Had never painted a vehicle with a gun and compressor until last week. I watched multiple videos including your other ones on the HF gun. Bought one, borrowed my buddies 20 gallon compressor. I sanded my Jeep down, primed/sealed, base and cleared with this gun and my Jeep looks fantastic. For a weekend warrior not looking for a show finish, you cant argue with this gun.
@@horaciosalinas8145 hell yea, I’m 17 didn’t know a thing about painting. I just used used this gun to paint a go kart and damn. Using cheap paint, cheap, compressor I actually got good results. It’s all in the prep. Besides if you get to much orange peel you can always cut and buff
I went to the junk yard got an old fender to practice on. Local automotive paint supplier I told them I wanted something to practice with they went in the back gave me a gallon of basecoat for free someone ordered never picked up. They gave me a discount on some cheap clear coat. I used a cheap gun off amazon fixed some clearcoat peeling and spot repairs. I painted a buddies car came out okay some orange peel we had a few runs it was way better than before with rust spots, and clear missing. Neighbor got upset about the smell threaten to call the city so I decided to give up home painting I put together entire package including the car fender sold it all for $100 to a guy on CL. I broke even on everything I bought. Maybe someday can afford to move where I can have a spray booth kind of sucked spraying in a garage and outside on the side of the yard dust and bugs. Friend passed left me an old honda pilot got some clear missing thinking of fixing it maybe just use rattle cans.
You probably succeeded because you had the most important tool called "A Space". Space with no humidity, wind, low temperatures, condensation, etc. I tried doing a spot repair for a silver metallic color. Failed 4 times. Fading in just a patch of silver-metallic color outside on 9 degree temp, with 70%+ humidity is impossible job. Asked one of my neighbours if I could use his garage, I did but then for the clearcoat it turned all white because of humidity again. No paint/skill/gun etc is going to help as much as a clean, closed, dry and warm SPACE. UK is not suitable for any outdoor activity.
I'm no pro and I use this gun at home for small jobs like headlight restoration for friends and family and the last part you said is so true, these guns need to move really slow to let it lay down the clear. Again I'm no pro and if I do get orange peel on the headlights I just cut and buff.
@SirSmokeAlot732 those are a scam to take your money over and over. I've wet sanded and cleared headlights many times. 1 visit with 1 decent payment and have never had a return or complaint. I used small cheaper paint guns from Lowe's and did just fine.
My brother in law is a professional painter and we build boats and he got tired of constantly cleaning's expensive guns and decided to give these harbor freight ones a try and the cheapest one (the on in this vid) can be hit or miss because the quality of the O-rings vary so you might get 3 of them that spray well like this one and then you'll get one that doesn't and causes headaches with the occasional spitting which causes drips, but the next model up has always worked consistently. He buys them and uses them a few times and trashes them and buys new ones to replace them. He sprays high quality solvent paints, 2-part epoxy paints, and gel coat through them and they work well. Not as good as with his high-end guns but for $30 it comes damn close and it's good enough for him. Great vid and awesome consistency with your lines. LOVE seeing how the overlap builds the high gloss as you go.
I just finished painting the hood of my car with this gun. I did a base coat / clear Coat. I'm not at a professional level but I followed your advice and it came out good. The clear Coat isn't perfect but close. I'll buff it out and it will be great. Thanks.
I was a instructor for years teaching students how to paint and when students can NOT afford expensive S/Gun well I will tell you many paint jobs looked great- With a 19 dollar gun !
That's basically the exact same gun I was handed as an apprentice and told "If you can get a good finish with this gun, you'll become a better painter". Lots of trials and errors, but I eventually figured it out 😁
Great vid, been watching ur channel awhile now. You show how to prep, and lay down paint real well! But for us beginners, I would like to see more vids on correcting mistakes I.e. runs, fisheyes, stripping etc Thx again for sharing your knowledge
The newer green harbor freight gun is a lot better than the purple gun. Still had to buff out the orange peel but it wasn't as bad as the purple gun in my novice hands and its only like a $10 difference. The Black Widows are a lot better obviously , but they run around $200 and require a lot larger compressor. I've used a lot of these cheap guns before with varying success, I wish I could make videos but its so time consuming, I really appreciate people like you who take the effort to make these videos, filming adds more time to everything and so does editing. Some of us really do appreciate all that effort. As always great content.
@Paint Society brain I have a question for you what is your take on the sagola 4600 xtream dvr clear coat gun / iwata has delayed the release for the series # 2 released until the first of the year for the USA 2023
The Spectrum HTE and the Black window from harbor freight are both very good! I spray with a LPH400 and a 5500rp at work and I’m impressed with the “high end” harbor freight guns
The spectrum seems like a knock off sata. I use a 1500 RP at work and the HTE sprays just like it, adstments all the same, even the needles look the same. In my opinion it’s a great gun especially for the money
When people tells me they can find a paint shop that can do it for cheap, I always know they are cheap on prep which as you said, it's the most important part and the most labor intensive and that is what actually you pay for in a quality paint job.
loose shirts usually get me in trouble. I always tuck my shirt in before I get started. I thought for sure your shirt was going to mess up that nice job around 7:45. but you're a pro you know what you are doing. great job. enjoy watching your shows.
Thanks for sharing. I've got an array of the HF guns for primer/sealer, base, and clear. I repainted my X5 front end (hood repair, bumper and fender) and short of some OP in one small section from my own issue, the gun performed very well, and if you didn't know it was repaired, you'd never know..
Brian and Mario could blow clear coat out of a straw and it would look great. Awesome channel and have learned so much. Keep up the great work and keep teaching the DYI ‘s😎
Had an 88 chev beretta I painted with a 1/8 nap woven roller and put the clear on with a foam roller one weekend. Nxt weekend I sanded with 800/1500/3000 and then polished with a foam pad thing you attach to a drill. was a 2 tone dark/light blue to a midnight navy. Next time i went into work the guys thought i had it in a shop to get it painted. First car i painted and thats when i fell in love with painting. Now i do houses for a living ( $10-12k every work week to 7 days)and cars as a side gig.
