# Electrostatic painting - Need info



## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

Can you pros shed some info on electrostatic painting? 
Pros and cons, equipment info. etc.. 

Thinking about investing a setup, but not sure if its worth it .

What can i paint? Am i limtied to a certain type of paint?

Thanks


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## Paintpimp (Nov 15, 2006)

Electrostatic is only for a select few applications. Yes you are dependant on certain paints working for whatever systems you buy. You can buy them from Graco and Spraytech. They are difficult to setup and are touchy. A paint you are used to using may not work. Depending on how the system is setup, paints got to be compatible with certain electronic polarities to disperse correctly. They are soooo cool to see though. If you paint alot of small iron/steel and currently have alot of money tied up in overspray and labor the electrostatic is an excellent investment.


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## plazaman (Apr 17, 2005)

do i have to purchase new equipment or could i buy the power pak and use my existing airless ?

When painting iron/steel would i spray like normal or do i physically touch the rail with the gun and spray?


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## electro (Mar 12, 2005)

Our company has done electrostatic for years and the market for it continues to decline as does the availability of quality materials. There are generally 2 types of set-ups 
1. an air or airless assisted- this type is a compromise between electro-static and HVLP. Paint is atomized by the air or airless. It's a little more forgiving as to the product you use. It's faster then true electro-static, but has more overspray.
2. True electro-static (i.e. Ransburg no. 2 gun) Paint is atomized strictly by the electrostatic properties of the gun. So material is vitally important. We used to use Insulux, but after they reformulated it to comply with VOC regs, it no longer will work through no. 2 gun. Very slow compared to 1. Barely any overspray.
Other problem to consider for electrostatic applications is the cascade effect. This is a problem for items with many right angles on inside corners. The properties of electrostatic make it repel these inside corners. Examples interior corners of locker, on railings where the spindles meet the hand rail. So you must first shoot these angles with a small air gun. 
I think the market for these services will continue to decline as enviromental issues get stronger. 
Last, an air-less unit will run about 4,000.00 without the pump. A true electro-static will be closer to 8-10k.

Electro (by the way that's where I came up with my screen name)


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## regal (Oct 20, 2007)

I thought about it a long time ago until I saw a guy doing some file cabinets at a bank remodel we were doing, and it still had some overspray on the drop cloth, which does happen, so I never persued it. Awesome invention, but I just mask and spray. Intresting reply info from electro thanks for sharing that. Learning every day!


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