A modern spray gun, depending on the type, can differ significantly in design and design, and have a manual, pneumatic or electric drive. The popularity of these devices is great, because they are capable of spraying water, disinfectant liquid, paints and varnishes, and plant care products.
What is a spray bottle?
In many cases, using a fine liquid is much more convenient than working with a brush. A powerful jet easily covers internal holes or products of even the most complex profile, distributing the working composition over the surface without smears. A modern household or professional sprayer is a device for effectively spraying water, paints, powders, and various suspensions.
Spray device
Electric portable devices have a battery and an electric pump. Pneumatic devices are connected by hoses to a paint container and a compressed air reservoir. Portable gardening products are pressurized by a built-in piston-type pump. The simplest small-sized hand-held sprayer for spraying, designed for installation on a standard plastic bottle, works only when the trigger handle is continuously pressed and has the following design:
- storage tank;
- pump with handle;
- head with slotted tip;
- tube for removing liquid.
The principle of operation of the spray gun
Devices of this type use the physical Venturi effect. A sharp drop in pressure in the fluid flow is created at the moment it flows through the narrowed section of the nozzle. Let's take a brief look at how the spray gun works:
- The working solution is directed through the tube to the nozzle due to the difference in pressure created by a pump or using an ejector.
- Flying out into the external environment, the liquid turns into a jet, which, due to increased disturbances in the flow and the presence of surface tension, instantly scatters into tiny droplets.
- By increasing the speed of liquid movement, it is easy to achieve atomization of the composition almost to a fog-like state.
- Depending on the type of nozzle, you can create a triangular, round, or ring-shaped jet.
Main malfunctions of the spray gun
Despite its simple design, the spray gun is still susceptible to breakdowns. Frequent malfunctions of the spray gun can be counted on one hand.
The gun doesn't paint
This happens in the following situations.
- The air pressure in the system is extremely low. To correct the problem, the compressor must be adjusted.
- The paint supply is interrupted due to the needle and nozzle being clogged. It is necessary to disassemble the spray gun and clean the listed elements.
- The needle or nozzle is damaged. Parts need to be replaced.
Spray gun spits
The reason that the spray gun spits can be due to several malfunctions.
- The air cap is not tightened properly. The part needs to be screwed on well.
- The viscosity of the paint does not match the air pressure. It is necessary to achieve an acceptable pressure-viscosity ratio.
- The paint is too thick. It is necessary to prepare paint of less thickness.
- The breather on the dye tank is clogged. It is necessary to remove the plug and clean the hole in it.
- The pressure in the receiver has dropped below normal. It is necessary to set a lower pressure threshold in the compressor settings that corresponds to the operating characteristics of the spray gun.
The torch moves to the side
If the torch of sprayed paint moves away from the gun, then the reasons for this may be the following.
- Air cap side holes are clogged. You need to remove the head and clean it.
- Damage to the side air cap holes. The damaged part should be replaced.
Using a spray gun
If housewives use devices of the simplest design when ironing clothes, then for industry they produce units with powerful drives that help perform large volumes of work. Here is a short list of examples of using this device in enterprises and at home:
- A spray bottle for flowers is convenient; for example, it helps to moisten foliage and apply foliar fertilizers.
- Using the device for washing windows, furniture, and other surfaces.
- A hand sprayer is used to apply disinfectants in medicine.
- A spray gun is an extremely popular type of spray gun for quickly painting the surface of any profile.
- A hairdressing sprayer has long been used for spraying cosmetics.
- Spraying of agricultural crops.
Where are paint sprayers used?
They are used in many places:
- for spraying paint, varnish, primer, liquid putty
- for spraying plants against pests
- for spraying disinfectants
The advantages of a spray gun over manual labor are obvious:
- Higher speed compared to a human
- Higher quality of the resulting spraying
- Saving consumables
- Much less labor intensive
Important!!! If you need to paint the walls in your house, you need to ensure that they are carefully leveled, since any unevenness is noticeable under a thin layer of spray paint.
First you need to understand that each spray gun has its own characteristics.
There are several types of paint sprayers:
- Pneumatic
- Electrical
- Manual
Types of spray guns
The quality of spraying depends on the power of the pump used in this device. The design and dimensions of the device depend on its purpose. An expensive automatic spray gun is suitable for painting or processing large areas in agriculture, but for a tiny flower garden or whitewashing small rooms, a compact bottle with a hand pump is enough. Based on the type of drive, these devices are divided into the following types:
- Hand sprayers.
- Electric - mains or portable battery.
- Pneumatic - compressed air comes from a compressor.
Household spray bottle
Since their invention, sprayers have been used in the home. Many products for cleaning windows, furniture or dishes are immediately sold in special bottles, which, in fact, are a ready-made hand sprayer for water. Retail chains are full of attachments for PET bottles that turn an old container into a budget sprinkler in one motion.
Types of household sprayers:
- Medical nebulizers.
- Cosmetic spray bottle with bulb.
- Spray bottles for household chemicals.
- Amateur spray guns for applying paints and varnishes.
Garden sprayer
Separately, we should highlight devices for gardening that simplify caring for plants. Backpack sprayers with a capacity of 8-15 liters are good for large gardens and tree care. Motorized devices with engines of different designs are produced for farmers. A small-sized sprayer for spraying plants may have low power, but it allows the use of small packaging of fungicides and is easier to use. Compact devices are easier to wash after use; a 3-5 liter container takes up less space.