Just like a great photographer can get great photos out of a $15 disposable camera, and a rotten photographer shoots crappy photos from a $3500 Canon camera.
yeah, you got much better results out of it than most of us do. I find it a constant fight of orange peel versus runs. I finally ditched mine and stepped up to a little more expensive set off of Amazon. I'm just a DIY and I've only painted a couple panels and 1 whole car so I have a long way to go learning, but definitely the Amazon sprayers are better than the Harbor Freight. Thankfully I got my HF one with a coupon for $9.99
Hi Brian . I love all your videos , you a great mentor and inspiration on how you set up your spragun , mixing paint with reducer , air pressure regulation technique , travel speed and distance away from the parts you spray painting. I always used cheap guns and it's all about flow off paint and mixing and air pressure , the speed when painting. Preparation of surface is very very important and key to minimising dust and overspray to get excellent results every time. So my theory is nothing Wong with a cheap Chinese gun , it's the operator that must know how to set up and use tha tools and his ingredients. Great video as always.
"lets do what we know how to do" - very wise words when working on something. dont just try random shit sometimes on a problem that can cause you more issues.
I sprayed with that gun for years in a high end BMW shop in the bay area with great results. Sometimes you would get one that no matter what you did was just junk but 7 outa 10 worked well. They always come full of manufacturing oil so make sure you clean the crap out of them first!
Always Love Your videos! You talk and walk spray painting, so it's so enjoyable and educational! Thanks for the understanding and knowledge you share! 👍
Also I was thinking , have you done a video on spay gun basics, like what to look for inside , when cleaning etc and also setting up basics , pressures on how they affect spray pattern etc etc
I bought that one about two or so years ago. I haven't used it yet, changed my mind about applying some clear for a piece of furniture. But I'll use it eventually, in hopes of repainting our car. But it would be used for things like door jams and maybe bumpers or small things. I got another gun (far more expensive) for the body. Hopefully next spring 2023 or early summer.
Pause the video at 3:07 and look at how many air holes there are around the center nozzle. I've got 5 spray guns and none of them have as many atomization holes as this "cheap" harbor freight gun. I feel like I can be a modern day Picasso after watching your videos Brian. You are THAT good a teacher! keep up the great work. Subscribed and liked!
I had similar results after letting a friend borrow and ruin my LPH 400. I bought a three pack of the cheap guns. The base actually sprayed quite well once I got it adjusted, but the clear took a lot of work to make level and almost double the materials of a normal job. It was just a hood, or I wouldn't have even tried, but the cost of the extra materials made the job a loss as far as money went.
Brian, I will say I am glad you put this video together and you showed the truth. Those areas of dry spray I noticed would show up even in the clear unless I slowed down. I also noticed the gun was not consistent enough along large areas. After purchasing a better gun I realized most of my issues were gun related and I had a better appreciation for a better spray gun. You don't have to spend a chunk on a spray gun that will deliver, but spraying with cheap guns will cost you more in the long run.
We have a company here in Canada called Princess Auto. They seem to sell the identical spray guns. The 1.4 here is $16, the 1.8 jumps up to $70 and the 2.3 is also $70. After watching your video I will probably give them a try. I've been using a 50 year old DeVilbiss, so it will be an upgrade. And, I only spray trailers, snowmobiles, boats, etc, nothing real special. Another great video. Thankyou.
i tried the ones from Princess Auto, while they work decent initially after buying it and using it alil bit. They tend to break down super quick. The seals inside the gun degrade and the gun starts to leak. Some of the guns the fluid nozzles cant be removed where paint commonly gets stuck and then renders them useless over time. I would never buy them again. Theres alot better cheaper options out there.
I used to do budget paint jobs for people on my town because that was the best way to get people to use me when I had not built up a reputation. I found that these cheap guns would work great or work best when they were new. I usually sprayed single stage enamel. I thought that since they were cheap that if I could get a few paint jobs out of them that as soon as they started giving me issues if break open a brand new one and start the process all over again. I definitely got my money's worth
Thank you for your videos! I understand what youre saying, this is hard for a newbie to get a good finish out of. Lower air, too wet, more air, the middle of the pattern starts to blow out. I painted my van last weekend, thanks to your help, it turned out pretty good. Im going to use a better gun next time, but I'm sure a pro could get better results. Thanks Brian!
I knew I'd paint one day so I bought this gun from a paint store years ago. I've painted several projects over the last year but cleared for the first time last week. It took me five hours to clear my car and I still ended up with two thin spots that I didn't notice. I did start to feel the weight but I've never used anything else. I am disappointed that I spent roughly $90 for a $15 gun years ago haha.
I have use these for years for cheap jobs, and I noticed the same things you’re saying. I have learned a few things from you, as always. That spray gun uses a lot more material.
I'm a sportbike body fabricator and painter. #1 Your 2nd wet coat of clear looks excellent on camera. I started my business with these cheap guns years ago. The touch up guns are a bit wonky. However the 1.4s - even the cheap ones aren't bad. I currently use 2 Devilbiss SRIWs (Solids and clear #1 / Metallics #2) If it weren't for physical size, I'd use the Harbor freight gun all the time. Obviously with motorcycles there are a few differences including forget blending. Not enough room from panel to panel. The color has to match and lay exactly as factory. If you aren't matching a color and your are spraying the entire body... who cares. Point being, you can make it work with these guns if you aren't spraying every day and material consumption is not a priority. That being said... Shoot enough gallons of clear coat though the guns and you'll have paid for a better gun in wasted materials. Always much to consider for your applications. Great channel buddy.
