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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
 
#2 ·
First off what you want to use is a fast reducer for that temp, I don't know what kind of paint you are using but if you get the product info sheet for the brand your using with the s/s it should tell you in there what your dry time to clear will be. As far as getting the paint to flow the way you want, there are a lot of variables with your air pressure settings and fluid control. The big part of that too comes with gun distance and speed. I don't know what kind of lighting you have in there but get as much as you can so you can see exactly how the paint is laying down on the truck as your spraying it. When I spray in the colder weather I usually go a little more on the flash times because it wont dry as fast in the cold and that's where you will get a lot of runs, because your loading up coat after coat that has not properly flashed of yet. Pay close attention to how the paint is laying down on the work. If you can see exactly what is happening as the paint is coming out of the gun, then you can adjust your distance and speed accordingly. My best advice would be is get a large panel like an old hood or something, stand it up and practice with your distance and speed on something like that.
 
#4 ·
Make sure the truck is up to the temp of the paint booth. Extend your recoat times to compensate for the medium reducer and you should be fine. When using that torpedo heater make sure the intake is in fresh outside air. Do not run it when you are actually laying down product.

Vince
 
#5 ·
I agree with "Mr.4speed" on using a faster reducer, and trying it on an upright test panel, this will allow you to see how far you can push the product without it running and give you an opportunity to play with , volume, air pressure and distance. Allow plenty of flash time and check your paint for flash by touching the test panel. Only recoat when the paint on the test panel is tacky and starting to set up. I would see if I can get a fast reducer, if you can you could tailor make a reducer that fits the temperature by mixing some of each together until you get the right formula. Painting in cool weather is a challenge, even for experienced painters and the word of the day here is caution. Good Post Mr.4speed.

I also agree with 302Z28, and if you don't already have one, put a filter between the heater and the outside air to minimize the dust getting in your wet paint.

Ray
 
#7 ·
I used to hold a trouble light in one hand and position it so I could see how the paint was going on, and I those days I didn't wear a helmet, drank water from a hose, drove with no seat belts in the truck. etc.
And Camel cigarettes where recommended by 8 out of 10 doctors that smoked. Drinking and driving was merely frowned upon. LOL
 
#9 ·
some of the cheaper paints require a tack coat before you start actually painting,its just a mist coat of paint that really helps not getting runs...
as far as the waiting for the next coat there are no set times just wait fifteen min and go in and touch the paper where a good amount of paint was applied when its tacky and dont smear around ,its ready for another coat. Ive waited an hour hour + at times waiting for it to be just right for the next coat ...and when its really hot I can hardly sit before it ready....fast reducer is what you need,even at 60 degrees...It doesnt have to be from the company that made the paint ,if its urathane paint any urathane reducer will work same goes with enamels and acrilic enamels...although when it comes to the urathane paints the better quality reducers work better than the cheap stuff.and the hardners come in fast ,med and slow also...
It might be better to wait...
 
#12 ·
Trying to get it done as I may sell it after taxes to fund a dually cummins&I might wait till Monday to get the fast hardner if you think the med wont work if you say no then its no because everything you've told me in the past I have found was all true.As far as the mist coat..so pretty much just step back&do a light mist?I'm guessing a little lighter then if I'm trying to get rid of tiger striping on a panel is that right?Should I wait till its good&tacky till I lay my first coat afterwards?
 
#10 ·
Dead...Another good post, tack coats in cooler and less than optimum conditions, with only a medium reducer, I would would almost be a "must requirement" no matter what he paid for the paint.

What type of paint & Brand is it that your putting on the vehicle, Base Clear, Acrylic Urethane, Acrylic Enamel, Poly Urethane ETC?

Urethane's may, depending on brand, quality, reducer, hardner and especially temperature, require longer flash times and stay tacky longer than other paints.

If you can give us this information we may be able to give you better advice. Remember this, paint is paint, they all work to a degree, but they all have different qualities and act different in different situations. The more information the better the advice.

Post back soon, I'll be checking to try and lend a hand before Sunday.

