# How long are fine finish tips supposed to last?



## woodtradesman (Sep 22, 2008)

I ask because I was shooting some cabinet doors the other day with a graco fine finish tip 210 and noticed the spray pattern didn't look quite right, that and it seemed like I was getting too much material on. After that I did some spray testing on some scrap drywall and noticed the pattern was diamond shaped. At the point I was convinced that the tip was fried. I had only shot about 12 gallons worth of acrylic so it seemed some what premature for the tip to wear out so quickly.


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Heres where tip wear gets dicey. If the pattern is not flat, its worn out. If a tip starts fingering ( getting lines at the edges, not uniform ) or if the pattern becomes oval shaped, its worn out. 

I always tell guys, when you get a new tip....set your pressure to where you want. Then spray a few gallons through the tip, back in the bucket. This helps "set" the tip so they dont blow out so quick. It also seems that the better quality paints will wear tips faster for some reason, must be the acrylic resins...I dunno. Also, what were you spraying with a 210? If the size isnt matched properly to the material, this will wear them faster.


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## painterman (Jun 2, 2007)

Really depends on what type of material was sent through it although that does sound a little early to wear out. Maybe a bad tip.I usually get 50 to 60 gallons out of them.


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## woodtradesman (Sep 22, 2008)

It may have been more like 15 gallons but i am not sure. I am shooting higher quality 100% acrylics like SW proclassic and Beny satin impervo.

I am getting the lines on the edges and the pattern looks wrong. Its warn out for sure


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## NCPaint1 (Aug 6, 2009)

Yep, and I think a 210 is too small for those products. A bigger orifice with less pressure should get more life out of the tip. Try a tip with the last 2 digits 13-15, like X13 or X15.


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## Induspray (Dec 10, 2009)

woodtradesman said:


> It may have been more like 15 gallons but i am not sure. I am shooting higher quality 100% acrylics like SW proclassic and Beny satin impervo.
> 
> I am getting the lines on the edges and the pattern looks wrong. Its warn out for sure


You will get 60 to 80 gallons per tip for normal paint. The acrylics will be slightly more abrasive than the oils. 

Here is a picture of normal tip wear over time, the first picture on the left is a new tip and the far right is comletely worn out. You can test your spray at any time to see where it is at. Your paint consumption will double by the time you are at the round orifice spray pattern. If you get fingering or other abnomolies that is more related to pressure you are using than a worn out tip. 

I remember years ago seeing a painter at the paint store with a tip that was so old the handle on the side was gone and the painter had a small vice grip he had attached to allow him to reverse the direction, the guy was there to buy a new washer not to buy a new tip. 

If you spray a lot of paint you will save thousands per year by buying new tips and understanding when they are worn out.


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## woodtradesman (Sep 22, 2008)

I have a 412 but the 210 worked the best for face frames. I'll try a 212 if I can find one then.


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## Induspray (Dec 10, 2009)

NCPaint1 said:


> Yep, and I think a 210 is too small for those products. A bigger orifice with less pressure should get more life out of the tip. Try a tip with the last 2 digits 13-15, like X13 or X15.


Yes you are right. Latex products being heavier body need a larger orifice size tip to spray properly. I think somethingin the 17 to 19 thousand would work the best. To set the pressure on your pump for the best efficiency in paint consumption you would increase the pressure until the paint has just atomized at the tip and gives you an good even finish. Higher pressures will still work but you will go through a lot more paint to do the same square footage - You have to measure decreased paint consumpion with increased labour to do a given area and see where you are further ahead.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

I use a 10 orifice FF as well for trim. For cabinet work, detail stuff, etc it works better for me that other tips. A 12 FF is okay as well, but I prefer the size 10. What I like the most is that you can slow down a bit, less likely to get runs when spraying detailed stuff, and a nicer finish than the larger tips. 17-19 is too big for residential cabinetry. Fine for drywall priming or commercial work, but not for detail trim work.


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## Workaholic (Apr 17, 2007)

I am on the same page with Dean.

Pretty early for that tip to wear out, could of been defective. If you bought it at the paint store you could tell your rep he may throw you another one. 
For trim paint 80 gal is a pretty good run for me. Primers are courser material and will premature a tips life as well. 

If it was ceiling or wall paint I would expect at least 4x the amount of material to go through the tip before any problems occured, of course I would be using a much bigger tip and it would'nt be a FF.


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## IHATE_HOMEDEPOT (May 27, 2008)

I am a little surprised that you were able to spray latex with a 210. That small of a tip is reserved for clear coatings. You might have had an obstruction. Even if you thinned it the solids in the paint could clog it.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

Size 10 is almost all I used with waterborne trim paint. Just need to use a fine enough filter in the gun and all is good.


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## Induspray (Dec 10, 2009)

DeanV said:


> I use a 10 orifice FF as well for trim. For cabinet work, detail stuff, etc it works better for me that other tips. A 12 FF is okay as well, but I prefer the size 10. What I like the most is that you can slow down a bit, less likely to get runs when spraying detailed stuff, and a nicer finish than the larger tips. 17-19 is too big for residential cabinetry. Fine for drywall priming or commercial work, but not for detail trim work.


I was thinking 17 or 19 for walls not cabinets.


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## woodtradesman (Sep 22, 2008)

Induspray said:


> I was thinking 17 or 19 for walls not cabinets.


From the beginning I was asking about "fine finish" tips, I don't know how regular tips came into play here.

On the same page with workaholic and Dean I personally prefer a 10 orifice because I get better results.

Looking back I think I also ran about 10 gallons of primer on the 210 tip,


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## Induspray (Dec 10, 2009)

woodtradesman said:


> From the beginning I was asking about "fine finish" tips, I don't know how regular tips came into play here.
> 
> On the same page with workaholic and Dean I personally prefer a 10 orifice because I get better results.
> 
> Looking back I think I also ran about 10 gallons of primer on the 210 tip,


Still looks like you only got 25 gallons out of the tip. I would get them to replace it.


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