Spray gun advice

Found an old craftsman paint gun in the barn - I would like to use it to spray an enclosed trailer we have - its white.
As this has been sitting for some time would like to know what I can run through it to clean it out, what do I use to thin the paint (going to use rustoleum white in a can) and what you use for clean up etc - same as for thinning paint?

Do I need any specific pressure from my compressor for using this?

Thank you


Lee

(quoted from post at 10:35:07 09/30/12) Found an old craftsman paint gun in the barn - I would like to use it to spray an enclosed trailer we have - its white.
As this has been sitting for some time would like to know what I can run through it to clean it out, what do I use to thin the paint (going to use rustoleum white in a can) and what you use for clean up etc - same as for thinning paint?

Do I need any specific pressure from my compressor for using this?

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I would pour a little thinner in it and see if it sprays OK or spits and sputters . Most of the cheap ( under $40) guns I have used did not work very well brand new .

I do use the $50 - $75 guns for painting wrought iron on a daily basis with decent results . Personally I would not buy mineral spirits if it was $1 a gallon . Xylene , Toluene , lacquer Thinner all work well for cleaning and thinning .

You probably need 50 psi + but the higher pressure will atomize the mixture for a smoother coat . 90 psi is my preferred pressure but the thickness of the paint and volume coming out all need to balance out .

Paint from the top down and blow the overspray ahead of the area you are painting . If your overspray blows on top of what you just painted it may become fuzzy .

Prep work is the biggie , clean the rust , prime the bare spots , lightly sand or use a liquid sander to prep the surface . Paint sticks to properly prep'd old paint better than new primer .

I'll bet there are a lot of videos on the web that will help .

I use spray gun frequently. May be able to get you on right track if you want to bring it by.
DenisW

At what cheap guns sell for (anything under 100 bucks) I'd real reluctant to spend money on paint unless I knew for certain that old gun you got will work as designed.

A lot of siphon guns are supposed to have a pressure regulator in line set at no more than 45PSI and a dryer inline is recommended. Paint is supposed to be mixed to the pressure/gun.

In most cases I follow the instructions on the paint an for thiner/reducer and use the same thing for clean up. For testing to make sure a gun works what ever is cheapest.

Follow the aready posted instructions on applying the paint and surface prep. Pred is the most important part! I have a BIL who can really lay paint but don't let him do the prep work. Stuff he preps, that fantastic paint falls of in short time.

Rick

Clean gun with laquer thinner. You will need about 45 lbs. of air pressure for spraying paints. Look where the needle goes into the back of the front "head" of the spray gun. One drop of 30 W. and some trigger pulling will probably cure the spitting. Do this wwithout the air hose being connected.
The paint suppliers do sell a product that is used for final cleaning of the surface to be painted, although i have been out of the autto body trade for 25 years, and a lot has changed.
When i do any painting at home, (spray) i do use Mineral Spirits, also known as "paint thinner", but not to be used with or in auto/ tractor type paints. Most paint mfgrs will sell some type of product that will be compatible with their paint product, for a final "wash" of the surface, before applying any type of finish.
That said, i would suggest one of those little round, white ball air filter, installed right where the air hose connects to the air inlet of the paint gun.
As for me--what would i do? I'd go buy a pile of those little sponge type of paint brushes, and go at it. They are all i use, since i became highly allergic to paints using the modern materials, and it is also one of the reasons i retired.Ten minutes in an auto body shop, and i am wheezing like a tea-kettle! BT/DT. Rusty Jones

Make sure you have the correct breathing mask for the type of paint you plan to spray. If you have the wrong mask you can end up in the hospital or dead. Since it is an enclosed trailer I would use a brush.

Do NOT use paint thinner (mineral spirits) to thin rustoleum paint. I use xylol (very little) and have pretty good luck spraying it on implements and truck beds etc. I don"t honestly know the difference between it and lacquer thinner but the xylol works well. EGBinOR

(quoted from post at 14:58:33 09/30/12) Do NOT use paint thinner (mineral spirits) to thin rustoleum paint. I use xylol (very little) and have pretty good luck spraying it on implements and truck beds etc. I don"t honestly know the difference between it and lacquer thinner but the xylol works well. EGBinOR

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ee. dodn't worry about correct thinner....it tells you on the paint can label what thinner to use. Very clever of Rust-olem , huh?