Ultimate guide to spraying top coats // HVLP // Woodworking

[@thomasmooreillustrates422]

Took me a while to find someone explaining HVLP's this well. Appreciate this info - Thanks!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Glad it helped!

[@TheJdm89crx]

@@TwoMooseDesign have you tried the hot rail system? It’s way better than the ADRL rapid 40 system! LoL

[@lcmlcm2460]

Thanks for explaining every aspect of the spraying

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks for watching!

[@pauldobin52]

Great video a lot of information on spraying , Learning every day from people like you. thank you

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thank you!

[@Hotrod66149]

You were thorough my friend, I’m subscribed!

[@cliff5240]

Nice work and great explanation of the process!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks for watching 😁

[@darrene.vonbraun4421]

Brother! Hopefully in the year since you cut this video youve "seen the light" where smooth glassy finishes on natural wood substrates are concerned! If you use the right mix on the initial coat you can unlock layers of luster in the wood itself and actually cause the tops mils of wood to become translucent and get a sort of hologram effect where you can see deep into the grain and the light passing through the glassy finish allows the shine deep withing the grain to streak and flash through the peice. As if the top few millimeters of the substrate were sprayed on as the first few coats of finish so you could see into them. It's really magical when you get that first finish coat to really penetrate. Especially when you use some colorant to lightly tone the subsequent coats of finish in complementary colors for the substrate wood. The layers of tone colors make the light glinting off the deep grains show off all of the natural colors becasue the glinting light will shift colors as it move theough the piece and the light refracts more through certain layers depending on the angle the reflection is being viewed from. It's more beautiful and mesmerizing than a professionally cut and selected diamond if you ask me. If it ends up looking plastic and artificial like a peice of wood with a pane of glass on top of it, then whoever finished it didn't properly precondition and nourish the wood with their initial finish coat and probably just started spraying some water based urethane or acrylic for 10 coats. Which is technically excellent protection for the wood and, technically, a proper finish but lacks any soul or sex appeal. Ya feel me? The smooth finish has to have the nurturing beginning. But nothing can match it for stunning emotionally provactive viewing or showcasing the natural beauty of the substrate. IMHO!

[@darrene.vonbraun4421]

You've got a new subscriber off this one. I wonder if you could do a video about spraying pieces like cabinet doors with copious router work on the face or intricately detailed panels on residential front doors. Those finely detailed things which are faceteous and the faces are clustered. No matter what i do i end up with heavy spots that obscure parts of tooling and have to spend a lot of time fugging up my clean surface to start over in sections.

[@BuiltKnotBought]

Appreciate the video man, I'm trying to spray oil poly on some bar tables the finish looks great but there's two or three nibs/bubbles on each table

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Ugh the worst! I always get one or two random imperfections lol

[@BuiltKnotBought]

@@TwoMooseDesign I'm kind of torn. Is it worth standing and respraying with the risk of just more blemishes? Is there a way to chisel or sand them off without doing a full recode afterwards? Any advice?

[@TwoMooseDesign]

@@BuiltKnotBought If it’s hardly noticeable I’ll take a sharp chisel or anything really sharp you can get flat and gently slice it off. After it’s cured you can give it a quick cleaning buff and you can’t even tells if they are pretty noticeable I’d just lightly skuff it and respray.

[@PW.1993]

Awesome video

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thank you I appreciate it

[@jacquesvanrhyn9128]

fire! Thanks man

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks for watching!

[@glc420]

Thank you for the great and informative video. I have a question about the spray room itself. How is air flow in your spray room regulated and filtered? Anything special other than being off set from your woodworking space? I just feel like I’m overcomplicating it and I am hoping you can help. Thanks

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Nope nothing special, I did spend extra on an explosive proof fan but if you’re just spraying water based it’s over kill. You’ll need to crack a window or add another smaller fan as it creates like a pressure as it’s sucking air out. I just crack a window as I did have another fan but in the winter it would move waaaaay to much air and I would loose all my heat lol

[@TwoMooseDesign]

For filters I buy the mid level furnace filters

[@sivucit]

do you dilute minvax poly with mineral sprit or just go with 1.4 tip witout diluting with mineral sprit

[@HillyBillyWoodworks]

Nice info but wher did you get those handy racks for your projects

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks! I made them myself

[@michaelmagaruh7767]

Good stuff, very informative. For 1/4" mahogany veneer panels and red oak panels, should I be using lacquer finish or shall I try the polyurethane? I'm using 2 coats of oil based minwax stain to begin. Thanks!

