I used the disposable paint cups for the first time. I used the 3M original and the Harbor Freight both. Both worked the same but the 3M lock ring was much easier to tighten, the harbor freight lock ring can "appear" locked but if it's slightly crooked it will leak. But anyway, I like how the gun can shoot upside down for lower panels but it seems like as the cup (bag) shrinks as paint level goes down that would affect how the paint flows and maybe change the cap pressure?? I'm not sure but as the cup got farther towards being empty the amount of material coming out of the gun seemed like it was less. Does anybody have any negatives about the disposable paint cup systems? And has anybody had any issues regarding the loss of material flow as you go? Or causing any mottling or tiger striping?

Thanks much.

I've been painting for over 45 years and i have never used one. i just graduated to a gravity gun about 5 years ago, and probably only because my boy gave me a Sata. i'm old school and really like my DeVilbiss and Binks suction guns. i have a small gravity gun i use a lot on small stuff, i'm getting to like it more all the time.
Jay D.

badsix wrote:I've been painting for over 45 years and i have never used one. i just graduated to a gravity gun about 5 years ago, and probably only because my boy gave me a Sata. i'm old school and really like my DeVilbiss and Binks suction guns. i have a small gravity gun i use a lot on small stuff, i'm getting to like it more all the time.
Jay D.

I hear ya Jay, thanks much for the reply. I'm old school too and have been doing this for about 37 years off and on. It seems like it all worked out simpler back in the day. I shot the first vehicle with base/clear in around 1985 in the booth at the paint and body school I was in and the instructor hated the way the base looked, after the clear he saw it and just walked away, it looked good. I still have an old Binds as well and DeVilbiss. I went HVLP gravity gun about 20 years ago for base and use non compliant gravity gun for clear and like the less material usage etc. I don't have a booth and have to "wing it" and hope the bugs don't fly.

I finally broke down and bought the DeKups system for my iWata LPH 400.
Everything sat on the bench for months, until I finally read the instructions and got things set up. It was being able to paint upside down that got me to give it a try.

Clean up is a snap with the DeKups because you simply remove the collapsible container leaving the lid on it and throw it away. I then run some lacquer thinner through the gun
to make sure it is clean.

After using it 5 or 6 times spraying Epoxy primer, I picked up my primer gun (no DeKups) and put on a couple of coats of 2k Build Primer. I liked the larger cup but when it came to cleanup, it took so much longer and used a lot more lacquer thinner. That really woke me up as to how convenient the DeKups are.

Now I am actually considering getting the larger DeKups for my primer gun. The only thing holding me back is the money.

I'm with Jay. Never used them. I put maybe 100ml of thinner into the cup and swish/shake well and drain, through the gun, into a slops tin. That gets rid of all the heavy paint in the cup and the fluid passages of the gun and costs maybe $0.40 in thinner, half that if I use the recycled stuff. I then clean the cup and gun either using recycled thinner or a little in the bottom of a tin, in the normal way. Takes about 5 minutes, including disassembly of air cap, fluid tip and needle and then reassembly with a little lubricant.

I can't see how I'd gain in cost reduction or in time savings using disposable cups.

My guns, and cups, are spotlessly clean, even those that are 15+ years old.

NFT5 wrote:I'm with Jay. Never used them. I put maybe 100ml of thinner into the cup and swish/shake well and drain, through the gun, into a slops tin. That gets rid of all the heavy paint in the cup and the fluid passages of the gun and costs maybe $0.40 in thinner, half that if I use the recycled stuff. I then clean the cup and gun either using recycled thinner or a little in the bottom of a tin, in the normal way. Takes about 5 minutes, including disassembly of air cap, fluid tip and needle and then reassembly with a little lubricant.

I can't see how I'd gain in cost reduction or in time savings using disposable cups.

My guns, and cups, are spotlessly clean, even those that are 15+ years old.

I appreciate all the replys. I don't mind cleaning the alum cups at all. I use harbor freight aluminum cups, they fit right on my Iwata guns. I just bought the disposables to give a try and I like how you can shoot the lower body portions upside down but that's never been a prob for the last almost 40 years not being able to do so. I haven't seen this brought up before but as you spray the "cup" shrinks like a bag and it seems like that would affect the spray pattern and volume of material but I don't know for sure. I guess if that was a real problem I would have already heard about it somewhere.

Toadman wrote:

NFT5 wrote:I'm with Jay. Never used them. I put maybe 100ml of thinner into the cup and swish/shake well and drain, through the gun, into a slops tin. That gets rid of all the heavy paint in the cup and the fluid passages of the gun and costs maybe $0.40 in thinner, half that if I use the recycled stuff. I then clean the cup and gun either using recycled thinner or a little in the bottom of a tin, in the normal way. Takes about 5 minutes, including disassembly of air cap, fluid tip and needle and then reassembly with a little lubricant.

I can't see how I'd gain in cost reduction or in time savings using disposable cups.

My guns, and cups, are spotlessly clean, even those that are 15+ years old.

I appreciate all the replys. I don't mind cleaning the alum cups at all. I use harbor freight aluminum cups, they fit right on my Iwata guns. I just bought the disposables to give a try and I like how you can shoot the lower body portions upside down but that's never been a prob for the last almost 40 years not being able to do so. I haven't seen this brought up before but as you spray the "cup" shrinks like a bag and it seems like that would affect the spray pattern and volume of material but I don't know for sure. I guess if that was a real problem I would have already heard about it somewhere.

With any of the brands of disposable cups has anybody noticed a difference in spray or flow as the cup get more empty? I'm seeing the gun barely shooting anything when the cup still has a couple of ounces or so left.

I have been using the 3M PPS system. A couple of times I have run into leakage issues but have since realized the the cups were not sitting tight in the cup holder. What I have found in spraying epoxy primer and some KBS chassis paint, is that the tops with the built in filter seems to clog up some with the higher build paints. So after using 15 o thru it the flow seems to be restricted in feeding the gun while passing thru the filter lid.

As far as being able to paint upside down? Only in my wildest dreams! I just painted a frame hoisted up to I could pant the bottom of the rails. It did not have fluid in the gun neck to spray. Best I could do was a sideways spray trying to keep the cup upright.

I'm using a Devilbiss GTI gun.

I have been using the 3M PPS system. A couple of times I have run into leakage issues but have since realized the the cups were not sitting tight in the cup holder. What I have found in spraying epoxy primer and some KBS chassis paint, is that the tops with the built in filter seems to clog up some with the higher build paints. So after using 15 o thru it the flow seems to be restricted in feeding the gun while passing thru the filter lid.

As far as being able to paint upside down? Only in my wildest dreams! I just painted a frame hoisted up to I could pant the bottom of the rails. It did not have fluid in the gun neck to spray. Best I could do was a sideways spray trying to keep the cup upright.

I'm using a Devilbiss GTI gun.

DeKups do not have screens of filters in them. Mix it in a cup, pour it through a screened funnel into the container and your good to go.