I've used a spray gun a little (30+ years painting acft, etc). If you haven't sprayed before, I recommend some practice to get familiar with the equipment and techniques. If you are planning to spray water-based coatings, water is a cheap material to practice with. After you are done, tho, run a little denatured or isoproply alcohol through the gun to "dry" it out so nothing corrodes. Also do this before switching to lacquer or oil based.
First, tape some large pieces of cardboard (best), rolled kraft paper (better), or newspaper(acceptable) to the side of your house or someother water proof surface. If using the papers, tape the edges well enough so it doesn't flap around when you spray.
Second, fill the gun and get the feel of the trigger. If set properly, you will get just air as you pull it back, and then a little further you will get fluid. (If this doesn't happen, refer to your manual on adjustments. You may need to adjust the needle setting, which I can walk you through if necessary). Shooting into the air or ground, get the feel of how the trigger moves and then start changing the air and fluid adjustments. This will give you an idea of how they affect the spray pattern and density.
Third: Now its time to use the paper. With the air cap snug and the wing tips hoizontal Hold the gun away frum the paper about the distance from your little finger to the end of your thumb with the hand splayed out (8 - 10")With the gun pointing directly at the paper, hold it still and pull the trigger full open for about 1/2 second. You should have an vertical strip of even width from top to bottom. This is the spray pattern. If it is round or noticeably oval, Open the air (pattern adjustment) or increase the air pressure (start out at about 35 PSI) IF it is heavy at top and bottom and narrow in the middle open the fluid adjustment or decrease air pressure.
Keep adjusting it until you get an even pattern. (the extreme top and bottom will not be distinct,)
Fourth: After the pattern is set, its time to work on spray technique. This is Very important. Without pulling the trigger, move the gun back and forth about 2 1/2 to 3 feet concentrating on moving it in a straight line, Keeping it perpendicular to the surface, and keeping it the same distance from the paper. Remember, You're spraying paint, not waving at flies. When you have that movement comfortable then its time to get things wet
Fifth. This sequence is the most important thing to learn in spraying coatings and involves developing muscle memory. The sequence is (1) Start moving the gun, (2) Pull the trigger, (3) release the trigger at the end of the stroke BEFORE (4) stop moving. Anytime you pull the trigger without the gun moving, you will get runs.
Sixth: Spray back and forth, overlapping each stroke by about 50%. The goal is to apply an even coat of wetness over the entire area without any water running down the paper.
When you get to that point, get some cardboard boxes and spray the inside and outside. Experiment with less fluid/air & air pressure, which will give you a smaller spray pattern for tight areas or narrow surfaces.
Another practice that will come in handy is to rotate the air cap so the wing tips are at the top and bottom. This will give you a horizontal spray pattern, so your stroke will be up and down. This is useful for spraying the outside of tall pieces of furniture, and will give you the capability to spray with the grain, even on the insides of shelf backs, etc, without having to fill the cup all the way up. Gravity feed guns don't work turned on their sides. Spraying with the grain minimizes any unevenness in coating thickness where your strokes overlap when spraying translucent coatings or stains, as the color variation is running with the grain and blends in better.
Got all that? Good, now go back and do it again wearing a repirator. Even "water-based" paints will put you on the floor or cause serious health problems if sprayed without a respirator. Make sure it is one rated for "Organic Vapors" The filter (and it will have one) should have 'NIOSH" and "rated for OV" printed on it. (It may have other letters also, denoting other toxins it has been approved for)
Sorry this is so wordy, but if you spray any furniture before you can evenly wet a cardboard box, you probably won't be happy with the results.
It does take some practice, but really isn't that hard, and will open up a realm of coatings available to you that can't be applied with a brush.
Good luck with it , experiment and have fun!!:lol:
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