[@SamWanamaker1]

So does a pressure pot allow you to basically have your material cup in line, as opposed to attached to the gun?

[@TwoMooseDesign]

correct and since the cup isnt attached you can spray upside down or at hard angles with out getting materil loss

[@SamWanamaker1]

@@TwoMooseDesign that’s awesome, thanks!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

If you spray enough I really like it.

[@dennisbracci9212]

Great video. I also use minwax oil modified. Had a problem with flow. Seems like it was drying to fast. My shop temp was around 80. Would extender help? Thank you

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Yes I think it would. And flow could be several things, air, wrong sized needle, too much material flow. Hard to tell without seeing it

[@dennisbracci9212]

@@TwoMooseDesign Thank you for your help.

[@dimensionswoodworks]

Good tips for beginners, but the moral of the story is practice practice practice. Everyone has a different environment and they’re going to have to play around to find what works best in their shops. Good job bud!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Totally agree 👊🏼 thanks for watching!

[@gavinnewscum]

I practiced on rental units because a new tenant never sees finishing flaws

[@jorgeandrade20]

What happens if you get pinholes right after you spray the piece?

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Try turning down your air pressure or use a smaller tip.

[@jorgeandrade20]

@@TwoMooseDesign It's a 1.1mm tip, also I'm using a HVLP turbine, not sure if I can change the pressure.

[@RossNanfito]

For thinning poly oil based what would you use?...for water based?

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I would look at the back of the can and use what they recommend for “clean up” to thin. In a separate container add a tiny bit at a time. I wouldn’t add it to the main container unless you plan on using it all right away.

[@Painfulwhale360]

Hey man where did you get those wall mounted drying racks? I’ve been looking all over but can’t find them!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I made them myself! I would check out a local fab shop, show them a picture its an easy build for a welder with all the tools.

[@PatriotMango]

I have the mixing lid but how do you use the drill to mix it?

[@TwoMooseDesign]

The top “wheel” pulls off and you can tight the drill on the nub

[@mrskwrl]

I can't get over how terrible it looks when wet. Then it dries perfectly. Any chance you get grab a time lapse of the 3hr drying time? lolol

[@jamisonr]

I just bought a Q5 (came yesterday) and I have never spray painted anything. I think I'm going to try your idea, as I am curious as well and might help me understand what is going on better. I'm not a content creator though, so no way to share it.

[@greatscottaz]

Thanks for the video! For spraying the GF Enduro Clear Poly, you mention you use the 1.1 tip and in the description, it gives a link to the 1.0 tip. Any idea which to use on a Fuji sprayer? Thanks again!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Hey! The 1.0 tip is correct. I have a hard time keeping all the numbers and parts straight 😂

[@henrymostert2125]

Great video thanks for sharing. A tip i got some time ago. Make a two turn tables. 24 by 24 by 30 high add a box on top 8 by 12 by 8 high. The box keeps the panels off the table. With this you dont get bounce back from the finish and it rolls slightly around the bottom edge. The reason you use two tables is , you do edge's first on both panels. Then spray one direction the cross the other way. Then do both edges again. This way you can get away with two coats in a day. With one sanding inbetween.

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Nice! Great tip thanks for sharing

[@MollyWollyWoodworking]

Great video, as usual! I agree with you about the grain showing through, all my white oak ones you can see some of those cathedrals and I love the look!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Totally agree. I hate those big thick top coats. I used table top epoxy a few times and just not a fan of 1/4 plastic on top lol

[@frankzbeanz4200]

Seriously, I don’t understand the desire to hide the character of natural wood. It looks beautiful!

