Question for Andrew C.

[gerryv]

Hi Andrew,
I wondering why there are two regulators in series on your lacquer spray up pot? It could be normal of course :-)
Tks,
Gerry

[Ajcoholic]

Pretty standard pressure pot setup... One reg controls fluid pressure and one for air pressure to the gun.

I do have a main reg and water trap on the feed to the pot also.

My tank is a 2.5 gallon Binks unit, came set up that way. But it's very common.

[Ajcoholic]

I forgot to mention, vs a single regulated pot (where the atomising air is controlled by the main regulator on the main line to the booth) and the reg on the tank just controls the fluid pressure - with air pressure also regulated on the tank, you dont worry about the line loss from the main reg to the tank.

Although, most better guns have a fine air adjust on the gun itself as well..

I like to have the main reg set so I cannot ever go over the max pressure I want to run at (about 50 psi) while I set the two regs on the tank at 15 psi for fluid, and 35 for the gun, and then fine tune the gun air on the gun.

WHen you spray as much as I do (often a few days per week - I go though 400 to 500 litres of lacquer a year, which for a small shop is quite a bit I think) in a climate that ranges so much in temperature - you are always dealing with changing viscosities of the material. I compensate by adding different amounts of thinners from summer to winter - but I also adjust the fluid and air pressures to get the best possible atomization with the lowest air pressure possible.

[carlcnc]

Andrew

call me crazy, but when I used to spary a lot,
during colder weather I sat my pot on an old warming plate and heated my finish to about 110 F
that way I didn't have to adjust with thinners/reducers .
Made for very consistent atomization and flow out

Carl

[Ajcoholic]

Carl,
Call me the guy who doesnt want to explode my finishing room (and set the rest of the shop on fire)...:D

But the last thing I am going to do is bring in a non-explosion proof unit into my spray room, full of flamable vapours that sink to the floor...

I have worked for companies that used a hot water system to heat their finish (with the boiler unit off out of the way) but there is one issue - with catalyzed lacquer you will notice excess build in the lines - or so I am told by the finish manufacturer - and it is designed to be used at room temp.

After 20 + yrs of spraying, I am very good at getting the viscosity bang on, just by watching how it runs off the mixing stick (I used to use a cup but dont bother now) and also I can tell when I start spraying if it is a good mix or not.

My father used to warm cans of urethane in a double boiler system way back in the 70's... but I never saw him try that with lacquer... too much potential to go boom!:eek: