Using Spray Gun For Small Projects?

This week’s question comes from Pierre who asks: “In a recent video, you spray paint your clock. This is something I would like to get into. I have everything to do it, but, I wonder…is it worth all the fuss of setting up and cleaning for just three small coats? What’s your procedure?”

And this was my reply: “Hi Pierre, You are right. The cleanup can be a pain. Setup is no big deal though. And I do think its worth it. But if you have doubts, you can always use spray cans on small projects. Its more expensive and a little wasteful, but that’s the trade off for less work. I did two projects in a row so I just kept the finish in the gun and moved on to the next project. But honestly, when you see the results you get from a spray setup, you will agree that it is worth a little extra effort. Loading the gun is simple, you just pour the finish into the can and make sure you are using the right needle/tip size. Clean up consists of putting water into the cut and spraying to clean out the tubes and the chamber (if using water-based finish). Then maybe spray some alcohol though it to further clean it out and get rid of any remaining water. And if any finish dries in the tube, you’ll need to use the cleaning brush to get the gunk out. But that’s about it. Hope that helps.”