On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 11:49:58 AM UTC-5, Leon wrote:

That sprayer has been around for a while, regardless of it being new to Rockler. It is an Earlex 2 stage, considered at best an entry level machine. That being said, you can get some good use out of it. Like many tools, you can't get premium results using a great deal of materials, but it does have its place.


I assume you use this or one like this.

I have on many occasions considered using this type equipment in the
last 30 years. I had a terrible experience with a Wagner Airless
sprayer 30+ years ago.

Sound likes me. Once bitten, twice shy. OK, maybe thrice shy.


Anyway, How much trouble is it to clean these/this sprayers?

This is an all plastic unit, so the surfaces can be problematic. As with any spray rig, cleanliness is one of the keys to a consistent finish. The plastic doesn't hold up to the hard resinous residue that can form from continued spraying being removed with harsh solvents and a stiff brush. If you are going to use it once in a while, say once a month or so, this could be a great choice.


Is this unit good enough to deliver a fine finish on relatively fine
furniture, bare wood?

That truly depends on the material you are applying. Part of using HVLP technology means that you will learn proper thinning and mixing procedures for your finish. You can thin solvent based finishes that have no solids like lacquer, most shellacs, and clear polyurethanes, etc. and spray them well as they have no solids to desegregate when thinned.

Other materials put a specific limit on how much you can thin before you have ruined the material itself, or wind up with a bad finish. For example, a satin finish poly is no different than a clear gloss except that the satin has a certain percentage of silica crystals that diffuse the light and make it "non gloss". Over thinning the satin finish will cause the silica to come out of suspension and give you a blotchy finish.

But, since an HVLP doesn't break down the finishes into tiny droplets like our old guns that could create a fog bank, you have to become a master of thinning.

This is a two stage unit, so it has enough power to do a fair amount of work. For what you are doing Leon, this could be a great deal for clear coats if you find a finish you like and "woodshed it" to get your formulas correct. Thin more on cooler days, less on warm day, more for that finish and less for others. The gun has rudimentary controls on it, so you can tinker with it to fine tune what you want.

I had a Fuji 4 stage with their best gun and selection of air caps, and finally sold it. I used it a lot and got great results with clear finishes and even latex, but it was redundant after a fashion. Remember too, that these sprayers /reduce/ the overspray and drift, not eliminate it. If you are spraying in your shop, you will still have to cover your tools. If you are going to make a rolling platform, you can do what I do. Put your material on a cart/roller, roll it out on the driveway, spray, roll it back in the garage.

This could do all you want if you don't go for the real high performance enamels, etc. An occasional project is what these are made for as well as being a stepping stone to other HVLP machines. Certainly, the price is right! I paid a bit under a grand for my Fuji 12 years ago, no telling what that is now. It required less thinning and material manipulation before application because it was a 4 stage.

I have not used one of these personally, but have instructed two different clients on their use. One shot poly and some primers, and the other shot shellac and latex. Both were happy with their results, both thankful I told them to 1) keep good notes on the temp, humidity and thinning procedures used on each material, and 2) practice on anything but your project.

I know Karl has some instructions on how to set this rig up. He has one very similar, and I scribbled out a bunch on gun setup. You know how much he likes his results with this setup when shooting shellac. I am telling you, once you get proficient spraying, you will have a hard time going back to rubbing, back rolling, brushing, sanding, and all the other things that most people hate about finishing.

Oh yeah... they aren't hard to clean! A package of tooth brushes from the dollar store, some hard round tooth picks and come clean solvent make the job go quick.

Robert