[Saddlebacks]

They exist right? I need some guidance on this, ive heard that you have to crank up the PSI and move in closer? like 4-5 inches? sounds scary. I also heard you have to move faster than normal, but i have never done it before so i dont know... any articles or advice would be appreciated...



Also, ive been wearing a "charcol" respirator mask when i paint. I cant smell any of the paint, yet i feel a semi-burning sensation in my lungs/ esophogus after painting.... is this normal?


it kinda feels like a smoked a couple cigarettes... which is freaking me out a bit

[kenseth17]

Everyones style of painting is different, you need to find out what yours is. I paint fairly close to the surface and my speed is normal, at least I think. Have fluid control backed till trigger quits moving and turned back till it starts to move in. But I've have closed it a little more from the way we use to bomb the lower solids clear on horizonal panels years ago. Different guns require different pressures, and you need to adapt it to your painting style and equiptment and product you are useing. Many hvlps as I understand will operate at a little lower pressure and closer to the surface, but then again some hvlp's still require a pretty high pressure going in the gun. Sorry can't help you more, but hard to say what is going to work for you. Once you have painted enough, you will automatically be able to make adjustments to your gun or your speed, distance ect without even thinking of what you are doing or what you did. They just become natural as you "read" the flow of the paint.
I would be concerned too about the burning . Just cause you can't smell the paint, doesn't mean you are not getting exposure or breathing it in. You may not have a good seal on the mask to your face somewhere or the wrong size mask. If you have facial hair its harder to get a good seal. I have gotten a sore throat before after painting. That pretty much tells you you are breathing in something you are not suppose to. Bigger companys are required to have people come and give fit tests on respirators. Also you should have protection for you skin and eyes, points where iso's can enter your body, and where your respriator, ect when mixing paint also or whenever entering the spray area. I have gotten a sore throat a few times after spraying, which tells me I got exposure at some point, and epoxy bothers me the most. If I get too much of a wiff of it I will get a headach.

[Saddlebacks]

thanks very much for the reply...

im a bit confused by what you meant when you said "Have fluid control backed till trigger quits moving and turned back till it starts to move in" ... does that mean keep the fluid control tight, as in letting out the smallest amount of fluid possible?

[kenseth17]

Basically wide open. When you turn the fluid adjustment knob and hold onto the trigger while doing it, you will notice the trigger will continue to move backwards most of the way, but will stop at a point before the knob is fully turned out till you can no longer turn. You will feel some resistance till the trigger is all the way and the fluid knob is no longer opening anymore. When the trigger quits moving, I turn the knob back in till I can feel the trigger just starts to move again, in maybe a turn or so. That is a starting point and will be almost at full fluid. From there you will need to adjust the air pressure and fluid so it is laying out wet and even, but not to the point you have it running all over on you. The more fluid you have, the more air you need to atomize it. I have been finding just a bit less fluid and applying quite as heavy with the higher solids clears (required today for environmental reasons) then years ago. Adding reducer will make them lower solids, and you should be able to reduce within reason with the correct grade of reducer if you really had to. Set the fan as wide as you can without it being distorted when doing a large area like car panels. There is a lot of information on gun adjustment, but that is where I start and adjust it if I need to when I see how it is laying out. I do spray the first coat of clear a little less wet then the final 2, but still nice without a ton of dry areas. The last 2 I spray as wet as I can without being to the point of running, making sure to sight down panels to make sure there are no dry areas that need another quick pass of clear before it has set up. I feel a little less wet on the first coat lessens the chance you will move metallic if the base hasn't set a long time, and give something for the other coats of clear to hold onto. Sometimes I'll even spray the second coat different then the first on the top panels by spraying across the width of them instead of down the length of them. But there are a bunch of different ways people were taught and how they paint. This is just how I was taught a long time ago and start at, and it has worked for me. But an experienced painter will be able to adjust without really thinking about what to do. This is just how I do it, and only my opinion. Ask 10 different painters how they spray, and you may get 10 different answers, doesn't necessarily make one right and the other wrong if it works for them. My experience spraying clear has been mostly with conventional guns. Hvlp may need to be a bit closer distance and move a bit faster. With some gun time, I am sure you will find the way you like to do things.

[MARTINSR]

Here is an article on the "Basics" Click here

I HIGHLY recommend you get yourself a junk fender or door (available at your local autobody shop for free) and spray out a little paint and clear before you try it on something you care about.

Brian

[Saddlebacks]

thanks very much