Definitely a decent gun for small jobs. Good for you to show the trick to make that clear lay smooth. I’m a hobbyist. Thinking about painting my CRV, identical to the one you painted in the inflatable booth at your friend’s house. I’m on a budget, looking for the right gun. I haven’t painted in a while but have a few junk Tesla Model 3 hoods I can test before spraying my V.
As far as I can tell its a copy of a Sata NR 95. Back in the 90s I made many thousands with a NR95. I have painted 7-8 semi trucks with this 15 dollar amazon gun, looks the same, because thats what was layin around. Been spraying nason single stage red with it and this cheap copy has worked great for me. I use the cup that came with it and put a screw in the plastic cap vent to keep it from dripping.
15 years before was using expensive spray guns for my scale model works alongwith vehicle restoration.. then found one inexpensive gun from one of my friend.. after that started using the same guns costs 10 dollars.. hundreds of works.. all great.. and last month find an other brand named Total.. around 12 dollars each.. all works amazingly..
Back meny years ago I bought one of these it did very well but it wasn't something new I was doing learned spray painting with the old style cup guns and it was a bit of adjustment getting the hang of painting with this gun but now it's just painting don't matter what gun I'm using, but for the price it don't do bad if your doing it yourself.
Brian, you made the paint turn out great with that cheap paint gun. I bought the same paint gun to shoot household paint on a toolshed with. I would never use it for a vehicle. It is extremely cheap, and I'm not fond of the controls. I just bought a Master Elite High Performance PRO 44 series from Amazon based on your review from another video. I will paint a vintage farm tractor with it as a trial. Thank you for everything you do.
I was going to say on the first coat of clear it looked like you were getting ahead of the fan where it looked like a cone, I had that same problem with a devilbliss gun I used to use, had a 1.4 tip as well
I started painting 15 years ago with a $79 3 gun kit. It was an atp 6900 series and man i had some orange peel but i liked it. Recently i used it last year or two to paint my whole crx and it came out good! I want to get a 3m performance gun as I also had the accuspray years ago which was such a great concept. I used that to prime since ide be constantly building layers and it was so easy to clean. Then ide spray base clear with the 6900. I want to buy the 3m performance gun with liner system and a tekna prolite for base/clear.
I just used one with 1.8 for medium build primer and Raptorliner. It worked great! But I’m really liking my Kiwami4 with 1.3. Great video as always Brian. Thanks
Brian, you can use any gun with your skills but I think nothing can beat a Devilbiss FLG5 on price and quality. It comes with 1.3, 1.4 and 1.8 setup and lays the high build primer, base and clear very well.
Well done, some of your comments are spot on, about the quality of the paint mattering and then about slowing down with the clear for that gun. Most amazing is the result! I consider it a good gun to practice with and also as a reference point. I mean basic practice like with water based non toxic paints.
I've a similar I had off Amazon, what 10 years ago and if there's foul-up's it usually me, me rushing or my bad prep. Unless it's really terrible I seem to manage with older tired stuff. A bad workman blames his tools, is still true! Nice results Brian, as expected! :)
Thank you for this! I have a Jeep hard top I'm about to paint & was a little nervous about using my cheap harbor freight gun but this gives me more confidence.
My purple Harbor Freight gun has sprayed many cars and trucks over the past 4 years and it still works great! Well worth the money spent in my opinion. ;-)
I do mobile jobs just bumpers and small stuff, I wish I could try at least once painting on a painting booth, my biggest challenge working outside is getting dust and dirt between coats. Clear coat I have to do it nice in one coat because I don't have a second chance to come for a second coat because of dust and dirt getting Trapped between coats so very challenge my job to have results close to a bodyshop.
I have the exact same one by a company called "Vaper" and I use it for primer at work at it can spray like glass but you have to spray at 55 psi to get it to do that. For High Build Primers I use their 1.8 and it's the same thing fluid all the way open and psi 55-60 on the regulator that comes with it and the regulators that come with it don't seem to be a true reading because 55psi on this regulator thru the gun sounds the same as 30 psi on another gun with a devilbiss regulator for example. I haven't tried it for base or clear but I have been very tempted to try it but like you said it has to be at a higher pressure to atomize and get the product on the panel but also uses more.
I really appreciate your videos... it has certainly helped me make sense of all the advice I've received BEFORE TH-cam. LOL. I was wondering in one of your future vids, if you could give us a run down on tip sizes, and which ones to use based on type of paint, air pressure, and size of the project (ie. helmet vs an entire car). Keep up the great work!
Biggest issue i've had with these purple guns is the needle sealing tight when letting go of the trigger Minor leakage that'll blob right out onto the panel when next pulled
Great video, honest and really showing what you need to look for. So, I have a question for you. I had some projects and I even managed to paint the whole car, but I got some orange peel at the end suspecting the reason you've said on the video, I was moving too fast. Here in my country it's not very cheap gun for hobby guys, it cost about 150$ (CRS car repair systems) 1.3 nozzle. Now I'm about to buy Auarita or Italco Shine gun. Do you think I'll get better results with it or what do you recommend in that price range for me? Thanks for sharing your knowlage!
I’m About to do my first paint job love this channel cause I’m on a budget and this is the gun I bought not knowing much before watching this channel to start this project I will be investing in a decent gun but I’m going to give this a shot
I’m a keen Paint society fan and just a home hobbyist, plus the odd dent repair/paint job for my grown-up family members and some fancy paint jobs on my son’s old motorbikes. However, the only thing that puts me off having a spray gun and compressor in my garage isn’t the cost of the equipment, it’s the unbelievably expensive price of ordering a small amount of paint mix, particularly if you are just repairing one small area. I’m in the U.K. and a good quality rattle can of the colour you need is only £6 ($8 dollars) if you see what I mean?
if you have enough experience painting you will have a good job I have seen guys put down paint and I have seen guys apply a finish there is a difference
I've been through several of these purple guns. I would advise having two of them on hand before you start spraying because I've had two properly cleaned guns fail to spray any paint. Make sure to disassemble the entire gun and thoroughly clean every part. More often than not, you'll find grease or other crap on the parts after you disassemble. I bought the HF kit that has two spray guns expecting better results than what the purple gun delivers. Don't waste your money on that kit! The one time I used it my paint came out so dry it felt like suede. I reluctantly switched over to the purple gun and it delivered a beautiful basecoat and three different color stripes over that. Like in the video, my first coat of clear was a little dry; but after two more heavy coats, it was good enough to cut starting with 2000. Would I recommend this gun? Maybe. If you have invested a lot of money on paint and time on prep, buy yourself quality guns. If you doing an economic job, this gun will probably be just fine. Maybe
You just can't leave that gun alone!🤣🤣🤣 All jokes aside, I would love for you to do a video on those electric airless sprayers like a Wagner house sprayer. Some are even battery operated which makes real easy to move around the car.
