Earlex Spray Station 3500 HVLP

Comments about Earlex Spray Station 3500 HVLP :

Great price, easy to learn how to use, [...] I contacted Earlex with several how-to questions and they responded very quickly. Plan on spending some time practicing and getting the feel for the gun, start with water then when you're ready to actually use it, plan on practicing on some scrap until you get comfortable and happy with the output. I was spraying general finishes poly and ended up using the 1.5mm tip for a great finish. When practicing, experiment with different tips,also practice with the flow control and your speed. after you order it and before you get it, go to the earlex website and review some of the how to videos, they were a great resource.

Comments about Earlex Spray Station 3500 HVLP :

The clear plastic seals on the needles don't hold up to alcohol. I purchased this HVLP system from the Woodcraft store in Portsmouth, NH for the express purpose of spraying shellac with it. I brought it home and used it with some tinted, 1.5-cut shellac, with good results. After I was done, I cleaned the gun as per the instructions - put alcohol in the cup, sprayed for a few seconds, then cleaned everything with warm soapy water.The next day, I reassembled the gun and prepared to spray a second coat. As soon as I flipped the switch, shellac started leaking out from under the gun, around the trigger area, making a mess on my shop floor. I immediately stopped, cleaned everything, carefully reassembled the gun and tested things again with water - same leak.Earlex support diagnosed the problem as a bad gun and sent me a replacement. The problem was still there with the new gun, so we came to the conclusion that my needle's plastic seal must have been defective. They sent me a new needle and I was able to spray my project's second coat. Halfway through the third coat, however, the leak started up again! Clearly the plastic seal is not friends with the alcohol in the shellac...So Earlex is sending me a third needle [...], along with instructions to use less alcohol and more soapy water when cleaning it, and to put it back in the gun as soon as it's cleaned: apparently just letting the needle rest on a flat surface under its own weight is enough to deform the seal and damage it! Something tells me I'll be calling Earlex again next week...

Comments about Earlex Spray Station 3500 HVLP :

Started leaking the first time I used it, but I figured it might have been sitting on a shelf too long. I took it apart, cleaned everything, and haven't had a problem since. Much better than the Wagner guns I have been using, plus Woodcraft included the fine tip as well. Defintely a excellent buy.

Comments about Earlex Spray Station 3500 HVLP :

First time user of a paint gun. The ability to quickly change the distribution pattern is very helpful. Compact, smart design with intuitive clean up tools.