Has anyone ever tried.....

[TimsTrim]

using an HVLP gravity fed gun for glue ? I've been using a couple cheap Binks knock offs for years and they work fine, but I'd like to lessen the vapors I'm exposed to and thought the HVLP guns would be a viable option. Probably one of the Harbor Freight ones as they are cheap enough to use and pitch if it does not work out. Plus they sell plastic throw away cups for the guns which would work nicely also. Just asking. Thanks, Tim

[SHHR]

They would work, but......  Most of your newer basecoat/clearcoats that the guns are designed for are of a very low viscosity and therefore HVLP guns have a small fluid tip orifice. A 1.4 mm tip is about the standard for HVLP, but you'll need somewhere around a 1.8 mm - 2.0 mm that it comparable to the Binks guns. They're available you just have to look a little harder. I bought one at Harbor Freight with a 2.5 tip once when I needed a gun to shoot a heavy metal flake. That would handle the glue good. One concern may be though, is the glue drying in the head if you keep glue stored in the gun. A suction gun like the Binks would let the glue drain back into the cup.
Kyle

[TimsTrim]

I ordered the Harbor Freight gun #47016 . It's an HVLP type gun. I had a coupon and got it for about $10. Also ordered disposable cups-$6 I think. I just tried it out and so far am very happy. I can get a very fine pattern and coverage. It's a 1.4 mm tip. I really don't think any other size would be needed.This gun does not come with an inline regulator (you do need one) but I had one already. You can get the similar gun with regulatorm for about $30. I'm using 80# pressure at the gun and the regulator cuts it down to 45#.
My hope was to waste less glue due to it's cost and I think that will be the case. I'll post more updates as I use it.

[JuneC]

Tim, what kind of glue are you using?  I find my Binks knock-off does just fine with K-Grip, but with Dap Weldwood it's really difficult to get a fine mist or spiderweb.  It tends to glob.

June

[TimsTrim]

weldwood landau glue

[TimsTrim]

One thing I want to find out is letting the gun set for extended periods, and if the glue dries it out. I think it might be even better than a siphon gun since there is a much shorter distance from the cup to the tip. We'll see, but againit all looks good. The disposable cups have caps too to keep the air out.

[TimsTrim]

Gun sat overnight and I came in this morning and done some glue up. No problem. Granted , it's just overnight, but for most shops , overnight would be the longest the gun would sit unused anyway.
  One thing I did want to try... I was in WalMart a couple of weeks ago and noticed that sold the Weldwood Contact Cement in quart cans. A little over $6 /quart. That's actually a bit cheaper than what the 5 gallon cans from my supplier  cost (per quart). But that glue seems too thick and does not shoot out of my siphon glue worth a nickel. Splatters and tremendous cobwebbing. So I tried it in the new HVLP gun. Same results ! I may order one of the bigger nozzles to see how the gun shoots the red canned glue. It would ne nice to get it local at a good price but ny experience with the type of Weldwood is minimal so don't knowif it would even work for trim shop use.

[TimsTrim]

New update on the Harbor Frieght HVLP gun for glue. Thumbs up all around. No drying in the gun while unused and I can say with all confidence that I'm using or wasting less glue. I would recommend it highly.

[JuneC]

Thanks for that evaluation.  I'll have to add one to my wish list.  I don't do a lot of gluing, but when I do, it would be really nice to have the appropriate tool(s).

June

[SHHR]

The glue started spraying right away without having to unclog the tip then? Did you do anything to seal up the small vent hole on the gun cup when not in use?

I know 3M/DeVilbes has a throw away cup system that utilizes a sealed plastic bag that dispenses all fluids even when turned upside down, but is a very expensive set up to use just for glue.

Also have you seen a savings in materials? these guns are popular with paint by keeping overspray out of the air on directed more toward what you're painting, but with the thicker glue, overspray isn't much of an issue.

For example on painting a car using my old Binks#7 a full size car will take about a gallon of paint plus thinner and activators, same for clear coat. but with my Gravity HVLP gun I can get by with about half of the material being used.

If there's even a fraction of that kind of savings in glue it would be well worth the switch, even for those who use the pressure pot set-up.

Kyle

[TimsTrim]

The throw away cups come with a small cap to seal the vent hole off, but for that matter, all HVLP cups have some sort of cap on top. So far I'm on the original disposable cup. Yep, it takes right off spraying, no problems. Now having said that the lonest time it's sat so far is 5 days. (Christmas Break). I can say it does use less glue because you get a more uniform and consistent pattern. The big plus is less fumes . With the price of glue for every quart I save I have paid for the gun. One other plus, I like to spray a light coat of glue to hold my insert material to the insert foam . Easier to sew and looks better when finished. With the old gun on some lighter fabrics , the occasional "blob" coming out of the gun would bleed thru to the finish side  and screw it up. No more.

[TimsTrim]

Just an update. I had to glue up a headliner in a Dodge Standard Cab pickup this morning and measured actually the glue used. By my best account I used a pint of glue. That is quite a bit of savings from the old siphon gun. I think the HVLP is a keeper.