Great video - thanks for uploading. Great prep tips there, and especially with how to set up the gun in the first place (i.e. dialling out the fluid valve first, then dialling back in to meet trigger resistance). Good to see very comprehensive narrative feedback throughout the video, especially to help the amateur/novice starting out - watching the paint/lacquer go on is also quite 'therapeutical', too! Beautiful stuff, but (as you correctly said) the final 'finish' is 'all in the prep'. Respect from the UK.👍😎
Super cool insight, Brian! I have one of the "nicer" Harbor Freight guns and didn't have much success with it. I mainly use miniguns (Iwata LPH-80s and Sata Minijet) as I mostly paint bicycles. Next time, I will turn up my pressure and increase my overlap (while slowing down if I use it for clear coat). BTW, what clear were you using? Thanks man!
@@nowyourefinished6481 I was wondering if that was really the SW in the description...everyone speaks of it as cheap clear...but this looks great, wonder how it hold up? They have FC710, FC720 and FC740, almost all the reviews I can find are for the 720.
I have one and I have only used it for my filler primer and after the current project in will go in the trash. If I need another one harbor freight is just down the road
Hey im from quebec canada here we dont have cheap paint gun at these price i mean the same same one with an other name brand stamp on it they sell them 100$ that what i was having. i just buy a new one for 230$ its a Carworx optimim 454 1.3 is like a replika of a 1000 dollars sata but its really pratictly the same gun you can put all the sata part on it! Really nice gun for the price
I have the little brother to that gun for spraying test cards and non-automotive small parts. The air holes are off-center and the fan is uneven. I returned the first one and the second was just as bad. You must be careful with overspray and mottling with this gun! It needs about double the psi of a pro gun and will dry your paint mid air. That said, the test cards come out beautiful. I have no doubt a pro could do a few panels with this gun and achieve beautiful results. Is the difficulty and risk worth it? Not to me.
My first spray gun was about 9$ at Lidl in Europe. The main problem was the uneven pattern and even at higher pressure than recommend clear had some orange peel. And they all came just in 1.5. Base coat was good but the clear needed some polishing. I still have few of these for primer.
BTW.... I wouldn't up a small "touch-up gun" for cars, trucks, etc. However they do amazing on small items like helmets, bike parts, and other projects.
Beautiful job as always. I'm in Canada and can't buy the HF purple gun here. I had a friend in the US send me one to try out and I was impressed. It's definitely not the best gun I've ever used. But it is the best $15 gun I've ever used. I definitely isn't made for production work, but it works great for what it is
Thank you for the info. Love your videos.i have the same gun and gonna try it out. I'm telling myself just imitate Brian. (Easier said than done) And I won't over think it. Seriously! And Thanks once again
FIRST PAINT JOB - Spraying a black metallic with this gun on a hood. Having issues with tiger stripes, applying medium coats with a little more distance than normal, trying to carry a wet edge. Any advice?
Had never painted a vehicle with a gun and compressor until last week. I watched multiple videos including your other ones on the HF gun. Bought one, borrowed my buddies 20 gallon compressor. I sanded my Jeep down, primed/sealed, base and cleared with this gun and my Jeep looks fantastic. For a weekend warrior not looking for a show finish, you cant argue with this gun.
You’re telling me that I can do something decent ? I have never touch a paint gun in my life
@@horaciosalinas8145 hell yea, I’m 17 didn’t know a thing about painting. I just used used this gun to paint a go kart and damn. Using cheap paint, cheap, compressor I actually got good results. It’s all in the prep. Besides if you get to much orange peel you can always cut and buff
I went to the junk yard got an old fender to practice on. Local automotive paint supplier I told them I wanted something to practice with they went in the back gave me a gallon of basecoat for free someone ordered never picked up. They gave me a discount on some cheap clear coat. I used a cheap gun off amazon fixed some clearcoat peeling and spot repairs. I painted a buddies car came out okay some orange peel we had a few runs it was way better than before with rust spots, and clear missing. Neighbor got upset about the smell threaten to call the city so I decided to give up home painting I put together entire package including the car fender sold it all for $100 to a guy on CL. I broke even on everything I bought. Maybe someday can afford to move where I can have a spray booth kind of sucked spraying in a garage and outside on the side of the yard dust and bugs. Friend passed left me an old honda pilot got some clear missing thinking of fixing it maybe just use rattle cans.
You probably succeeded because you had the most important tool called "A Space". Space with no humidity, wind, low temperatures, condensation, etc. I tried doing a spot repair for a silver metallic color. Failed 4 times. Fading in just a patch of silver-metallic color outside on 9 degree temp, with 70%+ humidity is impossible job. Asked one of my neighbours if I could use his garage, I did but then for the clearcoat it turned all white because of humidity again. No paint/skill/gun etc is going to help as much as a clean, closed, dry and warm SPACE. UK is not suitable for any outdoor activity.
Nice bro was gonna say if he could, we can too aha appreciate the knowledge. Good news bro about to do my first job aha figures crossed
Humble honest channel with pro tips. Can't beat it.
