Choosing an Automotive Spray Gun
For most people, it is not the car model, manufacturer, or the custom accessories that one first notices in an automobile, it is the color, the base shade and decals makes the first impression since the majority of the population don’t really know much about cars.
To paint an automobile, the best way is to use an automotive spray gun since it delivers a clean and even coating to the surface of the vehicle. The most common types employ compressed gas to atomize and direct paint particles. An automotive spray gun should not be confused with airbrush, which is a similar tool that it is operated by air as well, but the automotive spray gun is larger. A lot of car enthusiasts use spray guns to customize the look of their ride, either for the fun of it or enter it into competitions. Also, it can be used for other purposes as well like on furniture, toys, or craft projects, just about anything you can think of, so owning one is a great idea for artists.
Here are the steps in choosing an automotive spray gun to paint your automobile.
- Before doing anything else, plan out everything, choose which type of automotive spray gun you will use, adequate spray guns for auto paint can cost as little as $100, and professional spray guns for auto paint may cost more than $500.
- Choose between a gravity feed or siphon feed type automotive spray gun. Gravity-feed spray guns for auto paint store their paint supply above the nozzle. Siphon-feed spray guns store their paint supply beneath the nozzle. Research and weigh the pros and cons of each type, and choose the one that fits your style. But the gravity feed type automotive spray gun is the more popular one since they are often easier to maneuver due to design so you can get to hard to reach places.
- The tip size is also quite important; you can go for a single tip if you are on a tight budget. They range from about 1.3 millimeters to 2.0 millimeters. The larger tips are designed to be used with heavy type paints. While people usually choose the middle range automotive spray gun tips since they can be used for a variety of types and are more versatile. This is important if you plan to apply primer (heavy), then color (lighter) and finally a clear coat (lightest).
- Next is to choose an air compressor, you have to find one that meets the specifications and requirements of your automotive spray gun, obviously, you'll need to factor in air compressor specs when you are choosing your spray gun. CFM (cubic feet per minute) at a given PSI (air pressure in pounds per square inch) is how an automotive spray gun is rated. Settle down on an automotive spray gun that does not require too much CFM or psi, so you will not have to buy a very expensive air compressor to make it work.