Hvlp Spray Gun Vs. Preval

[Spinner]

Harbor Frieght has them for fairly cheap but I have found in the past that their bleeder valves (for letting the air out when you're done for the day) tend to fail faster than others.

Home Depot, OSH & such usually have Big Red (Craftsman/Husky) compressors on sale a number of times a year. Any size compressor will work but keep in mind that the smaller the tank section the more often it will turn on and some (like mine) can get noisy in a small shop. I can dye quite a few pieces with mine before it even thinks about turning on but it also takes up the same amount of space a small motorcycle does.

If size/noise aren't a factor, a decent 3-4 Gal. compressor will suit most folks needs. It will turn on after about 5 minutes of solid spraying (which is quite a bit when spraying dye) and only takes a minute or two to fill completely back up (most turn on when 1/2 empty so you can keep working). Here's one similar to my last compressor that did the job for quite a while:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xhc/R-202018102/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID

If you have a little more room & cash to spend and plan on doing detail work or larger projects, go with something like:

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xhc/R-100653165/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053#BVRRWidgetID

To give a comparison, this is what a starter airbrush specific compressor (quiet, small & no maintenance but won't run tools) starts at:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/paasche-d500-air-compressors/

[jasonsmith]

I dyed some test pieces. And it looks like the leather wants to wrinkle up. Kinda like when you get a piece of cardboard wet and it dryes. It was small pieces though. And maybe I put too much dye on as the dobbers soaked up alot of dye. I think I'm going to look for some drum dyed black leather that I can easily cut and punch and not bother with having to dye.

[TwinOaks]

I picked up the little HF compressor that's made for the AB. It won't run tools, but it is VERY handy for transportation and using when you don't want the noise of a regular compressor.

Just to help spread the knowledge, most name brand airbrushes have replaceable needles and nozzle tips. If you buy something like the Paasche VL kit, you get three which allows for a large range of spray patterns.

[jasonsmith]

I've found the Preval sucks. I was expecting it to spray like spray paint. But it just shot it out in gobs. Since it didn't spray a nice thin even coat, you had to spray back over areas that didn't get dye and it ended up soaking the leather and it was dripping. So, you would be better off just rubbing it on instead of using the Preval.

[Spinner]

I've found the Preval sucks. I was expecting it to spray like spray paint. But it just shot it out in gobs. Since it didn't spray a nice thin even coat, you had to spray back over areas that didn't get dye and it ended up soaking the leather and it was dripping. So, you would be better off just rubbing it on instead of using the Preval.

Sounds like you got a bad one Jason. I've had that happen before. It should spray pretty much exactly like spray paint (overspray included) but it shouldn't glob or spit. If it does either of those the likely causes are: clogged intake tube, old/thickened dye or the unit is old/dead.

That reminds me of one day the local Tandy manager and one of his staff were dying a bunch of bracelets for a local kid's group project and the unfortunate staff member grabbed a bad Prevail unit. Loaded it up, started to spray and it got a heavy clog. The unit built up pressure enough to blow the white base off the can and send about 2 ounces of dye down the front of her shirt and arms...

[jasonsmith]

Sounds like you got a bad one Jason. I've had that happen before. It should spray pretty much exactly like spray paint (overspray included) but it shouldn't glob or spit. If it does either of those the likely causes are: clogged intake tube, old/thickened dye or the unit is old/dead.

That reminds me of one day the local Tandy manager and one of his staff were dying a bunch of bracelets for a local kid's group project and the unfortunate staff member grabbed a bad Prevail unit. Loaded it up, started to spray and it got a heavy clog. The unit built up pressure enough to blow the white base off the can and send about 2 ounces of dye down the front of her shirt and arms...

I'm going to dye my stuff with the wool daubers. I've done some test pieces and they came out fine with no streaks. I'm using the Fiebing's Pro Oil Black.

How long do you wait inbetweeen coats? I wait around 10-15 minutes when it looks like most of the dye has been absorbed on top of the leather when I put on a 2nd coat.