Mixing/spraying paint

[strum456]

Code,

I noticed you are working on a cub low boy (light colors). Always spray your paint wet, for best adhesion, but don't expect full coverage on the first coat with light colors. That valspar dries very slowly. On any paint, it is best to wait 30 min between coats, so most of the solvents can excape before they are trapped by succeeding coats (this is called flash time). If you can, I would wait an hour or more with the valspar. Rushing will result in runs with the paint you are using, and much more serious problems with automotive paint.

Another bit of advice, if you are trying to do this right. Don't bother with the valspar primer. Go to Home and look up their epoxy primer. In my opinion, it is the best epoxy primer you can buy for any doller amount. It is also half the cost of the "major brands". Epoxy primer is simply the best coating for bare metal. Also, check out the spi forum and read about the proper way to prepare your bare metal (improtant reading)

 

[murphy1244]

Paint is definitely not immune to air line moisture. Moisture can result in fish eyes or bubbles from trapped moisture under the paint.

To do it right, an air dryer and the plumbing is quite pricey. You can make a low budget air dryer by coiling some copper tubing (best) or an air hose (works ok) in a bucket of cold water. Keep in mind, a water separator will not work if the air is still hot from being compressed. The air needs to cool before hitting the separator, so the moisture can condense. So, the cold water helps with cooling. If you have a properly designed plumbing setup, you wont need the bucket. No matter what, you want your seperator as far from the compressor as possible. 50 feet or more is best. For painting, you should really have a sub-micronic final filter also. Mine is a motorguard m-60. It is a very well built unit.

Don't rely on those little filters that go before the gun. They lack sufficient capacity to be used as anything close to a stand alone filter.

That is why oiless compressors don't make good air for painting, The air is to hot and moist and will put water in your paint and gun. I learned that the hard way with 175$ worth of paint.

 

[Code54]

Code,

I noticed you are working on a cub low boy (light colors). Always spray your paint wet, for best adhesion, but don't expect full coverage on the first coat with light colors. That valspar dries very slowly. On any paint, it is best to wait 30 min between coats, so most of the solvents can excape before they are trapped by succeeding coats (this is called flash time). If you can, I would wait an hour or more with the valspar. Rushing will result in runs with the paint you are using, and much more serious problems with automotive paint.

Another bit of advice, if you are trying to do this right. Don't bother with the valspar primer. Go to Home and look up their epoxy primer. In my opinion, it is the best epoxy primer you can buy for any doller amount. It is also half the cost of the "major brands". Epoxy primer is simply the best coating for bare metal. Also, check out the spi forum and read about the proper way to prepare your bare metal (improtant reading)

The Cub is the main project and the one I really care about so I appreciate the advice. I bought a BIG flail mower recently and sand blasted it and been "practicing" my painting on that. I didn't really care if it has a run or few marks as it is by no means a show piece and I know it will be scraped and scratched up!
Everything on the Cub is getting sandblasted down to the point of not having one flake of old paint on it so proper prep and painting is very important to me - way to much work to screw it up now! Thanks

 

[Soundguy]

THANKS strum456 - your right, I set the pressure but NOT while I was pulling the trigger - never gave it a thought. Also your how to set up the gun is great - I am going to do that. Actually I printed that part out and am going to stick it on the inside of my paint cabinet!

as soon as you pull the trigger and flow starts.. yer pressure drops and good..

 

[Soundguy]

Code,

I noticed you are working on a cub low boy (light colors). Always spray your paint wet, for best adhesion, but don't expect full coverage on the first coat with light colors. That valspar dries very slowly. On any paint, it is best to wait 30 min between coats, so most of the solvents can excape before they are trapped by succeeding coats (this is called flash time). If you can, I would wait an hour or more with the valspar. Rushing will result in runs with the paint you are using, and much more serious problems with automotive paint.

i used to only use the valspar hardner.. but now buy the quick dry hardner that car quest sells for their nason syn enamils.

stuff can dry in 15-30m if above 50 degrees. I love it.. won't go back..

 

[strum456]

i used to only use the valspar hardner.. but now buy the quick dry hardner that car quest sells for their nason syn enamils.

stuff can dry in 15-30m if above 50 degrees. I love it.. won't go back..

I will have to try that next time. Do you use the same ratio as valspar hardner?

 

[Soundguy]

yep... I mix and do all the same.. EXCEPT.. I no longer use mineral spirits. I use some naptha and some medium nason reducer. I believe it has hexane in it. the MS will curdle the nason syn enamil, and doesn't mix well with the hardner. napth seems to be ok.. but the medium reducer for their enamil works GREAT.. and literally.. is touch safe in 15-30 minutes... I've never worked with enamil that flashed that fast... I've painted with it in temps up to 90's and in semi direct light with no fast flash out problems. seems to literally be tha hardner catylizing and curing it fast vs just a reducer flash off thing.

mind you.. I'm not a pro painter.. just a hobbiest.. etc... so take that for what it's worth..

soundguy