On 13 May 2007 10:56:39 -0700, "
wrote:

On May 13, 11:39 am, "William Noble" wrote:
you don't need to clean a spray gun after using laquer if you just dedicate
a spare gun to clear laquer only - if it gets plugged up, just spray a
litthe thnner through it and continue - I've used the same gun for about 6
years, always keep laquer in it, only had to clean it once in that time

I have heard of this, but never tried it. I know for me, I don't want
(or have the dough!) a $300+ gun dedicated to one finish. My work
requires that I spray too many types of finish, so I am used to
cleaning them, sometimes a few times a day . But I DO keep a
different gun for water borne and solvent coatings.

Might work for me, though- laquer is the only thing I spray from the
gun (most other things can be brushed on successfully), and it's not a
super high-end piece of equipment in any case. At $80, it's not junk-
but it's definately not in the same league as some heated true HVLP
rig.

Like a lot of guys in woodworking (or metal working for that matter),
finishing is sort of a chore for me. I make a point to always do my
level best at it, and research it before doing something new, but it's
really not something I *want* to spend a day doing!

And even though I shoot a lot of lacquer, my formulas for retarding
and thinning are different (similar) for every type of weather. I
don't want to pick up a gun and load it if I has anything other than
the mix I am spraying for the day. For me it is easier to start with
a completely clean slate than a pretty clean one.

And that is one of the main differences between a hobbyist and a pro-
if you're shooting laquer everyday, you're bound to have preferences
like that. For me, I just get it close and tweak things until it
looks good enough. That's the beauty of no longer doing this stuff
for a living- the one or two things I'm coating are never really that
big of a rush, because there usually is a week or two between side
jobs. That, and I almost never have a full shop full of trim to
spray- though I will next week (I'm milling some custom ash trim for a
guy at work), which is why your run down was greatly appreciated!

When I have a full day of spraying, one trick I learned (really
frowned on by the product reps) is to put about 1/2" of the
appropriate thinner in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket and snap the
lid on between coats. It keeps the area around the aircaps ready to
go and prevents any drying of the coating.

Not sure what you mean- are you putting the thinner in the bottom of
the bucket, then setting the open can of finish in there as well
before snapping on the cap so the fumes keep the finish from skimming
over, or putting the gun in there?

If it's the latter, I use a similar trick, but I like yours better. I
always just splashed a little thinner inside of a plastic grocery bag,
then stuck the gun in that and wrapped it up tight before lunch,
between coats, etc.