New paint gun- equipment and paint test

You have a real nice gloss on what You did.
Hurry up tomorrow. I want to see the tape removed.

I looked at some of the specs.
It says 13 cubic foot a minute at 23 psi.
I do not know if that is the actual operating pressure for that gun. If so, I don't think it would take too much of a compressor to handle that. i might be wrong though.
If You can see and read the labels on Your compressors that would be a big help.
Even a brand and model number then do an innernet search.
Devilbiss was once top of the line and possibly still might be.

I have that same Craftsman compressor so I guess I will be upgrading. I need a bigger and better compressor for the shop anyhow and I plan on piping outlets to different areas of the shop. That way there is no need to move the compressor around.

Could you talk about the temperature you sprayed in and about mixing the hardener for different temps?

I sprayed at around 70 degrees with the recommended mix of 4 parts paint, 1 part hardener and one part reducer (to thin the mix).

The store will recommend the hardener and reducer based on the weather. This is a sample of options for Omni PPG paint:

A fast hardener must be for cold weather or for somebody much better than me because I need time to get the second coat on.

There will be a line in the spec sheet for "pot life". This basically tells you how long you can leave the mixed paint before it’s trash. I was told by the PPG people that a safe bet is use it within 1 1/2 hours although the spec sheet says 8 hours. So only mix what you need. I was told by somebody who knows a lot about painting to spray on a very thin "flash coat" moving quickly, wait no more than 10-15 minutes for it to become tacky then spray a second coat covering fully but not too heavy. Take a look for coverage, if you're happy you're done. You only have 10-15 minutes to decide if it needs a third coat because after a half hour (or hour depending on who you ask) the paint is too dry to recoat. You then have to wait until it cures, sand it all again, tack rag again before recoating.

Marty, I wish I had your compressor.

I made this  a new thread because I didn't want to bog down other threads with details few would be interested in.

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A cheap tool I appricate:

Cost around $4 at the paint store.
when they say it is a 4-1-1 mix they mean paint up to the 4 mark, 1 more mark up for reducer and 1 for hardener. Mix in the cup and you're ready to paint.

The cup is marked for different paint mixes. The paint store will tell you the right mix. Very easy.

I understand completely. Before my first paint job a member said that with so much time spent on prep it makes sense to only use auto paint. But do you want to experiment with $500+ of materials the first time you paint a camper? I didn't.

From my amateur prospective, there seems to be good and bad with both options. It’s a tough choice.
Oil enamel
1. It costs $10-$15 a quart so experimenting with different color mixes is cheap. With auto paint, you pick a color and pay. You don't like the tint? You pay whether you like it or not.
2. It’s tougher and sprays better than latex paint.
3. If you mess up the spray job, no problem. Sand it off once it's dry and start over for another $30.
4. You back into a bush at the campground, you move on. With a $$$ auto paint job (many people pay $2500+) if you back into a bush the trip is ruined. With Rusto paint in one of their set colors you can even touch up with a matching Rusto spray can.

Auto Paint
1. Although oil enamel dries hard, Auto is harder and tougher.
2. Although oil enamel looks very good, auto looks better.
3. Auto paint dries MUCH faster. If you're spraying outside with a lot of bugs and dust it matters.
4. When you go to sell the camper you might get (guessing) $3000+ more.
5. Auto paint lasts longer. Maybe twice as long.
6. If you’re putting on $2000 of new skin auto paint does make a lot of sense.

Also, with a good oil enamel paint you may have one of the nicest campers at the Rally but you won’t be voted the best. How much do you want to be the best?

Even if you use Auto Paint you'll probably destroy it yourself when you take the jrail and windows out in 10-15 years to replace the putty. So unlike a car paint job that can last 30 years parked outside a camper will not.

Complicated.

Do our resident experts agree?

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Another rambling thought, I was told to clean the gun with lacquer thinner rather than paint thinner. Something about oil residue with paint thinner. And be sure to take the gun apart rather then just spraying cleaner through it. It's really easy to get apart. Three fitting unscrew.

How long can the gun sit before it needs lacquer thinner run through it? Can it sit unused after spraying for 30-45 minutes? My guess is less time but I've never tried.