I have never sprayed stain before but would like to for my current project. I think it
would be faster and more even. This project has a lot of detail pieces that would be
easier to spray.

Anybody have any hint or tips for spraying stain? Or something online I could read?

Thanks

Andy Arhelger

If the wood you're using has a tendency to absorb stain unevenly (e.g.
pine or maple), I'd consider dying or toning as an option. The only
between staining and toning is that the pigment gets mixed in directly
with the finish, so you're sort of "painting" the color onto the wood.
It looks just like stain in the end, but it's a lot more controllable
and even. There are lots of different ways to do it from buying
pre-pigmented poly finishes (like Minwax Polyshades if you shop at the
Borg) to mixing aniline dye with a water-based finish. In any case,
spraying works much better than brushing when toning. When you brush,
the finish tends to pool up in the crevices and inside corners, making
it darker there.

Flexner's book on finishing is only $11 on Amazon in soft-cover. It's
$11 really well spent.

Josh


Andy Arhelger wrote:
I have never sprayed stain before but would like to for my current project. I think it
would be faster and more even. This project has a lot of detail pieces that would be
easier to spray.

Anybody have any hint or tips for spraying stain? Or something online I could read?

Thanks

Andy Arhelger

"Andy Arhelger" wrote in message
news:440c9a4c$1@kcnews01...
I have never sprayed stain before but would like to for my current
project. I think it
would be faster and more even. This project has a lot of detail pieces
that would be
easier to spray.

Anybody have any hint or tips for spraying stain? Or something online I
could read?


Do you have any equipment Andy? If not, then now's probably not the time to
start. Spraying does require a certain mastery of the equipment - after you
acquire it. Not that it's a difficult thing to master though. Anyone
should be able to pick it up with a couple of hours of practice on scraps
and some pointers.

Assuming you already have a compressor, if you're looking for a decent gun
to get started, here's a link to a good gun that will serve you in a
multitude of ways, should you ever decide to spray more than just stain...

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...?Itemnumber=86

This gun will do just about any small to mid sized project, as long as you
don't try to shoot latex through it. I've never had any luck shooting
polyurethane with any of my guns, so it probably won't be any better at
poly, but those are the only two materials you'll probably have trouble
with.

Lots of guys have posted comments about various other guns they've purchased
on-line and from places like Home Depot. Good information in those posts -
do some google searches. As far as the difference between HVLP and regular
guns (like the link I posted), it's really a wash for what we do in
woodworking. The real difference in material consumption, overspray, etc.
is not that great and standard siphon or gravity feed guns will serve very
well. The advertised differences make HVLP pretty appealing, but you'd be
lucky to achieve these results. Couple that with the amount you're spraying
and the difference becomes quite negligible. It's not like you're spraying
a gallon of material that sells for $200 per gallon as those of us who also
paint cars encounter. Likewise the difference between siphon and gravity
feed. Neither is going to offer the woodworker a huge advantage over the
other. All guns offer adjustments that enable them to do whatever the
woodworker will need.

Be careful with the detail pieces. Though you are correct that detail is
easier to stain with a gun than by hand, it's also easier to screw up. Guns
make everything easier - including shooting some gorgeous runs into your
finish.

Hints for spraying:

Clean is king. Keep everything clean - your gun, your surroundings and your
project. No oils around. Just think about the word contamination before
you spray. When you're done you should be able to make your gun look like
the day it came off the shelf.

Don't let anyone convince you to put an oiler in your air line. You most
likely don't have any tools that require a line oiler and you'll come to
despise them the first time you shoot fish eyes into that masterpiece
project. Oil goes into air tools, not into air lines.

Drain your compressor before *every* shoot. Periodically throughout the
shoot if you're shooting a lot and have a small compressor that has to cycle
a lot to keep up with the gun. Even more so in the hot weather. Put a
water trap in the line downstream from the compressor.

Here's a link to a must have product. They're available at most any
automotive parts stores, by several manufacturers.

http://www.motorguard.com/air_3_3.html

I have one of these on every one of my guns and wouldn't consider spraying
without one. They last for a long time so if you bought the two pack at the
parts store you'd be set for years.

I'd also get an in-line regulator to mount on the gun. By the time you put
a filter and a regulator on a gun you've got quite a bit of hardware
sticking off there, but it's very handy to be able to adjust the gun where
you are and not have to walk back over to the compressor.

Whatever gun you end up with, read the directions carefully. Then read them
again. Then go out in the shop and try the gun out by doing what the
directions tell you. Experiment with all of the settings. Do this before
posting a lot of questions about how to do something. It's much better if
you understand what the controls on your gun do while someone is trying to
explain things to you. Each of the controls will make a pronounced
difference in the spray pattern or characteristic, so you can't go wrong or
be confused by experimenting.

Hope this helps get you started. I know it won't answer every question.
DAGS on some of the spray painting topics over the past year or two and
you'll find a ton of really good information.

--

-Mike-

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 14:23:42 -0600, Andy Arhelger
wrote:

Anybody have any hint or tips for spraying stain? Or something online I could read?

Dunno. I'd ask the guy who wants to know if you should clean a spray
gun when you're done. He might know.

I use an apollo paint spayer (HVLP) and I have very good results. I mix
my stain with the sanding sealer and I get a very even color and it
saves me time. You will lose some of the grain appearence so if you are
using a highly grained wood this may not be what you want. The stain
and sanding sealer dry in about 5 to 10 minutes on a warm day. Then I
spray the lacqer. This works for me . I dont do this for a living just
a hobby but I do get good results

Mixing the stain with sanding sealer sounds like a good idea. I will have to give it a
try. You don't sand after this do you? That would remove some of the color.

I have an HVLP sprayer but have not sprayed stain. And this is an oak project but I don't
want a lot of the grain to show so this might be good.


sdppm wrote:
I use an apollo paint spayer (HVLP) and I have very good results. I mix
my stain with the sanding sealer and I get a very even color and it
saves me time. You will lose some of the grain appearence so if you are
using a highly grained wood this may not be what you want. The stain
and sanding sealer dry in about 5 to 10 minutes on a warm day. Then I
spray the lacqer. This works for me . I dont do this for a living just
a hobby but I do get good results

Andy Arhelger wrote:
I have never sprayed stain before but would like to for my current project. I think it
would be faster and more even. This project has a lot of detail pieces that would be
easier to spray.

Anybody have any hint or tips for spraying stain? Or something online I could read?

Thanks

Andy Arhelger

I have used Minwax spray stain a few times and like it. Last project was
re staining an old basket and it worked great. It is called "wood
finish" and is found with other MinWax wood finishes. It has something
like varnish in it. It is NOT the polyshades junk.

--
Gerald Ross
Cochran, GA

Ahh!! They're dogs!! and...they're
playing POKER!!





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