Sharpe paint spray gun?

tomstractorsandtoys · Mar 16, 2019

I have a Sharpe model 71 paint gun that belonged to my grandfather. Dad told me it was a very expensive paint gun when new. It has painted 100's of tractors and is just not painting right any more. I bought a cheap Harbor Freight gun a few years ago and today I decided to use it to prime a tractor we have in the shop. It worked better than the Sharpe. Should I just set the Sharpe on the shelf or is there somewhere I could send it to get it rebuilt? I paint 4-6 tractors a year and use mainly Deere paint. I do not want a HVLP gun as they just do not put out enough paint for my taste when painting a pitted implement or the bottom of a tractor. Dad had one and I used it a few times but never cared for it. What is your recommendation for a reasonable priced paint gun? Thanks Tom

jm. · Mar 16, 2019

I am 74 and like your dad used sharp for years. I always just used a rebuild kit and never had a lot of problems. But with the price of the BEST harbor freight knock off , just about as easy to just buy another gun. My NAPA store will send off things like cutting torch, regulators and paint guns for repair, might check with your store/

kencombs · Mar 16, 2019

I have a couple of very good, high dollar for me guns.
DeVilbis HVLP GTI620G.
But, those only get used for cars and trucks base, clear or single stage. Everything else gets shot with one of several HF guns, all gravity feed HVLP. They do a very acceptable job on tractor and trailers.
The gravity guns will even shot upward if using the cup liners.
I'll never own another siphon feed high pressure gun.

You can get parts for your Sharpes from a Snap On dealer. They may be able to send in for a factory rebuild. My brother in law just retired from his body shop. He used a Sharpes siphon feed exclusively for clear/base/single stage for years. So they do work and work well. Just not my preference, and not allowed in some states for professional work due to inefficiency. Too much overspray.

jeffcat · Mar 16, 2019

The little touchup gun I use was purchased years ago from a service guy at a car show. Is a devil us copy. Works like beauty. Even the parts can be interchanged. Go to HF and pickup a free flashlight while you are at it.

Moonlite37 · Mar 16, 2019

There are few people who are skilled beyond the capabilities of Harbor Freight paint gun, I have two and one Binks, My Binks must be about 60 years old and the last rebuild cost about three times the price of the Harbor Freight.

JF in MI · Mar 16, 2019

I also have a Sharpe that I've had for decades. I like the finish it produces. I recently bought one of those cheap HF gravity feed guns. It works as good as the Sharpe without as much over spray. The last pint of paint I bought was $20+. At those rates over spray can be very costly on bigger jobs. Buying the disposable cups really spoiled me as to cleanup. Just toss it and save a bunch on thinner for cleaning.

Mark-Ia · Mar 16, 2019

Take it apart and soak it in laquer thinner. Blow it out. Not much to cleaning on them. Make sure the little holes in the nozzle and cap are clear. Also the vent on the cup.

Stephen Newell · Mar 16, 2019

I had a Sharpe sprayer which I bought in the 1970's for about $120.00. It worked well but in the mid 1980's I had employees that kept breaking it. I kept repairing it as long as I could but one of them literally broke the gun in two so I decided to replace it with a cheap gun since they were going to be abused. Then when I found Harbor Freight I bought one of their siphon guns and I was hooked. It sprayed nearly as good as the sharp sprayer. Been using them ever since.

Usually when a sprayer doesn't spray well you need to take it apart and do a thorough cleaning with a solvent such as lacquer thinner or acetone. The Harbor Freight guns while they work very well are not worth the trouble to do that kind of cleaning. They are so cheap I just toss them and buy another.

dr sportster · Mar 17, 2019

May be a kit but not much to replace .The Sharpe probably needs some cleaning. If I was in the market for a gun I would get an ole skool JGA Devillbiss used. Best gun ever made.

John in Ct · Mar 17, 2019

Your Sharp gun needs to be completely disassembled and soaked in a spray gun cleaner solution, NOT LAQUER THINNER. The gun gets paint in places that running thinner through it will not touch. Thinner is not strong enough to soak it in even if it is totally disassembled. The stuff you need is like paint stripper. Really strong. Wear goggles and heavy rubber gloves. Will burn your skin. My friend had a body shop and always had a gun or two soaking.

Sharpe paint spray gun?

tomstractorsandtoys

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jm.

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kencombs

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jeffcat

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Moonlite37

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JF in MI

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Mark-Ia

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Stephen Newell

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dr sportster

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John in Ct

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