Luthier Quick Tip 17 Selecting An Air Compressor For Spray Finishing

[@trinacria1956]

Thanks for this I had seen old episodes of yours and this one is very to the point. Most guitar forums end up talking automotive and furniture size stuff.

[@FoxMcCloud94]

Do you ever use an air dryer on your compressor? Not the filter that is attached before the spray gun but one that comes off the compressor to filter moisture?

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@FoxMcCloud94 No. The air where I live is very dry.

[@FoxMcCloud94]

@@HighlineGuitars thank you for the quick response! Yeah I've been trying to find others who use spray guns for painting (specifically guitars) in my section of the states (upstate NY) it can be quite humid most the time.... 70 percent right now.

[@getenlightened]

I wanted a quiet model, due to small space and other people. I got a Husky. Not very big, though. I can always add a secondary tank, if necessary.

[@redfurydubstep]

How did your small model work out? Looking for some suggestions at the moment, thanks!

[@amitsapir2]

can you talk about air compressor for daily work and dust evac systems?

[@HighlineGuitars]

No, because I only use one for spraying.

[@darkomilic8887]

Can you do a video on keeping dust and overspray from landing on the finish while spraing, and how you do it.

[@HighlineGuitars]

I'll be touching on this subject in my next laminated top guitar build video. I can't offer much detail because the info differs with each spray gun.

[@darkomilic8887]

@@HighlineGuitars awesome. Thanks.

[@ZafodB3]

I have an old 3HP, 30 gallon, Craftsmen/DeVilbiss compressor which has a SCFM (Standard Cubic Feet Per Minute) rating at 90 or 125 PSI, I forget which. Either way it is fine for most tasks I perform including spraying finishes. My question is, however what, functionally from the standpoint of purchasing pneumatic tools and spray equipment, is the difference between “CFM” (Cubic Feet Per Minute) the term you reference in your video and SCFM the term I generally look for when seeking pneumatic equipment?

[@HighlineGuitars]

SCFM is a more precise measurement recorded under lab conditions.

[@jessegimbel]

Thanks for this video. I'm in the market for a compressor for this purpose and as you said most videos out there are about automotive finishing. You say in the video that most 10-30 gallon compressors will provide 6-7CFM at 40PSI - I've been searching for this and haven't found much of anything in that range that says it'll do 6 CFM. Of course many only state the CFM at 90PSI but they're generally 4CFM there, I think 5.1CFM is the highest I've seen which was in a Dewalt but most seem to be 3-4.5. Do you think if a compressor says 4CFM at 90PSI that it'll be enough for spraying at 40PSI?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Depends on the gun. Mine requires 4cfm at 25psi.

[@redfurydubstep]

Hey man, did you end up finding a good compressor? I’m in the process of trying to figure out which one I should go with at the moment…what a rabbit hole to go down!

[@subdrums]

Great info as usual! What was your primary reason for moving away from the Earlex turbine?

[@HighlineGuitars]

Too big.

[@lyndelguitars9478]

@@HighlineGuitars Too big? Do you mean the gun? I have an Earlex HVLP turbine and it's pretty small and sounds like a vacuum cleaner and it works OK, but I'm thinking I need a "real" compressor and a better gun to achieve better results. Mine only accepts the gun that came with it as it has the big hose that won't attach to almost any other spray gun. Do you know what I'm talking about and does my line of thinking line up with yours? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[@HighlineGuitars]

@@lyndelguitars9478 The gun is too large.