Sharpe Becomes Official Sponsor of SkillsUSA to Assist Young Painters Make Their Mark

Minneapolis, MN (April 29, 2009) – Sharpe, a leader in paint spraying equipment for the professional automotive refinish market, is pleased to announce that it has become a 2009 Official Sponsor of SkillsUSA through its support of the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference.

SkillsUSA returns to Kansas City June 21-June 26, 2009 where 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students—all state contest winners—compete hands-on in 91 different trade, technical and leadership fields. Students work against the clock and each other, proving their expertise in occupations such as automotive refinishing, electronics, precision machining, culinary arts and more.

Sharpe is providing student coaching and providing sets of RAZOR® spray guns and accessories to the top three winners, with additional products going to their schools where the RAZOR spray guns will help other students learn the automotive refinishing trade in years to come.

Professional painter Justin Barnes has been commissioned to paint a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle with RAZOR spray guns. He will also be signing autographs in the Sharpe booth at TECHSPO in June.

The Harley-Davidson Dyna® Super Glide® will be raffled to raise money to support SkillsUSA programs, along with a three $2800 prizes from Sharpe. "SkillsUSA is thrilled with the addition of Sharpe to the Harley-Davidson raffle and welcome them as an Official Sponsor in 2009. We look forward to their presence at the National Leadership and Skills Conference and to a lasting partnership," said Tim Lawrence SkillsSUA Executive Director.

“Sharpe will be at TECHSPO, the SkillsUSA trade show, June 23-25 at the Kansas City Convention Center, in H. Roe Bartle Hall. Justin Barnes will be signing autographs in the Sharpe booth (#303) on Tuesday, June 23 1:00-3:00 p.m. During this time, there will be a chance to win product painted by Justin” said Penny Hanson, Sharpe’s Marketing Manager. “RAZOR Spray Guns are a high-performance, yet low-cost choice for a painter to trim expenses without sacrificing quality,” said Ron Graffis, Sharpe Manager of Sales and Marketing. “RAZOR Spray Guns are a practical investment for vo-tech students moving into careers in professional painting.”

RAZOR Guns on average retail for $475 for gravity feed. Competitive gravity feed guns retail from $550 to nearly $800. RAZOR guns work with the new paint chemistries being used in today’s shops. They offer amazing performance along with a lightweight, ergonomic gun body for painter comfort.

“RAZOR Spray Guns compete head to head in terms of performance and reliability with Sata and Iwata spray guns,” said Ron Graffis. “To demonstrate the durability and high quality finish these new guns deliver, Sharpe is offering a three year warranty for our made-in-the-USA product.”

About Sharpe
Graco, a world leader in fluid handling systems and components, and Sharpe, a part of the Graco Company, developed the new RAZOR Spray Guns.

Specific to automotive finishing, Graco has a long history designing and manufacturing finishing equipment that improves productivity, reduces paint usage costs, lowers emissions and provides consistently better finishes for automotive manufacturers the world over. These manufacturers include General Motors, Ford and Toyota, as well as bus, trucking and airplane manufacturers worldwide.

Graco purchased Sharpe in 2003 to enter the North American automotive refinishing market, and brought its strong R&D, engineering and product development expertise to develop new spray guns to bolster Sharpe’s position in the marketplace.

Sharpe and Graco developed RAZOR accessories that enhance the painting experience. The Dryaire™ system removes compressed air humidity, and many air filters and coalescers ensure high quality air.

About SkillsUSA
SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. The national organization helps students excel in training programs and future technical, skilled and service careers, including health occupations. SkillsUSA serves more than 300,000 high school and college/postsecondary students and their chapter advisors who are professional members.

Help your Business Grow Under Pressure With Razor’s New Pressure Products

Minneapolis, MN –(March 30, 2009), Sharpe, a leader in paint spraying equipment for the professional automotive refinish market, introduces the new Sharpe Razor Pressure Feed Guns and 2.5 Gallon Pressure System to get big painting jobs done in less time for HVLP, Compliant and Conventional painting.

Whether painting a car, motor home, truck or bus, the Razor Pressure Gun provides superior atomization for Class A finishes. With one of the best spray patterns in the industry, the Razor Pressure Gun has the same great features as the Sharpe gravity feed Razor Guns, including an ergonomically-designed handle that maximizes productivity by minimizing painter fatigue and discomfort.

