Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum banner

Frustration with new Titan hvlp

10K views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  tjbnwi  
#1 ·
I recently bought a new Titan Capspray 115 hvlp. Using it recently for the first time I finally got it working after discovering the check valve was installed reversed and it would not spray, ok fix and move on. Today I go to use it again for the second time and the spray was pulsating. Grrr.
Troubleshooting guide says packing nut loose of damaged, ok I tighten it up till it is just snug. Off I go again, pulsating resolved but now paint is spewing out the tip when trigger is released. What gives? I am pi$$ed over this aggravation.
Plan to call rep in the morning.
 
#4 ·
Turbine HVLP

I also have the Capspray, and found the design of the gun/pot to be less than ideal, particularly at the check valve interface. Their entire check valve design has been flawed from the start. Never liked the Maxum guns. I even remember cursing my old 4 stage CS 9000 10-15 yrs ago.

I'd agree with the suggestion above about backing off a turn to see if it helps your spitting issue. Just a few more suggestions I've found useful when working with turbine rigs, FWIW...

-Purchase an extra length of hose, which could be had on Amazon or similar for way cheaper than OEM hose. Typically the turbines can run about twice the length of hose as they came with, (usually comes with 15', get another 15', and of that extra 15', incorporate a hose whip, which keeps you from fighting the rigidity of the hose as you work, making it way more user-friendly). One of the biggest challenges when working with turbines to spray modern acrylics, urethanes & hybrids is the hot air from the turbine dries the paint so fast that it creates a sort of dry-spray effect, very rough & gritty look & feel. The extra length of hose will help immensely to cool down the product before it hits the surface.

-When using the rig, set it up in the coolest place possible, which also helps to avoid conditions listed above. The extra length of hose will give you more options.

-Don't be afraid to use retarders, which aids in flow and with the whole dry-spray thing. Always search retarders suggested by manufacturer first, and if no info is given or provided when asked, Butyl Cellosolve is typically a safe bet. Follow instructions regarding how to add the retarder and use no more than what is recommended, or you'll risk compromising the overall integrity of the film.

Congrats on your purchase, BTW. You're about to delve into a world where many painters wished they never delved, (delved?) Achieving good results with modern products is possible with turbines, but takes quite a bit of fine tuning. Record your results when successful. Be systematic when dialing something in by changing just one factor at a time, test, record, rinse repeat. Post some pics of your results. Hope it makes you gobs of $.
 
#5 ·
Troy, your suggestions are really appreciated. I backed off the packing nut and managed to get the gun spraying without pulsating and / or spitting, finally. I agree that the check valve set up is poor.

I noticed how hot the hose was and wondered if that was an issue, i like the suggestion to add another 15' of hose to cool the air. My hvlp came with a short whip hose which is far more flexible.

I had thought about using retarders but not for the the hot air issue but just the idea of putting on such a thin amount of paint, i have experienced the roughness of sprayed on finishes due to paint drying as it is being atomized, certainly something i want to avoid.
I see me using this for projects that are too small for an airless and too slow for a brush such as shutters, commercial doors, dental molding, etc.
Thanks.
 
#13 ·
Extender runs the skin time out works great in hotter weather, to much extender softens the product, thinning changes the viscosity of the fluid, warming also affects viscosity. I use GF extender in KA+ and BM extender in acrylic paints.

Distilled because water contaminants change from tap to tap. I ruined a gallon of KA+ with 2 ounces of tap water at the shop. It spotted and migrated terribly, had to dump it, no chance of saving it.

If a product calls for deionized, used distilled. Distilled is cleaner.

Tom