Ron, Your advice on using a Ford Cup to measure viscosity and how to thin latex paint was exactly what I needed. Thank You! It's great to get advice from someone that knows what they are doing. You helped make it a great day.

Thank you so much for this video. You’re sweet voice along with your mix of scientific and DIY knowledge made me feel like I was watching my dad. He was always the one I went to with questions. I am so grateful you were there to give me the answers today when he no long can.

One of the best, informative, to the point videos I have seen. Thanks!

Very helpful. I've been sprayiong with wagner airless plus and found 30 to 40secs to give an excellent mix. Thats using Armstead Contract emulsion paint on walls and ceiling. About 2l of water added to 5 litres of paint. Need to stir vigouously for at least 5 mins to get homogeneity.

Excellent review of the viscosity cup. Keep up the good work.

Great video! Thank you for the advise. I have painted most of my life used airless, but air sprayers are a very different deal. I came across this job that requires air sprayer and just wasn’t sure about percentage wise thinning and you came with the perfect answer. Thank you sir!

Excellent video. Great explanations. No mumbling and wasted time.

thanks for the video, ron. super helpful for a spraying newbie like myself.

Thank you so much! I am about to spraypaint for the first time in my life. I am excited. Be well. Sincerely, Alicia from Sweden

GREAT EDITING! Nice work, subscribed

Really simple instructions for a lackey like myself!!! Thanks for the help!

Ron great video. Concise and to the point. Look forward to more of them.

Lovely video for painters. THANK YOU SO MUCH ❤️👍

Thanks. very helpful. I'm spraying ceilings and wondered about thinning latex.

Thank you been looking for this information for years like a dummy I never thought to check KZfaq lol 😆 We used a improvised Ford cup at a place I use to work but when I would ask people at paint and big box stores they didn't have a clue what I was talking about! I didn't really know my self lol I just knew paint couldn't be to thick or to thin and if doing a large project you want every can constant!!!

This video really helped me. After some unsatisfactory trials, I was about to give up on using my Harbor Freight gravity feed paint sprayer to paint cabinets I was building. Thinning the paint according to Ron's instructions made a huge difference and gave me the smooth finish I had hoped for. I was able to spray primer, latex paint, and water-base polyurethane without any problems.

Thank you for time and production of this video..... I am making a pallet wood mini fence that will be portal for my camper so my yorkies can go out and enjoy the sun.... going to look on your channel for additional ideas for making fences that look nice and can detach thanks again

I wish everybody explain things like this gentleman. Cheers!

Such a cool old guy. Hope all is well Ron. Really appreciate your videos.

Fantastic video. This is going to help me with my first ever experience of spray painting. I got Vannect 700W spray gun today.

Very professional sir. Thanks for the information

Thanks Ron also for using metric. not sure why anyone would use imperial but i'm still learning at 63

for me, I would always try to spray on a horizontal surface, if at all possible. also, I have given up on gravity feed hvlp and am much happier with a pressure-pot based sprayer (about $60 at harbor freight). You can use less thinning since the paint is pushed through the gun but also, not having the cup on the gun allows for so much better spraying experience (tight corners, upside down, and simply rotate the gun to rotate the fan).

Great video! You gave us excellent tips.!!

Wonderful lesson.Thank you very much!Julian

Nice video, clear demo. I have bought waterborne car spray paint. Just like to know what thinners to use.

Excellent approach by measuring the viscosity. One thing I've found that makes things easier is to use a measuring cup that provides three ratio thinning gauges. The reason for the three ratio is that I usually add not only water, but Floetrol to the latex. For instance, most of the time when spraying latex paint with my HVLP turbine-based system (it's a Fuji 5-stage turbine) is to use the 5-1-1 gauge: 5 parts latex; 1 part water and 1 part Floetrol. Sorry for not providing the viscosity reading from my Ford cup, but if memory serves me, it was around the 25 second range. Again, great video.

Ron, I am so glad that you put this up. I come from automotive too, took some training but never painted for $. It makes me have to be precise. It's just how I am. So to bring this together. You recommend 20 to 30 seconds to empty a Ford #4 cup. And adding 25+ % you got around 45 seconds. Latex paints can be different between types. I think I will go 40% and check. If it's too thin I can add paint to fatten it up. And if it's still too thin, well 5% at a time. Also, I have been taught and found it true that to really get a good mixture on latex paints it is best to pour the paint back and forth between two containers. I have a drill driven stirring tool too. I'd think that if I keep the tool down in the paint that it won't aerate. BTW I have a DeVilbiss FLG4 (Finish Line) which is considered low level pro or good level DIY. It came in a kit with a few tips, biggest is 1.8, but I bought the next available which is a 2.2. I agree with you on the gun mounted oil water separator. I have a cheap separator regulator on my wall from Harbor Freight and a line mounted one just before my gun regulator. Was able to do a fender on the wife's car one Sunday morning when it was 70 degrees. I waited for the weather for that! I'll use your info and want to remind people to filter any paint before it goes in your gun.

