Flash Time

S

Speed Thrills

Promoted Users
Reading the SPI Tecnical Manual, I see a lot of mention of flash time.

When does it start?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I get anal. :rolleyes: The 5 minutes starts when you finish the coat? If spraying an entire car, the first part sprayed will sit quite a while, as compared to say, if only a door is sprayed,
 
Being as flash times can vary, based on ambient temps/air flow/reducer used/film build. It's best to judge flash times based on the last panel sprayed. And, physically actually check, what the sprayed out film is doing.
 
Speed Thrills said:
Thinking about it, that makes sense. I guess there’s a window where you would have to sand it if you wait too long?
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no need to sand really. if it had cat added to the base and it was allowed to sit for days or weeks then yes. sand and reshoot base. realistically you can spray a coat of base and let it flash for 24 hours if you wanted to then spray another coat. coat a day. no reason to do that really but just saying that longer flash is ok and better than piling coats of unflashed base on top of one another. best thing to do is get the base on with maybe 15-30 min between coats then once its all on let it flash overnight before you apply clear. these flash times you see in a tds are for a production body shop to get the job in and out the door as fast as possible without having paint issues. painting at home and if your not in a rush maskes thing far easier.
 
Flash time should start when done spraying that coat. Keep in mind that length of flash time can be affected by air flow or lack thereof, as the air flow promotes outgassing. For example, if you have a home-made booth that has minimal air flow, you will need to lengthen the flash time accordingly.
 
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