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Free! The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  fredvon4 Wed Sep 16, 2015 8:43 am

In Jacobs thread about the free multimeter there were a few comments about HF junk

My experience with HF over the years is very positive

I have bought a lot of stuff/crap from HF over the years, and some is pure junk and some other stuff is as good as competing products at 4 or 5 times the price.

Maybe the Army Basic Electrical training is the reason I have never snuffed a multi-meter, let the smoke out of a circuit, or zapped myself

RE Coupons...My experience is as long as they are still valid by date the store check out folks don't ever question where it came from. In fact I don't print them out when I plan a trip to my local HF (45 miles away)  I just send the E-flyer to my phone and show the check out person the image and they punch in the code

Most of their small air compressors are crap for filling tires but real good for airbrushes and small sprayers, their very cheap small paint sprayers are real good including the air brush kits.

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/deluxe-airbrush-kit-95810.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/airbrush-kit-47791.html

I have a few Pashe and Iwata airbrushes and they are delicate, finicky, hard to clean properly and damned expensive. Note I am NOT an airbrush artist. I use these things to get a small amount or paint or dope into a tight area (I hate using brushes)

The small to mid sized automotive HVLP gravity cup sprayers are also good value for spraying larger amounts of dope or paint and are frequently ON SALE much lower than the current on line price

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/4-oz-hvlp-touch-up-air-spray-gun-61473.html

I saw a guy using a very small generator at a flying site to run his covering iron, heat gun,  and recharge some batteries. This is another good HF item that is frequently on sale for $89. On this if you read the reviews you learn the pull starter is the weak link. Knowing this, I taught myself to not pull all the way to the end of the rope..Several snappy short stroke pulls and she fires right up (I only run mine on that store bought premixed no ethanol gas)

http://www.harborfreight.com/engines-generators/gas-engine-generators/900-peak700-running-watts-2-hp-63cc-2-cycle-gas-generator-epacarb-60338.html

Two decades ago, before HF was in Texas, I needed a shop compressor; 60 gallon, 125PSI or higher and fair CFM....locally there was no Home Depot or Lowes yet...Sears and a Texas based McCoys lumber yard were all I had.... Each had what I needed but around $850 to $1200

HF flyer in the mail (from Las Vegas IIRC) had a DeVilbis (not my favorite brand) compressor 6.5HP, 60 gallon, 135 Max PSI and 10.2CFM @90PSI for $429 FREE SHIPPING. I bought it in 1995 and she still works fine in my large shop to this day

My scroll saw it HF
MY 1" belt 5" disk sander is HF
3" variable speed bench grinder is HF and I love it
The 4" table saw is pure junk
My $49.99 (coupon sale) Biscut cutter is cheap HF and as good as my dead Makita expensive one ($199+)

On final note...I read the reviews and find that many HF items look identical but have different part / item numbers. The reviews saved me some grief on a few items.

OR I read the review, saw what the design or materiel flaw was and accepted the risk because of the very low price. An example of this is the Black and Decker work mate clone....

http://www.harborfreight.com/folding-clamping-workbench-with-movable-pegs-47844.html

local store had the B&D light weight version for $39 and a better one for $79, HF china knock off was $19 and does a good enough job for my light model airplane use. In my wood/cabinet shop I have the better sturdier $79 B&D heavy weight version
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Free! Re: The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  larrys4227 Wed Sep 16, 2015 9:10 am

Thanks Fred for the info ... especially the spray guns. Have never had one so am alittle bit of a rookie. I've been brushing colored dope onto a small 1/2a plane, and its OK .... but when I move to a bigger plane, I'm already dreading the task.

HF has 'em cheap ... I guess I need to dive in. Maybe the spraygun cleanup process isn't as tedious as I think it is. And maybe the overspray from a gun wont coat everything in my garage .... I'd hate to have to use it outside.

Thanks again ... Smile
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Free! Re: The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  pkrankow Wed Sep 16, 2015 9:17 am

Shopping anywhere is hit and miss. Price vs quality vs need and may other factors are important to weigh in on in any decision. I have bought and use some HF tools with excellent results, and some with less than excellent results.

Phil
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Free! Spraying dope or many other good coverings for balsa models

Post  fredvon4 Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:56 pm

Larry
Lakeland FL must be plenty humid so You have a learning curve with sprayed dope to prevent blushing of top coats

Yes clean up can be a pain
Yes you will foul EVERY thing in a garage or shop with the over-spray.

I have three shops on my property and NO dedicated painting area. Air cleaning in any of my shops is too expensive and I don't want the over spray on tools, workbenches, cars, lawn equipment, motorcycles etc

The HF coupons and other thoughts 16_x_210

I just finished a Murphy Bed kit using 3/4" redwood cabinet grade plywood. MY 20 OZ HF gun shot each piece three layers of MInWax Polycrylic gloss and it came of very well
The HF coupons and other thoughts Murphu10


So I simply set up a holding fixture or saw horses and plywood table top outside the shop and spray only if the wind is not into the shop. In my case that means unless it is raining I can usually do a small project any/every day until we get real cold. Some times I let them sun dry but mostly I have a LOT of trees and pollen. I make the work area it so I can move the set of wet parts inside to dry. Think 2'x3' heavy cardboard or plywood all the wet parts are on. Easy to move indoors

The HF coupons and other thoughts Hf_gun10

Clean up: I use some water based sanding sealers but they take a LONG time to dry in humid conditions. Obviously clean up is simple. Minwax or Ace brand polycrylic is not fuel proof as a top coat, but under many finishes it will keep fuel and oil out of the balsa. I use this mostly on foam wing combat planes

I only spray Sig dope and use only Sig thinner (big Bucks). It is always best to thin dopes with the recommended thinner blend.