I'm no pro and I use this gun at home for small jobs like headlight restoration for friends and family and the last part you said is so true, these guns need to move really slow to let it lay down the clear. Again I'm no pro and if I do get orange peel on the headlights I just cut and buff.
Sylvania has clear coat wipes which come out the same. But it's easier
Seems like the advertised 1.4mm nozzle/needle size may be misleading. It looks to be spraying more like a 1.2
@@dmo848 those wipes are a lot different than actually sanding and spraying a true clear coat, won’t last nearly as long
To reduce orange peel u need to be closer to the surface you are spraying and move much faster with about 75% overlap.
@SirSmokeAlot732 those are a scam to take your money over and over. I've wet sanded and cleared headlights many times. 1 visit with 1 decent payment and have never had a return or complaint. I used small cheaper paint guns from Lowe's and did just fine.
My brother in law is a professional painter and we build boats and he got tired of constantly cleaning's expensive guns and decided to give these harbor freight ones a try and the cheapest one (the on in this vid) can be hit or miss because the quality of the O-rings vary so you might get 3 of them that spray well like this one and then you'll get one that doesn't and causes headaches with the occasional spitting which causes drips, but the next model up has always worked consistently.
He buys them and uses them a few times and trashes them and buys new ones to replace them. He sprays high quality solvent paints, 2-part epoxy paints, and gel coat through them and they work well. Not as good as with his high-end guns but for $30 it comes damn close and it's good enough for him.
Great vid and awesome consistency with your lines. LOVE seeing how the overlap builds the high gloss as you go.
I just finished painting the hood of my car with this gun. I did a base coat / clear Coat. I'm not at a professional level but I followed your advice and it came out good. The clear Coat isn't perfect but close. I'll buff it out and it will be great. Thanks.
I was a instructor for years teaching students how to paint and when students can NOT afford expensive S/Gun well I will tell you many paint jobs looked great- With a 19 dollar gun !
That's basically the exact same gun I was handed as an apprentice and told "If you can get a good finish with this gun, you'll become a better painter".
Lots of trials and errors, but I eventually figured it out 😁
Me too but it made getting a good gun so much sweeter.
Tell us the secret to getting a good paint job with this gun. Inquiring minds want to know.
Same
Great vid, been watching ur channel awhile now. You show how to prep, and lay down paint real well! But for us beginners, I would like to see more vids on correcting mistakes I.e. runs, fisheyes, stripping etc
Thx again for sharing your knowledge
The newer green harbor freight gun is a lot better than the purple gun. Still had to buff out the orange peel but it wasn't as bad as the purple gun in my novice hands and its only like a $10 difference. The Black Widows are a lot better obviously , but they run around $200 and require a lot larger compressor. I've used a lot of these cheap guns before with varying success, I wish I could make videos but its so time consuming, I really appreciate people like you who take the effort to make these videos, filming adds more time to everything and so does editing. Some of us really do appreciate all that effort. As always great content.
It sure does add time. Thanks for recognizing !
@Paint Society brain I have a question for you what is your take on the sagola 4600 xtream dvr clear coat gun / iwata has delayed the release for the series # 2 released until the first of the year for the USA 2023
@@refinishtechnology2529 good gun but too fast for me
@@PaintSociety wow thanks
Definitely
The Spectrum HTE and the Black window from harbor freight are both very good! I spray with a LPH400 and a 5500rp at work and I’m impressed with the “high end” harbor freight guns
The spectrum seems like a knock off sata. I use a 1500 RP at work and the HTE sprays just like it, adstments all the same, even the needles look the same. In my opinion it’s a great gun especially for the money
Black Widow sprays good.
@@JohnYoshii what psi do you use on it, measured while air is flowing? Also what do you set your flow at?
When people tells me they can find a paint shop that can do it for cheap, I always know they are cheap on prep which as you said, it's the most important part and the most labor intensive and that is what actually you pay for in a quality paint job.
loose shirts usually get me in trouble. I always tuck my shirt in before I get started. I thought for sure your shirt was going to mess up that nice job around 7:45. but you're a pro you know what you are doing. great job. enjoy watching your shows.
Thanks for sharing. I've got an array of the HF guns for primer/sealer, base, and clear. I repainted my X5 front end (hood repair, bumper and fender) and short of some OP in one small section from my own issue, the gun performed very well, and if you didn't know it was repaired, you'd never know..
Brian and Mario could blow clear coat out of a straw and it would look great. Awesome channel and have learned so much. Keep up the great work and keep teaching the DYI ‘s😎
Had an 88 chev beretta I painted with a 1/8 nap woven roller and put the clear on with a foam roller one weekend. Nxt weekend I sanded with 800/1500/3000 and then polished with a foam pad thing you attach to a drill. was a 2 tone dark/light blue to a midnight navy. Next time i went into work the guys thought i had it in a shop to get it painted. First car i painted and thats when i fell in love with painting. Now i do houses for a living ( $10-12k every work week to 7 days)and cars as a side gig.
Just like a great photographer can get great photos out of a $15 disposable camera, and a rotten photographer shoots crappy photos from a $3500 Canon camera.
yeah, you got much better results out of it than most of us do. I find it a constant fight of orange peel versus runs. I finally ditched mine and stepped up to a little more expensive set off of Amazon. I'm just a DIY and I've only painted a couple panels and 1 whole car so I have a long way to go learning, but definitely the Amazon sprayers are better than the Harbor Freight. Thankfully I got my HF one with a coupon for $9.99
Try the HTE, it’ll keep up with the name brands. 1.3 tip works great on both base and clear
Hi Brian . I love all your videos , you a great mentor and inspiration on how you set up your spragun , mixing paint with reducer , air pressure regulation technique , travel speed and distance away from the parts you spray painting. I always used cheap guns and it's all about flow off paint and mixing and air pressure , the speed when painting. Preparation of surface is very very important and key to minimising dust and overspray to get excellent results every time. So my theory is nothing Wong with a cheap Chinese gun , it's the operator that must know how to set up and use tha tools and his ingredients. Great video as always.
