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cold weather painting&needing help

17K views 115 replies 10 participants last post by  69 widetrack 
#1 ·
Any tips for painting when its cold?I'm gonna re shoot my truck my building is 24x36 its a pole building has been seemed with osb&the inside has 1&1/2" thick foam board Ill be in the first half the roof isn't that high in the first half...the building is like a shed roof style what some may call a lean too or pitched.Ill be running my big torpedo heater on the other end facing away from where Ill be.Its well ventilated the temp outside will be around 50,
I know I need to have the metal on the truck warm any other things I should know?Also I just painted this truck this summer with a smaller compressor but got a lot of spots that looked like real shiny orange peel I had a guy who use to paint back in the 80s look@ it&he said I went on too thick since then I've practiced so hopefully Ill get this right.Ill shoot some test panels first.But what works better for you going fast or going slow?when I go fast I get crap results but when I go slow I get that nice smooth wet look but runs its a ss dark grey non metallic also if I want can I shoot clear over this?thanks
 
#65 ·
OK, that looks like a lot of orange peel, how far away is the camera? To me it looks like gun set up, not enough atomization....cut back on the fluid adjustment, open up your pattern (make sure the pattern is still even by testing it on a piece of masking paper) and try a bit more air pressure...I can't see the whole panel and don't know how far away the camera was...if the camera is 5 to 8 inches away from the panel, the orange peel will appear to be more visible in a picture than it is in sunlight and may be acceptable.

Let me know
ray
 
#66 ·
The camera was about 12 inches away but I just went back down there its orange peel.I had the gun adjusted to where I had the cigar pattern&it all seemed well bumpd up to 33psi The whole vehicle is like this now.I'm about to give up this isn't my first time ending up with bad orange peel.I only have tomorrow to finish it as I'm going out of town so I gotta figure out if I'm gonna resand the whole thing or what
 
#68 ·
What kind of gun are you using and what size tip and air cap...when it comes to painting there are so many variables...some people feel that if the product they are painting is thick, they need a big tip and air cap like a 1.6 or 1.8...that is the wrong way to think...the thicker the product the smaller the air cap and fluid needle is what is needed to make the product lay down flat and smooth...with a smaller set up, the material goes on finer and has a flatter finish. with a larger set up 1.6 to 1.8 the material is being put on the vehicle like a garden hose...let it sit over night, not much you can do tonight to fix it...in the morning when it has set up a bit more, take it outside and see what you've got...inside lighting can be the most critical lighting to look at paint...it has shadows and shows every imperfection as natural light is much more forgiving.

After you look at it tomorrow, let me know, you can PM if you like.

Ray
 
#71 ·
As I mentioned earlier, turn your fluid in so not as much material is coming out of your gun, obviously, this is a thick product and a 1.4 is the maximum size for a product of this viscosity. As Novafreak said, you can try to turn up your air pressure as long as your "cigar pattern doesn't change...if the pattern looks heavy on the top and the bottom use a tighter smaller pattern. As far as sanding it down...wait until the morning, take a look at it then and let us know, if you require a flatter finish, then you may need to sand it down and redo your gun set up.

Very often there is a reason HF guns don't cost as much as a brand name gun, they don't seem to have the flexibility of use and adjustment range of other guns.
 
#73 ·
Well I read your last post wrong&turned the fluid up more..shot a few test panels going faster..slower...closer farther etc &still got op..I wetsanded a test panel I did earlier it dosnt look too bad but not great either.Ill turn it down when I try In the am..when I sand this all down can I just wet sand&shoot with primer or what step do I take?
 
#74 ·
Ive shot bc/cc with these hf guns&they came out great maybe it just dosnt like SS.I'm getting devilish for xmas just wish I had it now..it seems like every time I touch SS its a mess..I know a old man only uses SS&hf guns&his all work turns out great really grinds my gears ya know.
 
#75 ·
I think there a couple of possibilities. The quality control with these guns may be such that one may work great and the next one not so much. Also, it may be very possible that I have just not used mine enough to become proficient with it. I paid 226 dollars for the last gallon of Deltron not counting reducer or hardener. There is no way I am going to use my paint to figure out which is the case.

Please, don't think I am doubting that there are a lot of guys on here who do well with them. My reason for posting was to tell you I was successfully in rubbing the paint out and ended up with a very good finish. Everyone will have make their own decision as to whether they want to go with the HF purple gun.

