"Mike Marlow" writes:
blueman wrote:


Ahhh my HF gun comes with a 1.4 tip... and as I am just now learning
that may make it come out to thin though I'm not sure I understand the
mechanics of it. So perhaps that is part of the problem...

Nope - the tip does not make it come out thinner - smaller tips require
thinner material. For a 1.4mm tip you would want quite a thin material, or
it will not spray it well. Start adding more reducer (water for water bases
materials) and test shoot until you get a good pattern. Increment the
amount of reducer by 10% or so until you get t good, shootable mixture.
Keep note of how much reducer you are adding so that when you get to the
point where it's spraying well, you can reproduce that ratio of reducer to
material later on.

Does one that get into a bit of a paradox:
- Too thick means it doesn't atomize and coalesce properly
- Too thin means it sprays nicely but runs and sages unless coat is
applied thinly

Which would seem to mean that if I use my current tip, but thin then I
will have to put on more thinner coats.
While getting a wider tip would spare the need for adding reducer and
would allow me to apply a relatively thicker coat without sagging or
running.

Am I understanding this tradeoff properly?

Also, would having the right size tip and/or right viscosity typically
allow me to lower the HVLP inlet pressure (I now have it cranked up to
about 30psi but ideally, I know I could or should go a lot lower...).