Very informative instruction thank-you sir,

Im currently using a metal flake gun with a 3.0mm needle, seat and cup setup. I found thinning latex 15-18% sprays beautifully with this setup and you can keep the pressure down to 30-35 psi at the cap.

I found the 15% water ratio works best for latex based paints using a 1.8 to 2.0 nozzle.

Great video. Thank you.

Great video, great guy. Thanks for the info!!

Great video. Your voice is really good for videos presentations.

hello, i dont comment very often but thumbs up! great vid. Thank you so much!. highlights=great content, real life stuff + some special effects but no obnoxious music.

Excellent video just what I needed....Greetings from Ireland

Great vids, Tks yo to you for helping 👌🏻, just subscribed 👏🏻

Great video, excellent voice over.

Simple and nice demo...

Great video... I'm still curious as to pressure you used for this set up?

I've been spraying my motorcycle tank with water-based paint...at least trying to. After experimenting with thinning (distilled water), I got it thin enough to try it out. My first coat of high gloss, cream white went on smooth and even in some areas, but less so in others. I was also surprised that in no time the paint would dry in the nozzle till only air would spray out. Conclusions and observations; 1.) 2 mm nozzle sounds about right for water-based paints and I think it's because of the way it actually dries in the nozzle, blocking flow. 2) air pressure should be set a low as possible while still maintaining flow and spread. I'm playing around with 25-30 psi on vertical test pieces...may try 20 psi. 3) when everything is right, ie., viscosity, nozzle size, air pressure, and ambient temperature, the w-b paint is great. The fast drying and non-toxic qualities make it enjoyable to work with. However, get one of the above parameters wrong and you'll be sanding back and respraying the same piece again and again.

Hey Ron. What an amazing video. I appreciate its old but I could really do with some advice. Your video is a little advanced for me in some ways but makes perfect sense. I am going to use some cheap electric spray guns to complete some water based undercoat and gloss work on doors and skirting etc. Spraying solves a lot of problems and I do have 'some' experience of using spray guns (accepted my tools are primative). I'm not worried about runs. I think I can manage that. (I suspect the quality of the paint output will be the issue). Anyway. Any advice from the US to the UK would be helpful.

Thank you for the expiation on how to get the % of both paint and water mix.

Thanks for the video Ron. How much water would I add to 1 litre of exterior water based emulsion for Wegner sprayer?

Great tip, can you tell me if it’s possible to use gloss based paints using the same method of thinning down with the proper thinning agent and using the viscosity cup...?

Great video! I've been waiting to see something like this. Everyone else seems to be guessing!

Thank you so much for this info good job

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! This “recipe” was PERFECT. You saved me so much time. I used a paint Valspar Latex plus Primer, 500 ml + 125 ml of water. Bang on

Hi i bought a greco hplv 9.5. Glidden grey gripper. My question is, will the #5 tip set spray the primer ?

Thank you so much you have been more than helpful

I’m very new to painting. Your videos are a great start. But I still don’t have a great idea of the steps needed from start to finish. I’ve got some old farm implement parts. They’ve already been sandblasted. Where do I start, what do I do along the way, and how do I finish to get a good durable coat of paint?

Thank you Ron Great video.

Great explanation video thanks 👍

Can you thin paint that the manufacturer suggest not to thin? I have Valspar's Solid Stain and it is water based. I does say not to thin but I want to spray it and it will no doubt be too thick for such an application.

I just started spraying Latex with an HVLP gun I thin the paint same as you do Do you find you have to spray 2+ coats compared to brushing?

So a 40 second drop is a good place to start? And are sprayers getting better?

Can i paint house walls with latex paint using a plain air compressor and a gravity feed spray gun? Can i thin wall latex paint with water? thanks

I am planning on painting my kitchen cabinets with some Benjamin Moore latex. Can I spray it without thinning? If not what do you recommend on how much thinning? I have a pressure sprayer I want to use. Thanks for the good video on the gravity feed.

Hello Ron Budman, Foor a school project we have to spray/atomize honey, we can't give the honey a temperature a higher temperature higher than about 40 degrees Celsius. Do you maybe have an idea how to solve this, we can't really change the honey itself. We have to change the nozzle. Thanks in advance.

Great informative video thank you

Could you test how much the viscosity changes if you heat up the paint?

Great video!

Thank you, great video

what about extender vs accelerator additives? when to use and not to use been having major problems with general finishes water based poly....

Thanks mate! Great help!

