Cozy Up to the Critter

PROBLEM-SOLVING PRODUCTS
Cozy Up to the Critter
Siphon Gun
WHAT IT DOES: Simple spray
gun good for a wide range of materials.
AVAILABLE AT
WOODCRAFT: #128235
PRICE: $51.99
TESTER: Craig Bentzley
The Critter isn’t a warm and fuzzy
mammal, but it does resemble the
smaller Badger airbrush that I’ve used
for touch-up jobs for many years. In
technical terms it’s a single action,
external mix, bottom feed spray gun.
The question is, for fifty bucks, can
the Critter deliver the goods?
THE SETUP: The gun comes
with one jar and a 1/8" NPT quickconnect plug, so in theory, it’s good
to go right out of the box. Fill the
jar, attach it to the gun, hook up
an air supply, and you’re set to
spray. (My 2 hp, 4-gallon pancake
compressor had no problems
keeping up with the gun, although
it cycled frequently.) To avoid
contaminating your finish with any
moisture or oil that may be in your
compressor, you’ll want to attach an
inline coalescing filter if you don’t
already have one.
TRIAL RUN: In terms of spraygun technology, this is about as
simple as it gets. Pulling the trigger
causes air to flow over the fluid
nozzle, creating a pressure drop in
the siphon tube, which draws the
liquid up the siphon tube. When
the liquid exits the liquid nozzle, the
air stream atomizes it and directs
it onto your work. The resulting
70 w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e round spray pattern
averages about 21/2"
in diameter when the
gun is held 6" from
the workpiece.
Despite, or
maybe because
of its simplicity,
delivering just the
right amount of
material isn’t always
easy or intuitive. The
instructions that
come with the gun
help, but you’ll still need
to do some experimentation.
I suggest working out your fluid
nozzle adjustment and regulator
settings on a piece of cardboard
before spraying your project.
There are only three ways to control
the amount of product applied. The
first way is to adjust the fluid tip. The
second is to regulate the amount of
air pressure at the compressor, and
third is to manipulate the viscosity
of the finishing material itself. I got
the best results when using the lowest
air pressure you can get by with.
Higher pressures create overspray that
produces an unattractive finish and
wastes material.
First, I tried spraying a watersoluble dye. Despite what it says in
the manual, 30 psi
was way too much
pressure; even at
20 psi, there was
still too much fluid
leaving the nozzle.
The gun performed
acceptably only after
bottoming out the
fluid nozzle.
I tried a 2-lb. cut
of shellac next. Since
I felt more comfortable with the gun,
I nudged the pressure up to about 25
psi and left the fluid tip alone. I quickly
built up a finish with five successive
coats. When dry, the finish had some
mild orange-peel but it was easily
rubbed out with 4/0 steel wool.
Climbing up the viscosity ladder, I
test sprayed an alkyd satin polyurethane
varnish. With the regulator set at 25
psi, I only had to raise the fluid tip
about one-quarter turn to get a nice
spray pattern. I applied three coats with
excellent results.
Finally, I decided to torture-test the
Critter with a thick satin latex paint.
At 35 psi, even with the fluid nozzle
raised to its highest recommended
point, the gun sputtered and spit like
photos: Paul Anthony
THE PRODUCT: Critter 118
Aug/Sept 2008
a rabid cobra. I thinned the paint with
about 10% water, and it behaved for
awhile. Soon the fluid nozzle began to
clog. The solution to this problem was
to mix in some Floetrol, an additive
that helps paint flow better and
extends the drying time.
BEST APPLICATIONS:
The Critter can be used to spray
just about any liquid such as
adhesives, cleaners, and bleaches. The
manufacturer even offers a stainless
steel siphon tube for handling
corrosive liquids. It’s a great gun for
applying stains, sealers, and alkyd
varnishes. It would be hard to beat
for patio furniture, interior trim,
and general staining. For high-end
finishes like lacquer, you’ll want a
gun with more control.
tESTER’S tAKE: The best
thing about this gun is the small
number of parts. This
translates into fast, easy
cleaning. Just fill an extra
jar with the appropriate
solvent, put it on the gun,
swirl it around a bit, spray
it for a few seconds, and
you’re done. For a more
thorough cleaning, you can
do a complete breakdown
with just a small adjustable
wrench. Pipe cleaners work
well for cleaning latex paint
out of the siphon tube.
I wish the siphon tube
was a little longer. It hangs about 3/4"
from the bottom of the jar so you’ll
never come close to emptying it. I
would also have appreciated a few
spare gaskets. Mine held up for the
test purposes but I suspect it won’t
last for long.
