Fellow Europa Builders,
This is a frustration relieving write-up that will hopefully shed some light on
the technical situation, depend in on the knowledge base out there.
When I painted the airplane for the first time, I read a glowing article about
the 4 stage turbine HVLP sprayers in Sport Aviation. They said that would give
the ultimate finish and be easy for the rannk amateur to use, so since I want
the ultimate finish, I spent the huge amount of money one. The results of this
decision have not been good. I am now looking into buying a huge air compressor
and a water/oil separator and a normal HVLP gun that works off of that
coompressor.
The issue with the turbine has been the heating of the air prior to
the gun and the resulting problems with the paint finish from that - orange peel
for one. Every painter and paint rep has said the same thing - I should just
use a regular HVLP gun running off an air compressor.
When I purchased the turbine rig, from what I read, I thought I was buying the
ultimate and when I happened to mention it to a painter, he would be in awe
and amazement that I have access to this advanced painting gun. Instead from
what
I have seen, nobody but those who sell those guns recommends them. I even
noticed that the article in Sport Aviation (recommending my specific model of
turbine HVLP gun) was written by the person who sells those turbine sprayers!
Have I been duped? Is there some secret to making that expensive monument to
inexperience
useful? Should I even bother trying to use it with my now new idea
- acrylic urethane finish paint? Inquiring minds want to know.
The paint gun people say that the painters are living in the past and the
turbine
is the only way to go. Usually advances in technology catch on and out sell
the competition and that brings out the truth in the end. As far as I can tell,
that is not the case here.
I can't WAIT until the airplane is finally repainted and I can put this all
behind!
Hopefully the finish will last a long time. It is a good feeling, though,
to be supporting the economy by spending three times as much as I needed to
in order to paint the airplane!
My advise? Buy the paint first, then find out the ideal gun to spray that paint.
Whew!!!!!!
Dave
A227
mini U2
181 TT
About to start SANDING for hours and hours and hours and hours.............
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