Paint guns at HF

House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

serpentine5

Active Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2010
Messages
26
Reaction score
1
are there any air compressor paint guns at Harbor Freight that work with both oil based and latex that anyone here would recommend? Looking to do both interior and exterior painting with it. Would probably also use it for stains and varnish sealing of outdoor wood.
 
I'll be honest with you. I like Harbor Freight, but the tools should be considered as "use once, throw 'em away" type of tools. I've never used their spray guns, but for a few bucks more, locate a Sears Store and but the Craftsman Brand. Good quality and will last a lifetime. Also, if you are considering painting walls with a gun, go for a good quality airless type.
 
Why airless? I have a nice air compressor and was hoping to use it to run a paint gun.... What does Sears have that you would recommend?
 
I guess I would need to ask what your intentions were. For small detail work in a ventilated location, air guns would work just fine. If you are spraying several interior walls, the overspray and constant clogging would be a PITA, and if you are considering one with a quart cup, you would spend way too much time thinning and refilling it.
 
ok, thats the thing, I do not want to have to thin the paint or anything, just pour it into the the sprayer and use it. Looking at both interior and exterior.
 
serpentine5,
You’re putting the cart before the horse. Cup guns require a certain volume of air and the question is can your compressor supply the volume needed to properly operate a cup gun. It doesn’t sound like a cup gun is what you need, with the exception of an HVLP (high volume low pressure) I don’t know of a cup gun that can safely spray latex products. Your best bet is to do it right and use your compressor for inflating tires and beach toys and look into an airless unit for painting. Unlike a cup gun the airless sprayer pumps the paint up to the spray gun and pushes the paint through the spray tip that causes it to atomize. There is no air pressure involved, it’s all fluid pressure. Spray tips are interchangeable. You can use a fine finish tip for furniture or a larger tip and spray block filler or even roof tar if you unit is big enough. You can save yourself a great deal of aggravation by using the right tool for the job.
Steve
 
My compressor is rated 9cfm at 40 psi and 7cfm at 90 psi, i can run 90-125 psi constantly all day... I use it to run my air tools; grinders and chisels and such... so I am not worried about it running a paint gun...
That being said, i dont know anything about paint guns, so that why I am asking... I found this one, new local for a real good price... wagner 317E Power Painter is it worth getting?
 
If you are really considering a airless sprayer, look for a unit that uses a siphon tube that goes directly into a gallon of paint with a 50' hose. At the end of the day you’ll be glad you did. If the Wagner unit is the one I think it is, then it’s only a quart+ cup gun. Believe me at the end of an hour your arm will feel as though it is going to fall off from the weight of the unit plus the weight of the material, that’s why I say to look for the siphon configuration. Secondly you shouldn’t have to thin the paint using the siphon unit whereas you will with the cup gun type. Thirdly that cup unit has an extremely loud buzzer sound every time you pull the trigger, and fourthly the type of tips required in that unit will constantly clog up. After a couple of times of stopping to clean the tip will make you want to throw it in the garbage can.

I don’t know what your budget is, but it goes back to the old saying, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. A respectable unit will start at around $400 and go up from there. If that’s out of your budget then you might want to consider the old brush and roller routine. Graco, Titan and Spraytech are some names to look for. I don’t mean to sound sarcastic but an airless unit that will serve your needs in not something that you’ll find in the store below $400. You should also look for a unit that utilizes a reverse-a-tip spray tip. If you should get a clog in the tip, you just rotate the tip and pull the trigger and the clog is blown out. These may seem like unnecessary features to you, but will pay for themselves during a day of painting. Otherwise you’re just wasting your money. The Wagner 317E Power Painter might be good for shutters, but certainly NOT walls. That’s not what it was designed for.

If you should be lucky enough to find a good used unit, be very careful to spray some thinner through it first before you hand over your money. Airless units must be meticulously cleaned after each use.

You also asked about Sears spray guns. At one time Sears sold a good spray gun line, they were made by Thomas. Since then they are made in Taiwan or some other Asian country and they’re nothing like the original models. If you are still looking for a Sears spray gun, then look it up online and read the specifications and the CFM it requires. You compressor sounds like it’s about a 2 horse power unit and my not be able to handle every type of spray gun.

This is a clip from another forum site. If this it the unit your are looking at, you might want to consider a different unit.

“I recently purchased a Wagner Power Painter model 317E (110 Watts).
I've run about three gallons through it so far (all latex, but
thinned appropriately). It's been extremely frustrating to use,
though, as the piston seizes in the cylinder every five minutes
or so and I have to disassemble and clean the unit to get it running
again.

I clean the unit very well after each use, and have put it away
oiled and ready to go each time. I've tried the 1.5 quart paint
container and the larger backpack, but get the same seizing behavior
with both.

I've heard that the piston will seize if the sprayer encounters air
bubbles in the paint, but I've been careful to stir the paint gently
and keep the paint level well above the suction tube.”

Hope this helps, I’d be interested to know what you decide.
Steve
 
The Wagner has a tendency to get real hot, real fast. It will end up cooking and drying the paint within about 5-8 minutes. This is when you have to unplug it, remove the tip, and wash out the nozzle assembly. I had one, and hated it.

An airless is the way to go. I painted 120 gallons of paint in a 3 day period, (5500 sq. ft house) and only had to put the hose into the 5 gallon bucket of paint and spray away. I also purchased 50' of hose, allowing the paint to be in one room while I was in another room. Nice and quick!
 
Looks like mine. Being used, you may need to do some deep cleaning and purchasing a few new tips, but should work fine.
 
OK, that looks more like it. Make sure it works. An owner’s would be very helpful. If you decide to buy it, you might want to consider taking off the gun extension. Call either a Sherwin-Williams or local paint store and see if they repair Spraytech and have different size tips for the gun. Also ask the seller if he will review the cleaning process with you. See if the seller is willing to negotiate the price. The price of a new one is $250. I’d like to see a little bigger motor, but as an entry level machine it looks OK.
 
I'm just curious why the seller included the statement "For spraying up to 125 gallons yearly"? What happens if you spray 126 gallons? I don't know, it looks kind of cheesy. Have you been to the big box hardware stores and compared prices? One last comment for you. Pay close attention to the sales for "Black Friday". There are some great deals the day after Thanksgiving due to the poor economy. Check out (blackfriday.com).
 
not a bad idea.... thanks..
and no, havent checked prices... I figure I will find one that folks here will give a thumbs up on, and then work on getting one at a good price....
 
The web site does not come up.
I've had very poor luck with used airless sprayers. If they were not cleaned correctly the last time they were used, it's easy to have to spend a few hundred dollars just to replace the hose, filters and gun parts.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top