A Standard Air Hopper Gun
A hopper gun is a tool used in the later stages of modern day home and building construction. Basically it is a gun-like nozzle and trigger connected to a large upright gravity-fed hopper. The underside of the gun’s nozzle then connects via a specialized hose to an air compressor. By pulling the trigger the hopper gun fires the contents of the hopper out of the nozzle in a steady stream or spray. The front of the nozzle is blocked by a metal circle containing many different diameter holes. By lining the appropriate sized hole with the nozzle one governs the diameter of the spray as well as limits the amount of material which can be fired out of the nozzle at any one time. Depending on the consistency and nature of the material in the hopper one can: primer coat concrete floors and cinder block walls or stucco ceilings and exterior walls. Here is a guide on use a hopper gun in stuccoing exterior walls. It should be noted that the same procedure would be used in any application of an air hopper gun; the only difference would be the content of the hopper. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Begin by assembling the different parts of the hopper gun. You will need to either screw the hopper down onto the top of the gun itself or latch it into place depending on the make and model. The air hose should connect to the bottom of the gun’s handle. Simply connect the hose to the gun and the air compressor and start the compressor. Fill the hopper up with water and spray it out of the nozzle to test the gun and ensure no interior seals are broken. Make the appropriate adjustments to the nozzle to get the right size cone of spray. Use the water to clean off the exterior walls you intend to stucco and let it dry off for a few hours.
2. Mix up a batch of stucco in the meantime. Some stucco comes in pre-made buckets, but that is usually more expensive and comes in fewer colors than the dry mixes. Simply follow the instructions on the bag of stucco mix to get it ready.
3. Pour as much stucco as you can into the hopper of the gun. It will be very heavy, but there should be a handle near the top of the hopper itself which will allow you to support the weight of the hopper. Keep the gun close to your body and don’t raise it above shoulder height. Stand about three feet from the wall and spray in wide even strokes. Some people use horizontal strokes and others use vertical. It doesn’t matter which you use as long as the stucco goes on even and smoothly. Continue this until the walls are finished.
4. Finish up by cleaning out the gun. If you don’t clean the gun after each use the stucco inside the gun’s nozzle and seals will dry and clog the gun. Given that stucco has a great deal of cement in its composition, there will be no way to unclog the gun once the stucco has had a chance to dry. Simply fill the hopper up with water and spray it back out until the visible interior of the hopper is clean and the water leaving the gun is clear.
Tags: exterior walls, hopper will, hopper with, hopper with water, hose compressor, water spray
