Tekna air caps

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 12:00 am
Doright wrote:
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:Why would you want to swap the caps when the ones designed for the gun work perfectly fine?


I was just on Devilbiss web sight checking out these new guns, WOW! seams the at least with Devilbiss they have taken the idea of needing a different gun for Primer, Base and Clear to a whole new level now and are pushing the idea that you need a different Air caps as well for different coatings.
I cant remember if it was IWATA or SATA with the Purple Orange and silver air caps that started the air cap deal but seams that Devilbiss is in on it now too at least with some of there new line.

I can paint a whole car with one gun start to finish just changing the fluid tip and then I only needed two a 1.8 for primer and a 1.4 for base and clear maybe a 2.0 for Polly. no need for multiple guns or air caps all I have to do is clean my gun good! and it can and will spray Clear like glass!
Why you needed multiple guns started with the idea of keeping a dedicated Clear gun just to avoid accidental color contamination. instead of good gun cleaning practices. by Production painters that dont break there guns down every time they change color but were flushing or using a gun cleaner machine.
NOW you need multiple guns multiple fluid tips and multiple air caps! LOL Im Glad I am not just starting out lol what a way to muddy the waters even more! I bet the Paint gun manufactures are just loving it there selling 4 times as many guns and parts as they ever did.

:rotfl:

My advice to a new guy avoid these fancy expensive guns look at the FLG the GTI and the Plus from Devilbiss or if you really wanna spend big money look at the IWATA and SATA but keep it simple you don't need multiple air caps and you really don't need a different gun for Base and clear most base and clear is sprayed with a 1.4 or a 1.3 the difference between the two is not very much a 1.3 is a little slower and if all you have is a 1.3 you can compensate for that with the needle turning it in a little more. I will say a dedicated Primer gun is a good idea though as they use a bigger fluid tip a 1.8 in many cases for Hi build and a 2.0-2.2 for Polly but I use a 1.4 for Epoxy in my Base gun.



Very good advice. Thanks! The head painter I work with said something along those lines as well. I’ve been toying around with the guns that I have got and here is why I think it’s a good idea having different guns for different uses..

When your in a booth spraying multiple bumpers that are different colours, then I’ll use my Iwata W400 and Tekna Quickclean.

I use my Devilbiss Plus gun as my “undercoat” gun for primers, primer surfaces and sealers.

Just ordered a Tekna Copper with a 909 air cap. This will be my clear gun. I like the idea of having a designated gun for clear due to the fact that there could potientally be a time where I’m in the middle of spraying clear on a lighter colour vehicle and a droplet of old Basecoat gets spat on the panel (I like to think I clean my guns very well as I take them apart after every use and flush them out) but there could be a time where I’d miss cleaning a spot.

One of the things I have learned in my early career is every painter has their own way of doing there job.



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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:40 am
The point I was trying to make is the beginner or the guy only spraying one or two cars or his first car need not worry about all the different air caps or the need to have Multiple guns. Multiple fluid tip's ya ok sure. But different air caps? any difference in the way they may spray from one air cap to another is only going to be noticed by the highest of experienced painters. unless your dealing with compliant air caps and NON compliant air caps then Ya there would be a very big difference even an inexperienced painter would notice.
In all honesty The likely hood of me myself painting multiple cars in one day are very very low as I mainly do restoration work or try too any ways lol
But if I where to find myself painting multiple colors or multiple cars on the same day I definitely would have more than enough time to break my gun down for a proper cleaning between color changes for a thorough cleaning, if not I would make time to do it! It just doesn't take that long to do.

Another thing If your breaking your gun down before the material dries inside of it as you should be doing their is just absolutely no way your gonna miss anything while cleaning it. If you are using Lacquer thinner a soft brush and Que tips to clean my fluid passages thoroughly?

These are Tools that I use to make money with, I can afford too spend time cleaning them properly myself they just plain cost to much not to take care of even a cheap Devillbiss.
Dennis B.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 12:42 pm
Dennis,

I am with you on not needing a lot of different guns.

My Tekna Copper is set up with the 7E7 1.4 tip and I use it for epoxy primer, base coat, single stage and clear.

I have one primer gun with a 1.8 tip for 2k and Poly.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 2:13 pm
Really My pet peeve is a new Guy doesn't mind spending $600-$800 on a new state of the art Spray gun BUT doesn't/wont spend anything on a decent size compressor to run it or his sanders,
When I started, buying Paint guns was the last thing I bought! besides Sand paper and Tape.

My 2nd peeve is new guy's think they can use an Orbital sander to do all the sanding! and still get the panels flat! Now an experienced guy sure maybe but he knows what hes looking for but the Newbie? NO! he needs the flat block!

Its like learning to Run, you have to learn how to crawl before you can learn how to Walk! Running comes naturally!
But yet several have recommended DA's to newbie's for sanding CC
Last edited by Doright on Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dennis B.
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 12, 2017 4:35 pm
I wouldn't do a car without Guide Coat and block sanding.
I have a Hutchins Air File but hardly ever use it since I like to feel the paper cutting as the block goes over the panel.
Now on some finish sanding of clear I will use a DA but only in the higher grits.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 14, 2017 8:01 pm
Doright wrote:The point I was trying to make is the beginner or the guy only spraying one or two cars or his first car need not worry about all the different air caps or the need to have Multiple guns. Multiple fluid tip's ya ok sure. But different air caps? any difference in the way they may spray from one air cap to another is only going to be noticed by the highest of experienced painters. unless your dealing with compliant air caps and NON compliant air caps then Ya there would be a very big difference even an inexperienced painter would notice.
In all honesty The likely hood of me myself painting multiple cars in one day are very very low as I mainly do restoration work or try too any ways lol


I agree with you, Dennis, as far as choosing a gun that suits what you do. For myself, I usually do 2-3 different jobs each day and this means matching finishes which vary wildly since we do vehicles from all different manufacturers.

I could, if I wanted to, vary settings and technique on a gun like my Tekna Copper (7E7 air cap) but I find it faster and more efficient to have different guns for different purposes. I have 3 clear coat guns and they're set up to achieve different results, so I just have to choose the one I want and go. If I want a full wet, flat finish then the Tekna, or for a tighter, drier fine peel then the Iwata while the FLG5 seems to suit that heavy European style.

To complicate matters I've just ordered a Devilbiss Pro Lite with both TE10 and TE20 air caps and we'll see how that goes. I probably wouldn't normally bother with multiple air caps for one gun, but everybody has to live within some kind of budget and at $500 a throw I'll live with it for the time being.

So, there's no definitive answer - it all depends on one's individual needs.
Chris
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