There is a bit of a learning curve
to using this gun effectively, but it’s
a handy piece of equipment if you
don’t want to spend big bucks and
don’t mind some tedious adjustments.
You wouldn’t want to use one on a
Steinway, but because it’s suitable for
all sorts of smaller projects, I can see
these Critters
lurking in a lot
of workshops.
3
out of
5
biscuits
A Different Spin
On Lathe Motors
THE PRODUCT: Nova DVR
XP Lathe
MADE BY: Teknatool
WHAT IT DOES: Turns wood by
means of a unique motor design
AVAILABLE AT
WOODCRAFT: #146719
PRICE: $1,999.99
TESTER: Ken Kupsche
Manufactured by Teknatool in
New Zealand, the Nova DVR XP
falls into the heavy-duty class of
woodworking lathes. Its massive cast
iron components, expandable bed
segments, extra-large ball bearings
and extensive line of accessories
appeal to all serious turners. Its
www.WoodcraftMagazine.com
best feature is one you
can’t see–the DVR
motor built directly
into the heavy cast-iron
headstock, resulting in
virtually non-existent
vibration.
But first, here are the
basic specs: The DVR XP has a 16"
swing and is 24" between centers.
The headstock spindle is 11/4" in
diameter with 8TPI (threads/inch)
and having a #2 MT (Morse Taper).
The headstock swivels 360° and
features a 24-division spindle index.
The cast-iron tool rest measures 12"
long with a 1" post. (A 3" faceplate
comes with the lathe, but a stand will
cost you another $150).
The Digital Variable Reluctance
(DVR) motor, as shown on page 72,
is what makes this lathe really special.
Originally designed for jet aircraft,
the motor has just three basic parts:
a microcomputer, a rotor, and a
stator. Say goodbye to out-of-balance
pulleys or slipping drive belts.
Here’s how it works. The rotor
is basically a spindle bearing steel
laminations, much like a gear. The
stator surrounds the rotor with a
series of strong magnetic fields that
flip on and off sequentially to spin
the rotor at a very precise speed.
The microcomputer controls this
w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e 71
PROBLEM-SOLVING PRODUCTS
Stator
Rotor
headstock made it very easy to
get behind my stock and right up
to the edge of the faceplate.
BEST APPLICATIONS:
Like most lathes in this range, the
DVR is designed to handle bowls,
spindles, and just about anything.
And bed segments are easy to
add to expand its capability
TESTER’S TAKE: I was a
Microcomputer
speed while also monitoring load
and torque. By analyzing spindle
speed hundreds of times a second,
the computer senses when cutting
pressure is being applied and
adds power so that speed remains
constant regardless of the cut.
THE SET-UP: This lathe
comes assembled, but you’ll need
help to lift its 190 lbs. out of the
box and onto a stand. Wipe off the
grease, attach the toolslide and tool
rest, put in the centers, and you’re
ready to turn.
TRIAL RUN: The
microcomputer’s programmable
speed function lets you preset five
of your preferred turning speeds.
After years of pulling belts on and
off pulleys, I found DVR’s speed
range–adjustable from 100 to 3500
rpm in 5 rpm increments–a little
overwheming. However, after a
few cuts, I quickly found speeds
to match the feel of my cuts and
turning stock.
After roughing out a bowl, I tried
to bog down the motor by leaning
in for a really heavy cut–but the
DVR motor never skipped a beat.
The lack of vibration and smooth
power feed seemed to improve my
finish cuts, and the cone shaped
72 w o o d c r a f t m a g a z i n e little disappointed that the basic
package did not include a stand,
and the 24" between centers
seemed pretty short. That said,
you can build or buy a good quality
stand, and, for a reasonable price,
purchase 20" bed segments that
expand the length between centers.
And with a few bags of sand as
ballast, you can solve the weight
issue just as well.
The DVR motor puts this
lathe in a class by itself. The
programmable, speed-sensing and
auto-adjusting features are unlike
any other, and the advantages
offered by
the motor far
outweigh any
negatives.
4½ out of 5 biscuits
WHAT PRODUCTS
PERPLEX YOU?
Have you ever looked in a
woodworking catalog or browsed in a
woodworking store and encountered
a product that baffled you? You
eyeball the item, read the promotional
information, but still don’t see the
product’s value? With this column
in Woodcraft Magazine, those days
are over. We’ll select one or more
“mystery products” for each issue
and show how to use them beyond
the manufacturer’s take. We’ll point
out their pluses, problems, practical
shop applications, and grade them. If
you know of a few such products that
need more explanation, email us at
Editor@WoodcraftMagazine.com to let
us know.
Aug/Sept 2008