# Overspray



## Larman (Apr 18, 2007)

I just purchased titan xt 420 to do exterior painting. It works fine with a 517 tip but there is considerable over spray. I watched someone paint a walmart with a graco paint sprayer in the middle of the day with no over spray what so ever. Is this a quality issue or something I may be doing wrong. I am maxed out on the pressure at 3000 will lowering it help? Thanks,

Larry


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## ewingpainting.net (Jun 2, 2008)

It's the spray man not the spray machine. You pressure is too high.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

You are kidding, Right?


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

This is why spraying gets a bad rap. Also this site is more for the pro painter as I have stated before.


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## painter213 (Nov 5, 2008)

If you do not want overspray, then get out your brush and roller and drop cloth. This is where the real painters come out. To try to minimize your over spray, ONE: Turn your pressure down to the point that your spray pattern starts to finger, then turn it just to where the fingers disapear. This is the pressure at which you want to spray. TWO: Aim your gun at what your spraying. Do not try to reach out to get that extra foot where it takes a longer pull of the trigger to cover. THREE: Check to see what is down wind before spraying. If you do not want overspray on it, then go to your truck and get your Brushes, Rollers and Drop Clothes out and start painting. Now, give me a e-mail and I will send you my mailing address so you can send me a check for $50 for my consulting services that I just provided to you :thumbsup:.


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## Larman (Apr 18, 2007)

Thanks for the replies. I really enjoyed the sarcasm. We have been doing mostly interiors and wanted to upgrade to a sprayer for exterior use. Im sorry if I offended anyone with my question.


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## Larman (Apr 18, 2007)

John can you define pro painter for me please?



johnpaint said:


> This is why spraying gets a bad rap. Also this site is more for the pro painter as I have stated before.


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## painter213 (Nov 5, 2008)

Larman said:


> Thanks for the replies. I really enjoyed the sarcasm. We have been doing mostly interiors and wanted to upgrade to a sprayer for exterior use. Im sorry if I offended anyone with my question.


No offense here. You have to learn, and one thing is The Brand Spray Machine is not reallly what matters. It is Volume and Pressure to get the material to the gun and out. 

It is up the one with the gun to apply in a appropriate fashion is all. Like my daddy once said: "Anybody can pull the trigger on a spray gun, but it take a real painter to be able to put the paint on where it where it needs to go".


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## Larman (Apr 18, 2007)

Thanks again for your insight, will make the necessary adjustments. I've been fearing the sprayer for years just heard to many horror stories. But, in terms of production one can cover much more ground. Thanks again


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

ewingpainting.net said:


> It's the spray man not the spray machine. You pressure is too high.


:yes:



Larman said:


> John can you define pro painter for me please?


Professional Contractor




Larman said:


> Thanks again for your insight, will make the necessary adjustments. I've been fearing the sprayer for years just heard to many horror stories. But, in terms of production one can cover much more ground. Thanks again


It is not just for production, it is a skill like any other to be used at the right time and place. If you can find an old shed/wood and some leftover paint, go practice. After much practice, you will become one with the sprayer!


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## lugi (May 15, 2009)

I know how you feel larman that seems like a common for john, I guess because we dont have a business link under are name we are not painters.Sometimes a alligator mouty can get a pollywog butt in a mess.....


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

lugi said:


> I know how you feel larman that seems like a common for john, I guess because we dont have a business link under are name we are not painters.Sometimes a alligator mouty can get a pollywog butt in a mess.....


 :thumbup:

Sometimes you gotta pay your dues....


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

> It is up the one with the gun to apply in a appropriate fashion is all. Like my daddy once said: "Anybody can pull the trigger on a spray gun, but it take a real painter to be able to put the paint on where it where it needs to go".


Yup. Our version was, "Any monkey can spray."


Larman, switch to a 415.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Oh no; I'm turning into neps. Neps I'm starting to understand you now.


