Ok so I've finished all my touchups on my playfield and was wondering if I could do this on my own or needed to hire a professional to do this. I've gotten prices from $350-750. With that said, I've looked at a few videos and I am confident I can do this. And since the cost almost pay for an air compressor, the HVP gun and the materials.... just wondering what a good air compressor would be to use for this, minimum capacity, CFM output etc...
Thanks guys
What are the costs of doing Co2 Vs Air Compressor.....? How much CO2 is needed to finish one playfield or one coating?
You can use bottled dry air and/or CO2 but that's expensive.
A compressor and dryer is probably the standard, as most people have a compressor already and just need to get a good dryer.
You could also use a turbine compressor.
This site has some info to start with:
http://www.eastwood.com/how-to-paint-your-car-on-a-budget-eastwood-tech-library
Robert
Quoted from flashinstinct:What are the costs of doing Co2 Vs Air Compressor.....? How much CO2 is needed to finish one playfield or one coating?
I never compared it. I just got tired of having to redo a multi color engine late in the painting. Wasting a lot of work.
LTG : )
Tips from the Playfield Restoration Guide:
Quoted from vid1900:You spend $150 on a plastic ramp, so by comparison, this stuff is cheap!
You'll need an air compressor with a bigger size tank, 30 gallons or larger (nobody ever complained they bought too large of a compressor). That's the High Volume part of High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP). If you are going to get a really big air compressor to use with air tools and the like (60-80-100 gallon), don't get a crappy aluminum head Husky or Craftsman. Get a real iron headed compressor (like a Saylor-Beall) used on Craigslist. It will outlast you and cost less than the Husky. The iron headed compressors can be completely rebuilt, unlike the aluminum.
You'll need a water separator:
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/air-tool-accessories/12-standard-air-filter-68279.html
You'll need a moisture filter that installs at the gun:
http://www.harborfreight.com/disposable-inline-moisture-filter-68224.html
You'll need a regulator that installs at the gun (you don't want to keep walking back to the compressor):
You'll need the HVLP gun:
-
Of course once you have a nice sized air compressor, you can wet sand pneumatically and get the playfield really flat.
Quoted from vid1900:My buddy returned 3 Husky in 3 weeks.
He finally bought a used Speedaire 80 gallon for $200 on CL. 20 years old and it will probably run another 20.
Look for Iron head, not aluminum. Look for USA made. Call for valve replacement part availability BEFORE you buy.
Quoted from vid1900:When buying a used air compressor, first download the manual and find out how long it takes to recharge the tank from zero. Then look online for valve rebuild kits and don't buy a compressor that does not have them commonly available.
Drain the tank, then time how long the recharge takes. If it is within a minute or two of the manual, you are probably in good shape.
=
If you take the head off and run it for 5 minutes (I know what you are thinking, it won't hurt anything), you should not see a puddle of oil forming above the pistons. If you do, it needs new rings.
If it takes forever to recharge, and the rings are good, you probably need new valves. You can order a valve kit (for good compressors, probably not the Husky) or take it to any local compressor shop.
The shop won't want the whole thing, just bring them the head. They will put new valves in it and send you home with a new gasket to use when you put the head back on.
For home use, a real air compressor, rebuilt, with yearly oil changes and a belt every so often, will probably last 15 years before another rebuild is necessary.
Quoted from vid1900:The problem is that compressors overrate their output, and sprayguns underrate their air consumption.
If you were refinishing chairs, you would do a lot of start-stop spraying as you rotate the piece, so the compressor might have a little time to charge back up.
But a playfield requires you to do long, even shots as you flood and overlap the surface. You don't want to be caught waiting for the compressor to charge back up as your last pass starts to catalyze.
An experienced shooter can eek out a little more performance from a small compressor and an expensive gun, but that is not you (yet), so hit Craigslist and get a real compressor.
Just for a worst case scenario: figure that a HF cheap gun needs to run @ 6 CFM and 47 PSI to smoothly shoot Shopline JC 661 clear.
Quoted from vid1900:An Oil Less compressor sounds like a good thing ,but its not. They just don't last long and tend to be really noisy.
A regular 'oiled" compressor will need an oil change after so many hours, but will last 10x as long before a rebuild is necessary.
Quoted from MrSanRamon:You can use bottled dry air and/or CO2 but that's expensive.
A compressor and dryer is probably the standard, as most people have a compressor already and just need to get a good dryer.
You could also use a turbine compressor.
This site has some info to start with:
http://www.eastwood.com/how-to-paint-your-car-on-a-budget-eastwood-tech-library
Robert
I have used both, a compressor based system and a turbine type HVLP system.
If you don't have a compressor and think you will have other uses for it then by all means go that route. You will need moisture removal filters though as most people show.
A few years back I was doing a lot of painting interior trim in my house, doors, new molding etc. I prefer to paint the molding before putting it up. I purchased a Wagner power painter and it really sucked. Made a real mess as well with overspray. Did some research and came across Accuspray, a turbine type HVLP system. Got a deal with 2 guns and selected one with a tip size for latex paints on the bigger gun, and another for automotive type paints on the smaller detail gun. At the time I wanted to try it on my R/C planes when paint was needed.
