Paint Sprayer question

I would like to pick up a paint sprayer to use with my little compressor. It is a 5 gallon compressor rated at 4.3 SCFM at 40 PSI. (I have no idea what 4.3 SCFM means, but it looked important) I have shopped a bit and found that there are a couple of types. A gravity fed and a pump sprayer. I would like to use it for little jobs around the house. Painting a fence and the shed etc. I don't need anything fancy or expensive. I don't know which one would serve me best and wondered if anyone could help me make a decision. I may try my hand at doing some painting on my truck and boat trailer. Any suggestions?

Re: Paint Sprayer question

SCFM is Standard Cubic Feet per Minute. It's a measure of the volume of air your compressor is designed to deliver.

This is a very important specification when it comes to paint guns. They typically require large volumes of air to operate. This is especially true for automotive paint guns. The new paints are designed to be delivered by High Volume, Low Pressure (HVLP) guns. Check the SCFM requirements for the guns you are considering to insure they are well within your compressor specifications. A lot of HVLP guns are in the 15-25 SCFM range.

Your small compressor will have a couple of issues; not enough continuous air volume to run most guns and short duty cycle due to the limited storage volume of a 5 gallon tank. The latter will contribute to excess moisture in the air stream due to the heat from rapid cycling. Moisture during painting is very bad. A water separator is always a good idea but essential in this case.

Re: Paint Sprayer question

House projects and painting of trucks really need two seperate spray systems, trucks, cars,etc HVLP system,-----house,fence,etc airless system.Long story short 2 kinds of paint 2 kinds of finish.

Re: Paint Sprayer question

You want a gravity fed HVLP gun. Your compressor will run one, but just barely. It would be fine for painting small things, or shooting oil based stains/paints on small projects. It won't spray latex paint or give you a great finish on a large surfaces - you won't have enough air and the constant running of the compressor will give you serious moisture problems that no filter will stop. Even at that, you may work your compressor hard enough to kill it...

Re: Paint Sprayer question

Sounds like I am not going to get a spray gun for father's day. Maybe they will paint the fence instead.

Thanks for the advice. Mark