Professional spray gun
In sprayers designed to work with large volumes, the solution is supplied using a special drive. A water spray bottle with a hand pump is not capable of applying low pressure and is poorly designed for continuous supply of solution. Let's look at the types of professional spray guns:
- Pneumatic spray gun
- a strong air jet is passed through the nozzle, which captures the prepared solution from the tank. This type of device works with materials in a liquid consistency, and allows you to apply paint in the thinnest, even layer. The disadvantage of this method of painting is that part of the liquid does not reach the surface, hanging in the air in the form of fog. - Electric spray guns
. In airless spray guns, materials are fed into the nozzle using piston pumps. Devices of this design allow the use of paints with increased viscosity. An electric air sprayer has many similarities with pneumatic devices, but it does not involve a compressor, but a turbine or solenoid electric motor, built into the body of the unit or standing separately.
What are the advantages of the cleaning solution spray method?
► Fast and uniform application of the product. The spray jet consists of small drops of cleaning solution, which, when colliding with the surface, completely cover the area and penetrate into all the smallest irregularities.
►Applying the solution to hard-to-reach areas. The jet is sprayed over a distance of 30 cm to 5 meters, reaching even those surfaces that are difficult or impossible to reach by hand.
► Always clean solution. The user does not wet the wipes or sponges in the liquid, but simply presses the trigger and applies the product to the wiping materials or directly to the surfaces being cleaned.
► Economical consumption. The volume of cleaning solution used for cleaning depends on the number of times you press the trigger of the hand sprayer.
How to choose a spray bottle?
The scope of work and purpose play a decisive role when choosing a sprayer. For example, when purchasing garden sprayers, you need to take into account the size of the plot. Too large a tank volume creates inconvenience in work, and you have to endlessly add solution into a tiny container. The best option for a summer resident is to have several spray guns of different types on the farm. Here are the main criteria for choosing a device of this type:
- In a city apartment, for household needs it is more convenient to use simple devices with a trigger handle or special attachments for a PET bottle.
- For painting metal, it is better to use pneumatic units.
- A hand-held water sprayer with a pump is suitable in the garden, flower garden, and when treating walls.
- Electric spray guns are good for painting wood.
- In summer cottages far from home, it is better to use portable devices, and buy stationary devices for the garage or personal workshop.
Let's sum it up
As much as you might want to develop an effective spray gun, manufacturing companies do it better. There are many interesting offers on the market, even in price categories up to 5,000 rubles. Therefore, developing a homemade tool most often does not make sense.
If you want to paint the car yourself, it is important to take into account all the details of the equipment and find the best place to do this work. It’s worth thinking about how well you can apply the paint. Material for painting work is very expensive, and wasting it is an unacceptable luxury for a car owner
Material for painting work is very expensive, and wasting it is an unacceptable luxury for a car owner.
For painting to be effective, use the services of specialized workshops. This is often cheaper than organizing your own set of equipment. If you want to do this procedure often, organize a professional module for painting work. You will be able to buy all the necessary devices in the middle price range for little money.
How to use a spray bottle?
Operating this device is not considered extremely difficult, but requires some skills. Even the simplest pump sprayer needs to be able to be cleaned, assembled, and put into working condition. Handle with care and caution when using pesticides and paints. Here are the basic rules for operating spray guns and other household sprayers:
- The working mixture is filtered and mixed before use.
- It is advisable to fill the container with working fluid at least 1/3 and maximum half of the volume.
- In devices with pressure gauges, the pressure should be adjusted according to the instructions.
- When painting, it is recommended to first apply the composition to the surface vertically, and then apply layers of paintwork horizontally.
- When using different compositions, you should thoroughly rinse the tank, tubes and nozzle after finishing and before starting work.
- Cleaning of paint is done with a solvent using a brush and rag, filling the container 1/3 full.
- After treating the inside, rinse the tank and be sure to blow the solvent (up to 50 g) through the contaminated nozzle.
- The device is assembled after wiping all components dry with a rag.
- It is advisable to fill the spray gun tank for storage with 50-70 g of solvent.
What is the function of the air cap?
The air cap directs compressed air to the flow of paint coming out of the nozzle, splits it and forms a torch.
The entire process of mixing paint with air, forming a torch and spraying occurs thanks to the air cap of the spray gun. It contains holes of a certain size through which air passes and breaks down the paint coming out of the nozzle. The holes located on the protrusions of the air cap are designed for air, which forms a torch of sprayed paint.
DIY sprayer
Craftsmen have learned to make similar devices from a vacuum cleaner, aerosol cans, and cosmetics bottles. We offer an option on how to make a homemade spray bottle using a simple stationery pen and a glass jar with a reliable threaded lid:
- We disassemble the handle; for work we need its empty shell.
- To securely fix the handle, you can make small recesses in the lid so that it fits against the surface without gaps.
- A hole is cut out in the middle of the rod, into which a rod cleared of paste is inserted, which will replace the tube.
- The paste is bent and inserted through a hole in the lid of the jar.
- The parts are connected using a glue gun.
- Adjustment is carried out by selecting the outlet diameter on the rod.
- The connection to the compressor is made using a rubber hose.
What are the disadvantages of the spray method?
The main disadvantage is the rebound effect. About 20-30% of the droplets bounce off the surface and fly towards the user. If safety precautions are not followed, the product may get on the skin or eyes, causing allergies or chemical burns.
How to protect yourself from chemicals:
► When spraying, hold the container at arm's length.
► Do not bring the sprayer too close to the surface. The distance to the nozzle must be at least 10 cm.
► When working with caustic acids and alkalis, it is worth switching the regulator on the nozzle from the torch mode to the directed jet mode.
► Spray acidic and alkaline agents only while wearing personal protective equipment - a respirator/mask and safety glasses.
Important: if the product gets into your eyes, rinse them with plenty of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
