Help I want to learn to spray traditional gesso

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PDonery

Grumbler in Training
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Nov 28, 2007
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Richmond, CA
I have an opportunity to compete for some work I'd like to have. The work involves applying traditional hide glue gesso to strainer panels. I have a lot of experience doing this by hand but the unit count for this order will occupy all of my capacity for too long and I'd like to explore spraying gesso in order to increase capacity. Does anyone have any experience spraying hide glue gesso? What are the pitfalls? What kind of spray gun? How should I tweak the formula for spraying? Should I control the climate in the spray booth to slow down evaporation? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Peter
 
I've heard of people spraying gesso, but not sure how easy it is to do. The stuff sets quickly as it cools so I don't quite see how you keep it at an optimum temp while you spray it.

Does it have to be trad gesso? What about the acrylic stuff? It does have quite different properties to the hot pot stuff. Not as easy to sand.
You would have to dilute it a lot and make sure you don't let it set in the gun though.
 
I spray gesso as my standard method of application, though the first coat is done by brush, and really "licked off", to avoid pinholes. Then I spray. One trick is to add a gel suppressant to the gesso, urea, or salt, will retard the setting of the gesso; a healthy tablespoon (the palm of my hand)of salt to 20 oz of gesso. My choice of spray guns is the small touch up type spray gun. I use an HVLP gun, with very little overspray, made by Binks, with a 8 oz. container. Small, easy to maneuver in and around a frame, and as opposed to the gravity type gun, with the paint container above the gun, comfortable to use. Double action, meaning more spray the more the lever is pressed, I generally set mine to a round pattern rather than a fan pattern. Very versatile gun, as I use them for thin sealants and very viscous gesso. As to your environment, in the winter my studio is around 62 degrees, unless I'm trying to force some drying.

My recipe for gesso is pretty much the same, regardless of how I'm applying it, and I don't thin in order to spray; just increase the air pressure. I also make gesso a day ahead, let it gel, which helps eliminate lumps of whiting. Straining through a nylon, etc will get the lumps out. Or you could end up like this:

IMG_0627.jpg

http://frame-notes.blogspot.com/2011/07/old-speckled-framer.html
 
Bron... Head 'n' Shoulder's should help with that problem.

:icon9:
 
OMG Bron, is that a Neucomb Maclin cauliflower running pie mould frame on
that still life?

Hummm urea will stop it from clogging the gun and it doesn't have to be heated?
:kaffeetrinker_2: pee on it then... :thumbsup:
 
Baer, no, that's a "faux" nice frame. :D

With an eight ounce cup on the gun, it stays warm enough to empty it; another reason for the small "touch-up" guns. Also, I heat my gesso to around 150 degrees. Yes, urea is a principle component of large mammal urine, though salt smells better.
 
Baer... I got that part. I was wondering about a specific model number or something as when I looked at the Binks guns on line it was 31 flavors...just trying to narrow it down to a specific one. BTW, what do you use?
 
IMG_4317.jpg
Binks Mach 1 Cub, Touch-up gun with 8 ounce siphon feed cup, Model 98-1155. HVLP (The brass plate at the top is an addition to allow hanging the gun)

I like a siphon feed because they balance better than the gravity feed with the cup on top, and they're still small enough to maneuver in and around a frame. Go to an automotive paint store; they'll generally have some good choices in spray equipment, and a full range of prices. An HVLP type gun, (High Volume Low Pressure) because of material savings, will pay for itself over a conventional type gun, so worth the extra up-front cost, and you aren't working in a cloud of material.
 
I have done this when I have a large frame (or a number of items) to gesso. For most of my jobs, the setup/cleanup doesn't warrant spraying, and I stick to brushing.

I think this would be the best way to do your panels, particularly if you have space to set up in an organized fashion, and having a second person to quickly shift panels, etc. while you work will make the process more efficient as you won't have to stop and start so often.

Here in the Northeast, I only do this outdoors in summer (even with hvlp system, too much overspray for my work area indoors). I use the Marty Horowitz gesso recipe, brush first coat, then spray. I keep a bucket of hot water to rest the container in during sparying sessions; before starting, (and occasionally during session) I run hot water through the system, to avoid gesso thickening if it hits cool metal. Perhaps unnecessary, but I do it.

My gun is put away for winter, in storage, but it is Japanese name (Fujitsu? Fukiwa?), similar in appearance to Bron's with metal container below the head (holds about a quart). It was not inexpensive; as with most tools, a good investment to buy quality.


Joseph
 
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