Painting mainly motorcycle tanks/parts, what would be your main gun

K

KevinPainter

Guest
Painting mainly small parts, what would be your main gun

A Sata minijet or a full size 4000rp?

Is a Minijet (with 1.2sr cap) capable of providing the same smooth orangepeel-free clearcoat finish
as the full size rp or will the latter outperform the minijet.

(currently i use a Devilbiss GTI and am happy with it, just want an extra gun and am curious to Sata, never owned/used one)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
W

Wydir

New member
Well I use both, But I use a 1.0sr tip in the minijet because the most of the parts are small enough not to justify the bigger tip(I use PPG DBC and Envirobase) , and for clear I use a 3000RP digital 1.3 (im sure I could get away with a 1.2 tip)
I was also looking at getting a 4000RP but it seems most like the 3000RP better.

As for a 1.2sr in the mini im not sure I would do this, Thats alot of paint but if you are a very fast painter (and I mean Very fast) I dont think it will benifit you to use a tip that big (unless the flake in the base is big enough to justify it)
 
K

KevinPainter

Guest
I did some searching before posting this topic and most people say that if you'll use the Minijet for clear, you should pick the 1.2sr.
The 1.0 is indeed the best choice for bases, but won't give enough material for doing clear very well.

So what's your reason you don't use the Minijet for clear, Wydir? It's too slow or does the 3000 give a smoother finish?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
W

Wydir

New member
mainly because of fan pattern size with a full size gun you can have something cleared in 4-5 passes with a mini it would take you double.

I do use my mini for clear on small objects like clearing over graphics (intercoat clear) and when spraying pearl coats for accents on flames(clear and pearl mix)

I mainly use DBC500 and DC4000.

I don't have any issues with the mini on small jobs I would spray like the tops of saddle bags and lower fairings and side panels (talking harley davidson Ultra classic parts) with the mini but the tourpack , front fairing , saddlebags, fenders the full size gun is so much faster (yes I do waste alot of clear from overspray) but thats my main reason for using the bigger gun for speed

if I want to save on materials I use the mini cus with the 1.0sr tip it just sips the paint and not much overspray both with base and clear
 
K

KevinPainter

Guest
I was able to play with a Minijet for 2 days, and it's a nice gun for basecoats (few overspray). For clearcoat however, i'm not so impressed. My full size Devilbiss does atomize it better, resulting in less orange peel.
 
Kong

Kong

New member
Not to burst anyone's bubble, but Sata isn't the only gun maker in the world. I use Iwata guns, a small LPH-80 and a larger (but not full sized) LPH-300 with 1.2 and 1.4 caps respectively. The larger gun, the 300, has a fan pattern that adjusts very nicely to 9", which makes it great for larger motorcycle parts like bags or fairings and of course you can clear a tank with 3 passes. The smaller gun adjusts to about a 4" pattern, which is very useful. In fact it is the gun I use most (I paint bikes only) for color and if the parts are relatively small I'll use it for clear too. I am a big fan of Iwata guns, they lay down paint like the breath of angels.
 
B

bike75

New member
For the guy that uses a gun infrequently - I have and like the Eastwood Concours HVLP low CFM gun (http://www.eastwood.com/paint-equipment/paint-guns.html). It is low cost and has a lot of accessories and is usually on sale. I have a small 3.5 HP 20 gallon tank. I have been using it on motorcycles with base/clear and use it for sealers and primers also. Come to think of it I have also done most of my auto panels also.
Harbor freight guns will do in a pinch and are real inexpensive (http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=paint+guns).

Bob
Tucson
 
TAZ

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
I have both the Iwata and Sata guns.
I used to the like the Sata's, but I have recently taken a liking to the Iwata. I like the handle on the Iwatas better.
I have 2 LPH-400. One with the orange cap and the non-colored cap.
 
califabricator

califabricator

New member
Hey , what's up taz ..
Hey you guys seem to be the group I want to ask a few questions to..
I already got with taz on materials selection and have a few pm's out but what I need now is a compressor and spray guns.
Because I'm going to attempt to spray my belly pan and nose piece for my sport bike and will not be painting autos, I will only be painting fairings .
Can you guys guide me in the right direction. This is my first time ever painting and ppg urethane, plastc promoter, primer and lots of clear will be my materials.
The selection of guns is very important so I'm asking which should I start with?
The mini sounds good for just fairings but I need something for a begginer, someone to dial me in on selecting a gun to shoot promoter and primer for the finish work and later on the color and clear.
I also need a compressor just for painting fairings and running some tools.. I understand the low volume low pressure guns and because I move around a lot I want a portable compressor..

Can you guys dial me in on guns and a compressor and a good da sander to use on fairings to get started with and ill chime in every so often for some questions :)

Thanks
Ed
 
S

satatom

New member
a mini sata jet is a very nice gun for base and clear coat but then the Iwata is very nice to as said ,maybe you just need a very cheap gun to prime with
 
bondofreak

bondofreak

New member
I have Satas, Devilbiss, Finex, HF, Porter Cable, and what not. I lost count...lol!
I like a full size gun even on tanks and such. 3000RP Digital 1.3 is my choice for bases, single stages, pearls, clears, blends, sealers, and adhesion promoters.
Unreduced epoxy and urethane primers it is Devilbiss Finishline3 with the 1.8 tip.
 
S

satatom

New member
bondofreak said:
I have Satas, Devilbiss, Finex, HF, Porter Cable, and what not. I lost count...lol!
I like a full size gun even on tanks and such. 3000RP Digital 1.3 is my choice for bases, single stages, pearls, clears, blends, sealers, and adhesion promoters.
Unreduced epoxy and urethane primers it is Devilbiss Finishline3 with the 1.8 tip.
Click to expand...
yes i would love your set-up, but i only have a 25 lt compressor and that would not have enough cfm to power a full size gun with a 1.8 tip, so i have got to stick with the mini sata jet with the 1.2 tip, running with 2k at about 25 psi ,, still i don't do that bad lol ,its my hobby the paint shop where i live think i should do it full time and say i am better than nearly all the painter/sprayer where i live who have all the kit lol
 
Last edited:
bondofreak

bondofreak

New member
Look at the Devilbiss SRI mini gun. Get a dekups adapter and you can use 9,24,or 32 oz cups.
Something to consider....
 
TAZ

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
Back on. Spent the last 1 1/2 weeks setting up for our 6th Halloween party this past Sat. Now we'll be busy taking it all down starting TH.
 
S

satatom

New member
TAZ said:
Back on. Spent the last 1 1/2 weeks setting up for our 6th Halloween party this past Sat. Now we'll be busy taking it all down starting TH.
Click to expand...
TAZ we thought you left the site for us to look after :haha: glad to see you back,hope it all went well
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top