"lets do what we know how to do" - very wise words when working on something. dont just try random shit sometimes on a problem that can cause you more issues.
what is just as important as the gun is the gunner.
It's not the gun it's ťhe hands of a painter who gets the work done
I sprayed with that gun for years in a high end BMW shop in the bay area with great results. Sometimes you would get one that no matter what you did was just junk but 7 outa 10 worked well. They always come full of manufacturing oil so make sure you clean the crap out of them first!
Always comes down to prep, you can do a great job with a rattle can if you prep it right!
Brian, I would like to see you do a review of the Eastwood LT100 paint gun, and see what you say about how to get the best finish possible with it.
Always Love Your videos! You talk and walk spray painting, so it's so enjoyable and educational!
Thanks for the understanding and knowledge you share! 👍
Also I was thinking , have you done a video on spay gun basics, like what to look for inside , when cleaning etc and also setting up basics , pressures on how they affect spray pattern etc etc
I bought that one about two or so years ago. I haven't used it yet, changed my mind about applying some clear for a piece of furniture. But I'll use it eventually, in hopes of repainting our car. But it would be used for things like door jams and maybe bumpers or small things. I got another gun (far more expensive) for the body. Hopefully next spring 2023 or early summer.
Pause the video at 3:07 and look at how many air holes there are around the center nozzle. I've got 5 spray guns and none of them have as many atomization holes as this "cheap" harbor freight gun. I feel like I can be a modern day Picasso after watching your videos Brian. You are THAT good a teacher! keep up the great work. Subscribed and liked!
I had similar results after letting a friend borrow and ruin my LPH 400. I bought a three pack of the cheap guns. The base actually sprayed quite well once I got it adjusted, but the clear took a lot of work to make level and almost double the materials of a normal job. It was just a hood, or I wouldn't have even tried, but the cost of the extra materials made the job a loss as far as money went.
Used this gun for my first time painting and painted my whole car. Definitely was kind of difficult but it got the job done
That's a beautiful technique with a low budget spray gun. Paint job came out amazing 👍
Brian, I will say I am glad you put this video together and you showed the truth. Those areas of dry spray I noticed would show up even in the clear unless I slowed down. I also noticed the gun was not consistent enough along large areas. After purchasing a better gun I realized most of my issues were gun related and I had a better appreciation for a better spray gun. You don't have to spend a chunk on a spray gun that will deliver, but spraying with cheap guns will cost you more in the long run.
We have a company here in Canada called Princess Auto. They seem to sell the identical spray guns. The 1.4 here is $16, the 1.8 jumps up to $70 and the 2.3 is also $70. After watching your video I will probably give them a try. I've been using a 50 year old DeVilbiss, so it will be an upgrade. And, I only spray trailers, snowmobiles, boats, etc, nothing real special. Another great video. Thankyou.
i tried the ones from Princess Auto, while they work decent initially after buying it and using it alil bit. They tend to break down super quick. The seals inside the gun degrade and the gun starts to leak. Some of the guns the fluid nozzles cant be removed where paint commonly gets stuck and then renders them useless over time. I would never buy them again. Theres alot better cheaper options out there.
@@JimmyJiveJones Good to know info. Thankyou.
I used to do budget paint jobs for people on my town because that was the best way to get people to use me when I had not built up a reputation. I found that these cheap guns would work great or work best when they were new. I usually sprayed single stage enamel. I thought that since they were cheap that if I could get a few paint jobs out of them that as soon as they started giving me issues if break open a brand new one and start the process all over again. I definitely got my money's worth
Your how to videos saved me money by doing it myself. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Excellent, I have the same one, and was wondering if it would work on my motorcycle to repaint it. Thanks always learn something from your vids.
Thank you for your videos! I understand what youre saying, this is hard for a newbie to get a good finish out of. Lower air, too wet, more air, the middle of the pattern starts to blow out. I painted my van last weekend, thanks to your help, it turned out pretty good. Im going to use a better gun next time, but I'm sure a pro could get better results. Thanks Brian!
Thank you Paint Society. I love you as a teacher
I knew I'd paint one day so I bought this gun from a paint store years ago. I've painted several projects over the last year but cleared for the first time last week. It took me five hours to clear my car and I still ended up with two thin spots that I didn't notice. I did start to feel the weight but I've never used anything else. I am disappointed that I spent roughly $90 for a $15 gun years ago haha.
I have use these for years for cheap jobs, and I noticed the same things you’re saying. I have learned a few things from you, as always. That spray gun uses a lot more material.
I'm a sportbike body fabricator and painter. #1 Your 2nd wet coat of clear looks excellent on camera. I started my business with these cheap guns years ago. The touch up guns are a bit wonky. However the 1.4s - even the cheap ones aren't bad. I currently use 2 Devilbiss SRIWs (Solids and clear #1 / Metallics #2) If it weren't for physical size, I'd use the Harbor freight gun all the time. Obviously with motorcycles there are a few differences including forget blending. Not enough room from panel to panel. The color has to match and lay exactly as factory. If you aren't matching a color and your are spraying the entire body... who cares. Point being, you can make it work with these guns if you aren't spraying every day and material consumption is not a priority. That being said... Shoot enough gallons of clear coat though the guns and you'll have paid for a better gun in wasted materials. Always much to consider for your applications. Great channel buddy.
I used this gun painting my car recently and impressed with the performance it did
Definitely a decent gun for small jobs. Good for you to show the trick to make that clear lay smooth. I’m a hobbyist. Thinking about painting my CRV, identical to the one you painted in the inflatable booth at your friend’s house. I’m on a budget, looking for the right gun. I haven’t painted in a while but have a few junk Tesla Model 3 hoods I can test before spraying my V.
