CAN'T STOP ORANGE PEEL

I do falter on distance with the Iwata, I am always bashing myself for not staying close enough. I use slow activator and slow reducer all through the spring and summer, I know I need a lot of practice to get where I need to be.

something i was taught to do and seemed to help me control the distance from the surface,overlap, and speed i move the gun is to focus my view in front of the gun. look where im going to be spraying in front of the gun and not where ive been.
 
SPI 895 reducer is noticeably slower than SPI 885. Really does make a difference whenever temps are 80 and above. Whenever temps hit 90 or more and you are spraying, 895 and the Retarder in all coats should be considered mandatory.
 
I am just in the place with a plating shop in my paint shop, that humidity is always around. I would compare that to alot of garages guys are trying to spray in. What people say works at 90 degrees is what works well at 70 for me. Thats a piece of the puzzle people leave out. Its the humidity in the air that makes it heavier and everything changes. Well, that and the fact that per the data we are not supposed to be using reducer in the universal clear, right? I think that is why people are more comfortable with the euro since reducing is "allowed".

I know its off the subkect, but I just got back from PPG industrial, they cant get me a retarder for this NASA paint, told me to try this exempt thinner with it. Bought a 5 of lacquer thinner and a 5 of Acetone for cleanup since I can get them for like 10 bucks a gallon, and the 5 gallons probably weight about double of this gallon. trifluorotoluline exempt thinner. Maybe I just got 300.00 worth of retarder because I have never felt thinner this heavy before. But this paint, I call it fireworks, as soon as you spray the booth wall to check your gun settings, it just pops like sparklers, so it is extremely clear when the reducer is too fast.

I did order some 925-4 today to try something else, but very slow activator and very slow reducer might work in my shop when its 65 degrees.
 
Very good advice here. Also I find very important is volume of air. Your compressor needs at minimum 16cfm but the more the better. A large tank, at least 3/4 diameter pipe, 1" or larger is better. If you have air dryer, make sure it flows enough output, make sure your wall filters/regulator flow enough cfm. Use at least 3/8 hose with high flow fittings and couplers. and keep those to bare minimum. Keep the wall set as high as it goes and reduce at gun with mini regulator. Iwata AK-1r2 I think.

Sata hvlp uses 16cfm. An absolute hog. I think lph400 is 9cfm. By the time it flows through all of those restrictions it could be not enough volume for proper atomization.

Always use the absolute slowest catalyst you can get away with. A bit of retarder instead of reducer helps. An old timer told me flex agent helps because it dries so slowly it gives lots of flow out. Haven't tried that yet.

I find PPS cups to restrict flow. Time a pour of water with PPS then either RPS or gun cup alone. PPS is almost double time, it begins to pour slower as it drains then it stops not completely emptied. I'm sure I'll think of something else.
 
It's been noted that if you take the screens out of the PPS cups, you'll get great flow. It's basically an open cup. Use a paper strainer instead.
I don't think the flex is needed. SPI clears frustrate people because they're so high in solids. There really shouldn't be any flow. Spray it like you want to see it. Only time I want flow is when a run is forming.
 
It's been noted that if you take the screens out of the PPS cups, you'll get great flow. It's basically an open cup. Use a paper strainer instead.
I don't think the flex is needed. SPI clears frustrate people because they're so high in solids. There really shouldn't be any flow. Spray it like you want to see it. Only time I want flow is when a run is forming.

Didn't know about pulling the strainer making a difference. I'll try that.
 
I use the iwata lph 400 and figured I’d just spend the rest of my life sanding OP. Got to watching YouTube and couldn’t believe how fast they were spraying ! So I tried it - realized that I had to overlap by about 75% to keep it wet and keep the gun about 4 inches away - turned my air up to 35+ - huge difference ! Add a little reducer or retarder and it barely needs sanding - finally getting the hang of this clear coating after 10 years !
 
Reducer - maybe a couple ounces in my last coat ( sprayable quart)

Retarder - about 2 capfuls maybe 3 to a sprayable quart-
 
high solids are not like the old enamels and such . do not depend on flow . spray for effect .
years ago a ppg rep , really good one , explained the new high solids like this . take a handful of pennies and lay them out flat then take them and just dump them in a pile. same with solids in your clear. lay them out in a thin wet coat instead of hosing them on like a handful of pennies . your stacking the solids and creating orange peel . when you hose it trying to make it flow your creating thane wave . try cutting your fluid a little and adjust you speed to it .
 
Great advice shine !! Thin wet coats is what I do NOW. Didn’t use to - tried to go slow and put on enough JUST before it would run. Got runs though. I put on 3 -4 heavy coats and had to sand with 800. Great for not breaking through to base coat - hell - forget bugs -I could sand a bird out of my clear coat if I had to but the wave was horrible ! Thin wet coats now ! A lot less clear used too( sorry Barry)
 
By the way do I use retarder along with reducer in clear, How much do you use ?

Posted this somewhere on here before JC, when it's really warm 85+, you can use 1-3 ounces of retarder per RTS quart of clear (5000, universal, or production). Use it throughout not just in the last coat. I've shot a lot when temps in the booth are 100 degrees or higher. With 5000 I use the 895 reducer and 3 ounces per 32 ounces RTS clear. Makes a huge difference. With Universal try using the retarder first before reducing it.
 
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I've never been a fan of over reducing anything. In the heat of the summer, the viscosity is already thinner than in colder weather, and reduction will make it dry faster, not something you normally want when the temp is high. Retarder is the only thing I will put in universal, and works great for me. If you do reduce the universal, you're losing some of the solids that make it great, IMO.
 
Didn't know about pulling the strainer making a difference. I'll try that.
The folds in the liner also restrict flow as the cup gets close to being empty. Try removing the air supply, shaking the cup, they re-attaching the air supply. It helps.
 
The folds in the liner also restrict flow as the cup gets close to being empty. Try removing the air supply, shaking the cup, they re-attaching the air supply. It helps.
If you do remove the filter, you can remove the cup and use a popcicle stick to push the liner down. I wish those liners didn't collapse so easily
 
If you do remove the filter, you can remove the cup and use a popcicle stick to push the liner down. I wish those liners didn't collapse so easily
Yeah, they do that so you can suck all the air out of the cup. That lets you spray with the gun in any position, but with the folding problem near the end.
 
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