# What size tip do you use



## Cascade Painting (Mar 29, 2009)

...for spraying trim? I like the RacX fine finish 2.08 or 3.08. It seems like the .11 and .15's put out too much. Just curious what others use.

Thanks much.


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## Romanski (May 4, 2008)

Paint grade I use a 412.


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## Cascade Painting (Mar 29, 2009)

Romanski said:


> Paint grade I use a 412.


Do you find any disadvantages to using the smaller 3.08? It seems like I tended to get sags (on trim) with anything above .10 so I cut back.


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## Romanski (May 4, 2008)

Speed mostly. I have a good amount of experience spraying with the 412. I rarely get sags or runs, maybe in tough to spray areas like tight closet boxes or something like that but never on a door jamb or window casing. Spraying with a 308 (yuk) or even a 310 is just too slow for me. I'll use a 311 or a 312 for lacquer work tho.

I'll admit, you're not going to find a lot of painters that use a ff412 for trim work. You just have to find something that works for you.


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## Cascade Painting (Mar 29, 2009)

Cascade Painting said:


> Do you find any disadvantages to using the smaller 3.08? It seems like I tended to get sags (on trim) with anything above .10 so I cut back.





Romanski said:


> Speed mostly. I have a good amount of experience spraying with the 412. I rarely get sags or runs, maybe in tough to spray areas like tight closet boxes or something like that but never on a door jamb or window casing. Spraying with a 308 (yuk) or even a 310 is just too slow for me. I'll use a 311 or a 312 for lacquer work tho.
> 
> I'll admit, you're not going to find a lot of painters that use a ff412 for trim work. You just have to find something that works for you.


I agree, I think everyone needs to use what works best for them. You are right about speed; I use a 4.15 for priming (it's quick dry primer and is impossible to get sags) and things go a lot faster.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

310 for most trim. 211 for smaller stuff.


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## 1977corey (Feb 27, 2009)

Workaholic said:


> 310 for most trim. 211 for smaller stuff.


Graco 412 FF, and when they are blown, i like to use em outside


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## ParagonVA (Feb 3, 2009)

Workaholic said:


> 310 for most trim. 211 for smaller stuff.


word.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

210 or 310 for painted trim
208 or 308 for lacquer

515 or 517 for priming drywall.


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## WisePainter (Dec 27, 2008)

311 ff clear coats, 311 trim with sheen, 517 exteriors and any other substrate I need to get coated heavily and in a hurry.


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## deluxe (Nov 30, 2008)

for trim we usually use 3.10 or 3.11
for doors/pannels 4.10 or 4.12


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## Cascade Painting (Mar 29, 2009)

1977corey said:


> Graco 412 FF, and when they are blown, i like to use em outside


Ha ha, it's funny how a blown FF tip becomes a 12 inch fan! Unless you get fingering...

Some painters can their tips after every job and put the price of a new one in their bids. Seems like a waste to me...


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2008)

1977corey said:


> Graco 412 FF, and when they are blown, i like to use em outside


I like the idea of taking the blown tip outside... :thumbsup: I tend to use the 413 Titan's outside anyways...  It may be a bit slower, but I like the control I have with it.

FF tips I use are all Graco, from 312 to 208 depending on the wood work package. I use the 212 more often than any other.


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## racin16car (Feb 27, 2009)

412 or 414....but depends on the product.....for BM super spec u can get away with a 414, but with satin impervo 412 is about max.


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## ParagonVA (Feb 3, 2009)

you know what else works great are the 111 tips. I found them online and they are perfect for spraying crown and jambs/casing to minimize overspray. Also, if you are spraying spindles or pickets, they rock the mic.

-jt


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## brushmstr (Feb 15, 2009)

Are you guys that are using tips anywhere from 208 to 310 spraying latex or oil. Because I feel they are too small. When spraying interior trim, we use a 313.


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## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

210, 310 for most latex trim packs...

515, 517 for priming, finish ceilings and walls. Once they start to get blown out they turn into exterior tips.


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## ParagonVA (Feb 3, 2009)

brushmstr said:


> Are you guys that are using tips anywhere from 208 to 310 spraying latex or oil. Because I feel they are too small. When spraying interior trim, we use a 313.


 
latex


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## Mantis (Aug 4, 2008)

310FF for latex trim


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2008)

brushmstr said:


> Are you guys that are using tips anywhere from 208 to 310 spraying latex or oil. Because I feel they are too small. When spraying interior trim, we use a 313.


Latex and oil primers.

I rarely use oil paints and will most likely use the HVLP for that.


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## Cascade Painting (Mar 29, 2009)

brushmstr said:


> Are you guys that are using tips anywhere from 208 to 310 spraying latex or oil. Because I feel they are too small. When spraying interior trim, we use a 313.


I use a 2.08 or 3.08 with latex. But I put about a 3/4 quart of flotrol per gallon of paint.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

DeanV said:


> 210 or 310 for painted trim
> 208 or 308 for lacquer
> 
> 515 or 517 for priming drywall.


