Before you walk through how to set up your air compressor, there are several things you need to ensure your safety and success when you start painting away. For safety measures, it is important to have safety gears, which are a respirator or mask, goggles, and gloves in hand and ready to be used. Wearing a respirator or mask makes sure that you avoid inhaling toxic chemicals from the paint mixtures. Goggles protect and shield your eyes from any splatters if your machine ever malfunctions. Since you are using your hands to spray paint, protecting your hands from possible harmful toxins from the paint and to avoid hurting yourself from a machine malfunction is a must. You will also need a suitable air compressor for your spray gun, a hose, and all the spray gun attachments to start.
Getting the right type of paint and thinner is also important when you want to achieve a good result. Oil-based paints are usually the best type of paint to use with a spray gun. When you use oil-based paint, it is important to mix a type of solvent that will thin out the mixture and make it easier to work with. always make sure that you get the compatible type of paint and thinner and follow the suggested mixing ratio provided on the label container. It is also a must to protect the surfaces and areas that you don’t want to be ruined by the paint. So tape off and cover all those places that you do not want to be painted over. Take out or cover the furniture, flooring, and other things you want to protect. Make sure that you have a flat and even surface where you can place your paints to avoid spilling them all over. Also sanding the surface area you are planning to paint is a must to remove the uneven surfaces and help you achieve a more seamless paint job. Also, prepare a tack cloth on hand that you can use to remove any debris from the area you are going to paint.
After making sure that the area you are planning to paint is ready, choosing the right type of paint sprayers that would work best for your preference and the paint job you are about to do is important. A siphon gun is an option that you can choose. This type of gun has a container placed under the gun body. This is usually the type of spray gun people envision when they talk about spray painting. This gun would require a higher pressure but does not cover a larger area when used. So, this would take a lot of time painting so it is not as efficient as you think. However, if you are planning to paint a small surface area, using a siphon gun can be a good option for you. Another option you might want to consider using is a gravity gun. This type of gun is a little similar to the siphon gun because of its storage container. However, a gravity gun’s paint container is placed on top of the gun’s body instead of being placed on the bottom of the gun. This gun does not require a lot of air pressure because gravity helps the paint flow into the body of the gun. This tool works better for smaller spaces and is easier to use when you get used to how it works. However, this requires a special stand if you want to refill the container which may be a hassle for some people. Another type of gun is called a pressure feed gun. This type of gun has a pressure pot that is connected to the gun using two hoses. One hose is for the air supply that atomizes the paint and the other hose will supply the paint. Since this gun only requires hoses that vary in length which can be used to your advantage, this is commonly known to be the most efficient gun to use for spray paint jobs out of the bunch.
To ensure a good result, not only do you have to ensure you got the right measurements for your compressor, but you also have to have the correct pieces of equipment. So finding the right equipment is a must that works and is compatible with your other equipment is essential as well. Like how you have to make sure that the hose you are using is the right size fit for the amount of pressure you need. A too-narrow or a too-long hose may cause problems in terms of the pressure you get from the compressor.
Since the equipment needed in order for you to achieve a good result, you are now ready to set up your air compressor. Setting up your compressor is fairly simple. First, you have to apply your safety gear before you start any paint job. Then, you attach your air spray gun to your air compressor using the hose and the other attachments needed. Make sure to push the trigger-lock button to activate it. Plug all of the power cords into the outlet and connect the hoses to the appropriate sockets. You have to make sure that your compressor is delivering the right amount of CFM. After doing that, you will start mixing your paint or primer to your solvents to the suggested ratios on their container label. This will ensure that you get the right consistency you need to get a seamless result. After adding your paint mixture to the machine, you have to test the pressure of your paint spray on a piece of the surface area you will be working on or any piece of cardboard to ensure that your compressor is producing the consistent flow of paint that you need. If it is ever not in the right pressure point, you can usually adjust your spray pattern using a knob on the side of the gun. When done, you can go ahead and start painting your wall or your chosen surface area. While you spray, always hold the gun about 6 to 10 inches away from the surface area you are painting and move the spray gun in a sweeping motion smoothly to prevent the paint from dripping or running and keep the spray gun moving continuously in straight uniform strokes. Always overlap your previous stroke with each sweep to prevent it from inconsistent thickness and continue doing the process until you cover the walls or surface you are painting. When you think you need another coating of paint, you must wait for the paint to fully dry which would usually take about 12 to 24 hours depending on the paint mixture before you start applying another coat of paint again.