I am in the market to buy a detail gun and air compressor for painting my planes.  Was just curious as to what everybody was using.  I am thinking about a 10 gallon upright portable type compressor but have not decided on the detail gun yet.

What have you all found that works good for you.

Mike

I just replaced a 25 gallon horizontal/portable compressor that I had been using for about 20 years.  I got a 33 gallon upright from Craftsman (on sale now).  It should do the job for me and has two outlets! LOL!!  I also use air ratchets, etc., so I wanted one with more capacity.  It does take 10 minutes to completely fill from completely drained.  Add a water trap on your paint line!

Big Bear

I would go with (cause I have one)a Sears Pro model that is a 25 gallon. I wouldn't get an 'oil-less' model, they make
way to much noise and don't last very long. Very srongly recommend getting one with an external electric motor that drives a belt to turn compressor....much quieter and more powerful. JMHO

I bought my compressor from Harbor Freight. So far, it works pretty well (upright 33 gallon job). I've used one of those Central Pneumatic jobs a couple of times. I have the full sized model to shoot primer. I don't think much of them for actually shooting paint, but to each his own.

Mike, do a search on spray guns here and you see multiple arguments on why buying a decent gun is a good idea.

HI Mike,

I do agree with Randy on getting the best you can afford.  The "lifetime" of the gun actually working as it should will be pretty much proportionate to the amount of money spent

While you can get away with the cheaper guns, if you want to have a gun that will "last" then get a "good" one..

Big Bear

DAve,

I use 3 guns. I have the primer gun I mentioned. It's a POS but works for primer pretty well. I've never seen any sense in spending a ton of money on a primer gun. I have a Finex 1000 touchup gun for colors. It's a decent gun for the price (under a hundred bucks). It is pretty consistent and you don't have to mess with it all the time to get it to work properly. Moreover, it's easy to clean. A real plus. I use a SATA Mini-Jet for clear. It's a very nice but pricey gun. Between 3 and 4 hundred retail (I didn't pay that much). It will last the rest of my life. It's absurdly easy to use and very, very predictable. Very nice atomization, too. Good flow out when adjusted correctly for air flow and fluid density. Nice gun.

As mentioned before, no matter what gun you use, cleaning it properly after each use is an absolute must!