Porter Cable Gravity Feed Spray Gun PSH2 - created 05-20-2008

Porter, Wilb - 05/20/2008.06:00:52

Hi,

Porter Cable is a big name in tools but they have only recently entered the finishing arena. Not saying they are bad, but you could do better.

Thanks Barry. What would you recommend? I'm thinking something in the price range between 0-150. Devilbiss, Binks?

Thanks

The PSH2 gun looks suspiciously similar to a generic, made in China, gravity feed gun being sold at a price commensurate with Porter Cable's perceived name value added on. I'd suggest getting an HVLP detail gun from Harbor freight. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46719

I have one of these and it works very well for me. The trick of course is to have someone show you how to adjust it correctly for the material you are shooting. I'd suggest playing around with it with some water until you are familiar with what each control does and then experiment with your intended finish.

The main benefit of it is that it's disposable in the event you let a two part finish sit too long inside. When you become truly accomplished in the finishing dept. you can buy a Sata gun and see if it's worth the extra.

What David said.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the input.

I have a cheap Grizzly "HVLP" gun that I used for several years. It worked but it gave me a lot of orange peel with waterbased finishes. Dialing up the pressure and the feed removed the orange peel but sprayed too much finish to control making runs a problem. I replaced it with an Asturo ECO/SX (about $120 over your limit). Once I got the settings right, I was delighted with the finish. No runs, almost shiny enough to use without polishing. I put off upgrading for a long time because I couldn't see any differences in the guns' design and figured they all must be about the same. Now I understand why people buy the expensive guns. The better gun has improved the quality of my product.

I've got that HF HVLP Gun the tip is a wee bit small for spraying anything of a reasonable viscosity. Even nitro has to be thinned quite a bit. I could not get much of a decent finish with Two-pack finishes until I opened the tip a bit with a tiny number drill. But it is a decent gun... but needs an easy to obtain set of tips/needles. I'm sure that it's a copy of something and has interchangeable parts.... I just don't know what it is.

The PSH-2 is a decent touch-up gun for stuff like bursts, but for guitars, a full-sized gun like the PSH-1 is a better bet for laying down enough finish to minimize passes. Both the PSH-1 and PSH-2 are well done Taiwanese knock-offs of standard SATA guns like the 2000, and at $50 and $65 respectively, are great deals given the quality. These are NOT pro guns designed to run 8 hours a day...they cost 6 times less than a SATA because of choices on materials, etc. If you need a gun that can run 800 hours a year, pop for the SATA...if you are doing ten guitar finishes a year, the PC will work just fine. Spare needle sets are $30 if you want to use one gun for primers, etc., however, at that price, buy another with a large needle set.

The PC guns have been in service for about 7 years now, and have a pretty decent reputation as cheap guns go.

Re: The HF #43430: - It's a Chinese knock-off of the Taiwanese-made PSH-1, takes the same needle sets as the PSH, and sometimes works right out of the box, but usually not. I picked up a couple HF guns to play with MEKP kicked polyester (figuring that they were throw-away), but returned them both after determining that full rebuilds were necessary due to machining and assembly issues. If you opt for the HF guns, try them with alcohol or thinner to check for air passage obstructions, leaks, nozzle issues, etc. Return/exchange as many times as necessary to get one that works.

Check Amazon.Com for HF 43430 & PSH-1 compatible needle sets - just search for:

Porter-Cable PTA22 2.0mm Nozzle Kit (PSH1)

I, like Bob waited a while before I caved and bought the Sata - I have a full size PC and a Devilbiss jamb gun that I started with. Comparatively speaking, the PC sucks - be prepared to sand, and sand, and sand.

There is a reason why guns cost so much, and the PC is little more than a primer sprayer. I would at least go with the cheapo $150 kits from Eastwood (Devilbiss, I think) - definitely get a gravity feed HVLP though.

Aaron -

Not my experience at all with the PC; however, I agree that the SATAs are awesome guns. FWIW, this is a shot after applying the 4th, 5th, and 6th nitro coats (I do two sets of three coats on back and one less coat on top) - not that much sanding required - I use P800 to level. Def not as smooth a finish as as my Iwata gun, but still pretty nice.

Todd, that looks very good. Is this right after spraying, or a few days afterwards? When I just get done spraying- the finish is dry enough to handle- it's smooth like that, but as it shrinks in and hardens it gets just a little rougher.

I just got the Astro Pneumatic Mini Gun for spraying waterbased finishes, havent tried it yest though. It is a SATA II clone and has all stainless steel wet parts and sells for about $70-100.

Seemed to get good reviews.

Thanks for all the info, folks. I can assure you, Todd, that the finish on that guitar is way beyond anything I have been able to accomplish by brushing. It looks terrific from where I sit. Great looking guitar too!!

Thanks - this one came out looking pretty nice...goes out as soon as I record a clip and get the clear pickguard on.

The shot above is a couple days after shooting the last coats - no sanding or buffing - just as it comes from the gun. I shoot sparingly thinned McFaddens (maybe 10%) and try to get a nice wet coat to help it flow out. If the guitar is dry immediately after shooting, I'd probably try to get more finish on per pass. The advantage to better guns like the SATA, Iwata or Asturo is longevity (stainless fluid path; better materials; cartridge packings, etc.) and really good atomization, which helps lay down a wetter coat without excessive thinning.