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Badger 400 Spray Gun

Old 08-15-2008, 06:40 PM
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Jim_Purcha
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Default Badger 400 Spray Gun

Anyone use the Badger 400 Spray Gun? If so what nozzle (light, medium or heavy)?

Thanks

Jim
Old 08-15-2008, 07:00 PM
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Mastertech
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

I've used them and rather have a HPLV gun. The badger never did work well for me.

Tim
Old 08-15-2008, 07:09 PM
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Rick W
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

[&o]

Hello,

I have one and it's been sitting for years. It had a small oval pattern that wasn't nuch good for anything. There's a lot of nicer guns out there.

Rick
Old 08-15-2008, 10:10 PM
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Jim_Purcha
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Thanks, any recommendations?
Old 08-16-2008, 07:58 AM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Hi Jim,

The larger the nozzle and needle allows more material to pass though the gun - this requires the larger cap which supplies more air to properly atomize the paint, giving you a potentially wider pattern. The trick is to balance the quality of the atomization against the width of the spray pattern. Both must be correct to keep the frustration level to a minimum, that applies to all spray equipment.

Generally speaking, the smaller setups are used for topcoats and the larger for undercoats. That relates to the sprayable viscosity of the material - color is thinner and undercoats are heavier. Both have different requirements going through the gun to give you the nicest finish posible. Other factors such as how you spray, your compressed air supply and the exact material you are working with come into play, so expect to experiment a little bit to find what works best for you.

Good luck and have fun,
Dan
www.gocolours.com
Old 08-16-2008, 07:49 PM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun


ORIGINAL: Jim_Purcha

Anyone use the Badger 400 Spray Gun? If so what nozzle (light, medium or heavy)?

Thanks

Jim
Jim they don't come in light medium or heavy but are gauged by the tip size.For a suction cup gun(the pots on the bottom)fluid tip sizes go from .8mm up to 2mm and larger.The same applies to a gravity fed spraygun(pot on top).You don't say much about the material you are using,and what thinning ratio you are using for topcoats or primer.If you only have one gun make it a 1.2mm set up.You can thin the primer down and patiently apply a few coats instead of 2 or 3 out of a larger set up.For topcoat you can make the necessary needle adjustments to throttle it down and it will do quite well.Most people who paint at home use the maximum size single phase electric compressor they can get away with without blowing fuses,usually around 12cfm although i one saw an old 17cfm single phase but it would blow a fuse now and then.

If you need to buy a compressor there's basically only two ways to go and bear in mind i'm not talking about professional equipment but more the type you buy at home handy man shops for around 5 or 600 bucks over here and they can usually take a fair bit of abuse thru lack of maintanance etc.It will be a 2 or 3 cyclinder and have about 1.5hp(electric) motor fitted.Reciever tank size is usually quite small too,around 20ltrs.They generally rev their nuts off(run fast,and i mean FAST)so that the manufacturer can claim an increased cfm(cubic feet per minute of air delivered to the reciever)over another rival brand.Because of this they also run VERY hot if you spray for more than a couple of minutes and this introduces your next problem..WATER.Since these compressors usually have the water/oil trap mounted to the machine and the air is red hot when it passes thru it,the water/oil trap does'nt work because no cooling and condensation has had time to take place,to release the water so it can be trapped and therefore preventing it from being passed thru the gun to the surface you are painting.Take it off the compressor and wall mount it as far away as practical OR..you can hunt around for the old cast iron single cyclinder one's in the same size.They have a large single bore and run slower and cooler,are generally better quality and will outlast the frantic rattlers by years.Good luck.
Old 08-18-2008, 06:43 AM
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Jim_Purcha
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

I was actually thinking of spraying latex paint. So from information on the websites it would have to be either a medium or heavy tip on the gun.

I was reviewing the specifications on an old airless compressor which use to be my Dad's. IR airless compressor c/w 5 gallon tank.... surprising rated for 3.1cfm@40psi and 2.1cfm@90psi. From what the specification plate reads. That's just slightly less than the 1-1/2 hp compressors with dual tanks which are putting rated at 3.4cfm@40psi in the $150~$200 range. The badger 400 spray is rated at 1.7cfm@40psi. That's why I was considering using it as a first spray gun. The are some mini hvlp in town but no specifications are given.

Jim
Old 08-18-2008, 04:33 PM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Back in my street rod days, I bought a Badger 400 for detail work, Fire walls, engines, interior etc. I've run enamel, lacquer and two-part polyurethane thru it, all with very good results. I've also sprayed nitrate & butyrate dope, both clear and colored with good results. The only tip I've ever had was the medium tip that came with it. Jim
Old 08-19-2008, 04:46 AM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Gollywok could you tell jim what size needle and fluid tip set up you are running,same model sprayguns come in many different tip sizes and model numbers the fluid tip size is engraved on it's side.Just remove the aircap and look for it.

