Earlex hvlp 5500

[jhreed]

I am considering purchasing the Earlex 5500. Does anyone have one? Can I spray Sherwin Williams latex Super Paint with it?

 

[Jeff]

James,

I have one, but not a lot of experience with it. The 1.4-1.5 mm nozzles are good for spraying lower viscosity finishes like varnishes, stains, dyes, etc. It's worked great for me in that capacity, but it takes some practice to get the flow and patterns dialed in. Cardboard refrigerator boxes work great for practice on the right set up.

For latex paint, with its higher viscosity, I think that they recommend a 2-2.5 mm nozzle.

http://www.earlex.com/hv5500.php

You'll have to do some homework on that application.

 

[JimD]

I have no knowledge of the Earlex but I think you are getting somewhat close in price to my Fuji Mini-mite 3. I really like my Fuji. I wish I had purchased it first.

Jim

 

[Bas]

I am considering purchasing the Earlex 5500. Does anyone have one? Can I spray Sherwin Williams latex Super Paint with it?

I have tried spraying SW Pro Classic with it. Not sure if that's the same as Super Paint, Pro Classic is a water-based (water-borne) paint, 100% acrylic, so not really latex, but all water-based paints appear be called latex. I used the 2mm needle. It did not spray well, I had to thin it significantly with water and flotrol for it to work. Gloss paint turns flat when you do that, and runs easily. I also had to lay it down fairly thick to avoid the orange peel effect. Perhaps the 2.5mm needle would do better, but I didn't feel like spending $50 to try it. Note that I am a novice when it comes to spraying. Mark Spagunolo (the wood whisperer) did a review of the Earlex and claimed he was able to spray paint with it.

 

[MIKE NOAH]

I just picked up an Earlex at the Hickory show and have not had time to play with it. But when I tried spraying sw proclassic with a porter cable hvlp gun I had very similar results that Bas described. I tried so many ratios of water an floetrol I lost track of what finally sprayed decent but I always lost a lil of the whiteness and gloss. Like Bas said perhaps a larger needle?
Mike

 

[donbake1]

I have had an Earlex 5000 for about 3 years and could not get along without it. I spray a lot of water based Ben Moore products and find you have to thin it to about 45 seconds in a drip cup and use 2.0 needle. I open the knob about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 turns. The orange peal effect is more problematic with the quality of the paint. My biggest problem is trying to put on a coat that is too heavy. I usually do 3 or 4 thin coats and get great results. I have sprayed crown moulding to match factory finish cabinets and could not tell the difference in my finish and the cabinet factory. Thinning and distance from the object are key. I have sprayed about 40 interior doors and got a beautiful finish, but I painted them horizontal. With the paint that thin, runs are prevalent, thus the thin coats. I sprayed the BM new Advance waterborne oil enamel last night and it leveled out great, but they recommend 16 hours drying time between coats. I have had the best results with BM Impervo enamel with which I thin with distilled water. I have also sprayed the BM Aura with great results, but a little less leveling than the Impervo and it lost a little sheen. I built a knock down spray booth of PVC pipe and visqueen plastic with a box fan that I set up in my garage when I want to spray to keep the overspray under control. Have fun