: Hi there.

: I bought a HVLP gun from Harbor Freight on sale for about $50 a few months
: ago. So far, I've done two boats with it, using Epiphanes Hi-Gloss. To
: summarize my limited experience so far: Everything in the previous
: responses rings true with me as well. You can do it and get pretty good
: results early, but there is a learning curve involving: gun adjustments-
: there are 4 different things to adjust on my gun, and they all
: inter-relate. Find something to practice on to get your initial settings.

: pressure setting- I'd been running the gun at 40 p.s.i., and just noticed
: yesterday that the nozzle itself says "10 psi max"! Yikes! The
: two-page instruction manual said almost nothing about how to use the
: thing.

: I'd definately recommend getting a thinner for use in spraying, rather than
: the mineral spirits normally used in brushing. Get the same brand as the
: varnish, if possible. The downside of this is that personnal respiratory
: protection is a MUST, as the spray thinners are mostly that nasty ol'
: xylene.

: For your spray booth, you can get the large rolls of the thin painters' drop
: cloth much cheaper than the clear visqueen we normally use for cheap
: tarping.

: Spend the $7 for a Tyvek suit. You'll sweat like a pig, but I was surprised
: at the difference it made in comparison to wearing my regular overalls
: which apparantly shed like a cat. When done, hang the Tyvek suit inside
: out so it can dry quickly.

: Having said all that, and being pleased even with my first efforts, I also
: have to agree that brushing can also produce 'most excellent' results. At
: the Northwest Sea Kayaking Symposium last weekend in Port Townsend, I
: checked out the CLC display on the beach. The varnish finish on their West
: River 162 was maybe the best I've ever seen, certainly in the top 5 list.
: I asked the tall guy there (I can't remember his name, sorry, but it's not
: Lee, who I also met) what they used. He said a combination of the two big
: Z-Spar varnishes, applied with a 2" foam brush. I mean to e-mail them
: to see if they'll reiterate the specific recipe for me.

: If you're going to be building boats for a while, I'd say it's worth the
: effort.

: There's a little more on this at my website, but I still haven't fixed it for
: you Netscape users yet.

: Good luck.

: Pete in Snohomish

Thanks for the help. I may try it on something less important for the first try.

Larry C.