Need advice on setting up my 4000b hvlp. Am in Tech school and having trouble laying down a decent finish

I don't have a regulator on the gun, so I set the pressure at the wall outlet. When I tried moving the gun further away from the panel for a larger pattern I ended up getting a dry spray effect.

I also have never fully pulled the trigger, only pulling it about half way from the point where the gun starts to discharge paint. Fully pulled back trigger seems to make the deposition far too wet and cause runs. I am not sure how fast or slow I can describe my movement but I don't think it is slow, judging by how fast/slow I have seen painters on YouTube move.

OK, that answers alot that you are not fully pulling the trigger. Turn your fluid all the way in, nothing will come out, pull the trigger all the way, then start opening the fluid knob until you get a pattern, keep going until its wet. It is inconsistent if you are not always pulling the trigger the same amount. If you are only going half trigger it makes sense you are getting a small pattern.

You do not have to waste paint to do this, just use thinner until you see a wider spray pattern, you will just need to open fluid more for the thicker paint.

Just dont ruin that gun spraying alot of primer, get a little Neiko, Go plus or anything with a 1.8-2.0 tip on amazon for about 40 bucks. I think it will help you if you find one with the same knobs you have on the SATA. Some only have 2, but it will get you used to what you move and what changes until you find your happy place.
 
No he means something like this.
29-1680.4_grande.jpg


or this
71w+hqLXlUL._SL1489_.jpg


Your fluid knob should start by being turned all the way in. Completely. The when someone says 2 turns out you simply open it 2 full turns. Completely open is when you can pull the trigger all the way in. They should be teaching you this in your school.


My setup for base with Sata HVLP's is this. Fan open all the way. Fluid 2- 2 1/2 turns out (from fully closed) 30 psi (roughly it's hard to see and unsure of accuracy) at my wall regulator in the booth. No gun regulator. I adjust my air until the base is atomizing nicely.
If you were going to try to spray clear with the HVLP try this setup, Fan open all the way. Fluid 2 1/2 turns to completely open. 30-35 psi at the regulator. Gun overlap 75% per pass. Need to go slow enough so that the clear "fills" as you are making each pass.
Do you set the Air Micrometer on the low setting or the high setting?
 
So did it spray heavier on bottom after rotating?

Just over a week ago, I set the air pressure like stated in this thread, and I got a decent spray pattern. Then a few days later someone else changed the pressure setting at the wall outlet and I couldn't get the gun to spray with an even pattern. It was spraying top heavy with the air-cap oriented in the traditional position, i.e. the Sata lettering on the top. I flipped the air-cap like advised here and the pattern was much more even but still not even.

I think I need to fiddle with the air pressure more.

Oh and I was mistaken when I mentioned earlier I had a 1.3 tip, it is a 1.4 tip.

A classmate said that he thinks a smaller tip atomizers the paint better. I am wondering if the 1.4 tip on my Sata is to big , for basecoat?
 
@kraftformer , if you can't get a top-heavy pattern to be a bottom-heavy pattern by rotating the cap 180°, the problem is not the cap. Maybe you could be more mindful of the gun's orientation to the surface, it's very common for new painters not to maintain the gun (or more properly the axis of the fluid needle) perpendicular to the surface being sprayed.

The 1.4 should not really be a problem. For thicker 2:1 base like the Standox that I use, the 1.4 is perfect. For thinner bases, simply adjust the fluid needle in until the proper flow is achieved. Keep a good air pressure gauge on your gun so you know what you are running at all times. Check spray pressure at the air inlet with a full trigger pull, air and fluid flowing.
 
Kraft, after you rotated the cap, it sprayed more even. Tells me 2 things. It needs cleaning & as Crash said not aiming it perfect (yet). Have patience, take your time, if it was cave man easy, who would pay 5k for a paint job heh.
Clean it, you'll get it. Psi & fluid flow is much easier to learn/dial in as you'll find out.
 
Just over a week ago, I set the air pressure like stated in this thread, and I got a decent spray pattern. Then a few days later someone else changed the pressure setting at the wall outlet and I couldn't get the gun to spray with an even pattern. It was spraying top heavy with the air-cap oriented in the traditional position, i.e. the Sata lettering on the top. I flipped the air-cap like advised here and the pattern was much more even but still not even.

I think I need to fiddle with the air pressure more.

Oh and I was mistaken when I mentioned earlier I had a 1.3 tip, it is a 1.4 tip.

A classmate said that he thinks a smaller tip atomizers the paint better. I am wondering if the 1.4 tip on my Sata is to big , for basecoat?
Air pressure will not cause the pattern to spray heavy at the top. If you flipped the cap and the pattern changed, the cap is dirty. If you flip the cap and it is still heavy at the top, the fluid tip has a clod of dried paint on the bottom of the opening, causing more paint to exit the top.
 
Back
Top