SPI UV clear and Tekna copper

S

sandman

Hi everyone, my first post but have been reading and learning from you guys for months now...Thanks!

Still a novice but have painted a number of cars over the years. Just upgraded to the Tekna copper and have been shooting SPI UV clear with 1.4 fluid tip setup. For the most part its been laying out just ok w/ some orange peel here and there. Cut and buff takes care of it but makes for hours of extra work.

My first nice gun was a Sharpe Platinum, used it dozens of times w/ omni or similar medium solid clears. Took some practice but in no time I found the sweet spot and was laying out clear nice and flat.

So now back to my new gun and SPI clear...not so easy. Like I said it flows out ok but the stuff is thick and gels fast. I tried all kinds of gun settings but have yet to find the sweet spot. I read a lot of post here w/ all kinds of settings for the copper so these are my best settings so far.

PSI at the inlet: 32 - 36 PS (inlet, trigger pulled, not cap pressure)

Fan control: 6" away w/ 6" long cigar pattern....half turn out???? That confuses me, anything more then that the blows out the middle. Does a half turn out sound right? It seems to work but most say to run fan all the way out then a bit in to smooth the edges.

Fluid control: 1-1/2 to 2 turns out. I don't move super fast so that seems to work for me.

I tried bumping the gun up to 40 PSI but the over spray was intense! My booth is home made but nice, its cross draft w/two blowers, one make up air and one exhaust all w/ filters.

My SPI epoxy, primer and base all shoot fine its just the clear that seams to be the tricky one. Any suggestions out there?

Thanks for lending an ear!
 
sandman said:
Hi everyone, my first post but have been reading and learning from you guys for months now...Thanks!

Still a novice but have painted a number of cars over the years. Just upgraded to the Tekna copper and have been shooting SPI UV clear with 1.4 fluid tip setup. For the most part its been laying out just ok w/ some orange peel here and there. Cut and buff takes care of it but makes for hours of extra work.

My first nice gun was a Sharpe Platinum, used it dozens of times w/ omni or similar medium solid clears. Took some practice but in no time I found the sweet spot and was laying out clear nice and flat.

So now back to my new gun and SPI clear...not so easy. Like I said it flows out ok but the stuff is thick and gels fast. I tried all kinds of gun settings but have yet to find the sweet spot. I read a lot of post here w/ all kinds of settings for the copper so these are my best settings so far.

PSI at the inlet: 32 - 36 PS (inlet, trigger pulled, not cap pressure)

Fan control: 6" away w/ 6" long cigar pattern....half turn out???? That confuses me, anything more then that the blows out the middle. Does a half turn out sound right? It seems to work but most say to run fan all the way out then a bit in to smooth the edges.

Fluid control: 1-1/2 to 2 turns out. I don't move super fast so that seems to work for me.

I tried bumping the gun up to 40 PSI but the over spray was intense! My booth is home made but nice, its cross draft w/two blowers, one make up air and one exhaust all w/ filters.

My SPI epoxy, primer and base all shoot fine its just the clear that seams to be the tricky one. Any suggestions out there?

Thanks for lending an ear!
Click to expand...

Im by no means an expert, specially with Teknas and clear coat, but if you state which air cap you're using you'll get better feedback from the Tekna users.

Does the copper have the 7E7 and not the TE10 or TE20?
 
Jorge M. said:
Im by no means an expert, specially with Teknas and clear coat, but if you state which air cap you're using you'll get better feedback from the Tekna users.

Does the copper have the 7E7 and not the TE10 or TE20?
Click to expand...

My bad Jorge....I have the 7E7, I think its a high efficient cap?
 
7E7 should have a 12" fan
Gun needs a lot of air - 13 CFM to run correctly.
PSI should be 16-22 according to the manual however I found 22 for base and 26 for clear seems to work for me.
You should definitely be using paper taped to the wall to get your gun set up. Everyone shoots a little different, speed, distances, triggering and you have to get the basic set up on paper and then tweak for your style.
 
Thanks coronet, I have plenty of CFM and always shoot paper first to set my gun. I know the 7E7 list a 12" max fan but at what distance from the panel? Its my understanding you want a 6 to 7" pattern. How many turns out do you set your fan knob when shooting SPI clear?

Have a 70 cuda convertible sitting in garage just waiting for resto....Mopar's rule!
 
I back the fluid knob all the way out and then while holding the trigger full open, I turn the knob in until it starts to lift the trigger. Release the trigger and turn the fluid knob in 1/2 turn from that point.
Back the fan knob out 3 turns out from fully closed. With paint in the gun and PSI set to 26 (for clear) I hold the gun from the paper at about 6" max. Pull the trigger full open for one full second. Check the pattern. It should be full. If the center is blown out you close the fan in some, if the center is too wide you increase the fan setting. (keep on eye on the PSI while adjusting) Once you get the fan set, you adjust the fluid knob so that a one second pull on the trigger produces a fully wet pattern without any runs. You will need to wait about 30 seconds to see if runs appear.
This will get you real close but final adjustments need to be made based on your spraying speed. I try to move my hand across the panel at about 12" per second while maintaining a steady distance and angle with the spray gun, overlapping 50%.
Hope this helps.
 
I like lots of air pressure, but 36 is quite a lot for the Copper. I actually don't ever run mine over 29 for sealer, usually a bit lower. I don't like the gun for clear, it's used for base and sealer here.
 
Great to have feedback from an actual copper user, thanks!

Its funny I started out around 28-30 (trigger pulled of course) and all was ok but still some peel but then another guy hear claimed 40 psi worked better for him so on my next panel I bumped it to around 35 which worked good but the overspray was way crazy. Turning off the fans after a couple of minutes as recommended was not happening, if I did the cloud would still be there. The panel had less peel but I think the lingering overspray my have left me with some die back.

So I will back it down to 26 and work from there. Some say high solids are a little tricker while others say the opposite.
 
To be honest I have found myself gravitating back to my Iwata LPH 400 silver cap for applying clear. I have gotten good results with the Tekna Copper but the Iwata just lays the clear down very nicely.
 
Maybe its just that....not the perfect gun for SPI clear. Have read a number of mixed reviews, great for base not so great for clear and visa versa. I personally find it gets the job done w/ ok results but for those who claim that the copper lays it out like glass must know something I don't.

I see a bit more cut and buff in my future.
 
IIRC, Barry recommends using fluid for orange peel and pressure to combat runs. Might not hurt to look through how to set up your gun on SPI's website.
 
i havent sprayed in a while, but used a copper w/1.3 tip and 7e7 cap. 26psi at the gun.fluid knob turned in with trigger pulled until trigger started to move, then 1 more turn.
it took a few cars, but i was able to get a nice, OP less clear.

" Any suggestions out there?"
once you have your gun dialed in
practice practice practice.
without changing gun settings.
 
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