Ray
 
#11 ·
Thanks..sorry back on so late.I was doing all my body work today.The paint is restoration shop as au machinery grey The kit only comes with a slow sell hardner.I actually asked for fast but they didn't have it.I called around today&the local robber was closed but orileys has medium for 65+ degrees.Its supposed to get close to 60 tomorrow.Tonite it got down in the 30s&with my torpedo heater I got it to mid 70s I sprayed a hood I took off my drag project when I put my cool hood onlaid the hood standing up like you guys said&it had great coverage in a single coat I did to it in sections to see what I would get for runs the results are...I've figured out in my previous paint jobs I was going too fast so it seems like slower is better but too slow = runs so I did get a few just trying to find my happy medium.The runs went that bad.I did have to reduce.The paint mixes@4:1 I only added 1/2 part reducer &seemed to flow well.gonna try with a bigger tip tomorrow&the medium reducer when I go get it.I'm using a 60 gallon. pump air compressor with the purple hvlp gun..I've got about 10 of em lol I think my p.i.c. is getting me the devilbliss for xmas as the ups guy delivered a package from eastwood the other day&they hid it..anyways getting off subject I have a inline oil/water seperator &the little disposal air filter@gun after my regulator.I'm running 100@compressor &30@gun trigger pulled.
Though the paint flowed well it was very tacky&took way top long to dry.I think it has a lot to do with the temp&moisture in the air.Tomorrow before I shoot I'm gonna run the heater for around 3 hours before I shoot
 
#16 ·
No luck today..got my bodywork all done but confused on if I can use another brands activator or not.I did shoot a
Abother test panel I keep getting these imperfections that look like dust or dirt specs but there not&when I wet sand it makes it really dull.Any ideas?&I'm running
a big torpedo heater but cutting off before I shoot.
 
#22 ·
I do quite a bit of the cold weather painting and you really should use the fastest reducer you can get for that paint. The one "good" thing I can say about painting in the cold is there are NO bugs. I don't care how well I seal everything off, there are always bugs landing somewhere on the work. Not so bad for the sealer or base, but your really in trouble when they start landing in the clear. So for that reason I try not to spray in the warmer months. And like I said before you really need to push the flash times longer in the cold than you would normally. Especially with a S/S paint, that will take longer to flash than a base coat would even in the cold weather. I don't know how long that particular brand calls for flash times, but I myself go double if not triple on those times, according to just how cold it may be.
 
#23 ·
Excellent info there. Thanks mr.4speed. I ordered paint for a project Im working on tonight, and will be spraying in a few weeks... I was on the fence about using medium or fast reducers/activators... decided on the fast even though I am in a garage that is somewhat heated.

Thanks for your insight/ experience with this

Andy
 
#28 ·
Ok...so this is what is going on pic #1 is the current issue which its hard to tell from a few feet away you can't even tell but its there.

#2 same pane just with no flash on the camera

#3 this though also gray a totally different type of paint.I know this was all botched up...it was my first time trying it ,was supposed to be a ss metallic that I put on way too fast over reduced&didn't wait long enough between coats.The reason I'm posting this is the marks kind of look like this but a lot more settle not as much like orange peel can't really find the words that Im looking for so Ill just say a lot less noticeable.It looks like a cross between solvent pop&fisheyes. What I have going on now that is
 
