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Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Brian Bolly said:
Here are a couple before/after photos. The 'before' was after patching any dings, digs and scrapes - sanded (L) and unsanded (R). The after photo is self-explanatory. Again, this was all Duratex with the hopper gun I linked above. My only gripe is that I felt like I could have gotten better coverage with a different gun for the first coat, but the multiple nozzles included with the hopper gun did help with a nice finish.
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Wow Brian, That turned out nice!
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Here's a quick picture of a custom rack I'm building. This is the type of application I typically use my sprayer for. The pro's over spraypaint is that it goes on a lot thicker and faster covering a larger area in one shot. What I usually do is use the sprayer to get into all the corners and complex areas, and then roll the larger areas with a regular paint roller using the same paint I spray on. Spraypaint tends to take 3-4 coats on unfinished wood as it soaks in a lot. 1 gallon of latex paint repainted 12 double 18" cabs (rolled on), 8 mid-tops (sprayed on), 1 wedge (sprayed on), and the rack pictured (sprayed on).

I really like the look of Brian's cabs though. Nice work!
 

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Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Thanks guys. I do think if I did it again, I'd consider rolling or spraying a coat of regular black paint on first just for wide coverage and then use the hopper gun for the texture. Since it was my first time using that gun I still see all the imperfections, but nobody else would notice much unless I pointed them out. I can legitimately blame the dog on one of them (he stepped on my air hose), but the rest was just a learning curve.

With regards to the duratex, the texture is awesome and the wearability is pretty good, but the places that I patched (as per their instructions with drywall mud) didn't adhere the duratex as well. I might consider going back to the Bondo home stuff, but I would definitely want to experiment a bit. Also, and maybe it's because I sprayed 3 coats, but I felt like that stuff took FOREVER to fully cure - as in, a couple weeks.
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Duratex, spray version.

Slightly water it down. Spray light coats, let dry in between (one heavy coat will take a LONG time to dry) Use the smallest nozzle and 45psi (if I recall correctly.) The hopper gun sold at lowes is far better then that of HF. A hopper gun stand is also a must (board with a hole and notch cut into it)

Bondo is what I use for filler. Let cure, sand with 60 grit on a DA. Priming wouldn't hurt, as duratex is water based and soaks into the wood. Any flat black primer should do. I used white Kiltz lasttime and had problems with duratex flaking off, but this was a common problem with the older duratex sprayed in colder temps (was around 50 out)


Three years and everything is about due for another coat. I'd use duratex again. It can also be ordered in any color you'd like.
 
Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Tom Manchester said:
Hey Dan,
On the cheap side of things, I use a regular Harbor Freight paint sprayer with my compressor and have Home Depot mix me up some $20/ gallon semi-gloss latex Glidden paint with "black onyx" tint.

I think Duratex makes a product that works in a spray gun that is probably more durable at a slightly higher cost.
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I have had good results with Home Depot's Behr paint, "Beluga" is their all lamp black color.

Duratex is better, but the cost went up on the last gallon I bought, $52.50 plus $19.09 S&H. Duratex sticks well to other latex paint, so I have used cheaper paints for the first coat.
I could not get the last spray gun I bought to work for more than a few minutes without clogging using latex, so I have been using pad brushes for the initial coat and a little texture roller from Duratex for the finish coats. Looks good, and for the amount of painting I generally do at once, saves time over getting a spray gun set up properly, and then cleaning it. The texture roller is almost as fast as laying down a swath of paint with a spray gun, and a lot faster than spray cans.

Painting black cabinets without really good light is a bad idea.
The photo below shows my first attempt with Duratex, and a roller, later attempts (like any skill) were better looking. You can see a few spots I hit with a spray can after finding I missed some spots that the sun showed to be wood color .
The Rustoleum Satin Black spray paint matches semi gloss Beluga perfectly, but not Duratex black :^(.

Art
 

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Re: Spray system for painting cabs/ cases

Eric Cagle said:
This the one I always use as a cheap unit. Gravity Feed Spray Gun - 20 Oz. HVLP At $15.99 on sale they are almost disposable.
The HVLP transfer efficiency can be better than 85% vs as low as 35% for a standard high pressure design. Let us know how everything works out.
Click to expand...

The HF HVLP are disposable. I've used them in racing for a few years now, mostly single stage AE auto paint and bulk Rustoleum. Many of the industrial coatings don't fare well with an HVLP system, particularly the cheap ones so you'll still see a lot of pro shops using pots, depending on the coating. Painting racks and cabs is more like bedliner or industrial coating than auto painting and the guys here on the forum aren't running production level duty cycles like you did in the body shop. For what I was spending a season on the HF guns I got an entry level DeVillbiss Item Detail for a bout 80 bucks at TCP Global. Though not an option for speaker cabs, for most of our smaller parts we're going to powder coating. Cheaper and easier than paint for many things.
 
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