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Having a pint sprayer lying around is fun. It’s easy, and it’s convenient to use. It gives that beautiful finish everyone looks for. Also, it can be very efficient as well.
Getting the job done in less time is what it’s famous for. You wouldn’t need to have a tough arm workout with it as you would when using a brush. Most of all, it does not leave those repulsive brush marks that sometimes happen when they start to handle the brush.
It’s the best for painting, a great invention, and an amazingly efficient tool. Everyone should have one lying around. But having a paint sprayer doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an expert in using it. Perhaps, you just bought one for painting a wall in your room.
You would want to practice first on cardboard before going towards the actual work. Working with a paint sprayer can be a little tricky. From paint streaks to clogs to paint wastage, problems can be many for the armature.
Here’s a simple guide to the basics of using a paint sprayer.
Basics You Must Remember:
Hooking up a sprayer on the paint and starting it up is not the point. There are some things you must consider.
Worksurface And Surrounding Areas:
You would need to clean up the work surface before applying paint. That’s the basic principle of painting.
Clean the work surface using a cloth or a wire brush or something even more advanced like a blower before you initiate. You don’t want to have rust particles entangled in the paint. Neither do you want to have dust particles ruin the final finish of the paint.
As with the brush where there’s not much effect on surrounding surfaces unless you’re too aggressive with it. Surrounding surfaces, doors, windows, tables, etc. do matter when using a spray painter.
The painter works by atomizing the paint into fine droplets. These droplets can be so excellent and minute that they can quickly fly around and land on any surface other than the work surface. You certainly do not want to ruin the surrounding landscape with paint droplets. The case gets even worse when working outdoors. The air can very easily carry the paint around.
In most instances, masking them off or covering them with cloths or plastic wraps does just fine.
Beware Of Clogs:
Clogging is the number one problem paint sprayers come with. Some types of sprayers offer the most clogging, while others are comparatively less. For instance, High volume Low-pressure sprayers are known more for clogging.
To prevent clogging, there are some things you could use.
- Strain your paint before using it.
- Don’t create a very thick paint mixture.
- Be sure to clean your sprayer after you use it.
- Cleaning ensures you don’t leave the sprayer with paint in it that will clog later.
- Clean and Repack productively.
- Make sure you always have a paint sprayer whose repacking kit is Easy to handle.
The Method And Strokes:
One method prevalent in using a sprayer is holding the sprayer and start moving it before even firing the gun. It ensures you don’t spray excess paint at one point that will streak down.
Remember that sprayer throw paint very quickly. Therefore, you should be moving your hand at a velocity to match the speed of ejection to have smooth, even streaks. Usually, a velocity of 3ft per second will do fine.
Maintaining a constant distance is very important. Readjust your length while the sprayer is operating is the only thing you would want to ruin the finish. Make the distance longer, and you’ll have less paint in that very spot. The opposite is right to get the sprayer too close to the surface.
A typical range for holding the sprayer at a proper distance is a distance of 12-14 inches from the surface to the tip of the nozzle. Also, the angle matters too. You would want to have held the sprayer as perpendicularly as you can. Angulation can throw excess sprays into unwanted areas. It’s much better to start light. Apply a light coat and see if it meets your needs. On having
unsatisfactory results, apply another coat and make it darker. Keep doing this in levels. Don’t use a dark jacket at first. The shades vary with wet and dry paint. You might think you have the desired shade, but most of the time, you don’t. Some sprayers require back-rolling. Rolling or brushing the sprayer-on finish to get a more even coat. Check if your application is one of those.
Conclusion:
While this was just an essential guide, you should have a more thorough research before initiating your work.
Few things to remember, though: don’t spray when the temperature is below 40 or above 70 degrees. Don’t spray in direct sunlight, either. Too high heat dries the paint too fast and doesn’t allow it to attain a beautiful finish. Too low a temperature doesn’t allow the paint to dry soon enough, and it will attract dust and bugs and all things unpleasant.
