TP Tools small turbine HVLP system question

Curt Campbell

Curt Campbell

Senior Member
Has anyone had any experience with the new small turbine compressor HVLP painting system that TP tools is selling? Their documentation from a restorer indicates that it works well. They say it does great job with base and clear coat....I am a little bit apprehensive about it....

THANKS!!!
 
What if you don't like the gun? You cannot use it with other HVLP guns, plus you need special hoses, fittings. No way to put a drier in the line if you need one. No way to get the air above 5psi. -what if you want 7psi? How bulky/clunky is that hose to move around a car while painting? What if the hose is too stiff and you want a more flexible one, or a lighter weight hose? How do you clean the hose? On the plus side, it might be great for inflating beach balls and air mattresses. Maybe in the future when (if) that type of stuff becomes standardized to replace traditional compressor fed guns, but my thinking is the thing is too big of a package risk considering you have no replacement options for individual parts.
 
The gun can get hot when used for long times with a short hose.

I have used the turbine , a long hose (garden hose can work) and and a large bucket of cold water ---when fed up the back of a sandblasting hood it works for air conditioning -- a respirator has to be used also.

My Father bought the system when it was the "new" miracle, it painted "ok" ---but when I painted my car in 1970 the speedy sprayer with the diaphram compressor worked "ok" also.
 
MikeK said:
What if you don't like the gun? You cannot use it with other HVLP guns, plus you need special hoses, fittings. No way to put a drier in the line if you need one. No way to get the air above 5psi. -what if you want 7psi? How bulky/clunky is that hose to move around a car while painting? What if the hose is too stiff and you want a more flexible one, or a lighter weight hose? How do you clean the hose? On the plus side, it might be great for inflating beach balls and air mattresses. Maybe in the future when (if) that type of stuff becomes standardized to replace traditional compressor fed guns, but my thinking is the thing is too big of a package risk considering you have no replacement options for individual parts.
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They do call it a system. As I have not used a gun before what is there to like or dislike? If the gun is designed for 5 why would you want 7? Why would you need to clean the hose? They claim that the air is already dry due to the method of compression.

I ask all this because I just saw this this week for the first time and it looked interesting and near fool proof set up of the equipment.
 
I have one and I love it. Air comes out warm and dry, so use reducer made for 10-15 degrees above ambient temperature. Simple to use and eliminates having to have a good compressor with dry air. Also reduces overspray.
 
save your money, get a piston compressor and then you can use it for any thing those systems when one thing breaks the whole thing is usless. compressors, hoses ,and spray guns are fairly cheap at harbour frieght, why spend money on a single purpose tool?
 
Mike V. Florida said:
They do call it a system. As I have not used a gun before what is there to like or dislike? If the gun is designed for 5 why would you want 7? Why would you need to clean the hose? They claim that the air is already dry due to the method of compression.

I ask all this because I just saw this this week for the first time and it looked interesting and near fool proof set up of the equipment.
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1) What is there to like or dislike (about the gun)? The balance in your hand, the pattern and fineness of the spray you can get vs. what you want, the ease or lack of adjustment for varied jobs.

2) If designed for 5(psi) why would you want 7? I think it prudent to have the operating pressure for the gun within the range of the air supply, not at the absolute limit of it. Perhaps I have a paint mix with extreme long-chain polymers that doesn't like to form fine droplets at 5? Set up a gun for an acceptable spray with a color and then try the same paint with a flex additive, see what happens. Mix a batch of paint with a pot life of 2 hours and see if it sprays the same at 1:45 that it did at the start. If you can get the droplets as fine without upping the air pressure a bit, wonderful. If not, throw $100 of mix away.

3) Why do you need to clean the hose? I guess it's just me. I don't like to drag a filthy hose that is a source for particles of dirt to end up on the painted surface. I always solvent wipe spray hoses between jobs. Will this hose stand up? It must be pretty stiff and hard to maneuver, because they sell an optional 5' corrugated "flex" extension that can't be simply wiped and looks like a good source for dirt particles. Good paint work is done in a clean room for a reason.

4) They claim the air is dry- The moisture is not removed, the capacity of the air to hold moisture (dew point) goes up with temperature. A big shell game. Technically, the air out of ANY compressor is "dry" (above the dew point) until the air cools off. If the R.H. of the intake air is 50% and you heat it with the compressor it may drop to 25%, but then a high, fast evap solvent paint mix may drop the temp so low the spray includes water condensate, despite the "dry" claim at the elevated air temp going in to the gun. With a conventional HVLP you can add all kinds of driers, from the compressor to the gun should the need arise. With this setup, not possible.

Again, just my two cent opinion. It may be better than sliced bread for a particular person, just not me.
 
I have one of TP tools HLVP paint systems.It isn't the newest one,I bought it about 10 years ago. It works fine for a hobbyist but a good painter would probably be disappointed.Like Mike said,the gun limits your control.If you want to make some changes,you are limited.The hose is rather awkward in my opinion and the short corregated hose on mine cracked and leaks,I think the hot air may make them brittle.You do have to factor in the hot air when mixing your thinner/catalyst,etc.
Mine did good on a couple of cars but the last couple of times I wanted to use it to spray some primer I went back to my old compressed air DeVilbis gun.The TP setup is ok for limited use but if you want an outstanding paint job you might want to consider a more professional setup.My 2¢.
 
