earlex 5500

[davidhines]

My wife bought this for me my xmas present. what else should I get. It came with both needles. Cleaners/thinners?

[Joel H.]

The cleaners & thinners will depend on what you're spraying. I've sprayed Acrylic paint (water), shellac (DNA or household ammonia) & lacquer (lacquer thinner).

One thing I did though is purchase a better air filter for it. If you look at the bottom of the unit, you'll see a round nearly useless spongy filter. Remember that the air that is coming through the nozzle is being filtered through that - not very good IMHO. I bought a flat HEPA filter that is about 1" x 5" x 10" (or there-a-bouts) at the BORG and taped it over the hole. I also put it on a little dolly that I got at Harbor Freight. Works great and the air is clean.

HTH

Joel

[JR1]

I agree with LIL. Waterborne finishes generally do not need thinning. You should have gotten a viscosity cup if not get one. Paint filters. For shellac most alcohols will work for dissolving the shellac (I usually use a 1# coat from these guys) . Household ammonia will clean up shellac fast and is cheaper than alcohol.

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

David,

Harbor Freight sells an inexpensive gun cleaning kit that many like. It would be a nice cheap addition to have--especially if you're new to spray equipment and maintenance.

I have the 5500 as well and it's a good value, IMO. There are many forum threads on the 5500 so I'm sure you've done some reading on it. I primarily use mine for finishing small projects and shooting dyes. I've also used it with shellac.

It is a wonderful little sprayer for water based or solvent based dye application--like Transtint. Before my Earlex, I applied dye by hand and the difference is night and day with how even and easy it is to apply. i use the 1.4 mm nozzle for dye and spit coats of shellac. The ease and predictability of using dyes with your projects is a great tool to have.

I've shot solvent based lacquer with it and I did have to thin it down 10% to get decent results. My airless does a better job with lacquer but the Earlex can still provide an acceptable finish with much less clean up and material waste.

A good friend shoots Ben Moore Advance waterborne/alkyd enamel with the Earlex and he gets excellent results. He thins the Advance at 10%. Hope this helps. Enjoy the sprayer.

[Steve N]

Before, and as you do more things with your 5500 you have a wealth of information available on You Tube. Earlex has their own channel, found here You can look at titles, versus what you need to know, and see a video explanation. I found it quite helpful.

Good luck, they are quite versatile