Air compressor for painting bronco in the garage.

[behemoth]

I am looking for recommendations on an air compressor for the garage that I could use to paint my bronco with.

I have 220 in the garage already so that is not an issue.

What are the cfm requirements ?

 

[Tito]

I use the 60 gallon one from Home Depot for ~ $400, I love it and it works great.

 

[744x4]

I have a 60 gallon IR from Tractor Supply and it is awesome and only a tick over 550 and 2 yr in home service if needed.

 

[Bronco Brett]

what type of gun do u use? older siphon [cup on bottom]feed takes more air than hvlp gravity fed [cup on top] ive painted with a 5 hp 20 gal briggs craftsman many times

 

[behemoth]

I have no gun at this time, I am only starting to get the things that I will need to do this.

I have a small craftsman compressor now, but it is not big enough for a sprayer.
The die grinder and cutoff wheel keep that thing running full time.

 

[744x4]

Got a HVLP but havent shot any paint through it yet.Got it from HF but Northern has one just like it and several painting sites say its a good basic gun to start with.The first paint job will be Kubota orange sprayed on SC74's Krawler so we will see how well it works.

 

[pblackb592]

actually the old siphon feed uses less air but more paint. The hvlp (high volume low pressure) uses alot of air at a low pressure and uses less over all paint.

 

[Bronco Brett]

maybe look at the astro paint guns. ive had pretty good luck with their other air tools. I think if I recall correctly I set my gun at around 20 lbs

 

[65 mustang]

Keep your air dry. Get a decent filter.
Scott

 

[rdv350]

I used my 33 gal craftsman and it worked just fine.

 

[allenfahey]

I now have a 7.5 HP Ingersoll Rand 80 gallon which is way more than you need. I have run 2 DA's at the same time with it cycling on and off. I also had a 5 HP before that one and it wouldn't keep up to a spray gun. I would go with at least 6 HP and 60 gallons 220 twin piston compressor. Go with more than you will think you will need and you won't regret it with a compressor.

There are a few keys to a good paint job, the first is a good supply of clean STEADY air pressure. Another one is the spray gun. A cheap Astro or Harbor Freight gun will not lay out the paint like a good quality spray gun. I spray all my guns with a full trigger and a full fan. I don't know what pressure I spray at.... Go by "that sounds about right"

 

[Dan's73]

We've got 6 different spray guns in my shop, not counting the detail guns & airbrushes. Each (whether siphon or HVLP) has it's niche: some are best for priming use only, others are good for metallics, one is ideal for high-solids production urethanes, etc., etc., but we need PERFECT results on the paintjobs we do (models, prototypes, & urethane production) so we can't afford to scrimp. A decent gun, with practice, can get you excellent results.

As for compressors: I agree with the others that buy more than you think you'll need & you should be OK. I painted my first EB, a Mustang, and a '70 Chevelle with a small Craftsman compressor hooked up to a LARGE tank (120 gallon Euclid fuel tank, stripped, cleaned, & sealed). We'd let the tank charge up to 100psi, then start spraying. Could get 1-2 coats before the comp kicked back on which was perfect timing for a break anyway. The key is constant, consistent air pressure. You really can't have too many filters & driers inline for painting, as long as you don't restrict the airflow. Dirt, water, or oil in your airline will ruin your afternoon pretty quick if it gets to the gun & onto a body panel! Good luck!

 

[hose101]

Astro guns are cheap and good. They are just really good knock offs of more expensive guns. The place I buy my guns and supplies from sells both the astro ( around $70) and some higher priced guns ($200ish). All parts are interchangable on these two manufacturers. I spray 10 gallons or so of paint and clear a year on various projects and find the astro gun lays a perfectly fine coat down. I also have sprayed using a CH gun from walmart and got a very acceptable coat of paint and clear. Skimp on the gun dont skimp on the paint. As for the compressor I used a 5 hp craftsman for 10 yrs until it finally crapped out. It would run plentywhen spraying bigger projects, but worked fine. I now have the lowes special and it works as good as any I have used. Hope this helps.

 

[Phoenix0783]

I just painted my frame today with an old 20 gallon 2hp craftsman. I used an hvlp gun and the compressor only came on a couple of times for each coat. I ran the compressor on almost full pressure and had a regulator on the inlet of the gun set 25psi.