How to Operate a HVLP Sprayer for Your Painting Project
It can be a fantastic experience to take a few steps backward to have a long view of your painting. Whether you are doing it as a profession or as your hobby, you always deserve to have the best outcome that motivates you to keep doing it.
Well, I cannot deceive you that you can enjoy any painting result if you do not know how to operate the HVLP sprayer. This is regardless of the quality of the sprayer that you use. I have had some nice times running one, but it was not easy for the first time. This is why I feel that I need to break down this topic so that you do not suffer like I did before I understood the HVLP operation.
Gone are the days we used to use brushes and paint to make our painting. HVLP sprayer is a new way of using a low-pressure sprayer to work in as far as painting is concerned. The result of this painting method is always fantastic since you can mix colors to come up with the best blend in your mind.
Well, how should you operate the HVLP sprayer?
Here are the simple steps:
Step one: Fix the right gun
Most HVLP sprayer brands supply you with few different type of guns. In most cases, you will receive a low-pressure gun and a high-pressure gun. Well, most sophisticated brands can even offer more than two guns for a single sprayer. Before you start your painting, you need to choose which gun will perfectly serve your purpose.
The low-pressure gun is more effective when you need a thick layer of paint. It would help if you were careful to have consistency when using the low-pressure gun. On the other hand, the high-pressure gun would be more presentable when you want to do a very thin layer painting. In most cases, the high-pressure gun gives a uniform outcome without much struggle.
Step two: Prepare your hose
As you use the HVLP sprayer, you are looking forward to getting the best painting outcome. The hose you choose to use will determine your outcome. This is why you need to determine the right hose length. The secret here is that the hose length should be long enough not to enforce unnecessary pressure on the paint when you start the gun.
The shorter the hose, the more likely you will release wet paint due to the heating by the starting of the gun. This means that your painting outcome might take longer to dry. If the hose is too long, the paint might not reach the surface at the required pressure. The hose length should, therefore, be moderate.
Step three: Properly mix your spray
Most first-time HVLP users do not end up with the best results because of poor paint mixing. They end up claiming that HVPL sprayers are not easy to operate. This is a lie!
You should know the thickness of the paint that you need. In most cases, thin paint gives the best outcome. As you buy the paint, you should check out what you need to mix it with so that you can get the best texture.
Most paints are supplied in their thick condition, so that add water or kerosene to make it thin. Ensure that you add the right additive to the paint in question always. If you are not sure of the proportion to use, you can use the paint guide. They usually give straightforward instructions.
Step four; Measure your paint
The HVLP guns are of varied capacity. You need to fill it with the right amount as you ensure that there is no debris blocking the gun tip. You can use pantyhose to direct the paint into the gun rightly. Ensure that you don’t overfill the gun since this can interfere with your spraying pressure.
Step five: Creativity test
I call it a creativity test because, as much as it depends on the previous steps, it needs some skill application. It means that you can prepare everything on the previous steps the right way but fall out on this last stage.
Okay, let’s make it simple. You need to maintain about five inches from the surface you are painting. Hold the gun with some strength lest it falls off to cause losses. You can move the pain in the best pattern you can for uniform painting. The up-down-up-down design is, however, the best that one can engage in. It is your keenness to detail that will assist here.
Creativity cannot be taught in class. We are different, and so you should come up with what is best for you. If you are using this kind of sprayer for the first time, you can try on a sample surface several times before getting to the ideal surface you want to paint.
Here you can learn more painting tools, just check it out.
Why use an HVLP paint sprayer?
Unlike the brush and paint method, HVLP paint sprayer has many benefits. The list can be long, but these are the reasons that should take you to the market for such a sprayer:
- It is simple to use even for the first-time users
- Gives uniform painting when well mastered
- Saves time
- Uses little paint compared to brush and paint method
Final thought
HVLP sprayers are very simple to use. However, some users reportedly claim that they have not gotten the best from this sprayer and that the bush and paint method is the best way to go. It could be that they have not mastered how to use this paint sprayer. You don’t have to join them. You can learn the steps I have given above and get the best from this type of sprayer. One or two attempts can make you an expert sprayer.
