Spray Gun Tip Size Chart
An appropriate spray gun tip size can make all the difference in creating professional results. In general, lighter coatings like lacquers and stains call for smaller tips while thicker ones like primer surfacers may need larger ones.
Selection of an appropriate tip depends on both the texture of material you’re spraying and its viscosity, with sizes typically identified using three-digit codes: fan width is indicated by two of these figures while orifice size can be determined using a third number.
Industry Standards
Your tip size selection when using an HVLP spray gun will affect how thin or thick a coating is applied, such as for stain and lacquer applications while thicker materials like latex or automotive paint require larger ones. Furthermore, selecting the appropriate tip also impacts finish consistency – to determine this best use the recommendations from your paint or primer manufacturer on their container or product specification sheet which should include a chart illustrating which spray gun tip size to use.
Most spray gun manufacturers employ three digits when designating spray tips. The first number identifies fan width while numbers two and three indicate tip opening (or orifice) size in thousandths of an inch – for instance a tip designated 512 would have an 10″ fan and 15 thousandths orifice opening size.
Airless spray guns are used for applying both water-based and solvent-based materials such as latex, acrylic and oil based paints and stains with different air requirements ranging from small touchup guns up to 18 CFM gravity feed/siphon guns. Selecting an ideal air pressure can ensure adequate material flow without overspraying or thinning out your material.
Many people can be overwhelmed when selecting the appropriate spray tip size, but here is an easy formula that will help: thinner = smaller and thicker = bigger. This rule generally holds true for fluid applications like paint or dye; with more complex finishes such as pearls and metal flakes you may require smaller or larger tips based on trial-and-error.
Many people can become confused when reading the three digits on a spray tip and its three numbers. When multiplied by 2, the first number will indicate how wide of a fan the spray tip will create, while its last two numbers represent its orifice size in thousands of an inch; for instance, 515 indicates it sprays 10 inch fan with 15 thousandths inch orifice size.
Best Practices
Your spray gun tip size determines how much fluid will come pouring out when you pull the trigger and also controls the width of your spray fan. Light coatings like lacquers, stains, and enamels require smaller tips while thicker materials like texture paint require larger ones.
Selecting the proper tip depends heavily upon both the type of coating you’re spraying and its surface of application. Lower viscosity materials typically require smaller orifice (hole) sizes while thinner coatings will be more susceptible to hand speed when spraying; GPM ratings allow you to keep applying uniform mil thickness at various speeds.
Next, decide between using a round or fan-shaped spray pattern. This decision can have an impactful impact on finishing time and quality; round sprays cover more area per pass of the gun compared to fan-shaped patterns; however, using fan-shaped patterns might be advantageous when reaching hard-to-reach places like iron grilles or fences that fall beyond your normal spraying reach.
As with any paint application process, practicing with your spray gun to gain experience in its proper usage is key when working on hard-to-reach surfaces. To do so, set your gun 2 inches from the wall and move it back and forth horizontally across the surface; be careful not to arc or tilt while spraying as this could result in heavy and light spots of coating across its surface.
Eastwood provides a selection of spray gun tips from industry-leading brands, such as Graco, Titan, Atomex, and Wagner. In addition, we carry compatible shields for every tip.
When selecting a spray gun tip, always adhere to the tip size recommendations outlined on the paint can or product specs sheet for optimal results. Furthermore, ensure the tip you use meets with your gun’s rating; if in doubt as to which size tip your machine can accept consult our guide or get in touch with the manufacturer directly for guidance.
Practical Examples
Tipp size is essential to the success of any job, as it affects how much material will be sprayed when pulling the gun trigger and determines coating thickness. Smaller tips work better for thinner materials like stains and enamels while larger tips work best with heavier textures like stucco. Graco spray gun tips can easily help you select an appropriate spray gun tip; their three-digit numbers indicate spray angle multiplied by 10 and orifice size measured in thousands of an inch; for instance the 517 tip has a fan width of 10 inches with orifice size measured in thousands of an inch – for instance the 517 tip has fan width of 10 inches with orifice size of 17 thousandths of an inch!
Proper gun motions are key to achieving an excellent finish, so practice on scrap pieces to develop the required movements. A good starting point would be holding your gun 2 inches from a wall without activating its trigger and moving horizontally across it – repeat this exercise until you can maintain a consistent 2-inch distance and increase as necessary until covering all surfaces with paint.
Once you are familiar with how to operate the gun properly, the next step is selecting an appropriate Graco spray gun tip for your application. Use as little paint as possible while still producing desired coating results so as to maximize productivity – and lessen paint usage by spraying more surfaces in less time!
Airless spray guns differ significantly from traditional air atomising guns in their use of higher fluid flow rates to compensate for low droplet speed and make an airless spray tip selection easier. As such, target distance should generally be shorter when selecting an airless spray tip than it would be with its counterpart from air atomising guns. It’s also very important to understand the relationship between fan width and orifice size when selecting such tips.
Visual Illustrations
There are various manufacturers offering various spray gun tips. Perhaps the most useful ones are AST dot tips (known for the physical dots that correspond with their sizes). These come in both Pole guns and Binks guns with sizes ranging from 3/16″ all the way through 1/2″. In addition, round tips may also be found for both styles of guns.
Most paints and primers will come with recommendations on their labels for an appropriate nozzle tip size, if there is none specifically specified, most spray guns will have a chart which recommends one based on viscosity of material being applied.
Step two of selecting an ideal nozzle tip is practicing proper gun motion. A straightforward way of doing so is holding the gun about 2 inches from a wall and moving it back and forth along it, without actually spraying any paint; just focus on positioning the gun properly while flexing your wrist to maintain uniform distance between it and yourself; this will give you a feel for appropriate gun movement and what an optimal spray pattern looks like.
Once you feel confident with this process, then you can begin spraying pieces one at a time across a surface in rows. Make sure that each row overlaps by 50% so as to cover every surface area evenly and don’t forget to point your gun at each stroke’s edge as this will provide coverage around all sides as well as face of panel.
