Spray Gun

I would like to know what yall think the best gun is to buy.

The Graco Flex Gun is probably the best value and is a reliable gun. Whatever gun you choose, do not buy a gun with Aluminum wetted parts (typically have filters built-in to the gun). Aluminum cannot be used in complete safety with chlorinated traffic paints and I do not feel that the fast dry waterbornes (1952-D) are completely stable when contained within Aluminum.

The one that (a) fits your gun holders (b) has parts and/or rebuild kits available locally. Then (c) if you use those type paints remember Cormac's advice about the aluminum.

Well I like the typical Aluminum guns, I like the rounded handle they feel comfortable to work with, I like the filter in the handle, saves having one on the line. I like the trigger, I hate that they aluminum but if a steel one came out I would buy them with out hesitation. Those old Wagner g10 last for years, very simple set up. After that I would have to go with a Kamber. Pitty they are not compatible with some paints though.

I agree with Wend on this. The G-10s were the best gun for the money ever made...only drawback was the aluminum. I have 2 G-10s over 15 years old with who knows how many thousands gallons sprayed & nothing ever changed but the filters. Graco's are fine guns but they are less comfortable for hand spraying, lack the great gun filters, and are generally more cantankerous as far as rebuilds & adjustments.

I want to know why one of you paint gun manufacturers doesn't make a gun with a filter in the handle that is compatible with all paints??? I use the SGX20 and like the feel of the contractor series, it is more oval than round. Feels like a gun .

sdstriper, a couple of questions back. Is tip plugging that prevelent? I am under the impression that when a properly designed paint system is in good working order tip plugs should be rare. If that IS the case, why take on the additional maintenance and costs of additional filtration? With smaller tips or with a very non-forgiving environment I see a need but not with .019, .021, and.023's?These are real questions from me, not smart a$$ questions. Don, based on some of the info here, I'd like to see some more informative polls than "how often clutches or hydraulics fail". How about: "In a calendar year what percentage of each type paint is used by everyone: water, solvent, or chlorinated solvent based". EX Water 50%, solvent 10%, chlorinated 40%. That would be informative. How about another for "how often per day (average) do you have a tip plug with the single OEM filter" (not with additional filtration). Ken, in your case before and after would be good. I am aware that a bad batch or old paint might throw things off but average that in based on how often you get suspect paint. This info would be informative. Another might be " How many never flush or clean airless machines all year long versus how many do every night". I sometimes wonder if the downside of never cleaning is more frequent tip plugging. Wendy, the G-10 were very, very popular with painters, but they just don't offer great compatibility and are downright dangerous with some of the coatings used in our industry(as with all aluminum guns). I'd like a 67 Corvette with an L-88 as a company car but it just would work. Seriously, I prefer a hand gun where the pressure is moving around my grip, not passing through the center of it if given a choice. Like sdstriper I like the oval grip like on a Contractor gun (but it is aluminum too). I also like a two finger trigger and others like a four. As long as it is chemically compatable with the paints used, use what you prefer and like Don said something that parts are readily available for on a local basis.

. Before we changed to ONLY using C/R a few months back, we used alkyd 90% of the time. some of the machines had the ALU gun with built in filters and some with out. All the machines got cleaned the same time twice per week, with clean thinners, I don't recycle my thinners. All machines are 6900's or 8900's speeflo The oldest titan guns with out a filter is probably 14 months the oldest guns with filters over 5 years, twice I have had trouble with the guns with out the filters. Never in eight years have I have a problem with a gun with a filter in. You can't only put it down to only cleaning because we have had this routine for years and have never had a gun problem ever. Try this for a test, use an alu gun on one machine, and the ones with out a filter on another machine of the same brand using the same paint. Clean out your machine every night if you want, then a month later take a look at your in built in gun filter, where is that muck going on a gun with no filter, in your tips and thats why we are also going through more tips as well. I have asked a paint tech in the lab about the HS issue and alu filters in guns he told me the HS content in CR is so broken down that he doubts weather it would have any adverse effect on the filter at all. He said in order for that to happen some thing must be majorly wrong with the paint. It would be interesting to ask some others chemists the same question maybe some one could over your way. I'm not saying he is right but he seemed pretty on to it.

Wendy, Take a moment and look in your Speeflo manual. There is a warning in there. It is in Gracos, Titans, Wildens, everyones. No one spells out a "safe" percentage. They say DO NOT [i][/i]. Apparently this guy has it figured out and none on the worldwide equipment companies do. I will say this, you may use it for weeks, months, or years and never have a problem. Then again you may have a major problem. I know people that have used aluminum Airlesscos and Wagners and never had an issue ( I do not recommend it). But I also know of two instances where the pump ruptured and blew apart: a Nordson airless pump and a Wilden pump. Look at you G-10 gun manual, I bet it is mentioned in there as well probably calling them Halogenated hydrocarbons (same thing). It is there for a reason. You really should not ignore it. Understand that this is not self-serving info as airless guns and pumps can be manufactured for a lot less that steel and stainless and sold cheaper.