I bought one maybe 15 or more years ago.I liked it.The air was warm,I had zero fisheyes,I thought the big hose would be a problem,I found it was lighter than the regular hose,it didn't fetch up on things like the regular hose either.It did have a tendency to coil if you didn't watch it.The gun was very comfortable,it was the first time I had seen a gun molded to fit the human hand.I painted a lot of equipment then,and it made very little smoke in the garage.Huge savings on materials too.When you are using 4 gallons on a machine,cutting it down to three is a big factor.Not so much the money savings,while that is nice the fact that you are not holding out your right arm to lay down another 6 quarts of sprayable material is priceless.At some point the formulation of acrylic enamels changed and I was getting what looked like oatmeal under the shiny finish.Very faint,but it was there.They sent me some different tips they had developed for the new paints,it atomized it properly and seemed to work.I gave up painting equipment and sold it.The fellow that bought it loves it,but he paints trailers with it,not too many cars.He has bought every tip available for it and knows far better than I ever did which one to use with what kinds of paint.The dealer backup was great,every time I broke a part they got it right out to me fast.I also think they never charged me for the updated tips they sent me,and that was 10 or so years after I bought it from them.They wanted their machines in the field working.I am too crowded for room in my garage,and I was using it every other year so I sold it.The hose alone takes up a lot of wall space.I would never have bought one just to do a car or two.To do a car a year I just use my old Devilbiss.Once I sold it I found I missed it a lot more than I thought I would.I could paint a chassis,or a new trailer,railings,stairs,or anything else I made without having to spend 3 hours wrapping and covering things in the garage.It made almost no overspray.
 
Mike V. Florida said:
No, no, I thank you for answering my questions!!!
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Hey Mike, My apologies. In retrospect my post seemed more like a bark than a reply. Not my intentions. I'd just hate to see that thing end up as a $700 mistake between your son and that Vicky! Perhaps someday low pressure supply + LVLP gun will be a standardized norm, but today compressor + HVLP is the standard. Not much foresight on my part I suppose. I could never have walked in Henry's shoes.
 
Is anybody making a GOOD HVLP with the cup on the bottom? I have almost no control over a gun with the cup on the top.I realize it is me,and I don't know if it is the kind of work I have done all my life,or age,but I just don't have the muscles in my hand to hold up a gun with the cupfull of paint on top.Before I get through the first cup my hand is cramping,and at some point my muscles quit and I drop it.I can hold a bottom cup gun with no problem,I just have to hold it up and steer it,but it seems like I have to balance the top cup guns and my hand goes stupid.I have spent hundreds,probably lots more,hours with a spray gun in my hand and I can't hold a top cup gun for more than a few minutes.Maybe it takes muscles I don't use.I can not hold a large paint brush for more than a few minutes either.Three minutes trying to paint a house and the brush falls out of my hand.Yet I can hold and control a sash brush all day.
 
Thank you for all your replies. I am a car painter, been painting for 45 years. I use 4 different HVLP guns with large compressor, only use base/clear topcoats usually, but have used Concept and other enamels. I am very pleased with today's products and would NOT want to go back to the "old days". However, paying less than 2 bucks for a pint of DuPont Lacquer back then was nice! I do show quality body work and painting. I initially DID NOT LIKE the top cup gravity feed guns, but now I wouldn't trade them for anything! I have a cabinet full of bottom cup suction guns that I have not used for many years.

I was looking through the TP tools catalog and found their turbine system interesting. I honestly could not see how they could work as well as today's systems for real quality finishes. I think I will save my $$ and talk my wife into another Model A!!

Thanks again guys....
 
I bought one a couple of years ago on the reccomdation from a master restorer near me (Pierce-Arrow & Packard) he would paint in one end of the shop and was able to do upholstry on the other because of the little overspray from the HVLP. I have only used the small gun for parts -- works well. the only thing I don't like is the ammount of work to properly clean the HVLP gun compared to the syphon gun. Good luck, EL
 
ford1 said:
save your money, get a piston compressor and then you can use it for any thing those systems when one thing breaks the whole thing is usless. compressors, hoses ,and spray guns are fairly cheap at harbour frieght, why spend money on a single purpose tool?
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I agree.These are a step above a Wagner Power painter, about 20 year old technology. They were an attempt when HVLP guns were just coming around. They were the BETA vs. the old HVLP being VHS. We know who won that battle. BTW, we now have a lot better HVLP guns just like we have better videos(DVD, Blueray etc)
The turbines do work OK for remote equipment, an electrical generator and you can paint, no compressor required. I sold a few to construction companies back before gas portable compressors were so common.
 
MikeK said:
Hey Mike, My apologies. In retrospect my post seemed more like a bark than a reply. Not my intentions. I'd just hate to see that thing end up as a $700 mistake between your son and that Vicky! Perhaps someday low pressure supply + LVLP gun will be a standardized norm, but today compressor + HVLP is the standard. Not much foresight on my part I suppose. I could never have walked in Henry's shoes.
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Like I said no problem at all. As a matter of fact when I wrote my questions I was the one that thought it would sound like an attack.
 
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