MIMF

I want to try spraying a recently stripped acoustic with shellac, especially the build coats, but I'm cheap. Plus I won't be using it commercially. I know most people here are Pros but anyone used a Lowes or Home Depot HVLP Kit (gun and turbine unit) with good results?

Hi Phillip,
I don't do a whole lot of finish work, but when I do, I use a small conversion gun I got from Bunnings (the Australian equivalent of Home Depot/Harbor Freight/Lowes), for around $30 AUD's. Once it's dialed in correctly, it sprays a nice even coat with little need for level sanding. Maybe I was lucky and got a good one, but I say go for it! Oh, make sure all the fittings are stainless or brass though!
I have no experience with dedicated turbines though, so maybe wait for someone else's opinion.

I use a cheap small gun I got at Lowe's. It's not an HVLP rig but a standard spray gun and it works great.

Since the subject is spraying shellac, I suppose I'm obligated to chime in.
I also use a cheep-O standard gun, and I've shot lots of shellac through it. It works fine.
I have not done it in a while, so I can't recall my exact schedule right now, but I shoot as thick a solution as I can get to atomize. I hit it once, and let it hang for at least a day before going back. In humid weather you will get a lot of blush, but it usually clears itself as the coat dries.

Thanks, but.. the only reason I was looking at these was due to not needing a compressor. A compressor used to entail a lot of extras, oil traps, big enough for reserve, etc. I thought it would be cool using this little setup if the thing worked.
By the way, I assume you would use alcohol for cleanup?

Phillip, I haven't seen any cheap turbine kits available here in Australia, it's still cheaper to buy a compressor and all the extras here than it is to get a turbine, plus you get all the other functionality from a compressor where a turbine is a single purpose tool, so no advice from me for you there.
Yes, you'd use alcohol for clean-up (everclear, ethanol, methanol).

Hi Phillip,
Shellac is a thin bodied finish (as thin as you want to make it). Even the cheapo Harbor Freight HVLP turbine should work fine for it. I haven't seen the lowes or home depot units, but they are probably similar. The HF unit I have puts out a fair amount of material so I don't use it for spraying small objects like guitars. A small $69 compressor and a cheap jamb gun should come in at your price point and give you a handy little compressor for other uses. You don't need a big compressor to spray a guitar sized object.

Agree with Clay.

I use the harbor freight $15 guns. They do have a turbine kit as well. I've heard good things about the jamb gun, but I use the full size.

I spray 2k automotive, not shellac, but the consistency of the materials should be about the same.