Preferred Gun Cup Size?

Sparky

Sparky

Promoted Users
Novice question,

What size cup do you folks like to use?

I'm gonna purchase a Iwata LPH400lv for the SPI epoxy, ss, basecoat, and clear, and a $49 TCP global 2.5 for the build primers. (You folks have great advice on here)

I found a good price for the Iwata LPH400lv (1.4 silver cap lv) on the zon, but it does not come with a cup. All the reviews seem good, no knock-offs reported. So I headed over to ABtoolmart and they carry 700cc and 1000cc cups. Not sure if one makes more sense than the other? I will be spraying car parts, and eventually the whole car.
 
All I have ever used was the smaller cup, but that's because I don't do all-overs.
For me, doing mostly bumpers or at the most, a complete side, I like
the smaller one because it's lighter and more out of the way.
So it really depends on what you're doing.
 
Its really what you want to handle. If you want the weight of 1000CC, then you can get the big cup. Most guns that are sold without cups are because people plan to use a PPS type system on them. With those you can get 650CC cups and just have one ready to go on bigger jobs.
I would never fill a 1000cc cup to the top anyway, so to me its all the weight you want to start with that makes it a personal choice.
 
I use the Sata RPS .61 liter cups on every gun now. Full liter cup = less refills on an overall job. My old arm and bad shoulder can't take the extra weight of the full liter, especially when holding out over a hood, roof etc. for example. Nice to have both sizes in either disposable or reusable cups.
 
If the TCP Global gun you have is the same as mine, then the cup should work on your LPH as well.

I bought 2 of those TCP guns and used the cups off of them, then I get the benefit of having a spare gun lying around for emergencies.
 
Thanks Guys for responses. It really helps a novice guy like me thats investing into this hobby. You guys bring up some good points, the need for one size or the other, the weight of the bigger cup, wear and tear on the arms and shoulder, all things for me to consider.

Good call Sprint, on the TCP cups possibly fitting the Iwata lph400. Before I order any cups I’ll wait for the zon to sent the Iwata, should be here on Friday.

@anotheridiot you mentioned the PPS cup system. That was another consideration I was looking into. As a hobbyist working on one car at a time, Is there any benefits I should consider before investing in 3M’s system?
 
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Sparky said:
Thanks Guys for responses. It really helps a novice guy like me thats investing into this hobby. You guys bring up some good points, the need for one size or the other, the weight of the bigger cup, wear and tear on the arms and shoulder, all things for me to consider.

Good call Sprint, on the TCP cups possibly fitting the Iwata lph400. Before I order any cups I’ll wait for the zon to sent the Iwata, should be here on Friday.

@anotheridiot you mentioned the PPS cup system. That was another consideration I was looking into. As a hobbyist working on one car at a time, Is there any benefits I should consider before investing in 3M’s system?
Click to expand...

Its not really an investment the way I see it. I went to the Amazon selling system from A to Z paint supply

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H5NP3BB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

using the 3M system you need to buy a cup. If you want to buy their 2.0 PPS gun, you can get the 2.0 that has an extra air fitting for the pressure cup, which is nice for heavier materials. But this click on system has not failed us yet, you can take off and cap the material inside for storage, plus they give you a new cup in every box. The 650 or 20 oz is a decent size for us, and if you are on the same color you dont have to throw them away, just wipe the lip of the cap when you fill it again.

If you are really small they have 6 oz size as well, not much cheaper, I would have expected 75 cups for the money, but we always used different sizes when we were with the 3M system too. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H5MXRKH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Eventually, figuring out the 15.00-20.00 a gallon worth of solvent you are using to clean your cup every time will eventually pay off, and you are starting with clean sealed cup every time.
 
i have a small 9 inch salad bar pan i use for cleaning. uses far less thinner to clean with . i also wipe my cups out with paper towels before rinsing . dont complicate life with too many questions . if your a hobbyist then most of this is mute anyway . your not going to be using volume so most of the body shop systems will only complicate your life . i use the disposable iwata cups . i still rinse them out so i use only one set per job .
 
