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Thread: Alteration to the Harbor Freight Powder Gun

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Walla2 View Post
    It looks like you soldered the additional wires on. Correct?
    Yes, I did.

  2. #22
    Boolit Master rondog's Avatar
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    This is a very interesting thread, let's keep it alive! Any new stuff to add? How does this mod work for, say, automotive or motorcycle parts?

  3. #23
    Boolit Master rondog's Avatar
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    So, what gave you the idea for the 4-pronged wire thingy? And are those soldered to the rod in the gun, or are they soldered to some threaded piece that just screws on? More details please!

  4. #24
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    I got the idea of a multi tip from seeing one on a high dollar powder coating gun. It made sense that more surface area and a better conductor, copper, would transfer a better charge to the powder as it flowed through. I first started out trying the little plastic powder diverters supplied with the Harbor Freight gun , but quickly found they spread the powder out. I felt like what was needed was a tighter flow, not larger. I went through my box of funnels because what I wanted was to compact the air stream, like a funnel. I couldn't find anything on hand then I started looking in my box of jars and found a small plastic bottle. When I cut the bottom of the bottle off it fit almost perfectly over the HF gun nozzle, secured with a wrap of tape. It reduced the width the powder flow and allowed me to direct all the powder to a much smaller area, just what I wanted.

    The multi-wire tip I made from a copper welding tip for a MIG welder. I shortened the length of the tip some, as it was a little longer than needed. I drilled out the center of the MIG tip with a #4 drill bit so I could later thread the tip. I drilled two 1/16" holes perpendicular to each other completely through the barrel of the tip and inserted two short pieces of copper wire into the holes, then bent the copper wire on all sides so the wire would lay flat against the against the outside of the MIG tip and the 4 wires pointed to an end of the tip and extended a little past the end. I soldered the the 4 strands of wire to the outside of the MIG tip. Then I redrilled the center of the MIG tip with the #4 drill to cut through the copper wire I had inserted through the drilled holes in the sides. I tapped the center hole using a 4-40 tap to cut the threads and cleaned the tip with a short soak in 1 to 1 mix of Hydrogen Peroxide and white vinegar and a little a little wire brush. Now the tip just screws onto the existing threaded shaft of the HF gun and my bottle diverter slides over and covers the tip. I have found this to be a big improvement over what I had to begin with; if your goal is a tight dense spray pattern.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master rondog's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dragonheart View Post
    I got the idea of a multi tip from seeing one on a high dollar powder coating gun. It made sense that more surface area and a better conductor, copper, would transfer a better charge to the powder as it flowed through. I first started out trying the little plastic powder diverters supplied with the Harbor Freight gun , but quickly found they spread the powder out. I felt like what was needed was a tighter flow, not larger. I went through my box of funnels because what I wanted was to compact the air stream, like a funnel. I couldn't find anything on hand then I started looking in my box of jars and found a small plastic bottle. When I cut the bottom of the bottle off it fit almost perfectly over the HF gun nozzle, secured with a wrap of tape. It reduced the width the powder flow and allowed me to direct all the powder to a much smaller area, just what I wanted.

    The multi-wire tip I made from a copper welding tip for a MIG welder. I shortened the length of the tip some, as it was a little longer than needed. I drilled out the center of the MIG tip with a #4 drill bit so I could later thread the tip. I drilled two 1/16" holes perpendicular to each other completely through the barrel of the tip and inserted two short pieces of copper wire into the holes, then bent the copper wire on all sides so the wire would lay flat against the against the outside of the MIG tip and the 4 wires pointed to an end of the tip and extended a little past the end. I soldered the the 4 strands of wire to the outside of the MIG tip. Then I redrilled the center of the MIG tip with the #4 drill to cut through the copper wire I had inserted through the drilled holes in the sides. I tapped the center hole using a 4-40 tap to cut the threads and cleaned the tip with a short soak in 1 to 1 mix of Hydrogen Peroxide and white vinegar and a little a little wire brush. Now the tip just screws onto the existing threaded shaft of the HF gun and my bottle diverter slides over and covers the tip. I have found this to be a big improvement over what I had to begin with; if your goal is a tight dense spray pattern.
    Beautiful explanation, thank you! I think I'ma gonna try to make something similar, that wide spray pattern is my biggest gripe too. I also plan to use my gun to coat small motorcycle and auto parts, whatever I can fit in my old Kenmore oven.