Hi jim,doesn't matter what you spray,thin it appropriately and experiment a bit.Re thinning,when you finish stirring the mixed primer/colour and prior to pouring it into the spraygun pot,lift the stirring stick up quickly and watch how the drops run off it,you'll be amazed at how quickly you can gauge the viscosity and how well that material will go thru the spraygun tip in comparison to what you have mixed and tried just before.I'm not familiar with the badger but i may use it under another brand name.In general terms we automotive spraypainters use a conventional 1.2 to 1.4mm suction cup or gravity fed spraygun for most things and air pressure between 35 and 70 psi depending on the job,a foot wide fan and a foot back from the surface.Gollwok's description has me thinking it's a small touchup gun and anywhere from 10psi and up on them,at 35psi you may as well use a bigger gun.Try varying the distance between the tip and the job,also the speed and number of passes with the gun.For a start you could practice holding the gun at 90% to the surface you wish to spray and then moving it back and forth smoothly while maintaining the same tip to job dimensions.When you pour the paint in it gets harder because now it's for real and you're more nervous,have a test panel set to one side so you can get up a good rythym and then start spraying OR you could wait a bit(around five minutes)to see if what you just sprayed is going to head for the floor.Around 25c is a good temp to spray at,things get proggresively harder the further you go each way temp wise.Read the paint instructions(tech data sheet/msds) You need to develop a good rythym,depth perception and feel,just like flying and that comes with practice.High velocity low pressure(hvlp)guns are good at home or in a confined space,far less overspray.They are far more efficient re atomization but for the size you paint there's no difference in material savings and they are usually lot's dearer to buy.



Old 08-19-2008, 05:06 AM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

jim, you can dilute the latex paint 50% or so with windex. it will evaporate and allows you to spray the thinned paint with a smaller tip.

david
Old 08-19-2008, 09:45 PM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Jim- I've never sprayed latex with my 400, but I have used it for shooting epoxy primer. The only tip I've ever had was the medium. No problems at all. As far as adjustments, I would spray a test pattern with water onto paper or cardboard. That way you can adjust fan pattern and the needle. Adjust your compressor for about 30, 40 PSI. Badger 400 is an excellent gun and user friendly. Jim
Old 08-20-2008, 05:22 AM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Jim P please don't spray water through your cast aluminium and machined stainless steel spray gun,they don't like it,particularly if your tap water is contaminated with salts and other things.Water is useless for checking things like fan and pattern evenness or density,because the water you will spray just comes out so different to what you put in the gun next,assuming you don't readjust it.Re test patterns good idea,but water is hard to see.Use what you are going to spray,you can see and feel it then.You cannot adjust a compressor they just pump,you can regulate the amount of air they supply to the gun tho and this is important so please read carefully.If you use the regulater on the compressor to adjust air pressure you will find it's all over the place pressure wise.This is because you are using pressure already stored in the airline which runs from the compressor to your spraygun,it ossilates and 'bumps' too.It's far easier and more accurate to use the adjustment on the gun if you have one,do you?

If you feel that that's all to much info for what started out as a simple question please feel free to say "hey pete"..bugger off!!
Old 08-20-2008, 06:40 AM
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Jim_Purcha
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Thanks for all the tips fellows. I decided on trying an inexpensive hvlp gun from the auction site. It's rated for less than 1.3 to 4 cfm. So I'm going to experiment for a while first. Heck I may try even my hobby gun. Vallicourt's article in MAN mentions he used all sizes of guns to spray latex.
Old 08-20-2008, 02:13 PM
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Default RE: Badger 400 Spray Gun

Old Fart- I've never had any problems using water for a test pattern, of course like any expensive tool, it was followed up with a thourgh cleaning. I figured that since Jim P. was going to be spraying water based latex and cleaning up afterward with water, It would be a good starting point. You are absolutely correct all the water needs to be removed/displaced afterward. Jim G.
Old 09-30-2022, 07:48 PM
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Default Badger 400

Originally Posted by Rick W
[&o]

Hello,

I have one and it's been sitting for years. It had a small oval pattern that wasn't nuch good for anything. There's a lot of nicer guns out there.

Rick
Do you still have the spray gun? Can I see pictures of it? I'll take it if you don't like it I do cosmetic repairs on bath tubs I'm looking for a gun like that
Old 10-11-2022, 02:33 AM
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I wanted a Badger 400 but they haven't been made in a long time. Devilbiss makes one that looks identical to the Badger so I picked one up. It was hard to find though. I'm not impressed with it. The fit of the parts is not too good and it just feels kind of junky. I might buy a Badger yet if I find one in good shape and it feels like it's built better. This is the model off their website I'm talking about:

EGA & EGHV Touch Up Gun | Carlisle Fluid Technologies (carlisleft.com)

You can buy cups for it direct from Badger. They were on clearance not long ago for about $5. The other option is this:

Model 115 Spray Gun | Carlisle Fluid Technologies (carlisleft.com)

I had the $15 Harbor Freight one and it worked fairly well for several years. Then one day it just quit working and I never could figure out why so I scrapped it out.


Carl
Old 10-13-2022, 08:53 AM
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Steve Collins
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If budget isn't driving the choices, a Sata Minijet III would be a great choice!

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