How to Choose an Automatic Airless Spray Gun for Line Striping
This guide covers the specs to check when you buy or replace automatic paint and bead guns for a striping rig: actuation, pressure, tips, beads and repair kits.
How automatic striping guns mount and fire
An automatic gun opens when air reaches its cylinder, not when someone pulls a trigger. On truck-mounted systems, the paint and bead guns mount on a gun arm carriage and are plumbed with fluid hose, bead hose and air tubing. A skip-line controller fires the guns, and its bead settings fine-tune when the bead guns open and close so the line is fully beaded without dropping beads on bare pavement. A system delay setting shifts gun start and stop by a set distance, so the operator can use a front pointer as the start/stop mark instead of looking back at the guns.
On Florida DOT work, Section 710 calls for paint nozzles with cut-off valves that lay skip lines automatically, and an automatic bead dispenser whose cut-off is synchronized with the paint.
Single acting vs. double acting
- Single acting: air turns the gun on and a return spring shuts it off. It's the simpler design.
- Double acting: air drives the gun both on and off, which gives full control of the gun and crisp shut-offs. The air-assisted shutoff gives clean, drip-free starts and stops and keeps double lines in sync. On the bead side, double-acting bead guns cover the full paint line and match its start and stop points.
The Handok HAG-05 paint gun and HAG-053 bead gun both come in Single Action and Double Acting versions. The Double Acting versions call for 2.5 to 5 kg/cm² (approx. 36 to 71 psi) of operating air.
Pressure
In a truck-mounted airless system, a high-pressure piston pump delivers paint to the gun at 800 to 2,000 psi. Never exceed the maximum working pressure of the lowest-rated component in the system, gun included. The HAG-053 bead gun works at 174 psi (12 bar).
Tips and line width
The MUTCD sets a normal longitudinal line at 4 to 6 in. wide and a wide line at least twice that. The tip sets the line width, and holding the same width and mil thickness at a higher travel speed takes a larger orifice. A worn tip uses more paint, lays uneven coverage and inconsistent mil build, and produces poor lines.
The HAG-05 takes standard HETC flat tips. Heavy-edge tungsten carbide (HETC) flat tips give a pronounced edge pattern and are made for road, pavement and parking-lot striping.
Bead guns
FDOT requires glass spheres to go down immediately and uniformly after the paint. For longitudinal durable paint markings, it requires a double drop of Type 1 and Type 3 spheres.
The HAG-053 Glass Bead Spray Gun is built for high-volume glass bead dispensing in road marking. It ships with a size 6 seat nozzle, and sizes 5, 7 and 8 are available.
Maintenance and repair kits
Flush paint guns daily with a solvent compatible with the paint, wipe the outside with a solvent-dampened cloth, and never submerge the whole gun. Run the pressure relief procedure before any cleaning or service.
| Gun | Repair kit |
|---|---|
| HAG-05 Single Action | AT-300 |
| HAG-05 Double Acting | AT-300 DA |
| HAG-053 Single Action | GB600 |
| HAG-053 Double Acting | GB-600 DA |
The GB600 kit covers the HAG-053's seats (600-002, 600-017), needle (600-018), packings (600-012, 600-015), O-rings (600-011, 600-019) and nut (600-016). The HAG-05's 300-018 adaptor is also sold on its own as the 300-018 Adaptor. Shop all repair kits and parts.
Handok striping guns at AirlessGun
Both guns are compatible with Graco, Titan and most airless systems.
| Gun | Use | Key specs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto Spray Gun - Medium Viscosity (HAG-05) | Road marking with water-borne and oil paint | Air actuated, stainless steel body, two 1/4 in. NPT inlets, standard HETC flat tips, adjustable needle distance | $468 Single Action, $488 Double Acting |
| Glass Bead Spray Gun (HAG-053) | Applying glass beads in road marking | 174 psi (12 bar) working pressure, size 6 seat nozzle (5, 7, 8 optional), adjustable needle distance | $588 Single Action, $688 Double Acting |
We ship within the US only, via UPS, from Hollywood, FL. Orders placed by 2 PM ET on business days ship the same day. Returns: see our refund policy.
FAQ
What's the difference between a single-acting and a double-acting striping gun? A single-acting gun opens with air and closes with a return spring. A double-acting gun uses air both to open and to close, which gives crisp, drip-free shut-offs.
What pressure do truck-mounted airless striping systems run at? The high-pressure pump delivers paint to the gun at 800 to 2,000 psi. Never exceed the maximum working pressure of the lowest-rated component, gun included.
Does FDOT require an automatic bead dispenser? FDOT Section 710 requires an automatic bead dispenser that drops beads closely behind the line, with its cut-off synchronized to the paint. The Handok HAG-053 is built for high-volume glass bead dispensing in road marking.
Will Handok guns work on my Graco or Titan striper? The HAG-05 and HAG-053 are compatible with Graco, Titan and most airless systems.
Which repair kit fits my Handok gun? AT-300 fits the HAG-05 Single Action, AT-300 DA fits the HAG-05 Double Acting, GB600 fits the HAG-053 Single Action and GB-600 DA fits the HAG-053 Double Acting.