I have only used the smaller gun (actually just the cup is smaller) for 2 part clears, the same type as most people are shooting on their playfields. It works real well with less overspray then a typical high pressure spray gun. The 2 part clears go on nicely with it. Mostly I have used Nason 4
clears for my airplanes, as they are cheaper but used Chroma Clear on a playfield. In fact I just sprayed my first playfield with it yesterday and today. The picture was after 2 coats yesterday, sanded with 1500 and re-sprayed with 1 coat this morning. Will still get sanded and polished.
very interesting turbine hvlp system... no moisture..... hummmmm.. i live in canada so these are bound to be about 20% more.
I got a 80 gallon Campbell and Hausfield compressor from Canadian Tire on the cheap that works well. Princess Auto has decent inline air filters for catching moisture. I got 3 filters on my setup. I would like to upgrade to a 100 gallon tank sometime in the future.
I was hoping you would get some input from someone that knows more about them then I do. If it helps I use a 2 stage accuspray system (2 blowers I think) The unit sounds like a central vacuum motor running and I doubt it is much different 
A couple of foam filters on the intake side as well. I am pretty sure 3M bought Accuspray after I bought mine. It was not very cheap either. So I really can't comment on the $300 systems. I suspect that for pinball playfield use almost any would work well as long as the orifice is sized for automotive paints. My thoughts being that the 4 clears like Chroma clear that many seem to use goes down very easy. Since the playfield is sprayed flat you have less to worry about runs like you would on a vertical surface. Also you will likely be sanding and polishing which can fix a whole lot of bad spray techniques
Here is a finished look at the playfield after sanding with 1500 then 2000 and polishing it.
Hopefully this works.
Clear coat can be sprayed on with either system. You will have to pay more attention to keeping the water out of the line with a compressor based system. But once you figure out the right method no real issues. Having both I just find that I can spray easier and with less hassle with the Turbine type HVLP. As long as you are sanding and polishing almost any method will be fine (assuming no contaminant in the paint). Simply sand flat and go to finer grits and compounds and voila
Back in the early 80's when I had little money I bought a Miller compressor spray gun outfit. $40 something for the compressor (more like a piston style aquarium pump) with no tank, just a continuous flow, and a couple of guns for that price I sprayed acrylic lacquer on a model plane, and cleared it. Looked OK but not great. Sanded flat with 600 rubbed it out with fine rubbing compound (green can) and polished with Liquid Ebony (no longer available) Lacquer doesn't polish like the new paints it burnishes, the rubbed off lacquer in your cloth burnishes the finish which is why you only had to sand to 600. Finish was as good as any 2 part clear coat today. Not as tough or fuel proof but just as pretty.
Still have one of those planes today
atlanta1.jpg
And this was the first one I ever spray painted. Weighed a ton though, too much paint
Magic.jpg
Flash I use a Fuji Turbine setup that I was given by some one in return for clearcoating there playfield. I absolutely love it. Nice even spray. Its about as loud as my vacuum cleaner and thats it.
-Jim
I'm looking to get my first air compressor. I am very much in the dark on this.
As far as I know, I will use it for:
1. airbrushing
2. drying parts
3. (tools) sanding a cabinet
Wondering the size and whether I should go new/used. I've never rebuilt anything automotive before, so I would lean towards new, but I'm open to grabbing something used from CL.
I would store it under a pinball machine, so I would think horizontal would be an important configuration for me.
thanks!
-mof
I'm reviving this thread to see what tip size you guys use on your turbine sprayer systems.... which is best to shoot clear? I did my last one at 1.4 but seem like I always needed the sprayer at full throttle to get what I wanted.
Quoted from NinJaBooT:I got a 80 gallon Campbell and Hausfield compressor from Canadian Tire on the cheap that works well. Princess Auto has decent inline air filters for catching moisture. I got 3 filters on my setup. I would like to upgrade to a 100 gallon tank sometime in the future.
You dont need to upgrade to 100gal, 60 gal is more than plenty for spraying will actualy supply 2 guns by itself with a 2 piston compressor head. see pics for the compressor i modified for spraying and multiple other uses. Current run a 2 filter 2 dehydrator setup have never had a moisture or water issue. an upgraded intake filter also improves on recovery time
Quoted from flashinstinct:I'm reviving this thread to see what tip size you guys use on your turbine sprayer systems.... which is best to shoot clear? I did my last one at 1.4 but seem like I always needed the sprayer at full throttle to get what I wanted.
I run a capspray rig for on the job to spray cabinets molding, etc but air powered spraying is much nicer, a 1.3 to 1.5 tip is perfect with clear if you want to lay it on a little nicer add a bit more reducer on a capspray and open up the fluid flow valve and tighten up your spray patter to norrow then open up 1/4-3/8 turn out. adjust your spray pattern untill you have no overshot lines on the edge of the spray fan and it has a solid pattern then overlap 50% of spray pattern. with air powered hvlp you can jack up the air a few psi and open up the fluid valve to lay it on thicker but with a turbine youre kinda limited.
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