[@darrene.vonbraun4421]

If you use the right mix on the initial coat you can unlock layers of luster in the wood itself and actually cause the tops mils of wood to become translucent and get a sort of hologram effect where you can see deep into the grain and the light passing through the glassy finish allows the shine deep withing the grain to streak and flash through the peice. As if the top few millimeters of the substrate were sprayed on as the first few coats of finish so you could see into them. It's really magical when you get that first finish coat to really penetrate. Especially when you use some colorant to lightly tone the subsequent coats of finish in complementary colors for the substrate wood. The layers of tone colors make the light glinting off the deep grains show off all of the natural colors becasue the glinting light will shift colors as it move theough the piece and the light refracts more through certain layers depending on the angle the reflection is being viewed from. It's more beautiful and mesmerizing than a professionally cut and selected diamond if you ask me. If it ends up looking plastic and artificial like a peice of wood with a pane of glass on top of it, then whoever finished it didn't properly precondition and nourish the wood with their initial finish coat and probably just started spraying some water based urethane or acrylic for 10 coats. Which is technically excellent protection for the wood and, technically, a proper finish but lacks any soul or sex appeal. Ya feel me? The smooth finish has to have the nurturing beginning. But nothing can match it for stunning emotionally provactive viewing or showcasing the natural beauty of the substrate. IMHO!

[@ritchschultz8454]

how does the minwax, waterbased stuff work over epoxy, (like an epoxy inlay) ?

[@jorgedayneece]

Thanks so much! The had width distance trick is so helpful

[@t.e.1189]

This was my 1st video of yours. Great explanation! One question. I'm a finish carpenter by trade & occasionally do finishing or painting, About 8 years ago, I sprayed about 20 doors or so with the Minwax Modified Poly using an HVLP turbine sprayer & I had excellent results. I was new to spraying then and am VERY big on reading and following instructions. What puzzles me is when I just now read the instruction again for a bunch of drawers I need to spray, I found that the instructions don not say anything about spraying & Minwax website says on their Q&A page that do not recommend spraying this product. Do you know if they changed it when it went to the gray can? I can't imagine me spraying something that was never intended to be sprayed. Anyways it came out great and was hoping to spray some again.

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I spray it just fine 🤷🏼‍♂️ I don’t have any issues with it. Thanks for watching!

[@t.e.1189]

Have you sprayed any since they changed the color of the can to gray. I'm just concerned that they might have changed the product. Though I don't see new and improved on it anywhere. LOL@@TwoMooseDesign

[@TwoMooseDesign]

@@t.e.1189 I still spray it yes. Lol

[@t.e.1189]

Thanks. I guess I'll give it a try tomorrow. Been watching some more of your videos, you guys do good work. Nice to see couples working together.@@TwoMooseDesign

[@BrenQ99]

This was extremely informative and very helpful. I liked everything about the way you presented the material - the amount, density, and depth of information were pretty much perfect. Thank You!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks for watching! I appreciate it

[@BruceAUlrich]

A lot of great tips in this one! And you have the proof that it works!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks Bruce!

[@abc-ed1nr]

No thinning needed!?!?

[@TRAPMASTER792]

What's your spray room setup look like? How do you heat & ventilate? What size? I'm looking into building one off my shop.

[@TwoMooseDesign]

The whole shop is heated by a large mini split. The finishing room is 15x15’ and had an XP exhaust fan which is overkill since I mainly spray water based

[@petefjeld3433]

Great tips I’ve got one for you Use a piece of brown paper grocery bag to rub out finished pieces it will surprise you and is hard to overdo

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks! And I’ll definitely try that, appreciate the tip

[@stevem6524]

Great video, Just one question do you thin your material? Or do you spray the material right out of the container?

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I spray right out of the container, only thing I really thin is paint. It may depend on your spray set up though 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@oliverdelallama]

Great video, this is just what I was looking for. Thanks for sharing!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Glad it was helpful!