Me too.

Love the 210 and 310. Sometimes I will go up to a 4 or 5 if I have a bunch of doors set up in a room.

The 210 SIPS paint. IT barely puts any overspray on the walls, there is barely any dust on the floor after spraying an entire room.

Smaller is better. I still know guys who still use a 4-15. They have to drop off for a mile in each direction and they get overspray all over the place, but they have always used a 4-15 and chan't stop now.

I touched up a window in a living room the other day, there was a couch 10 feet away and I didnt even cover it. I just masked out double 12 inch masking all the way around.

I wouldnt recomend not covering things I dont make a practice of it.

You never know when something might go a little haywire with the tip and spurt paint in a weird direction. Rarely happens, but it can.


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

Cascade Painting said:


> I use a 2.08 or 3.08 with latex. But I put about a 3/4 quart of flotrol per gallon of paint.


Floetrol makes the paint thicker. When I reduce, I am not just reducing with an additive to create more open time for the paint, I also want to reduce the viscosity so that the paint atomizes out of the tip more effectively, and wraps around corners and other surfaces better.

I would use water except it weakens the finish more from what I understand than an additive that extends open time, because the additive allows more time for the molecules which have now been spread out by reducing to lnik back together again.

I would try XIM paint additive. It is almost the consistency of water. You can really reduce your paint to a lesser viscosity making it spray out more like oil or lacquer.

I have been reducing less lately because of being worried about strength, and the paint has still been flowing nicely.


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## Cascade Painting (Mar 29, 2009)

Last Craftsman said:


> Floetrol makes the paint thicker. When I reduce, I am not just reducing with an additive to create more open time for the paint, I also want to reduce the viscosity so that the paint atomizes out of the tip more effectively, and wraps around corners and other surfaces better.
> 
> I would use water except it weakens the finish more from what I understand than an additive that extends open time, because the additive allows more time for the molecules which have now been spread out by reducing to lnik back together again.
> 
> ...


Correct; floetrol in a conditioner/extender, not a thinner. But with the Columbia paint that I use, it seems to get the paint to flow out better as it sets up (or is that just in my mind? I have heard that floetrol is not needed when spraying). I don't thin with water or anything else, the Columbia paint is pretty finicky and sags easily. I am wondering if I would need floetrol with XIM?


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## Last Craftsman (Dec 5, 2008)

Cascade Painting said:


> Correct; floetrol in a conditioner/extender, not a thinner. But with the Columbia paint that I use, it seems to get the paint to flow out better as it sets up (or is that just in my mind? I have heard that floetrol is not needed when spraying). I don't thin with water or anything else, the Columbia paint is pretty finicky and sags easily. I am wondering if I would need floetrol with XIM?


No you would most likely use one or the other. XIM extender and floetrol do the same thing, they open up the dry time which allows the paint more time to flow.

The difference is Floetrol is thick like a milkshake, and XIM is thin like water. So when you add XIM you can get the physical thickness of the paint down some.

I prefer the option of reducing viscosity, most acrylics enamels still aren't liquidy enough because the industry is still weening off of the notion that "thicker paint is better".

I recently sprayed a set of 8 13 foot double french doors that were retrofitted into a high end home. We had to match the existing finish which I think was alkyd satin imprvo from the look.

I reduced with XIM and matched the finish EXACTLY, with the exception that the alkyd paints always have that slight amber hue that acrylics dont.

But acrylics dont turn yellow! So F-K alkyd. I never want to breath it again.

Granted *the film isn't as strong when you add an extender, and I try to add as little as possible*, but it is strong enough for 95% of most human activity.

Unless there is a dog scratching on it constantly, it will wear and wash just fine. Even then, the material is most vulnurable at first, it definately gets stronger with time.

I instruct my clients not to use a brillo pad, a scraper, or a blow torch on the finish. Problem solved.

All these years the industry has been formulating house paint so that you could scrape barnacles off the mantle once a year if you need to. Yee-haw! GIT HER DONE!!!!!

All of that extra strength, is WAY overkill and completely unecessary for 95% of normal living.

It's funny how we will paint an ENTIRE house with a certain type, or sheen of paint, just to account for something that might happen in 2-3% of the total area of the house.

Acrylic is the 'illist. F-k the rest.


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## Cascade Painting (Mar 29, 2009)

Last Craftsman said:


> No you would most likely use one or the other. XIM extender and floetrol do the same thing, they open up the dry time which allows the paint more time to flow.
> 
> The difference is Floetrol is thick like a milkshake, and XIM is thin like water. So when you add XIM you can get the physical thickness of the paint down some.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the tips on the XIM, I'll try it out and see how it works. I agree about alkyd paints-- the main reason I don't use them is that they yellow! I also hate the clean-up, odor, mess, etc. That's why I am happy that I found the Columbia acry-shield, it is a latex product that flows out and dries hard. Plus, it's cheaper than BM Impervo!!!


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