#30 ·
Hey there I was In the process off posting this but Ill paste it&add to it&it should give some more insite......
also before I forget..I had a brand new fiberglass hood I painted with the same gun same temp conditions etc the thing came fresh out the box&I just shot it as a test no prep work came out flawless with a nice gloss&could see my reflection..then I had a fender that I sanded to bare metal&that although of course you could still see the sand marks..didn't have the paint flaws The test hood I used I did only use 1 coat of primer&1 coat of paint.The single coat of paint leads me to believe it isn't solvent pop.I'm leaning towards a combination of bad prep work,not the correct activator&or over reducing.I'm pretty sure the over reducing is a big part of it because When I had this issue in the past I just kept adding more reducer trying to get it wetter.Also I'm thinking maybe to much..I'm not going fast@all it seems when I go fast I get my worst results its hard to explain my speed Id say I'm going pretty slow overtime I speed up I get major orange peel.I know its all trial&error but these little spots are killing me!
Ok let me try to answer a few questions.Now I've gotten this effect with guns fresh out the box or old guns I clean with nason reducer.Its happened on all different panels.When I had the issue in the summer it was in the 90s.So with the same issue while cold I'm thinking temp is playing a big roll.All the panels had been sitting in the shop for months&I had heated the shop for a few hours.When I say shop I mean my home shop.Its a detached 24x36 metal building sheeted with sob&insulated with foam board.I work on my project cars&bikes down here that's all nothing exposed that shouldn't be.The building is well ventilated it has a pitched roof almost like a lean to starts@7 ft & runs to 12 I'm working I'm the 7-10 ft section&above my head is the foam board which has 1x2s securing it to the peeling that are on the other side of the foam& below the metal.This issue has happened when painting inside or out.I even used a booth for a day @ a friend of a friends&had same issue.There not really like craters as there's no hole in the middle of em. It &this is gonna sound stupid looks like if you fell asleep on the carpet&it left indentations on your skin.
 
#31 ·
First off ,you "HAVE" to clean with W&G remover and to apply it you have to get the paper shop towels dripping wet then wipe the panel,wipe it off while the panel is still wet. one panel at a time
Think of it as the wet app. melts wax&grease the second wipes it off ,if its not wiped off the wax & grease soilidifies and remains on the panel.

secondly,it sounds to me like you have some kind of contamination coming from the compressor (a very common problem) You need some filters and also a disposable filter at the gun.Theres three must have filters you need for painting , 1st is a water seperator then a paper filterthat gets solids like rust etc and finally one to get the last little bit of moisture called a desicant filter Filters can be expensive even ridiculasly so...Id suggest going to harbor frieght and getting them since your painting all the time...you can also make them ....You'll never get good,clean paint without good,clean air and thats on top of a good ,clean surface....
OK,lets talk about heat... kero torpedos will cause problems if your using an open flame type heat use propane only...its the exhaust.,kero is bad enough but diesel exhaust is about the worst for contaminating the surfaces
 
#33 ·
Good call on the diesel and kero or compressor contamination...the paint is definently being contaminated. Contamination can be a bear to figure out without being there and I feel that's the biggest problem.

By looking at the pictures it looks seedy and by the sounds of the entire situation, he didn't get this problem when he painted the hood seperately. So what happened differently when he got this result, what changed? That's why I asked if he's mixing and matching products. If he's using an acrylic enamel catalyst and spraying urethane product, the paint could start to gel itself into tiny particals that look like dirt or contamination. What's your take on the seedy paint scenario?

Ray
 
#32 ·
I'm sorry, but without physically seeing and feeling this problem, it is so difficult to tell. The pictures do help but still not as much as if I was there.

From the pictures I'd say fish eyes can be eliminated as a problem...thank God, they can be the most difficult to figure out.

Are all the products matched, by this I mean are you using the reducer and activator recommended for the paint? The reason I ask is, and it is hard to tell, that from your description and the pictures, it sounds like a problem called "seedy paint". This is a situation that is caused by several malfunctions such as.
1) Has the product your using ever been frozen?
2) has the product or products ever been left open for a period of time, (Catalyst especially)
3) Are the products your mixing products that the manufacturer requires for this paint to set up and flow properly?
4) The age of the product, how long have you had it or how long is the self life, all products are different and generally last a long time.

Generic hardners and reducers are exactly that, generic, always use the products recommended by the paint manufacturer.

I'll wait for your response.
 
#35 ·
I have a disposabal filter@gun&have a seperator,I am using w&g remover.I get the issue if I run kero or s
diesel or no heat .Like I said I even had this issue when I used a real booth.I'm gonna try a few more things tomorrow&Ill post the results.As far as product Im using restoration shop ss au kit.I've had this issue with nason ,4th dimension,eastwood ,summit,omni...the only thing that has shot absolutely perfect for me has been the 3 times I've used water based.Is that maybe a clue?
 
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