You made it work coz you got the skills 😎 Awesome job 👍
As far as I can tell its a copy of a Sata NR 95. Back in the 90s I made many thousands with a NR95. I have painted 7-8 semi trucks with this 15 dollar amazon gun, looks the same, because thats what was layin around. Been spraying nason single stage red with it and this cheap copy has worked great for me. I use the cup that came with it and put a screw in the plastic cap vent to keep it from dripping.
15 years before was using expensive spray guns for my scale model works alongwith vehicle restoration.. then found one inexpensive gun from one of my friend.. after that started using the same guns costs 10 dollars.. hundreds of works.. all great.. and last month find an other brand named Total.. around 12 dollars each.. all works amazingly..
Back meny years ago I bought one of these it did very well but it wasn't something new I was doing learned spray painting with the old style cup guns and it was a bit of adjustment getting the hang of painting with this gun but now it's just painting don't matter what gun I'm using, but for the price it don't do bad if your doing it yourself.
I used a £50 paint gun on van, after I'd been watch you for 6 months preparation is key!! I'll send you a picture of the van if you want
Brian, you made the paint turn out great with that cheap paint gun. I bought the same paint gun to shoot household paint on a toolshed with. I would never use it for a vehicle. It is extremely cheap, and I'm not fond of the controls. I just bought a Master Elite High Performance PRO 44 series from Amazon based on your review from another video. I will paint a vintage farm tractor with it as a trial. Thank you for everything you do.
I was going to say on the first coat of clear it looked like you were getting ahead of the fan where it looked like a cone, I had that same problem with a devilbliss gun I used to use, had a 1.4 tip as well
I used this gun for my diy project.
What i do is adding more reducer than usual ratio..the result is better.
I started painting 15 years ago with a $79 3 gun kit. It was an atp 6900 series and man i had some orange peel but i liked it. Recently i used it last year or two to paint my whole crx and it came out good!
I want to get a 3m performance gun as I also had the accuspray years ago which was such a great concept. I used that to prime since ide be constantly building layers and it was so easy to clean. Then ide spray base clear with the 6900.
I want to buy the 3m performance gun with liner system and a tekna prolite for base/clear.
I just used one with 1.8 for medium build primer and Raptorliner. It worked great! But I’m really liking my Kiwami4 with 1.3. Great video as always Brian. Thanks
im not seeing the tip sizes on HF website.
This gun ONLY comes in 1.4.
Brian, you can use any gun with your skills but I think nothing can beat a Devilbiss FLG5 on price and quality.
It comes with 1.3, 1.4 and 1.8 setup and lays the high build primer, base and clear very well.
Well done, some of your comments are spot on, about the quality of the paint mattering and then about slowing down with the clear for that gun. Most amazing is the result! I consider it a good gun to practice with and also as a reference point. I mean basic practice like with water based non toxic paints.
I've a similar I had off Amazon, what 10 years ago and if there's foul-up's it usually me, me rushing or my bad prep. Unless it's really terrible I seem to manage with older tired stuff. A bad workman blames his tools, is still true! Nice results Brian, as expected! :)
Nice thorough prep and a great talent helps. Always instructional and informative. Thank you.
Thank you for this! I have a Jeep hard top I'm about to paint & was a little nervous about using my cheap harbor freight gun but this gives me more confidence.
My purple Harbor Freight gun has sprayed many cars and trucks over the past 4 years and it still works great! Well worth the money spent in my opinion. ;-)
I do mobile jobs just bumpers and small stuff, I wish I could try at least once painting on a painting booth, my biggest challenge working outside is getting dust and dirt between coats. Clear coat I have to do it nice in one coat because I don't have a second chance to come for a second coat because of dust and dirt getting Trapped between coats so very challenge my job to have results close to a bodyshop.
I have the exact same one by a company called "Vaper" and I use it for primer at work at it can spray like glass but you have to spray at 55 psi to get it to do that. For High Build Primers I use their 1.8 and it's the same thing fluid all the way open and psi 55-60 on the regulator that comes with it and the regulators that come with it don't seem to be a true reading because 55psi on this regulator thru the gun sounds the same as 30 psi on another gun with a devilbiss regulator for example. I haven't tried it for base or clear but I have been very tempted to try it but like you said it has to be at a higher pressure to atomize and get the product on the panel but also uses more.
I really appreciate your videos... it has certainly helped me make sense of all the advice I've received BEFORE TH-cam. LOL. I was wondering in one of your future vids, if you could give us a run down on tip sizes, and which ones to use based on type of paint, air pressure, and size of the project (ie. helmet vs an entire car). Keep up the great work!
Sure !!
Biggest issue i've had with these purple guns is the needle sealing tight when letting go of the trigger Minor leakage that'll blob right out onto the panel when next pulled
Great Video and exact explaination of the Painting Process using this cheap Gun.. Thx again
Great video, honest and really showing what you need to look for. So, I have a question for you. I had some projects and I even managed to paint the whole car, but I got some orange peel at the end suspecting the reason you've said on the video, I was moving too fast. Here in my country it's not very cheap gun for hobby guys, it cost about 150$ (CRS car repair systems) 1.3 nozzle.
Now I'm about to buy Auarita or Italco Shine gun. Do you think I'll get better results with it or what do you recommend in that price range for me?
Thanks for sharing your knowlage!
Definitely would go with the auarita and practice at getting really good with it. Can’t beat having a good gun
20 years ago I used to paint with those a few times and throw them in the trash clear b a s e and primer
The small 4oz purple gun is a good choice as well.
