Paint types

[TimberHole]

What type of paints are you using? I painted a cab I built with an Alkyd Enamel. It wasn’t worth a flip without a hardner but was pretty good with a hardner.

I am currently painting a project with an acrylic enamel. I put a sealer down first the painted yellow over the top. It covered great which was a surprise and laid down flat and hard. I’m pretty impressed with it although it is more expensive.

What do you prefer?

 

[jaxs]

Since EPA regulations stiffened,alkyd paints haven't been researched and improved near what acrylics have. Compounding the problem with alkyds is less demand for paints that require buying brish cleaner. Low demand mean's sitting on shelf longer which cause's slower cure and subsiquent lower durability. Hardener solve's that but require's special breathing apperatus. Unlike in the past,there's nothing to be gained using oil base paints. Support is difficult to find for any kind of paint. Rustoleum has expanded thier brand and bought out other brands in what look's to be attempt to become a one stop source but I've called and emailed them with tech questions they never answered. If you go to their website you will see multiple products claiming to be best for a piticular application.
Using a $300 rig that run's circles around my more expensive conventional guns, I've become a fan of hvlp in recent years.

 

[TimberHole]

Since EPA regulations stiffened,alkyd paints haven't been researched and improved near what acrylics have. Compounding the problem with alkyds is less demand for paints that require buying brish cleaner. Low demand mean's sitting on shelf longer which cause's slower cure and subsiquent lower durability. Hardener solve's that but require's special breathing apperatus. Unlike in the past,there's nothing to be gained using oil base paints. Support is difficult to find for any kind of paint. Rustoleum has expanded thier brand and bought out other brands in what look's to be attempt to become a one stop source but I've called and emailed them with tech questions they never answered. If you go to their website you will see multiple products claiming to be best for a piticular application.
Using a $300 rig that run's circles around my more expensive conventional guns, I've become a fan of hvlp in recent years.

I can generally shoot my stuff with a detail gun but my DeVilbiss EGA-502 screwed the pooch. Need a new air cap and I don’t think it’s available. After screwing with the cheap guns on this latest project I think I’m going to be in the market for a new good quality detail gun. The acrylic enamel called for an 8-1-2 mix but I used 3 to 3 1/2 parts reducer instead of 2. The paint shop said they think the data sheet was changed to 2 to be VOC compliant and that it used to call for 4 parts reducer.

 

[jaxs]

It's no cure-all but using VP&M Naptha in place of conventional thinner can help in cool weather.

 

[dstig1]

+1 for what jaxs said on acrylic over enamel. And exactly what you saw in your use as well. The biggest problem I have is a lot of stuff I do is of the rattle can size and there is almost nothing in rattle cans that is acrylic. The OEM Kubota paint from the dealer in rattle cans is actually acrylic, so a rare exception. I'm not even sure where I would go to get acrylic paint in cans like that for my spray rig. It is just rare that I do anything big enough to warrant breaking that out vs bringing it to the local guy who does sandblast, phosphate dip and powder coat. He does much better than I could and is very reasonable price wise.

 

[TimberHole]

+1 for what jaxs said on acrylic over enamel. And exactly what you saw in your use as well. The biggest problem I have is a lot of stuff I do is of the rattle can size and there is almost nothing in rattle cans that is acrylic. The OEM Kubota paint from the dealer in rattle cans is actually acrylic, so a rare exception. I'm not even sure where I would go to get acrylic paint in cans like that for my spray rig. It is just rare that I do anything big enough to warrant breaking that out vs bringing it to the local guy who does sandblast, phosphate dip and powder coat. He does much better than I could and is very reasonable price wise.

You ever have your paint store put acrylic enamel or urethane in a spray can? I had a can of acrylic enamel made up as I wasn’t sure if I could get my spray gun into the space I needed to shoot. Not a cheap solution but much cheaper than buying all the components.

 

[dstig1]

Paint store... That would be Menards or Home Depot That is the problem - I don't really know where to find a paint store like that. For housepaint, sure we have Sherwin Williams and Hirschfields (local professional paint store chain), but not for automotive-type stuff.