[@HillyBillyWoodworks]

Amazing

[@A6Legit]

nice video, im sure ill be back for more tips

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks 😁

[@moosewerks6646]

Great job! Lots of good info; had to watch multiple times to get the most out of it!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks! I appreciate it

[@rodriquezmcclatchey8887]

these look great do you have a video of how you get your clients

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I currently do not, we mostly sell on Etsy and then the rest comes from our website.

[@bbieger2]

thanks brother, great video!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Appreciate you watching 👊🏼👊🏼

[@richardmckrell4899]

Step # 1 for HVLP is to determine the product viscosity. Do you even have a viscosity cup?

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Sure do but I mainly spray water based top coats which are generally all pretty close in viscosity to each other. Paints are a different ball game but even then I’m using one needle or the next size up if it’s not atomizing properly. It doesn’t have to be complicated, as long as my finish is smooth and look clean I’m happy.

[@richardmckrell4899]

@@TwoMooseDesign My point is you should tell people how important using a viscosity cup is with HVLP. Measuring and adjusting viscosity is the most important thing to understand when using a HVLP sprayer/turbine.

[@williamlupien1769]

This is great Thank you

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I appreciate you watching

[@davebrittain9216]

A lot of very good points. I am curious, have you ever made an aquarium stand and if so what would you use or recommend for a finish product to be very water resistant. My fish tend to splash a lot. Thanks

[@tundrawhisperer4821]

Does a midget still use their hand as a gauge for spray pattern and spray distance? 😁👍🏻

[@grumpywoodchucker]

Good info! Thanks!!!

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kristianalexander2742]

Have you ever used a Graco airless sprayer with a fine finish tip for a varthane poly ?

[@LewHarriman]

Such direct, specific and PRACTICAL advice. Thanks so much for a delightful primer on water-based techniques, brands, and tips and traps.

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks for watching, I appreciate it

[@LewHarriman]

@@TwoMooseDesign I especially appreciated your advice about extender, and the fact that the General Finishes stuff seems to work well with Minwax and other water-based finishes. here in new Hampshire, we definitely have the problem of rapid drying during the winter. So the possibility of using ONE extender may help keep my collection of seldom-used-but-important finishes and cans and bottles of stuff to a minimum. Thanks again.

[@TwoMooseDesign]

@@LewHarriman it helps a ton, same issue here in Wisconsin. It gets so cold and dry weird things start to happen with the finish. I haven’t tried any other brand extenders this one has been fine just make sure it’s for water based

[@LewHarriman]

@@TwoMooseDesign Got it. And not to take up more of your time.. but so that you know, that tip for using the "oil-modified" Minwax to get a *slight ambering" is also incredibly helpful. I've been so confused about what is-and is not-water based, and what can-and cannot- be used on top of each. So I've been trying to *guess* which might give me that "ambering" that I'm after (and used to have with oil-based urethane). You've really saved me a LOT of wasted, expensive cans of finish.

[@timeandattendancesolutions]

ssssinamon lavender - lol

[@trophychasershunting2392]

Great video

[@TwoMooseDesign]

Thanks 🙌🏼

[@alaindion2326]

Wow! Beautiful finish!

[@connbarbour6477]

Great advice... Thanks

[@CliffWilson-z2z]

Thanks!

[@josephchelf2846]

Didn’t realize wood working involved so many different types of spray you need to buy….

[@TwoMooseDesign]

you dont haaaave too. A water base poly is fine for most applications. But if youre going for a rich chocolate walnut color on natural walnut the water based poly will not amber it and it will look grey. A oil based poly will amber it but will yellow white paint if you spray over it. Theres a ton of tiny little nuances you learn along the way. theres also a ton of more natural fnishes i use that dont involve sparying.

[@mkemma1644]

Who you ever spray conversion varnish.

[@TwoMooseDesign]

I do not! I prefer the less harsh finishes. But the more toxic it is the more durable it is!