I used to use the Devilbiss bag system, but had a hard time finding them so I finally went to the DeKups system. Maybe the bags are being phased out?

I much prefer the DeKups system. I'm using the 9oz cups right now for primers but I'll probably also get the 24oz cups eventually. It's cheaper than the 3M cup system. I had to do a lot of cross-referencing, however, with the 3M adapter chart because DeKups doesn't list as many guns on its adapter chart.

I've had a lot of success cleaning the guns with 3M spray gun cleaner. As a hobbyist, this has been the easiest way for me to clean the gun consistently and quickly. I'm not comfortable spraying acetone through it.

I also have a Barryman's carb cleaner dip bucket but the formula changed several years ago and it's not as good anymore. But I find I don't really use it anymore anyway because the 3M cleaner does such a good job.

Ironically, the hardest part to clean is the DeKups adapter for some reason.
 
desertspeed said:
I used to use the Devilbiss bag system, but had a hard time finding them so I finally went to the DeKups system. Maybe the bags are being phased out?
Click to expand...

Why would use their bags? ZipLock brand quart size freezer bags are so much cheaper.
Buy them at Wal-Mart or any grocery store.
They even work better because they flex easier.
 
jcclark said:
Why would use their bags? ZipLock brand quart size freezer bags are so much cheaper.
Buy them at Wal-Mart or any grocery store.
They even work better because they flex easier.
Click to expand...

Because the kit isn't just the bags, it also includes the grommets that pierce a hole into the bottom of the bag that plugs into the hole at the bottom of your spray gun cup. When I said bags, I was actually referring to the entire kit with the bags and grommets, etc. Sorry that wasn't as clear.

That said, they are expensive for what they are and I much prefer the DeKups system I'm now using anyway. It eliminates the need for a separate mixing cup.
 
shine said:
i have a small 9 inch salad bar pan i use for cleaning. uses far less thinner to clean with . i also wipe my cups out with paper towels before rinsing . dont complicate life with too many questions . if your a hobbyist then most of this is mute anyway . your not going to be using volume so most of the body shop systems will only complicate your life . i use the disposable iwata cups . i still rinse them out so i use only one set per job .
Click to expand...
I also use the DeVillbiss DeKup systems. And I thought Shine made a great Greek salad .................kind of gave me a buzz
 
shine said:
i have a small 9 inch salad bar pan i use for cleaning. uses far less thinner to clean with . i also wipe my cups out with paper towels before rinsing . dont complicate life with too many questions . if your a hobbyist then most of this is mute anyway . your not going to be using volume so most of the body shop systems will only complicate your life . i use the disposable iwata cups . i still rinse them out so i use only one set per job .
Click to expand...

good points Shine, but your last sentence compels me to ask one more question; Why do you not use the aluminum cups if you rinse the iwata cups out and reuse them?

desertspeed said:
I'm not comfortable spraying acetone through it.
Click to expand...
Is this because of the flammability?
 
For my Sata's all I've ever used is a 1 Liter (1000cc) cup. Other guns that I have that came with a plastic cup I'll use but I do notice that those cups tend to stain over time. Still nothing wrong with them just find them harder to clean than a aluminum cup. Even in a production environment that's what I've always used. I tried those stupid Devilbiss bags years ago and hated them. RPS cups are ok but expensive. One place I was at used them and they were ok but I'm not going to use them unless someone else was paying for them. Cheaper to clean one IMO. $40-$45 for 5 gallons of wash thinner at my jobber followed by a final rinse with urethane reducer. Plus I save the thinner and reducer and reuse it, so it goes pretty far.

Unless you got prior issues with your arms or shoulders a 1 liter cup full of clear is not heavy enough to be an issue. But then again if you are new to this and sedentary maybe so. Never bothered me though.
 
used to spray with 1000 aluminum cup. best size . but my back decided to betray me. now using 600ml pps and sometimes for all overs have 1000ml cup
 
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