The Razor Pressure Guns also offer a wide variety of technologies and needle sizes to meet the needs of specific painting applications. Cutting edge air caps and nozzle design optimize spray performance while fewer parts mean less maintenance and downtime. Air flow and air consumption are tested to meet environmental compliance.

Designed for superior handling, the guns are well balanced, making it easy to spray at a steady rate all day. They also have an ultra-light trigger pull that reduces operator muscle stress.

Because the Pressure System offers increased capacity, it handles almost any job with professional results every time. The Pressure System offers superior finish quality and transfer efficiency, as well as excellent fluid flow and air flow. The tank provides pressure up to a maximum of 50 psi and are equipped with a pressure regulator, air regulator, gauge, safety valve, and fluid outlet.

After extensive research with paint shops, the Sharpe Pressure System was developed by Sharpe, a Graco Company, specific to automotive finishing. Graco has a long history designing and manufacturing finishing equipment that improves productivity, reduces paint usage costs, lowers emissions and provides consistently better finishes for automotive manufacturers the world over, including General Motors, Ford and Toyota. Graco has also designed finishing equipment for bus, trucking and airplane manufacturers.

Sharpe and Graco have also developed RAZOR spray guns and accessories, the Dryaire system to remove Compressed Air Humidity, Digi-tell air-adjusting valve, and a full line of hose assemblies.

Upgrade and Save on Maintenance Costs with Sharpe Dryaire® Membrane Air Drying System

Minneapolis, MN (February 16, 2009) – Air quality has a significant – and important – impact on a shop’s work.

Even the most talented or experienced painter won’t turn out a professional job if there’s excessive moisture or airborne particulates in the compressed air system. And, with many shops making the investment to use water-borne and water-based paints, now is a good time to invest in an air system upgrade.

It used to be that the only choice for cost-effective air filtration was a system that used silicone beads. These systems, however, require significant – and expensive – maintenance, which includes replacing the beads.

Sharpe’s 3 stage, Dryaire Membrane System utilizes advanced membrane technology, instead of desiccant beads. It maintains a –40°F dew point while achieving 0% compressed air humidity, and removes oil and sub-micron particles down to .01 micron. Because there are no beads to replace, the system is very low-maintenance, saving on costs over the life of its use, and there are no chemicals to dispose of.

Simple to install, the 3-stage Dryaire membrane system comes assembled and ready to use. Its transparent operation provides continuous, effective air-drying -- even at low flow rates. Unlike other systems, the Dryaire membrane does not use an electric heater to regenerate. Instead, the porous media wicks away moisture on a continuous basis. This means Dryaire requires no additional electricity to use, which provides additional cost-savings.

The Sharpe Dryaire Membrane System currently costs only $1,299, and is a cost-effective investment over competing systems that cost $600, but require the additional cost of silicone beads that frequently need to be replaced. In 2-3years the system has paid for itself. The Sharpe Dryaire Membrane System, with its porous membrane, is virtually maintenance free, saving time and money – no beads or chemicals are necessary.

The Sharpe Dryaire Membrane System (Part No. 6770) includes: Air Filter w/Overnight Drain (Part No. 22601), Coalescer w/Overnight Drain (Part No. 22605), Air Regulator Assembly (Part No. 22604), Membrane Air Dryer (Part No. 1-6770-3).

Graco, a world leader in fluid handling systems and components, and Sharpe, a part of the Graco Company, developed the Dryaire Membrane Air Drying System.

Specific to automotive finishing, Graco has a long history designing and manufacturing finishing equipment that improves productivity, reduces paint usage costs, lowers emissions and provides consistently better finishes for automotive manufacturers the world over. These manufacturers include General Motors®, Ford® and Toyota®, as well as bus, trucking and airplane manufacturers.

Graco purchased Sharpe in 2003 to enter the North American automotive refinishing market, and brought its strong R&D, engineering and product development expertise to develop new spray guns to bolster Sharpe’s position in the marketplace.

Sharpe and Graco developed RAZOR® accessories that enhance the painting experience. The Dryaire™ system removes compressed air humidity, and many air filters and coalescers ensure high quality air. Other accessories include the Digi-tell™ air-adjusting valve, and a full line of hose assemblies, high output connectors, 3M™ PPS™ Adapter for RAZOR, Spray Gun Brush Kit and F2-Disposable In-Line Filters.