Chris
Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Yes, the GTi Pro probably is a bit big. Not so bad on 5 spoke wheels, but when you get one that has 12 spokes it’s a different story. I wouldn’t use a “mini” gun. They can make the metal flake or pearl stand up differently, unless maybe you’re just doig one spoke or small section of the rim.
You need to scuff really thoroughly. Grey Scotchbrite is fine but press firmly and don’t miss any bits.
When I do wheels (and I do quite a few) one of the challenges is that you get a lot of overlap as you cover the various faces of the spokes. This makes it really easy to get too much paint on, expecially if you narrow the fan to reduce wastage/overspray.
I prefer to use a smaller gun for jobs like this. Still 1.3mm but less fluid flow and naturally narrower fan means that it better suits the job. If you’re using a wet on wet primer then your substrate needs to be near perfect as the primer isn’t sanded to take up flaws. In that case the primer just becomes the bond between substrate and colour coat and doesn’t need to be thick at all. It’s the overly thick coating that is giving you the excessive OP, possibly because you’ve turned down the air a bit for the smaller job size. In my case I use a Star SMV1000F which is perfect for the job. Other manufacturers make equivalent guns (e.g. Devilbiss SRI PRO).
Working mobile you don’t have the time to wait for most 2K primers to cure. I’d be talking to your paint supplier about what they have that has very short curing times, maybe the UV flash type, or possibly a purpose made wet on wet primer.
Most paint companies also have very fast curing clears. I notice that Cromax have just released here Cromax® Ultra Productive VOC Clear Coat 3760S which will cure in less than 15 minutes under IR. Something like this would probably suit you.
In my experience rough patches in the basecoat come from holding the gun too far away, flicking at the end of your pass or while blending, too much air and/or too little fluid. Even though fast solvents do flash very quickly, if everything else is right they do allow the paint to melt in on a previous pass. 78 deg F (25C) isn’t hot, in fact near to optimum, so should be within the range of your medium solvent. Slower thinner will give the flakes time to settle, giving a more uniform look, which is why the guys above recommend use, but can work against you giving a darker colour on metallics.
If you have the capacity to increase fluid flow then I suspect that this may be a large part of your problem. Unless there is a specific reason not to, I run any gun with the fluid fully open, i.e. adjustment turned in until resistance is just felt against a fully depressed trigger. I’d try this first, making sure that your gun is always perpendicular to the panel and using the trigger to blend on an inward pass rather than turning the gun on an outward pass.
I have a concrete floored booth. End draught, so dust has always been an issue. It gets fully hosed out once, sometimes twice, a week and I used to sweep out between jobs. That didn’t work so well so tried bl owing out. Better but created a lot of dust in the air which would resettle.
Now I vacuum between jobs. I bought a turbo head which has a rotating brush and hook it up to a shop vac which has great suction. Makes a big difference for me.
17 jobs a day? That’s awesome, Andy. I think I’m doing well to do three – but I do repair, prep and some post paint work all myself, with some assistance from my detailer. 😆
I use paper betwwen masked edge and plastic. For me this works better that plastic all the way to the edge.
😆 I prefer the blue suits too. Always feel like I’m playing the part of the little fellow with a wiggly tail in a condom ad when I’m wearing a white paint suit.
My supplier used to sell an Australian brand filler which I was pretty happy with – until their factory burnt down and they went out of business. It was something of a cross between the US and European types.
After that my supplier carried a U-Pol filler which I thought was really nice to use. Very smooth and fine, easy to finish good enough to prime straight over. Now they’ve changed again and the last tin was Ever Gold. Awful stuff – feels like it’s full of beach sand when you put it on, cures like granite and always needs to be glazed over.
All supposedly “lightweight” fillers but give me the European style stuff any day.
The bad news is that as long as it’s not feathering then it’s no good to paint over. Keep blading.
Yeah, the link works if you trim off the second “http://”. Do I recall another post by this member about attention to detail?
Having read the linked page I found it a complete let down. Nothing more than a list of brands with the four best known highlighted as the “Big Four”. Despite having asked the question and receiving 74 responses there is no mention of the results at all. Total waste of time.
Premixed primer is going to be full of thinners. Normally what I’d do is mix a batch of primer with less than 1:1 thinners instead of the usual 1.5:1. You don’t have that option so start by taking the lid off the tin and letting some of the thinners evaporate. Mix occasionally to stop skin forming and to expose more thinners laden paint. You’re probably looking for an overall reduction in volume of around 20% so measure it up and keep an eye on it. Once you’ve got rid of the excess thinners you’ll have a higher solids content primer that should still spray through your gun (assuming 1.8-2.0mm tip.
Now apply this in thin coats. In extreme cases I’ll even follow each pass with a heat gun to flash off the thinners more quickly. Allow to flash a few minutes and then repeat, maybe half a dozen times until you have a good solid coat of primer. Leave for a few hours then repeat, building your primer gradually in coats that are not wet. If you intend to block then repeat the whole process a third, maybe fourth time. Allow your primer to dry well, overnight at least, then block and proceed as normal, but don’t apply the finish coats too wet.
You could save the whole drama by using a sealer and 2K primer, but if your budget says use the paint you have then that’s what you’re stuck with.
I like to keep clear coat guns separate from those I use for base or 2K. No chance of contamination of colour in the clear and gun stays cleaner. They’re also set up differently so I don’t have to change settings every use (although I do check them each time).
A lot of painters prefer the HVLP for base and the RP for clear is definitely better. I use RP or HP guns all the time but no mandated requirements here.
Yep, that’s exactly what he means.
But….the Tekna (I use one for clear) isn’t as bad as some and I find that bumping the pressure up a tad works to really slam it on to the panel and get it to stick. Better, flatter finish, too. I am a medium speed painter, so the gun suits me quite well. The fan is quite wide so you can go in a little closer and go a bit faster if you like.
It is a very good gun and, for the price, amazing value.
Generally, each factory makes their own supply arrangements. This has to do with different technologies used in different factories as well as marketing areas for the various paint suppliers as well as differing standards which apply in various countries.
Pre-painted pieces are often made and painted in a different factory altogether, often just a supplier to the main factory. That these parts match well has more to do with the quality control implemented by that supplier or the main factory than the brand of paint, bearing in mind that the paint used could be completely different technology, say for plastics, than that used on the body of the car.
It is luck of the draw though. I’ve had pre-painted parts that match well and others that are so bad that they need refinishing.
Primer is 131S [url=//http://www.axalta.com.au/assets/pdf/intranet/TDS/DuPontRefinish/1131S_Fill_n_Sand_1K_Acrylic_Primer.pdf]TDS here[/url]
We also use the Duxone one which is the same product, rebranded.
They’re both solvent based. I don’t know if the spray cans are warranted but they are the same product – just overthinned so they’ll spray out of the can. We mix 1:1 which gives plenty of build when applied with a 1.8mm gun in two coats.
I had a long discussion about it with the rep and he has no problems with it so long as we allow flash times and sand back. Never had any adhesion issues to base coat over it and adhesion to substrate is just the same as any other primer. Obviously needs etch over bare metal. If area is well prepared then a thinner coat is fine just as a surfacer. Either way it sands very fast and gives a really nice base. Works for us.
Welcome. Apart from your opening statement I tend to agree with most of what you say. Experience is important, as is commitment to quality. I’d suggest that most of the pro guys on here have those attributes and that’s why they’ve been in the trade so long.