That’s why we’ve tested, measured and compared over 30 air compressors for spray painting. Overall, we think this is the best spray painting air compressor for the money available this year. The California Air Tools 10020C is our choice as the best air compressor for spray painting, with the PORTER-CABLE C2002 taking the spot as “Best air compressor for spray painting for the money”.
Otherwise, there must be the best possible air compressor for spray painting. You should avoid spray painting your car when you don’t have the well-matched air compressor and paint gun. For matching the compressor with a paint gun, you must choose the best air compressor for spray painting.
Hot Dog Compressor: one level up from a pancake air compressor meaning they have larger tanks and are generally heavier. The larger the tank, the longer the machine can keep running which is why the smaller pancake style air compressors are rarely used by professionals. 1 – 2 horsepower is normal for a portable air compressor, more is not necessary for most capacities and jobs.
With a small air compressor tank you simply don’t have the air volume to paint an entire car at one shot. You can take a chance and paint the entire car at one shot if you can hear and feel the air pressure drop and adjust accordingly. The tricky part YES, you can paint the car in steps with a smaller air compressor but you may run into problems with overspray on the clear coat stage.
Most shops up here get $300 per panel or a few thousand to paint the entire car and that’s with no bodywork whatsoever. A decent Air Compressor for a one man hobbyist shop PSI will run you about $1,500. You can dollar average the shop setup over time whereas the bill for the paint job is due at completion.
If you have a spray gun or you’re looking to purchase one for a painting project at home or in the workshop, you may now be wondering what size air compressor you need to run your spray gun. The small Neiko spray painting gun requires 4.5 CFM, if the use was intermittent and only needed 25% of the time, then the spray gun only requires 1.25 CFM. Therefore, this compressor would be capable of providing that that CFM. However, if you are required to use the spray gun on a 50% duty cycle, the spray gun would require 2.25 CFM. The air compressor running at its recommended 50% duty cycle would not be able to provide the amount of CFM required by the spray gun. Well Jan, since you can get about 4 CFM of compressed air at 90 PSI for each horsepower of electric motor size on the compressor, your compressor should, theoretically, give you about 12 CFM at 90 PSI. However, if you are running your 3 HP compressor on a 120 volt supply line, then you sure are not getting that 12 CFM at 90 PSI, since, in my opinion, there isn’t enough power in a 120 volt line to power your compressor motor enough to give you that flow and pressure.
best air compressor for shooting paint Related Question:
What size air compressor do I need for a paint gun?
While some air spray guns have a rating of lower than 10 CFM, we’d recommend your compressor CFM for spray painting is at least 12 CFM. For professionals, this figure may need to be higher – the important thing is you’ve checked your spray gun’s CFM requirements and chosen a compressor that exceeds that figure.
What is the best air pressure for spray painting?
Setting the air pressure to about 28-29 PSI for clear will ensure you having great flow out. Most HVLP spray guns will use 10-14 scfm at 40 psi. This is volume of air pressure per cubic foot.
How many CFM do you need for a paint sprayer?
For a quality HVLP Spray Gun you can often need up to 20 CFM of air. If you are using a Conventional Spray Gun you may not need as much air as HVLP requires a High Volume of air (HV) especially compared to conventional spray guns, but a conventional spray gun can still use 10 – 15 CFM.
Can a 6 gallon air compressor run a paint gun?
What Size Air Compressor Do I Need To Run A Paint Sprayer? Because of this, you cannot use a 6 gallon air compressor to spray paint. It is necessary to have a compressor with a large tank, preferably 50 gallons or more, in order to be able to spray paint with a spray gun.
How much psi do you need for a paint gun?
How Much Air Pressure Does A Paint Gun Need? Most people say that 10-15 psi when the trigger is pulled for a base coat is the ideal setting for their guns. When spraying base coat and clear coat with low volume low pressure spray guns, I spray at about 17 psi.
Can you paint a car with a 20 gallon air compressor?
That being said, most air compressors with an air tank capacity of 30 gallons and up can usually handle painting a car. If you’re painting a classic full-size car or want to play it safe, a tank of 60 gallons or more should be enough to coat the vehicle in a single pass.
How strong of an air compressor do I need?
Determine which one requires the highest CFM at the highest PSI. Add 50% to the required CFM for a margin of safety, and look for a compressor that meets the requirement. For example, if a tool requires 3 CFM at 90 PSI, select a compressor that delivers at least 4.5 CFM at 90 PSI.
Do you need an air compressor for a paint sprayer?
Does A Paint Sprayer Need A Compressor? The most common air paint spray guns use a “high volume, low pressure” (HVLP) delivery mechanism, so you need a spray paint compressor that delivers the necessary pressure and volume of air to achieve a perfect paint flow.
What is CFM air compressor?
CFM stands for cubic feet per minute. This is the air flow or air volume that a compressor can supply – or its output. Many pneumatic power tools require a CFM of about 5, but it really varies. A pneumatic stapler might just need 0.3 CFM, while a framing nailer may require 2.2 CFM.
Can you paint a car with a 8 gallon compressor?
If you think you may use a smaller air compressor to paint the car in steps (same day), but you may run into more than enough dust on the clear coat stage, yes, that may happen. flash times come when the spray has almost already evaporated and becomes clear.
How many CFM does a HVLP gun need?
HVLP, or High-Volume/Low Pressure, uses a high volume of air (typically between 15-26 CFM) delivered at low pressure (10 PSI or less at the air cap) to atomize paint into a soft, low-velocity pattern of particles. In most cases, less than 10 psi is needed in order to atomize.
Will a 10 gallon air compressor run a paint gun?
If you are using an Air Compressor for a small project or single panel, make sure it is rated at 100% of the CFM. A 150-200% spray rate is recommended for a whole car. An air compressor with a capacity of 15-20 CFM is a good match for a paint gun with a capacity of 10 CFM.
What is better HVLP or LVLP?
HVLP guns use more CFM and will require users to size their air compressor accordingly. On the other hand, LVLP atomizes better, sprays faster and lays down a better finish while using less CFM but high air pressure.
Is a 3 gallon air compressor good for painting?
It is recommended that you rate the pressure in your Air Compressor to 100% since a smaller project or single panel can require more pressure. For spraying purposes, 150 to 200% will work. In the case of a paint gun with a 10 CFM airflow, a 15-30 CFM air compressor would work quite well.
Can you paint a car with a 5 gallon compressor?
YES, you can paint the car in steps (same day) with a smaller air compressor but you may run into problems with overspray on the clear coat stage.