You can experiment with cheaper thinner products. Ken Cook will tell you he has success with Dupont automotive paint thinners but I don't recall what dope he is using.

Relating to clean up you can use most lacquer thinners, MEK or Xylene whichever is cheaper at the Lowe's type stores

Even if it is an el-cheapo respirator not intended for the stuff you are spraying get a few of them..I am not talking the surgical face mask but a fitted over the nose and mouth type.  We are NOT in a paint booth spraying cars for hours at a time--- so ANY good cheap nose mouth one will keep you from breathing in the occasional wind shifted over spray/fumes

The HF coupons and other thoughts 20150910

Wear eye protection
Wear latex gloves or the others if you are Latex intolerant
Get a LOT of clean rags and plan to throw them away

Takes time to figure it out but try to only mix enough paint for the immediate project. With dope I have good success with 50 50 mix for the HF air brushes and HVLP gravity guns

The  4oz Gravity HVLP guns were so cheap with coupons I got several of them and can change colors faster than I can mask off the area for the new color

I keep a #10 tin can (or plastic large coffee jug) 3/4 full of 50 50 xylene MEK used thinner. This stuff evaporates fast so I use tight plastic lids and then cover with saran wrap and rubber bands when not in use.

These large cans only get the thinner changed out once a year and they are where I first dump the disassembled* air gun parts to soak until I am ready for the put away until next use cleaning.

HF sells paint gun cleaning brushes and I got several sets they were so cheap

http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/5-pc-airbrush-cleaning-brushes-68155.html

I wet a rag in MEK and start taking parts out of the soak thinner bath and wipe them down to dry. I do NOT disassemble the needle out of the gun body. I clean the front spray nozzle and poke the small brushes through each little hole. I assemble the gun, put about an oz of clean MEK in the hopper and spray it outside until empty. I take off the outer nozzle and put one drop of light oil in the tip of the needle and work it in and out a few times then put the nozzle back on and hang up the gun for next use

* Disassembled to me means the air regulator is removed and put aside. The front nozzle is removed. The hopper is removed and the filter is removed. Only nozzle, hopper, filter, and gun body go in the can to soak a minuet

I have a lot of luck with theses also usually on sale around $9

The HF coupons and other thoughts One_sh10
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Free! Re: The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  batjac Wed Sep 16, 2015 1:08 pm

My take on HF items is that I buy most anything I need from there if it's an item I only seldom use.  If it's an item I will use everyday/every other day, I'll generally spring for a bigger name brand.  And of the electrical things I buy, they are things that I will be actively monitoring.  I won't buy night lights, battery float chargers, or the like that sit unattended.  I don't trust the stuff not to short out or overheat and catch fire if I'm away.  For big things like my HF welders and large generator, I do a lot of online research on non-HF boards to see what others' experiences are.  Before buying my generator, I read many, many reports from people in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy that said they ran theirs for weeks without issue while waiting for the power come back on.  It's all in the research. I sometimes buy the extended warranty, and sometime I don't on large items.  Several HF employees tell me to buy the warranty, then just before it expires to bring the item back and exchange it for a brand new item.  I myself haven't done it, but apparently the store employees recommend it.

The Cautious Mark
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Free! Re: The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  RknRusty Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:48 pm

Since HF is across town I don't go over there much, but I'm very happy with my 16" scroll saw. I'd never used one before and it took a few jobs to get the hang of it, but it's been a blessing on my shoulder. One manual sawing job on model plane parts could put my right arm out of business for a week or three.

I was initially disappointed with my T-handle SAE/Metric ball end allen set. The ball ends were gone in short order, on the ones I use for 2-56 and 4-40 bolts, but I just hit the tip to the grinder, and 3 years later they are a little shorter but handy. And I keep a set of high quality common sizes in my flight box for head bolts and anything too tight or critical for the HF wrenches. And the metric side skips all the common modeling sizes. That's my only disappointment with it now.

Fred I'm glad you showed that Preval sprayer. I had forgotten about it, and may use it instead of re-monokoting my Oriental. I would have used a patchwork of old rolls, and probably ended up looking like a Guatemalan '64 Malibu.
Rusty

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Free! Re: The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  larrys4227 Wed Sep 16, 2015 3:43 pm

Thanks Fred for that lengthy response!! Very nice of you .... but unfortunately your pointing out all the issues I would have with setting up a spray gun system. LOLOL!! The clean up is the biggest bothersome thing. Of course I've painted planes before with Rustoleum .... and its been outside with squirrely winds and then blowing colored snot for a few days .... LOL ... my own fault, of course. But I'd have to stay outside because overspray in the garage will be a huge problem.

I have seen those small cans of 'disposable' spray systems ... never knew how good they were though.

Thank you so much again ... and it was nice to see your work shop! Smile
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Free! Re: The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  Mark Boesen Wed Sep 16, 2015 10:35 pm

The HF coupons and other thoughts Hazard11
The HF coupons and other thoughts Hf210
The HF coupons and other thoughts Hf310
The HF coupons and other thoughts Hf410
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Free! Re: The HF coupons and other thoughts

Post  fredvon4 Thu Sep 17, 2015 8:07 am

Thanks Mark that was good for several belly laughs!
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