what's your hvlp setup like?

[mstevensphoto]

Hi all,
   I've recently moved and finally have my own room dedicated to spraying (it's been the back porch when it's warm or middle of my studio floor when it's cold). I typically spray 3-10 canvases at a time, very frequently of all different sizes. When I was carting stuff outside I found it easier to tape the canvas to cardboard so I didn't have a sprayed print flopping around as I walked back in - I always found that cumbersome. Now I've set up my booth and have clamps on a wall but I'm noticing a new problem - the overspray from one print inevitably ends up on the back of the next one sometimes sticking it to the table I lay the print on to dry. I'm curious to know how those of you doing more of an assembly line process hold the prints during spraying. do you put them on cardboard or masonite for transport? let them hang free? something else?
many thanks!
Mark

[Alan Goldhammer]

There is a nice video segment of Andrew Collett's set up in the C2PS video series that Michael and Jeff have done.  It was just posted yesterday and goes through the whole process from print to spray to mounting.

[dgberg]

I have 3 Homosote panels hanging around the studio and drying room. (corkboard type panel.)
The 2 in the studio are covered with fabric I had laying around that matched our painted trim.
The large Homosote panel in the drying room can hold a half dozen or more decent sized prints.
I use a standard bulletin board push pin to hold the prints for spraying and drying.
I never lay anything flat unless I am out of hanging room. They dry much faster when hung and dust is never a problem.
For lighting I have 4 - 300 watt explosive proof lights in the spray booth and an explosive proof fan. I have a draw curtain between the 2 rooms to keep overspray off freshly sprayed prints.
Lights and fan required by my insurance company for the solvent finishes we use for furniture and cabinetry.
At the left are my dedicated Binks HVLP setups. 1 for solvent based Clearstar for prints and the 2nd. for catalized varnish on cabinetry.
I have another HVLP setup for water based Timeless and Glamor II. All clearly marked so we never grab the wrong gun.

[mstevensphoto]

Dan, how do you keep over spray from getting on the back of the next print when you do several in a row? looks like a great setup!

[dgberg]

Not sure what you mean by "getting overspray on the back of the next print" The backs are not exposed.
I always spray the largest ones first so that the cardboard is always dry when I pin the next one up if thats what you mean.
 I usually only do several at a time and have several of these cardboard frames made up just in case I would need a clean one.
After their 2 coats I un pin them and hang them on the large homosote panels in the drying room or studio neither of which is exposed to overspray.
Have I answered your question,if not maybe you could elaborate?

[mstevensphoto]

that covers it. I meant that when you spray any given size you go over the edge which leaves wet varnish on the corkboard or whatever is behind the print, then when you hang the next one it gets into that. I usually do biggest to smallest too, but the size varies so much - this last batch was 2 16x20's, a 30x36, a 20x40 a 24x24 and three 18x24's - so you can see that the sizes in all directions jump so much there's not really a symmetrical bigger to smaller w/o something sticking out. I think I'll probably go back to my cardboard sheets.

[dgberg]

I am tacking to cardboard sheets for spraying.
I get them free with my plywood deliveries.
I have a stack of them and never seem to run out.

[Roscolo]

I also tack the prints to cardboard flat on the floor and spray 2-3 coats with one of the cheap Wagner sprayers.

[Luca Ragogna]

I screwed a piece of sheet metal to the wall and I use magnets to hold kraft paper over the metal to catch the overspray. I tack the canvas up to spray it with more magnets. After I spray the canvas I use Ikea skirt hangers to hang the canvas up to dry. It was a cheap system that works really well. It's fast and easy to tack up the canvas to spray and the kraft paper keeps everything clean. I need to find a better system to hang the canvas to dry. Even though the skirt hangers work I need a lot of space between the canvas so they don't move around and touch each other.