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

johnpaint said:


> Oh no; I'm turning into neps. Neps I'm starting to understand you now.


its easy to feel that way when every new thread is how do i fix a spray can or home depot made me look like a dummy or how come i cant do it right? Its been kind of a rough two weeks for new posts.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

I really like to help people as much as anyone, but just like there are several grades you have to go through to get through school, there are grades you have to go through to be a pro painter, you just can't take a guy from the first grade put him in the third without having a problem.There are other sites that deal with the first grade stuff. Let them deal with that, and let us have a good site here.


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## lugi (May 15, 2009)

Like *Skimming paneling* .


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

johnpaint said:


> I really like to help people as much as anyone, but just like there are several grades you have to go through to get through school, there are grades you have to go through to be a pro painter, you just can't take a guy from the first grade put him in the third without having a problem.There are other sites that deal with the first grade stuff. Let them deal with that, and let us have a good site here.


But you don't really know what grade he is in. Yes, this economy has brought a lot of "I painted my mom's house, now I want to start a business" types. They usually post once and never come back. They see all the questions being asked and don't really understand. Look at Larmans profile, been here a year, has asked a few questions. You think he is going to post or get involved if this is the response he gets?


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## tsunamicontract (May 3, 2008)

lugi said:


> Like *Skimming paneling* .


because you had all the answers!

I think newer posters need to include more background info in their posts.



> Hi, I have been a member of the site for over a year, just started posting. I have been painting for 10 years doing residential repaints. I was looking for a way to keep production up to keep prices competitive for new work and exterior so I picked up a sprayer. I am still gun shy, pun intended, about spraying. Right now it seems that the sprayer I purchased, titan xt 420, has considerable over spray. I watched someone paint a walmart with a graco paint sprayer in the middle of the day with no over spray what so ever. What can I do to reduce over spray? How do you know what pressure you should be spraying at? What kinds of tips do you like to use?


might have been much better received.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

RCP said:


> But you don't really know what grade he is in. Yes, this economy has brought a lot of "I painted my mom's house, now I want to start a business" types. They usually post once and never come back. They see all the questions being asked and don't really understand. Look at Larmans profile, been here a year, has asked a few questions. You think he is going to post or get involved if this is the response he gets?


Rcp: I guess it really all depends on the direction Paint Talk wants to go in. If the site is just for diy questions they need to state that.Bill, can you clarify this?


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

It is quite a DIY question...

"I watched someone paint a walmart" ??!

:whistling2:


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## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

johnpaint said:


> Oh no; I'm turning into neps. Neps I'm starting to understand you now.


I am better looking.


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## Larman (Apr 18, 2007)

Interesting series of replies. I have been doing residential repaints and wanted to break into the commercial end of the business. I have learned much from this site and contractor talk and will continue to do so. I do have a suggestion if your not interested in replying to someones questions other than with sarcasm and put downs, DONT. AS far as I can see I have broke no rules or violated any TOS.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Sorry Larman: here of late we have had a lot of basic how do you do this, how do you do that kind of questions that are very basic questions that any painter of at least one year of working in the trade would know.Anyone that has been on this site for more than a year can see that the quality of questions, and the quality of the replies have changed.They use to direct people to diy sites but that has changed a bit, and so we continue to see these kind of questions grow.I don't know about other painters on here but I can say the quality of this site has changed, and it is not as much fun for me to get on here.I think if it doesn't change some I will maybe find other things to do for a while.The answer to your question is basicly working with your sprayer and learning how to turn your pressure down enough to get the fingers out of the spray and still have enough pressure to get paint on the walls.When spraying if you hear a (hard hiss) from your spray gun it means you need to turn the pressure down.Also make sure you have a good clean tip.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

johnpaint said:


> Rcp: I guess it really all depends on the direction Paint Talk wants to go in. If the site is just for diy questions they need to state that.Bill, can you clarify this?



Oh that's right, put me in the middle









Obviously the site is not for DIY'ers. 

