Glaze Spray Gun?

[Clay Tile Mom 0]

I am wondering if anyone has tried using the paint spray guns from harbor freight that run around $16.99. Or is it a you get what you pay for situation and worth the $50 to buy the PH300 glaze sprayer from the ceramic suppliers?  Do paint sprayers even work for glaze, or will the just get all clogged up?  

I make 1" ceramic pendants and hand brush the fronts and backs.  two coats on the back and three on the top.  I currently have hundreds to do, and I think the time saved by using a spray gun will be the way to go.  

 

[glazenerd 1,520]

I have a professional HVLP sprayer, and a $29,95 HVLP sprayer. Oddly enough the cheapie works the best for spraying small pieces. I brush when I am testing, and spray when producing. BUT... pics are always useful. Think Joseph just bought one from Harbor Freight?

 

Nerd

[Foxden 32]

I have the Harbor Freight gun. It works fine. It adjusts the spray fan direction (horizontal to vertical) the spread of the fan and the amount of glaze that comes out. I have been quite happy with it. I have other sprayers purchased from ceramic supply companies but find this one to be better. You can buy a stand for it as well as spare containers.

[graybeard 29]

I've been using the "cheep" HARBOR FREIGHT GRAVITY FEED HVLP gun for a couple years now, liked it so much

I went back and bought a second one to use when the tip and needle wore out on the first

one. Hasn't happened yet! anyway, well worth the $17.00 just clean it well after you

use it.

 

graybeard

[What? 84]

They work good. Run your glaze through a 60 mesh screen first. 20-40 psi incoming.

[Roberta12 316]

Another vote for the Harbor Freight HVLP gun.  I am still using the one I bought 4 or more years ago.  I bought a second one when they were on sale simply because I don't live close to a Harbor Freight and I have not used it yet.  ditto on the sieve.....  I use 40-45 psi

 

Roberta

[Clay Tile Mom 0]

Excellent!  You all Rock!  So glad I thought to post.  I knew I could count on you.  

[TwinRocks 17]

Is the regulator a nessasary part, I see they sell them with and without?

[Foxden 32]

It would depend on your source of compressed air. Most compressors are adjustable and have their own regulator.

[Joseph Fireborn 1,307]

I have 4 harbor freight guns that I use on a regular basis. After about 100 pots sprayed with them I had to clean them out or I had issues spraying properly. However I don't screen my glazes with a really small mesh before I use them. A lot of them I just spray on straight after mixing with a stick blender. So that could be why I had to clean them. However the cleaning process for the 4 HF guns only took like 1 hour total. I just took a water hose and blasted it down in the sections and knocked out what I could. They went back to working well after that.

 

I have an expensive gun, a used SATA Mini Jet that my brother in law gave me(he doesn't use it anymore). This gun is like $299, I would say it sprays a good bit more even than the HF guns, but the thing about it is, glaze melts and changes so no matter how well you spray it doesn't really make a huge difference as long as the spray gun is working properly. I have actually tested the results on a tile, from the SATA and the HF guns and there was no visible difference after firing.

 

I mainly just use the SATA gun now for super sensitive applications where I want a fine mist sprays as a highlight glaze. Basically when I am using a modifier on top of a glaze I will use my SATA gun for that, but most of my heavy duty spraying gets done with the HF guns.

 

IMO you can't go wrong, and if they stop working you can always just replace them for $15, I mean if your selling product, $15 isn't much to pay for a couple hundred pots to be sprayed.

 

I know many other people reported they liked their HF guns, but I just wanted to share my experience between a really expensive auto detail gun and a cheap one from HF.

 

As far as the compressor, just get one with a regulator on it, spraying glaze isn't so sensitive that it really matters to make sure pressure is perfect coming into the gun. I bought the 8# tank from HF when I bought my guns, it works just fine.

[Rex Johnson 117]

Those HF cheap gravity feed guns work really well for glazes.

At the price I like to have three or four locked and loaded...

I use the HF $119 2HP compressor, which is adequate as well

 

[Foxden 32]

FYI, that sprayer is currently on sale for $8.99, expires today 8-21-16