Whats a good beginner spray gun.

[BlingNGasoline]

I want to paint the plastic on my 01 sport so I have decided to purchase a spray gun and do it myself. My question is what spray guns should I be looking at? I'm thinking I will get a cheap one off ebay but what should I look for?

 

[MONMIX]

I do body work, not paint work, but here is the best I can tell you from what I see around the shop.
Cheap is cheap, expensive is better. Gravity feed guns are best. ( paint container on top ) have a nice regulator and an inline dryer.

I hope I was of some help.

 

[BlingNGasoline]

Thanks, thats what I needed to know.

 

[Glacier991]

For what you want to do a small Harbor freight gravity feed detail gun would be perfect. Low air requirements and easy to use. Cheap as guns go. I have one and like it.

In a more general sense, painting an entire vehicle is a different matter. The "perfect gun" will require air at specific volumes etc. For those reading, my vote for best beginner "Big" gun with low air requirements is the Sharpe Platinum. Slower in application of material than bigger guns that use more air than most folks have in their garage, but the SP uses less air and is more forgiving. I love mine.

Monmix is right about moisture reduction.

Anecdotally.... a year or two back My Mom who lives a thousand miles away had the paint peel of a portion of her front "rubber" bumber on the Suburu.
On vacation I had access to a small air compressor up at her place. I took up my HF detail gun, and an inline moisture filter. I bought some high quality single stage paint and some flex additive (the paint and flex was about $100 for this repair). I prepped the bumper best as i could and repainted it using the aforementioned equipment. It looked great, good as new, and still does now 2 years later.

Important factors? High quality paint, moisture reduction in the air supply, and a nice little HF detail gun that was easy to use. In 5 mins I could have trained anyone to do it.

 

[glfredrick]

I've heard good reviews on the HF HVLP guns as well. I have one, but haven't got to use it yet.

I'd say, that in the hands of a beginner, it would be fine, as the beginner has no idea about the high quality guns, so no frame of reference to compare like the pro.

Their stuff is often on sale (I think right now in fact) for CHEAP.

Great way to learn the art.

 

[murphy1600]

Hi, I work for a body shop supply store and you have an alternative method of painting the plastic, painting plastic with a spray gun is not neccessarily the way to go be cause the paint you should use for plastic trim or bumpers is the exact same paint you use, you can buy in a spray can that is made specifically for automotive use and is OEM approved. It is made by SEM and comes in a variety of colors, alot of the body shops we deal with use it with good results, however like any good paint job, the prep work is the key to success, before any sanding clean the plastic first with a good grease and wax remover, then sand with 600 t0 1200 grit sand paper depending on the surface you are painting, after sanding clean surface again with soap and water and blow out any moisture, then use a plastic adhesion promoter such as "bulldog" and then paint! If you are set on buying a spraygun a cheap one (under $75.00) on ebay is fine for your needs, the expensive ones are made for pro painters who need one that will last and replacement parts are readily available, the atomization may be better but for the average person you won't know the difference. Hope this helps

 

[Glacier991]

I did a vinyl interior in an airplane using SEM vinyl paint in a detail gun and also in an airbrush, and it still looks great - now going on 15 years later. I'll vouch for SEM products.