On TV it always looks oh-so-simple; just pour the paint in the paint gun, pull the trigger and you end up with a beautiful mile-deep paint job! I’d hate to break it to you but it’s not quite that easy and it takes years of practice to get those results. You can however reduce the room for error by educating yourself on what tools and accessories are the best for your paint job. This included which size tips to use in your HVLP paint gun and when to use each. Below we give a list of the common size spray tips and when/where to use them.
1.2-1.3MM- These nozzle and tip combinations are the most fine and therefore work well for thinner coatings. These smaller sized tips are most commonly used with clear coats and final top coats. Do not try to use these tips with thicker coatings like high build primers and undercoating.
1.4-1.5MM- These tips are the middle of the road and can be used for the widest variety of coatings. If you adjust your gun correctly you can use these with clear coats, and also spray base coats easily. If you set the gun correctly and thin primers you can also spray some urethane or low-build primers with these tips. If we were stuck on a deserted island and had to paint our car we’d choose one of these tips.
1.6-1.7MM- This larger tip is great for base coats and allows you a larger deposit of the coating on the surface. Some more experienced painters will use a larger tip like this, but it takes some expertise in mixing and gun setup to avoid runs and thick coatings of clear. A 1.7MM tip works well for sealer primers and is our second choice for deserted island painting.
1.8-1.9MM- Now we’re up to the big-boy tips. These are used for applying heavy coatings like high build primers and sprayable fillers. We don’t suggest using these tips for paint or clear coat unless you just want to coat something quick and the final finish isn’t an issue. Have a tractor you just want to coat quick and not have to thin or mix paint? This could be your tip.. but don’t expect that show-car finish! We use these tips often for applying our early stages of primer, especially epoxy primers.
2.0-2.2MM- We’ve now reached fire hose status. These tips are only reserved for heavy, high build coatings like rust products, undercoatings, sprayable body filler, and extremely high build primers. This will get the product on in a hurry, but expect to have to sand the surface to smooth it out.
Hopefully this crash course in paint gun spray tips helps you choose the tips that will work best for you. We offer a full line of paint guns, spray tips, paints, and all other supplies on our website. Visit our painting products here: https://www.eastwood.com/paints.html