Question
I've seen a lot of posts about air assisted airless and am wondering if I am missing out on some miracle spray setup. Does this suit a small shop? Is the cost justified and can you get better results spraying cabinets? What about the learning curve and cleanup?
Forum Responses
(Finishing Forum)
From contributor B:
I'm a cabinetmaker and finishing newbee. I've used HVLP before the Kremlin and find I'm a better finisher with the AAA. Cleanup is a snap, material goes farther. I'd start with smaller tips than these guys would use, just to get the hang of it. I'm a one man shop and I think the cost is justified when I don't have to send my work elsewhere for finishing and part with big bucks. I find I can spray just as well, and have been happy with the final product. And no complaints from the client.
It's designed to move. You get a near perfect pattern edge to edge. Sometimes I think a novice has a better chance of breaking in with an MVX than a seasoned finisher, but that's not true. We all had to learn how it lays down the material.
Want soft? Get a small Ultra/Xtra tip. As for cleaning - a quick tip dab and a blast of air, and perhaps a check on the air cap and it's back on the gun and keep going. The lack of air moving material keeps the tip clean for gallons with all but the heavy material. Cycling out and into material is fast. It's not hype.
Reverse to start up again. I let an agitator go for a few minutes before I start, so it's longer. There are many who leave it in material and wet overnight. I shut mine down for 1 to 2 weeks sometimes, so I flush. The fluid line is 3/16 ID, so it doesn't take much to flush it.
Magnamax Dull with an 09-092+ tip today. The tip didn't clog with this material. It needs a quick dip when I use heavy pigment, every 1.5 to 2 gallons, to keep it perfect. I just dip it in thinner and give it a quick blast of air. No need to brush it unless it's been sitting around with dry material for too long. Next is white primer, so I'll check the line filter after that, but it's been fine through 2 large jobs with wash, sealer and clear. I opened the front end of the gun 1 time in a year (mainly to clean white primer from the front tube). It took 10 minutes. Changing hoses takes a minute or so. Checking or changing the screen filter takes about a minute as well. I have a 2 quart SATA, gravity, etc. here, but I dread the cleanup with those. Spoiled.
We were loaned a CAT air-assisted. We had the wrong tip size (a massive 517) and I had never actually used one before, other than spraying a couple of doors at a stain training class. I do know how to spray a good finish, so this loaner was a fun experience. The job was a medium sized kitchen, and even with the wrong tip size, it was awesome.
Lemme tell ya brotha, we used conversion varnish (our typical clear) and I have never seen a gun that sprayed as smoothly, cleanly, reliably, and with near zero overspray. Even with that huge-arse tip.
Needless to say, we are now the proud owners of a brand new wall-mount unit. I can't wait for the job we're currently putting the final assembly on and color approval, I'll get the chance to whoop this puppy out and have some fun.
Lastly, it's totally air driven - nothing to plug into an outlet (well, other than the compressor). Unlike the Titan airless, the CAT system isn't a fire hazard due to the Titan's DC motor system. You can't accidentally leave it on or accidentally dump thinner on the motor housing and then piss yourself silly. No, I've honestly never done that, but it's still a danger if you tend to be a klutz like me. Go with the AAA. If your distributor will give you a loaner for a job, it will help you decide. It did for us.
Depending on what you spray, consider cutting your material usage by 30%. This alone will give you your payback. Also, you don't have to thin the product. So a coat of unthinned has a thicker dry mil than a thinned product. Translation, fewer coats to get the same build, or thicker build with same coats.