No out of the ordinary tip clogging here, I just cannot believe the manufacturers build them with the chance of operators misusing them. Why not build them with metals that are compatible with all the paints available and widely used? I have had more clogging with latex than any other type and I use alkyd, CR and latex. I rarely have had problems with tip clogging due to paint quality. My problems with clogging I believe are traced back to quickie paint type changes, and I have minimized clogging there by swapping out main filters after pumping out one paint with the other. I did try the in-line filters STRIPES uses after having problems one season but I believe now it was due to changing types back and forth frequently. I have since removed them and have had few tip clogs. I never got used to all that extra hardware and was tired of wrestling with them. Given a choice I would like the option to have the filter in the gun, but safely as in non-aluminum gun. Also, is it just me or is the typical tip clog usually right in front of the main entrance?

Hiya Cormac, yes I agree with you,and I am not disputing that fact, why would the manufacture say these warnings the 1st place, when it is causing them to loose sales. But I asked him this question "would a aluminum gun filter just the filter cause a reaction with C/R paint if placed in a steel gun" then he gave me the answer of "no, because HS content is too broken down in the C/R paint" If he is wrong then he needs to know this. I will phone him Monday and tell him about the pumps that blew up, can you just confirm with me if they were loaded with solvents or C/R? Maybe there should be a label on the paints and solvents that have HS in it stating this fact, because it's OK that Graco, Titan and everyone else or good enough about warning there customers but ask any one here what other paint besides C/R has this stuff in them and I for one don't know and it's not writen in c/r mds sheets either, could some one check theres.

Ross, Sell me your inline filters. I could use a few extra. Ken

Sdstriper, I agree completely with what you said, especially this statement/question: "I just cannot believe the manufacturers build them with the chance of operators misusing them. Why not build them with metals that are compatible with all the paints available and widely used?" The LL3000 was designed a few years after the GM3000 was sold to painters. The painter version was not on a striper frame. It had an aluminum pump, filter, and gun. To use it in the striping market, there was a lot of added expense, like making a special steel fluid section, a switch to a steel filter, and a SST gun (the Flex Gun). This elevated the market price for the introduction, but we were confident that it was safe and appropriate for the market. Did you know the entry level Titan and all the Spraytek stripers have aluminum pumps, filters, and guns. I guess they are comfortable that people will read, pay attention to, and take them seriously. A few design engineers showed me an article about various people misusing all kinds of equipment (crazy stuff). It also went on about the great lengths manufacturers go to make them safe. A funny line in the article that has stuck with me is "that manufacturers aren't your Mommy, and that you have to exercise good judgment and common sense at some point". A manufacturer can only go so far. Some i feel don't go far enough. Interesting that you change the filters when changing dissimilar coating. It makes sense. Maybe I'll try that. The LL4 filters flow through the entire filter so it may more efficiently address this. Wendy, I did a search and check this out. They have nothing to do with this industry, so it is not biased. I could have gone to the Graco site for info, but here is an "outsiders" view and well done at that. http://www.itwransburg.com/servicepdfs/hhsafetysm.pdf I'd ask your paint fellow to give you a letter relieving you of any liability and stating that it is perfectly safe and acceptable for you to use his Chlorinated traffic paints within you aluminum pressurized components (gun). I believe the G-10 (forgive me, it has been a while since I have even dealt with a G-10) has an aluminum head and the handle is aluminum, so it may be more than a filter. I doubt you'll get a letter.

Basically it just a "striper thing" The only thing it would normally affect in "our world" is chlorinated rubber paints which have "Halogenated hydrocarbons" and as far as I know they are the only striping paints that do. And before I knew the risks were as great I ignored that and sprayed lots of CR with my old Wagner and G-10s with no problem (Now I realize I was lucky). That is why gun makers don't worry. House paints don't have Halogenated hydrocarbons. And they wouldn't make a profit building guns just for stripers so they use either the appropriate guns or warning labels. And I am not being critical of Cormac or Graco but the G-10 is the best all around gun I ever used for comfort, durability (never had a problem with my oldest--17 years, yet) ease of use, etc. And I have used them and Graco and Titan for painting both stripes and my house etc. (stripers are cool for painting houses, add some extra paint line, buy a different tip, and the striper goes with you, paint & all. Regular painters need real long hoses or have to move their machines a lot...

Sorry STRIPES, I got my hands on a couple more airless and I'm going to have a dedicated latex machine this season, I will use them on it. Cormac, When pumping latex out with alkyd or worse yet with CR you will notice the main filter plugs up bad, cross contamination starts in there, the filter screen holds enough of each type for problems to occur. On the Titan I pump one out with the other, then swap in a clean (dedicated) filter. This has made my life so much easier.

cheers for that cormac I will forward it on to the paint tech.

Hey, that might be interesting, as long as nobody is hurt.

Wend,you get those from Victoria's Secret?