Good education on reducer!

Barry

Paint Fanatic
Staff member
With the tech line since I have answered it for so many years I know what type of calls I will get with the month coming up because of temperatures.

The last month was normal for May as I get them every year.

Here is the best call that will put this all together.
First I have known this guy for 20 years, he is in MS and I have been to his shop, last time about 8 years ago but at least 5 times.
He does restro rods and restorations and some high end insurance work and only uses universal clear. This guy is good and if he calls with an issue, I don’t need to ask flash times or if he mixed it right.

The call four weeks ago:
All of a sudden in last three weeks, I paint a car and in two or three days the clear dies flat. Or if a repair, I paint today and buff tomorrow, the clear will die back that afternoon.
I’m using the slow activator that I use all winter long and slow reducer in my base.
All I could say is I know better then ask you about flash times and with that said, I don’t have a clue BUT since I get 5 of these calls a day this time of year, the answer to all have been- TOO fast reducer in base, so I’m stumped.
As we talked and me acting stupid because I did not have an answer, he said could brand of reducer make a difference and I said yes if it’s a crap one.
Sure enough, my own jobber sold him another brand when he was out of mine and this guy buys pails at a time.
So I explained how the cheap ones will dry to fast in the base and trap solvents.
Conversation done as he was going to get mine when he got off the phone.

Did not hear back until Friday, he said good news and bad news, so first the good news, the reducer solved the problem. The bad news the white pearl Cadillac I called you on came back with a big chip in hood and I peeled a one foot strip off of base and clear down to sealer. Then took a blow gun and stripped whole hood in less then 3 minutes.
He then went on to say it smelled like he had dumped a gallon of reducer on the hood, so bad he put out his cig.

So this is how important the proper speed reducer is in your base coat.
 
There's some crap solvents being used in some of the lower lines for sure. The thread awhile back about how it can affect the darkness of colors was a real eye opener to me-never heard of such a thing till then but when Barry corrected the problem for the thread originator by identifying the issue and his conformation with the results showed just how important reducer selection can be.
 
Barry;28675 said:
With the tech line since I have answered it for so many years I know what type of calls I will get with the month coming up because of temperatures.

The last month was normal for May as I get them every year.

Here is the best call that will put this all together.
First I have known this guy for 20 years, he is in MS and I have been to his shop, last time about 8 years ago but at least 5 times.
He does restro rods and restorations and some high end insurance work and only uses universal clear. This guy is good and if he calls with an issue, I don’t need to ask flash times or if he mixed it right.

The call four weeks ago:
All of a sudden in last three weeks, I paint a car and in two or three days the clear dies flat. Or if a repair, I paint today and buff tomorrow, the clear will die back that afternoon.
I’m using the slow activator that I use all winter long and slow reducer in my base.
All I could say is I know better then ask you about flash times and with that said, I don’t have a clue BUT since I get 5 of these calls a day this time of year, the answer to all have been- TOO fast reducer in base, so I’m stumped.
As we talked and me acting stupid because I did not have an answer, he said could brand of reducer make a difference and I said yes if it’s a crap one.
Sure enough, my own jobber sold him another brand when he was out of mine and this guy buys pails at a time.
So I explained how the cheap ones will dry to fast in the base and trap solvents.
Conversation done as he was going to get mine when he got off the phone.

Did not hear back until Friday, he said good news and bad news, so first the good news, the reducer solved the problem. The bad news the white pearl Cadillac I called you on came back with a big chip in hood and I peeled a one foot strip off of base and clear down to sealer. Then took a blow gun and stripped whole hood in less then 3 minutes.
He then went on to say it smelled like he had dumped a gallon of reducer on the hood, so bad he put out his cig.

So this is how important the proper speed reducer is in your base coat.

So this is how important the proper speed AND QUALITY reducer is in your base coat
 
So let me get this straight, there are other brands of reducer out there...

only SPI for me!
 
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