What does the 519 mean on a paint sprayer tip used in a variety of paint sprayers? Jobs can be botched easily or become overly cumbersome if the right sprayer tip is not being used. A consumer can have the right airless paint sprayer or HVLP paint sprayer and still run into issues if they do not have the right size paint sprayer tip.
They control the size of the spray and determine what the viscosity of fluid has to be in order to be dispersed. Every paint sprayer has a recommended maximum tip size that should never be exceeded to avoid improper performance. Some paint sprayers do not have removable tips, but can be adjusted manually on the paint sprayer gun to achieve fan position and transference. Sprayer tips are not hard to find and can be purchased online or numerous paint suppliers around the world. They can range for as little as $20.00 for a Graco sprayer tip to as much as $50.00 for the 0.10 inch stainless steel tip for the Earlex HVLP HV5500.
Understanding Airless Paint Sprayer Tips
Airless paint sprayers use either flat tips or reversible tips. Flat tips usally have special housing and are much more difficult to maintain. Most brands use reversible tips for effortlessly removing clogs with a turn of the tip, and are interchangeable and easily replaced when they become worn. Graco and Wagner have modified and improved these type of tips for increased durability and for a greater degree of applications. The common tips used by Graco are numbered with a three number system like the 519. The numbers indicate the width of the spray fan and the size of the orifice. The first number is half the size of the fan and the last two numbers are the orifice size. For example, a 519 has a ten inch fan spray and the orifice is .019 inches. Larger orifices use more material and can manage a higher viscosity.
Materials and Typical Tip Sizes for Airless Paint Sprayers
- 009 to 011 – thin wiping stains
- 011 to 013 – varnish, lacquer, exterior stains, oil based paints, acrylic urethane
- 011 to 015 – enamels
- 013 to 015 – exterior oil based primer
- 015 to 017 – PVA primer, latex/acrylic paints
- 015 to 019 – exterior acrylic primer, emulsions
- 019 to 023 – epoxy, block filler
- 021 to 029 – elastomeric
HVLP Sprayer Tips
HVLP paint sprayers use spray needles versus tips. Some HVLP paint sprayers have interchangeable needles with tips that can produce finer finishes or use thicker viscosity. Generally, HVLP sprayer are designed for creating fine and ultra fine finishes on projects such as cabinetry work or automobile finishing. However, there are needles that can be purchased for spraying coatings with a higher viscosity.
Basic Materials and Needle Sizes for HVLP Paint Sprayers
- .04 to .06 inches – lacquers, oil based stains, cellulose, polyurethane, synthetics, acrylics, thinner
- .06 to .08 inches – oil base paints, primer, water based stains, marine paint, industrial synthetics, shellac, polyurethane
- .08 to .10 inches – chlorinated rubber, latex, epoxy
Overall
Paint sprayer tips wear out over time. This is common and they need to be replaced. Indications include dripping paint and odd pattern shapes. Always refer to the product manual for the limitations on the paint sprayer equipment being used. They indicate maximum viscosity, maximum tip size and recommended uses. They also cover issues that may occur when utilizing their products. Any paint supply outlet should have service representatives that are more than capable of answering questions about specific paint sprayer tips. There are also various resources online that provide insight into the right type of applications, including the manufacturer’s website.