Now the rest is MY OPINION and not necessarily the opinion of the owner of painttalk, it's sponsors, or the other mods:

We are all at different levels of the trade. We are at different levels of technical skills and business acumen. We all have different ideas of what "professional" means.

I see this as a place in which we can offer to those willing to accept advice ways to improve oneself and thus the profession. 

We had a kid here awhile back to whom many folks reached out a helping hand. We all got frustrated because he just would not listen. Bye bye.

We've had novices come on here who admit they know squat but they listen and take to heart what we have to say. God bless 'em, they will succeed. 

We've had seasoned "pro's" claiming to be God's gift to the profession. Bye Bye









We've had seasoned pros willing to share what they know and willing to learn from others - God bless THEM

I would like to see helping hands extended to the open minded so that the profession improves as a whole. 

If a guy/gal wants to start using a piece of equipment that is new to him/her, then help the poor sucker. Obviously if someone is investing a few thou in ladders, staging, sprayers, van, or whatever, we ain't talking DIY. 

We are here to HELP, not belittle (unless they beg for it







)




And that's MY opinion. Did it skirt the question well enough ?? :thumbup:


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

:thumbsup:


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

Every once in awhile Bill writes a "keeper". Make it a sticky. Great response Bill,


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## graybear13 (Feb 28, 2009)

Bill , are you involved in politics by any chance ?


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Thanks Bill: I would like to point out that if any of you guy's out there that want to learn to spray, please be careful with regard to the tip.The pressure coming out of a spray gun is between 1500 and 3000 psi so that means that if your finger comes within say two inches of the spray tip you will be injected with whatever you are spraying.My Dad had a guy that worked on the crew for the university where he worked that injected his finger with latex paint, and they had to cut it off. The doctor said if he had not got to the hospital as fast as they did it could have way worse or he could even die from infection.I have also seen painters rinse their arms and hands off with the spray water, not a good idea.Please be careful.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Wolfgang said:


> Every once in awhile Bill writes a "keeper". Make it a sticky. Great response Bill,


Thanks Wolf, but I don't write for stickies, I write for the moment. My crap don't stand the test of time.





graybear13 said:


> Bill , are you involved in politics by any chance ?


ROFLMAO !! If I were one to use others' quotes as my sig, that would be one ! :thumbup: :thumbsup:


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

That post will stand the test of time my friend.


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## danpaints (Feb 16, 2012)

painter213 said:


> If you do not want overspray, then get out your brush and roller and drop cloth. This is where the real painters come out. To try to minimize your over spray, ONE: Turn your pressure down to the point that your spray pattern starts to finger, then turn it just to where the fingers disapear. This is the pressure at which you want to spray. TWO: Aim your gun at what your spraying. Do not try to reach out to get that extra foot where it takes a longer pull of the trigger to cover. THREE: Check to see what is down wind before spraying. If you do not want overspray on it, then go to your truck and get your Brushes, Rollers and Drop Clothes out and start painting. Now, give me a e-mail and I will send you my mailing address so you can send me a check for $50 for my consulting services that I just provided to you :thumbsup:.


Here you go. 

Free of charge.



http://www.portlandcompressor.com/airless/spraying-techniques.aspx


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

Larman said:


> I just purchased titan xt 420 to do exterior painting. It works fine with a 517 tip but there is considerable over spray. I watched someone paint a walmart with a graco paint sprayer in the middle of the day with no over spray what so ever. Is this a quality issue or something I may be doing wrong. I am maxed out on the pressure at 3000 will lowering it help? Thanks,
> 
> A walmart is a perfect" no overspray situation". You got 4 long,high walls -except for when starting the top of the wall or when working the corners over spraying is virtually impossible. A good job to learn basic spraying on really. Other jobs are case by case and experience. Some basic tips- cover up and drop out BEFORE u spray, use a fresh tip, run ur gun close enuff to the surface,watch ur self on corners and oddball targets like spindles soffits u know things that when spraying put a lot of paint in the air. Make ur mistakes, u will, and learn from them for the next time.


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