Single Stage and Gun Recommendation for one job (again )

C

Chris Martin

Promoted Users
Hello SPI Forum Members,

About 2 years ago I was quite active in this forum when I primed my then newly finished little homebuilt airplane with the White SPI Epoxy Primer. I have to say the stuff is amazing. After two years of flying it still looks great and people even doubt it when I tell them the airplane is not painted :)

But now is time to finish it and top coat it.

My plan is to go straight white single stage. I want to do a good job so would like to buy a decent gun. Yes, I have read probably every post on this worn down subject.

Back in '98 I painted an airplane with PPG Durathane and a Sharpe SGF that I still have (functional and can rebuild) with fantastic results (award winning level) but not sure if todays paints would work well on this gun. I could give it a try but wouldn't mind trying a more modern gun (if worth it).

I have read quite a bit on this forum about the Iwata Kiwami KIWAMI4-14BA4. Is the consensus still that this is an OK gun? I could even go a little higher in price but of course going over $400-$500 would start to hurt (this is for only one job). I have considered buying more reputable used guns on eBay but don't even know were to start.

In any case, if the Kiwami is still recommended, is the 1.4 the right one for SS? Any advice of which vendor to use to make sure I don't get a counterfeit?

Anyway, excited about starting this final phase of my project and trying the SPI SS. If it's as good as the epoxy primer this will be fun.

Thanks for the advice,
Chris
 
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BTW, Just sharing a picture of my project. As shown in the picture, the fuselage is not SPI (I didn't not know about it until after I used a different sealer on it (ugly :(). The wings and rudder are SPI epoxy primer. I think that if I had used SPI on the fuselage I would stretch top coating another year! Great stuff.

IMG_0082.JPG

Chris
 
Wow, you have to be pretty confident in your skills when you're going up in a plane you built yourself. With a car there's only 16" between my butt and the ground.
 
Your Sharpe gun should work fine with a 1.2--1.5mm fluid tip. I run 1/2" hoses and have much better atomization with a higher cfm flow rate with older HVLP guns. I see that one supposedly uses about 13cfm at 43psi--try bumping it up to flow about 15-18. It will make a better finish.
 
:) It does take a bit of confidence to build (well, actually to then fly) a kit airplane but technically similar to building a kit car. This one is all composite so it did take learning how to deal with lots of epoxy and fiberglass.

I just checked and my Sharpe SGF has a 1.4mm tip. I will follow the advice regarding the flow. When I used this gun 25 years ago (time flies) it was in a friend's professional painting shop so I guess had good air equipment (and a dream paint booth). The paint still looks like glass on that airplane.

Question: If I was to get the Kiwami, is the 1.4mm tip the one I want for SS? Any vendor on eBay anyone here trusts (I see a bunch)?

Chris
 
Yes a 1.4 kiwami would be fine for single stage and clear. Probably the highest quality gun you can get for $175 to your door. It punches way above its price tag. It’s a pro level gun…right up there with guns you’d spend a few hundred extra on. Just my opinion.
 
It’s an iwata…it the new “bellaria” replacement. Which was based on the w400 platform. Sprays same as bellaria did but has some minor cosmetic changes. They also make a kiwami model that replaced the lph…the kiwami wider4L. Same thing but cosmetic changes. The kiwamis aren’t sold here in the US but obviously lots of people buy them off of eBay and Amazon.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. One more: do you think the Wider4L is worth the extra money? It’s not really that much more. Any noticeable difference?

Chris
 
JMO........Buy a high quality gun. Don't skimp. Keep it clean, when you finish your project, sell it on Ebay for aproximately 75% of what you paid for it. Used Sata or Iwata LPH will bring that on Ebay.
 
Chris Martin said:
Thanks for the advice guys. One more: do you think the Wider4L is worth the extra money? It’s not really that much more. Any noticeable difference?

Chris
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Wider4L is a cosmetically changed lph400. It has the tulip tip nozzle and can spray at lower pressures. Although, many still spray it at higher pressures. I think that is mostly with true high solid products. I’ve sprayed “budget” clears at low pressures no problem. And base coat as well. I think the kiwami will be a faster gun…the wider4L slower and more deliberate.
 
Chris Martin said:
:) It does take a bit of confidence to build (well, actually to then fly) a kit airplane but technically similar to building a kit car. This one is all composite so it did take learning how to deal with lots of epoxy and fiberglass.

I just checked and my Sharpe SGF has a 1.4mm tip. I will follow the advice regarding the flow. When I used this gun 25 years ago (time flies) it was in a friend's professional painting shop so I guess had good air equipment (and a dream paint booth). The paint still looks like glass on that airplane.

Question: If I was to get the Kiwami, is the 1.4mm tip the one I want for SS? Any vendor on eBay anyone here trusts (I see a bunch)?

Chris
Click to expand...
Be cautious buying paint guns on ebay. Im a very frequent ebayer but there are a lot of very convincing fakes on there. Even down to the box and the paperwork inside. This goes for car parts too. Amazon has even been known to sell fakes. When i bought my last guns i ordered directly through a reputable distributor for that reason. Just FYI
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. I think this information certainly helps the decision process.

Thanks for the advice Chris. Believe me I am really considering that option. As mentioned by Whitesnake, I also heard that the Iwata Wider is basically an LPH that is why I was asking. Don't mind paying a little extra but not sure if for spraying SS the Wider4L is right one (I got mixed info on that but what do I know). The SATAs look very nice but wouldn't even know were to start to select one. BTW, wanted to clarify having a homebuilt airplane doesn't automatically make you rich. I actually have less in that airplane than some regular cars or fancy motorcycles out there :)

Regarding eBay, yes, I am scared to buy there too. But I don't think there are options for the Kiwami. I have been told that the site paintingtool_japan at eBay is OK. But can't be 100% sure. I also think you can get the Wider4 (non L which I think means low pressure) from Japan but to be honest not even sure if that is better for SS or not. Need to educate myself. As of late I am also found Amazon to be untrustworthy.

For now I am going to start rebuilding my homemade spray booth, begin ordering paint from SPI and will continue researching. That will give me a week to make a final decision and continue receiving all this good advice. I am also purchasing a forced air respiration system (which someone lent to me when I applied the primer but that one is gone).

Looking forward to this phase of the project!

Chris
 
Well, I kind of jumped the gun and ordered a Iwata Kiwami4. Yes, maybe I will regret not buying a more expensive gun but this is how I was draw into moving forward: perusing reviews of the Kiwami I came across a British gentleman that had some nice video reviews on this gun as well as the Wider4 (and others). One of the reviews even included some SS spraying with the Kiwami.

I was able to contact him and ask him a few questions. I asked his recommendation, including whether I should consider the Kiwami or Wider. He said I should buy the Kiwami4 1.4 with the BA4J cap. He indicated that since I was probably a bit rusty I should not go for the Wider4 because the Kiwami4 is already a fast gun but the Wider4 is even faster so it could get me into trouble. However, he said that the Kiwami is a fast gun to start with so I would not be disappointed.

He also reiterated to use paintingtools_japan to buy it (they are in eBay). He said he's been using them for all his Japanese guns for years and that they are a Iwata distributor in Japan.

Well, will see how it goes. Worst that can happen is that I maybe shopping for a different gun after I try it :)

Chris
 
You will be happy with your purchase. Your getting a professional level tool…it just happens to be a bargain. And yes paintingtools_japan is who I order from as well. It’s genuine iwata. Usually the fakes are easy to spot on eBay. At least to a professional I suppose.
 
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