I’m
About to do my first paint job love this channel cause I’m on a budget and this is the gun I bought not knowing much before watching this channel to start this project I will be investing in a decent gun but I’m going to give this a shot
I’m a keen Paint society fan and just a home hobbyist, plus the odd dent repair/paint job for my grown-up family members and some fancy paint jobs on my son’s old motorbikes. However, the only thing that puts me off having a spray gun and compressor in my garage isn’t the cost of the equipment, it’s the unbelievably expensive price of ordering a small amount of paint mix, particularly if you are just repairing one small area. I’m in the U.K. and a good quality rattle can of the colour you need is only £6 ($8 dollars) if you see what I mean?
you should do a best paint gun video (in your opinion) under 100$
if you have enough experience painting you will have a good job I have seen guys put down paint and I have seen guys apply a finish there is a difference
Love your videos man , which PPS adapter did you use for that gun ?
That's what I wanna know as well
good video. well done. can you do one like this about the cheapest compressor for painting? it is a much needed video.
I've been through several of these purple guns. I would advise having two of them on hand before you start spraying because I've had two properly cleaned guns fail to spray any paint. Make sure to disassemble the entire gun and thoroughly clean every part. More often than not, you'll find grease or other crap on the parts after you disassemble. I bought the HF kit that has two spray guns expecting better results than what the purple gun delivers. Don't waste your money on that kit! The one time I used it my paint came out so dry it felt like suede. I reluctantly switched over to the purple gun and it delivered a beautiful basecoat and three different color stripes over that. Like in the video, my first coat of clear was a little dry; but after two more heavy coats, it was good enough to cut starting with 2000. Would I recommend this gun? Maybe. If you have invested a lot of money on paint and time on prep, buy yourself quality guns. If you doing an economic job, this gun will probably be just fine. Maybe
If you happen to come across some single stage painting that be great as well on some tricks for spraying it!
You just can't leave that gun alone!🤣🤣🤣 All jokes aside, I would love for you to do a video on those electric airless sprayers like a Wagner house sprayer. Some are even battery operated which makes real easy to move around the car.
Great video - thanks for uploading. Great prep tips there, and especially with how to set up the gun in the first place (i.e. dialling out the fluid valve first, then dialling back in to meet trigger resistance). Good to see very comprehensive narrative feedback throughout the video, especially to help the amateur/novice starting out - watching the paint/lacquer go on is also quite 'therapeutical', too! Beautiful stuff, but (as you correctly said) the final 'finish' is 'all in the prep'. Respect from the UK.👍😎
Super cool insight, Brian! I have one of the "nicer" Harbor Freight guns and didn't have much success with it. I mainly use miniguns (Iwata LPH-80s and Sata Minijet) as I mostly paint bicycles. Next time, I will turn up my pressure and increase my overlap (while slowing down if I use it for clear coat). BTW, what clear were you using? Thanks man!
Its in the description
@@philb707 Thanks. I read through the description twice and missed it both times lols
@@nowyourefinished6481 I was wondering if that was really the SW in the description...everyone speaks of it as cheap clear...but this looks great, wonder how it hold up?
They have FC710, FC720 and FC740, almost all the reviews I can find are for the 720.
I appreciate the videos man! Really saved my butt on a few issues on my personal paint project!
Wow thanks for sharing that, never knew some things you covered here, picked up some new things , 🙏
If mine comes out that good...I'm laughing all the way to the bank!! Thanks for sharing! 🍻
Imagine, you're owner of that Mercedes. Paid full prize for job and than see this video of use the cheapest spray gun 😂😂😂😂
I have one and I have only used it for my filler primer and after the current project in will go in the trash. If I need another one harbor freight is just down the road
Hey im from quebec canada here we dont have cheap paint gun at these price i mean the same same one with an other name brand stamp on it they sell them 100$ that what i was having. i just buy a new one for 230$ its a Carworx optimim 454 1.3 is like a replika of a 1000 dollars sata but its really pratictly the same gun you can put all the sata part on it! Really nice gun for the price
I have the little brother to that gun for spraying test cards and non-automotive small parts. The air holes are off-center and the fan is uneven. I returned the first one and the second was just as bad. You must be careful with overspray and mottling with this gun! It needs about double the psi of a pro gun and will dry your paint mid air. That said, the test cards come out beautiful. I have no doubt a pro could do a few panels with this gun and achieve beautiful results. Is the difficulty and risk worth it? Not to me.
I'm a beginner, I used that gun and I made a mess every time with the clear. Needed to move slow and close but I'm still cutting the runs
Good advice thank you I'm going to try it sometime soon
My first spray gun was about 9$ at Lidl in Europe. The main problem was the uneven pattern and even at higher pressure than recommend clear had some orange peel. And they all came just in 1.5. Base coat was good but the clear needed some polishing. I still have few of these for primer.
If your prep work is done right, use quality paint, and you have a good enough compressor to keep steady airflow. Any decent gun will work
Great video Brian!
BTW.... I wouldn't up a small "touch-up gun" for cars, trucks, etc. However they do amazing on small items like helmets, bike parts, and other projects.
Looks a hell of a allot better then any spray can does.
Brian, thank you for what you do buddy!
Beautiful job as always. I'm in Canada and can't buy the HF purple gun here. I had a friend in the US send me one to try out and I was impressed. It's definitely not the best gun I've ever used. But it is the best $15 gun I've ever used. I definitely isn't made for production work, but it works great for what it is
The best review because a lot of people
Do not have money
For expensive guns
This video great for
Average joe....
Thank you for the info. Love your videos.i have the same gun and gonna try it out. I'm telling myself just imitate Brian. (Easier said than done) And I won't over think it. Seriously! And Thanks once again
great job Brian. man you are talented!
At 1:30 why use a can primer for the metal surface? And did you sand it before the black primer or no need for?
Its etch
Every video I watch makes me think I can jump out there and paint my car…. Great video.
Thank you for another great video .
FIRST PAINT JOB - Spraying a black metallic with this gun on a hood. Having issues with tiger stripes, applying medium coats with a little more distance than normal, trying to carry a wet edge. Any advice?
I have this paint gun I was wondering what air pressure gauge you would recommend and the paint cup? I’m really new to this would help a lot thanks!