John L
 
#78 ·
I understand totally and don't doubt that you may be successful in getting to where you want to be. I do wonder about one other thing though. I have a few blisters in the body detail lines toward the tops of my doors on my car that are going to have to be repaired this winter. I wonder whether they are the result of solvent pop due to painting in too cool of conditions or moisture in lines or something else. Could it be that the activator has failed to do it's job and allowed the solvents to be trapped? Possible I think. The point I am making is modern refinishing materials are chemically engineered to work under very specific conditions. I am not sure they will allow us to go outside the parameters they are designed for without paying the consequences. Unfortunately I paint a car every couple of years and am not qualified to offer the guidance that the professionals on here can. The other side of the coin is they use heated paint booths with a controlled invironment and don't have to work under compromised conditions like we hobbiests do.

Good luck and keep us posted,
John L
 
#79 ·
Well Im 100% sure its not my painting its just the atomizing issue..it's sure not coming out as a mist.I've been reading&some say the inline air filter can be very restrictive &cause this problem so Ill remove&try again..I'm wondering if this is the issue as I have a few of the hf guns even the so called pro kit&I have the issue with every gun &I always use these filters.So..now I guess I need to wet sand the whole deal&try to get the paint to lay flat because I did notice its landing too thick like specs
 
#83 ·
Your so right John...sometimes when trying to help someone paint with inferior equipment it's like coaching a Hockey team with croquet mallets instead of hockey sticks...equipment matters and that coupled with paint designed for use on implements and not a paint designed for achieving an automotive finish, it's like Forrest Gump said about a box of chocolates..."you never know what your going to get".

Cutthroat, if your getting a Devilbus for Christmas, maybe ask for a gift card from your local automotive paint supplier as well and get the product designed for the job. I admire your tenacity in trying to make it work and I appreciate the fact that your standards don't allow for a finish like your getting, but sometimes you need to bite the bullet and invest in equipment and material that make it possible.

How does the vehicle look this morning? If you need to sand and repaint, wait until after Christmas when you have your new gun in your hand...purchase an Automotive paint. If you want a metallic paint, you need to know that single stage urethane metallic's don't have the shine that acrylic enamel or base clear paints have, it's just the nature of the beast.

If you've shot base clear with this equipment and not had a problem, maybe that's the way to go...the more information you give , the more it sounds like the material your using is not compatible with the equipment.

Ray
 
#84 ·
Now the paint can be reduced? If the manufacturer say the paint can be reduced try reducing the 10 to 15%. Use only the correct reducer for the job and try a test panel before using it on a vehicle. Please remember, we are trying to give helpful information but can only give correct information with the information we get.
 
#86 ·
They do still make them and a good suggestion, when using automotive paints, viscosity cups are not used as often today as they used to be used. Manufacturer's are building the required viscosity into the material and a standard reduction and catalyzation usually give the required viscosity. Industrial paints, if the manufacturer recommends reduction, I would think some paints in the same line are thicker than others and are required to be reduced for maximum flow.

Just like golf, so much to remember.
Ray
 
#87 ·
Well I give up...I sanded the whole thing back down,primered then thought I had 3 diffrent guns dialed in&cranked the air up did everything that was suggested&got the same results the whole vehicle has orange peel&if I try to wet sand it I hit primer its that severe
 
#88 ·
I understand your frustration...Let it set up until you get your new equipment at Christmas...Then buy some paint designed for automotive refinishing...have your vehicle sanded and ready to go, I feel it's the equipment (Paint guns) and material (Industrial paint) that are giving you the problems. The products and gun are not made to give you the finish you want.
 
#89 ·
I Agree with Ray. Sometimes when things just arent working out, its best to just stop for a while and regroup. When I was painting my Nova, I had two bad spray sessions on a large part of the car, I was getting really frustrated and using alot of paint! I just stopped and put it down for three months, when I finally got back on it, I sprayed just fine and had the whole car buffed out and put back together in 7 days.

Andy
 
#90 ·
Holy crapola!Ok I finally got it!I kept adjusting it&ended up painting my dang shop cabinets because I ran out of test paneps&the last time I tryd it layd on nice&smooth!I only have one side painted&the rest in primer so Ill wet sand the painted&shoot.Im afraid to take it apart&clean since I finally got it right so I ran a whole quart of reducer through it&hopefully it will be ok tomorrow...its a dd not none of my projects so as long as it looks close to how it should Ill be happy.
 
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