How to thin down Valspar cabinet Enamel paint,I tried to use it but it would not go through my air sprayer,what do I need to do?

if you don't want to thin it that much you can use a pressurized cup rather than a gravity feed

what about the air pressuer. what was the air pressure? or what determines the air pressure? thanks...If ya can't tell I'm new

For me: Krylon color maxx 250ml...water: 150ml basically a 60% ratio.....with a 1.4 tip. Beautiful spray, Layed smooth. 90 psi at the compressor. Single red HF desicant at the gun. Originally, I tried 70%, but the piece got a little splotchy. It all depends on the viscosity of the paint. I started at 50%, then moved to 60%.

Ron, Thanks for the great video. I'm a novice at painting and finishes. I have a HVLP system which I'm "slowly" learning to use. I recently used some thinned Latex enamel to paint some flat horizontal surfaces. Painting horizontal was very forgiving for avoiding runs. You mentioned in your video that if you paint vertical you should paint a "tack coat", let it dry then paint finish coat. Could you expand on that comment just a bit. What does this tack coat do, how thick, when you say let it dry are we talking minutes or hours. Thanks Ron hope you are well.

I have a HVLP spray gun. Tried spraying enamel based primer & paint on wood furniture. But always get orange peel finish. I used MTO- mineral turpentine oil for thinning. Kindly suggest how to avoid the orange peel finish and get a smooth and shiny finish

great video thanks , can I spray this mix with a 1.4mmm air nozzle, needle and fluid cap configuration?

Since you no longer sell hvlp guns could you recommend an hvlp air gun that can be used to spray both water (latex) based paints along with lacquer based paints? Thanks.

I was told viscosity of paint should be like full fat milk, seem to work for me. any tip on spraying tiles

Great video. Thank you Sir.

wow, great video sir! I actually just started searching for info on HVLP sprayers. I am looking to paint Plantation Shutters. I want a hard shell tupe finish. so in your opinion, what type of paint should I be using? I have not purchased a sprayer yet.... any suggestions? I am not looking for pro equipment but definitely want a stable sprayer that will consistently work without issues..... any suggestions on that?

Would you post the link to your store? I couldn't find it ...

Im thinning acrylic paint with purified water but sometimes when paint with my gravity feed spray gun the paint bleeds anyone knows why?

This video is just what I needed .Just bought a electric sprayer, and your video helped me so much.

I pray semi gloss paint, how much water need for one gallon.

Where can I get bigger fluid nozzle and spray tips like 1.8-2.5mm at?

Hi i am using pfs bosch 5000 for the first time for wall painting and ceiling how many seconds should be my paint viscosity

What percentage of water would you add to fusion mineral paint?

Looks like you have prior experience. LOL! Good information and clear presentation.

what is the difference between a Zahn cup and a Ford cup?

People should just keep in mind that many domestic waterbased products are not meant to be thinned beyond about 10-15 percent. Check the can! Good vid!

ive tried this on cabinets but about 4 doors in to the job it starts spiting really bad

What pressure did you run the gun at?

Excellent video! Very clear and to the point! Question: What is the paint with the hardest finish (as opposed to the "rubbery" finish of latex) that you would recommend for doors and tabletops? Also, is a HVLP gun like the one on the video much better than the handheld types like the HomeRight, or separate budget turbine systems?

I am planning on spraying my cabinets with Sherwin Williams Emerald Urethane Enamel. What size tip can I use without thinning the paint? It is a water based hybrid.

Can you thin water based Spar Urethane enough for air brushing? If so, how?

Thanks, that's helpful. I wonder how your gun compares to my industrial em480 sprayer as far as thinning necessities.

Great video 👍

Great video thank you sir and bless you

Good day, I use a GTI Devilbiss spray gun with a 1.4 mm tip and when I apply latex primer everything is fine (I thinned the primer accordingly) (I used 20 pds air pressure), but once it is applied, little bubbles start to appear ! Why and what can I do to solve this ? Thank you

New to HVLP here. Using #4 Ford cup with Zinnser Bullseye 123 latex primer took 10 minutes. Thinned 20%, down to 45 seconds but haven't tried to spray that. Using a Fuji 4 stage turbine and a G-xpc gun which lists 20-30 seconds for latex as a general guide.

Great video, so if i cant find the viscosity rating do i shoot for 35seconds on the ford cup to gauge my spray gun? Performance Tool m576db . what are the benefits of syphon vs gravity?

You can add water to water base paint?

Would you mix water with urethane paint?

I like the vid - well explained Ron. I wonder one thing: wouldn't spraying without any protection for the overspray lead to painting behind the objects that you're doing? Also, if I plan to do some base and crown moulding in the house, how much masking paper should I put to protect around - is 12 inch in each direction enough?