Newbie filtration system, is my setup correct?

BigKevO

New Member
This will be my first time spraying a car and would like to make sure I have everything in order before attempting to spray SPI Epoxy primer. I am on a budget and think I may have been lucky enough to score most of the filtration setup for free. Please let me know if this is sufficient or if I should add a Motor Guard M60. I do plan on using one of the small inline MG filters on my spray gun. I cannot afford a refrigerator dryer yet but I do have an aftercooler on my pump and four 10' drops of 1" copper leading to my filter system. I live in a dry part of southern CA. Thank you in advance! Any advice is much appreciated.

This is what I have installed in this order:
Milton 1020 1/2"NPT 40 Micron 6oz. Filter
Dayton(SpeedAire) 4ZL18 3/4"NPT 32oz. .05 Micron Coalescing Filter
Arrow D12-04XL 2qt. 1/2"NPT Desiccant Filter Dryer
Barber Colman K360 1/2"NPT 5 Micron Filter Regulator Combo

IMG_E4627.JPG
 
You might want to hook up your spray gun and verify that your regulator will handle enough air and hold the set pressure. I mention this because Barber Colman products are made for use in pneumatic temperature control systems in large buildings rather than for general air system use. These systems operate with low volumes of air at low pressures, so there's a chance that the regulator may not handle enough air for spraying or that it may not be capable of adjustment to a high enough pressure. It's probably fine for your use, but worth checking since it's a special purpose regulator rather than a general purpose one as normally used for spraying.
 
Thank you for the advice metlmunchr. I will test it ahead of time. It was a spare part for an 11 story building that had a pneumatic control system. I assumed the building consumed more air than a hvlp gun since it had enormous compressors.
 
Sorry for not replying sooner. Missed this post. You don't need that filter after the dessicant filter. Unnecessary. Hook up your regulator behind the dessicant filter and you're good to go. :)
 
Thank you for the advice metlmunchr. I will test it ahead of time. It was a spare part for an 11 story building that had a pneumatic control system. I assumed the building consumed more air than a hvlp gun since it had enormous compressors.
It may be just fine. I've seen some that had some sort of internal stop built in to keep from being able to adjust the pressure above a certain point. Pretty much all temp control systems operate on 0 to 15 psi and the stop in the regulator was there to keep some knob twister from cranking the pressure up too high and blowing out diaphragms in valves and similar damage.
 
One thing to consider when designing a system is the amount of water you will be asking it to remove. The amount of moisture in the incoming air can be 10 times as high in some areas than others. The size and type of compressor makes a huge difference, as well. Running a small compressor hard creates much more heat than a large compressor only running occasionally. The hot air takes longer to cool, so the moisture may not drop out until the end of the run, overloading your filter system. The sooner you can get the temperature of the air down after the compressor, the sooner the moisture will drop out. Your system should be fine for where you live, as long as the compressor is not undersized, running constantly. That same system where I live, especially in the summer, would cause me to change desiccant daily when using a lot of air. That little MG filter at the gun will cause more problems than it will solve, IMO.
 
Big Thank You to everyone for taking the time to help me out.
Sorry for not replying sooner. Missed this post. You don't need that filter after the dessicant filter. Unnecessary. Hook up your regulator behind the dessicant filter and you're good to go. :)
The regulator has a built in filter. I tested the flow and it will easily provide 25-45 psi to the gun. I can take the filter element out if that is what you suggest.

One thing to consider when designing a system is the amount of water you will be asking it to remove. The amount of moisture in the incoming air can be 10 times as high in some areas than others. The size and type of compressor makes a huge difference, as well. Running a small compressor hard creates much more heat than a large compressor only running occasionally. The hot air takes longer to cool, so the moisture may not drop out until the end of the run, overloading your filter system. The sooner you can get the temperature of the air down after the compressor, the sooner the moisture will drop out. Your system should be fine for where you live, as long as the compressor is not undersized, running constantly. That same system where I live, especially in the summer, would cause me to change desiccant daily when using a lot of air. That little MG filter at the gun will cause more problems than it will solve, IMO.

My compress is only a 5hp 220v 2 Stage 60 Gallon but I will only be spraying a couple panels at a time. It's a 1968 GMC short bed. I'm going to start out with SPI Epoxy Primer sanded smooth with 400 grit and finish with a sand-able single stage solid color(battleship grey). I am sure there will be a lot of sanding required to get a smooth finish. I am not expecting professional level results. Just trying to achieve something better than the local Maaco/Earl Sheib. All the other painters in my area wanted well over $10k and I just can see spending that kind of money on a daily driver/cruiser.

It will be interesting to see how long my desiccant filter lasts.
 
This will be my first time spraying a car and would like to make sure I have everything in order before attempting to spray SPI Epoxy primer. I am on a budget and think I may have been lucky enough to score most of the filtration setup for free. Please let me know if this is sufficient or if I should add a Motor Guard M60. I do plan on using one of the small inline MG filters on my spray gun. I cannot afford a refrigerator dryer yet but I do have an aftercooler on my pump and four 10' drops of 1" copper leading to my filter system. I live in a dry part of southern CA. Thank you in advance! Any advice is much appreciated.

This is what I have installed in this order:
Milton 1020 1/2"NPT 40 Micron 6oz. Filter
Dayton(SpeedAire) 4ZL18 3/4"NPT 32oz. .05 Micron Coalescing Filter
Arrow D12-04XL 2qt. 1/2"NPT Desiccant Filter Dryer
Barber Colman K360 1/2"NPT 5 Micron Filter Regulator Combo

View attachment 18037
Being brand new to the air system world, I am looking to make myself an affordable setup and this looks great. Looking to spray epoxy primer on my 280z shell.

I just picked up a 5 HP Ingersoll 60 Gallon to run my Devilbiss FLG4.

Have you tested the setup yet? I might just pick up everything you've listed since its all reasonably priced.
 
Being brand new to the air system world, I am looking to make myself an affordable setup and this looks great. Looking to spray epoxy primer on my 280z shell.

I just picked up a 5 HP Ingersoll 60 Gallon to run my Devilbiss FLG4.

Have you tested the setup yet? I might just pick up everything you've listed since its all reasonably priced.
Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to spray. The instructions said the epoxy needs to stay above 55*F and the winter finally hit Southern California. We went from 80* to 50* the weekend I planned on priming. Now it’s raining which never happens here.
 
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