Has anyone used a  turbine type HVLP for any type of SS material application. Any tips and experiences appreciated.
Dale L

Yes we have played with a few of the turbine systems and found that the early ones create way too much heat which reduces pot life and tack times. The newer 4 and 5 state turbine systems like what is available from Apollo works well. The newer turbines stay much cooler and use a "non-bleeder" style gun that stops the flow of air when the trigger is released. One thing I have noticed on the Apollo turbine systems is that the guns really do need to have the cup pressurized.

Typical ways to reduce the heat from a turbine system is to use an extra length of hose, coil it up and stick it in a bucket of ice water and to put the inlet to the turbine unit next to the outlet of an air-conditioner. Try to keep your outlet air lower than ambient temp for best performance.

Jason

I have painted my last homebuilt with 2 part epoxy primer and top coat 2 part polyurethane from Sherwin Williams as auto paint.  Used the top coat with 2 passes and splatter type of paint that coalesced as it spread out.  Interested in using the Apollo 1035 with 7500 QT gun.  Will it be easier to use the 4 stage turbine system in regards to application of Stewart system or should I buy a big time 60 gl compressor?  How much for supplies to paint an RV9 newly built plane ?  Will the turbine system have less overspray ?  Looked at the videos on metal plane painting and looks safe and good with slow build up of paint in multiple layers till gloss is acheived.

Sprayed your primer on the inside in some areas and it has stood up well over the last 4 years of building.  Sprayed with HVLP spray gun on 20 gal compressor.

Well the big issue with the turbine gun is hot air. Overspray between a professional HVLP gun and a turbine gun is about the same. The cost of a turbine unit worth using is about the same as a real nice air compressor. $1300-1600

A turbine is good if your shop does not have the the power available to run a compressor. You need 220V and about a 50 amp breaker to run a compressor big enough to paint the large parts of an airplane. The advantage of having a big compressor is that it does so much more for you than just paint.

Regardless of what type of gun you decide to go with you need to practice to figure out how to make it work the best for you. You can have poor results from either type of paint gun. Once you figure out what settings work best for either gun it's down to technique of application to get the best results.

Jason

Just finished a project using a 4 stage turbine with an accuspray gun. I am pleased with the results. The finish improved as I learned the best technique with the gun, and my own skills adapted. There was no problem with the air temp at the gun, as I have an extra length of hose in the gun pressure line. The shop temp was a consistent 64f. Read the manual and watch the video series, they are both very helpful