it's pretty much like

Posted by Charlie Jones on Jul 22, 2005

spraying paint, since it's basically paint without pigment Before someone jumps on that-I KNOW that technically it's different but not in it's spraying characteristics.

Load the gun, spray a test patch somewhere- if it orange peels or doesn't seem to flow well, thin it a bit. If it runs or looks too thin, add some more varnish. Be GENTLE adding thinner - it's REAL easy to over do that. But it's better to have it SLIGHTLY thin rather than too thick- you can always shoot another coat.

We use either the touch up gun ( a Binks) shown in the picture in the preceding post, or if we have LOTS to varnish we load up a large gun. In my shop I still use old fashioned suction guns, rather than HVLP. That's because I'm too old to change *grin* I usually shoot at roughly 40 - 45 Pounds.

Here at the house I have a 2hp compressor with a 6 gallon tank. At the shop I have a 6 hp with a 60 gallon tank. Much the same with either. Spraying doesn't take much SCFM (Standard Cubic Feet per Minute) so most any compressor will handle the job as long as you aren't spraying tons of stuff.

Get some cheap varnish and practice on a scrap of plywood - won't take you long to get the hang of it. Of course, between coat sanding etc is the same whether you spray, brush or roll.

Oh- and be sure to keep the condensation drained from your tank and hoses- spraying water drops in the middle of a varnish job can spoil the whole effect *grin*

In Response to: Spraying varnish by Robert C. Timmons on Jul 22, 2005

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