[bcuz1998]

Ok...I'm shooting a single stage urethane paint. I add the activator and fish eye eliminator, but the tech sheet states that further reducing isn't necessary ;ie a reducer but can be used if desired.
#1 What situation(s) would require reducer?
#2 Using a 4:1 ratio, what amount of reducer would I add? I only mix a quart at a time,btw.

I'm at 5,500ft elevation and shooting at between 70 and 80 degrees. Would reducer help the paint lay down better?
TIA

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

1: Use reducer when your paint will not flow.

2: You only mixing one quart at a time will somewhat limit your coverage ability. A tack coat is what you put over your sealer/primer to give something for the paint to stick to, it's not a full solid coat.

3: If your paint is not flowing out then you can reduce it, and for a new guy I'd not go over 25%.

additionally, the ratio of 4 Parts color to 1 part catalyst will give you 5 quarts when all is said and done, and at the last half pint you better make sure you got the paint to cover and have it flat enough that minimal wet sanding is necessary.

I don't recommend using too much reducer when also using fish eye killer (DX73 I think...) Fish eye killer will make your paint slicker than snot on a dogs nose.

Remember to make your passes overlap then cross the pattern, this will help eliminate zebra striping and help complete your coverage.

Last thing, when you spray and you don't think the paint flowed out enough, wait 5 minutes and it likely will. Otherwise you have the likely possibility of runs.

 

[bcuz1998]

FE...you're a god! Lol
Flowing out is the issue we've been having. We shot the smaller pieces today, and it looks like orange peel at first, then does settle out, but not near what it should be. The body has had the 2K primer, a guide coat, painted, then most of that sanded back off as well. Its one of the smoothest bodies I've seen aside from being new metal. I'm very happy with how the body work came out. I'll try some reducer on a small test batch and an old front clip and see if thats the missing piece of the puzzle.
Thanks a million!

 

[pnwpenguin]

not to hijack, but we are prepping our 65 for paint, do I have to remove both of the old paint coats? most of them? or...

 

[Arabian454]

Why are you using fisheye eliminator? fisheye additives will usually cause a lot more peel. Restricts the flowing out of paint.

adding reducer will change the viscosity, make it thinner. When you have your paint mixed does it seem thick?? If you use reducer you will get less mils per coat and may need to use additional coats.

What size tip? 1.4? how wide is your pattern? Lots of things can help with orange peel but I would think biggest help would be get rid of the fisheye additive if you can.

Lou

 

[bcuz1998]

I used the eliminator because I shot the car in the garage, and have 5 dogs lol The paint didnt seem to want to flow out after it sat for a bit. We had a lot of orange peel and it was hitting the surface in blobs. We got the gun dialed in yesterday(Husky HVLP 1.4mm tip) and it flowed very nicely. I added very little reducer and just a splash of fisheye. We're going to reshoot the fenders and trunk lid tomorrow after we sand them down again. I was following the tech sheet at first, but came to realize that what they specify don't take into account elevation(5,500ft.), higher temps, (was 85 yesterday). We gave it 4 coats as well, and it looks really good. My bodywork skills are amateur at best, but looks better now than before. We used Summit single stage urethane as well.

 

[Arabian454]

They should offer different speed/temp activators. Esp if reducer is not required For 85 degrees I would use a slower/higher temp activator vs med.
Sounds like you got it working. :tup:

What color you spraying.

Good luck with it

Lou

 

[bcuz1998]

Yup, I got the correct activator for it..actually, i had all three different temp ranges because I wasn't sure where the temps were going to be when I was ready. Gloss black is the color.
Pics here: http://www.fordmuscleforums.com/galaxie-pages/510242-rolled-out-garage.html

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

That will flatten right out with some 2000 and a block, then a buffer

 

[bcuz1998]

That will flatten right out with some 2000 and a block, then a buffer

We're reshooting the fenders and trunk lid tonight. The orange peel was waaaayyy too much to sand out. The rest of the car should be a breeze.

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

Paint a little Slower in your passes and it will flatten right out.

And since you're using single stage, don't wax it for about 10 days afterward, let the paint fully cure before closing the surface.

 

[rambuttt]

The P-sheets recommend reducer ratios based mostly on the VOC requirements, not neccessarily the flow-out characteristics. Most of the single stage paints I've used specify 10 to 15%, but I like the 25% ratio much better. You can get a Zahn cup to measure viscosity, then go from there. I would also agree with the others that you should get rid of the fish eye problem not by using the extra chemical, but by really cleaning the surface...no band-aids.

 

[bcuz1998]

The P-sheets recommend reducer ratios based mostly on the VOC requirements, not neccessarily the flow-out characteristics. Most of the single stage paints I've used specify 10 to 15%, but I like the 25% ratio much better. You can get a Zahn cup to measure viscosity, then go from there. I would also agree with the others that you should get rid of the fish eye problem not by using the extra chemical, but by really cleaning the surface...no band-aids.

Surface wasn't a problem. We wiped it down with water after sanding, then once it dried, hit it with surface prep right before painting. We're doing this in the garage, so its mostly the bits of dust that tends to come out from under everywhere. Lol I used just a few drops of eliminator per quart.

 

[bcuz1998]

Paint a little Slower in your passes and it will flatten right out.

And since you're using single stage, don't wax it for about 10 days afterward, let the paint fully cure before closing the surface.

Yup! We have to go out of town for a few days this week, then we'll start putting it back together. Once all the big stuff is back on and aligned, we'll hit it with the compound.