  6. #26
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    Then I redrilled the center of the MIG tip with the #4 drill to cut through the copper wire I had inserted through the drilled holes in the sides. I tapped the center hole using a 4-40 tap to cut the threads...
    You lost me here...according to my references a 4-40 tap uses a #43 tap drill bit not a #4. Is that a typo, or am I missing something here?

  7. #27
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    Yes, it is a typo, should be #43 drill bit for 4-40 thread, not #4. Thanks for catching it.

  8. #28
    Boolit Master rondog's Avatar
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    Don't know what it is, but the threads on my HF gun definitely AREN'T 4-40. Metric doesn't seem to work either. So I may forego the prong thingie, and just go with the bottle extension.

  9. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by rondog View Post
    Don't know what it is, but the threads on my HF gun definitely AREN'T 4-40. Metric doesn't seem to work either. So I may forego the prong thingie, and just go with the bottle extension.
    Sorry to hear that, I made a couple of tips for friends and the fit, but with HF who knows as their chinese suppliers seem to change? Just like the bottles the HF powder comes in, one would think the plastic bottle would fit the gun, but no such luck.

  10. #30
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    Been searching for this thread for weeks. Giving it a bump .
    Good info, thanks.

  11. #31
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    Probably not needed as most are probably aware, but making sure you compressor air is as dry as you can get it makes a huge difference. The small inline plastic filter that comes with the gun is next to worthless for drying the air sufficiently.

  12. #32
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    I have a lot of trouble in my area with the moisture too. Which filter do you use?
    KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beagle333 View Post
    I have a lot of trouble in my area with the moisture too. Which filter do you use?
    I originally made a simple coalescing filter out of pipe and stainless scrubbing pads that then fed the air into desiccant. This filter was set up to dry the air as it came out of the compressor tank.

    I have just purchased a new 60 gallon compressor that delivers 18 CF a minute, so I am presently working on a system that will dry the air before it goes into the tank. I have several ideas that I am playing around with involvingcoalescing filters and a refrigerated dryer. I would have had it finished by now, but my TIG welder had to go in for repairs and Everlast Welders is taking their own sweet time about getting the unit turned around.

    Living on the Gulf Coast our humidity is almost always very high unless we have a cold front move in.

  14. #34
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    I've seen several other forums mention that they changed the hopper to allow it to be connected and hang down instead for up and over the gun but none of the sites have pics of what they did. Anybody done this here.

  15. #35
    Boolit Master MyFlatline's Avatar
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    I've read that also.

  16. #36
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    I don't see how that would work. The whole point of the gun is to make a "tornado" of powder that is stirred up by the incoming nozzle at the bottom (which is buried in powder) and get picked up as it rises by the outgoing hooked tube at the top and then goes whisking on down the barrel of the ESPC gun and then gets its charge from the electrode(s) as it passes. If it were inverted, there would be no powder between the short incoming nozzle and the opening of the hooked tube as the air goes out. But I would definitely be up for taking a look at any other redesign of such before I said it didn't work.
    KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.

  17. #37
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    If it helped with too much powder being fed to the HF gun then it might be an improvement. In comparison the HF gun comes up second to my Eastwood Dual Voltage Gun anyway, so I will probably never use my HF again and only keep it as a backup. The Eastwood gun does have a bottom feed and the powder flows so much better without any modification. One of the big pluses are the extra powder bottles for the Eastwood are cheap, so a bottle for each color is possible.

  18. #38
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    Now a Sticky to never be read again lol well we see.
    Reloading to save money I am sure the saving is going to start soon

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by RP View Post
    Now a Sticky to never be read again lol well we see.
    A sticky?!?...... yep, it's gonna get old and dusty now. haha!!
    KE4GWE - - - - - - Colt 1860, it just feels right.

  20. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by rondog View Post
    Don't know what it is, but the threads on my HF gun definitely AREN'T 4-40. Metric doesn't seem to work either. So I may forego the prong thingie, and just go with the bottle extension.
    I just checked mine. The threads aren't any iv'e ever seen before either....

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check