Will slower activator help me or hurt me??

B

Bullmoose44

I was not pleased with my last effort on the clear that i sprayed...too much peel. I just could not get it to look right by sanding the large areas and staying off the edges and body lines. I am sanding it down with 600 wet again and hope to get it flat enough to re-spray. I have a few minor dings to touch up with base and then hit it again.

I have read on here that lots of you pros use a slow activator on the clear to help it lay down smooth. Keeping in mind that I am a garage painter and a rookie...should I go with a slower activator? I am spraying SPI Universal and used normal activator the last time. I picked up a quart of slow today and wondered if I should mix the two at some ratio to help me out...50/50 or 75/25? It is pretty cold up here in the mountains at night, so I will do as before and leave heat on for 24 hours before and 48 hours after I spray...homemade plastic paint booth should be about 70 degrees.

Wii the slower reducer be more apt to run on me? I am thinking the same slower dry process may results in more runs as it smooths out?

Would you stick to what I have used before or try the new mix? This will be my last application, so it needs to be right.
 
The slower activator will help it flow but I would bet your spraying technique or gun setup is causing most of your problems, here's the problem you may have with the slow activator: if your gun is not atomizing properly and you have to put the clear on thicker because of the poor atomization to get a smooth application then you'll be more likely to get runs with the slower activator-hope that makes sense.

You want the clear to go on slick but thin-this requires good gun setup and proper speed and distance. You shouldn't rely on flow after the application to provide your smooth surface.

I think you should grab an old hood or decklid and do some practice clearing, more air and less fluid/trigger pull will provide more atomization, less air and more fluid/trigger pull will provide less atomization, gun distance from the panel will vary depending on gun model and settings, application speed-slow you gun down to the point that it's creating a puddle and then speed it up untill the pattern looks textured and dry-the proper speed will be somewhere in between:the speed that's just slow enough to provide a wet and smooth application. You air supply volume may also factor in-many HVLP guns require a lot of air volume to deliver good atomization.
 
Great reply Bob.
I sometimes feel like a broken record when trying to explain to newbies the importance of proper air supply to power their guns. So many are trying to get by with the bare minimum or even less by only spraying small sections and then waiting for the compressor to catch up. They fail to see that their gun was never operating correctly to start with and decreasing in efficiency the whole time they are applying paint. Just because paint is coming out of the gun and going on to the car doesn't mean the gun is functioning properly.
 
I am a pretty good teacher...i have had people tell me that. That I was really good. I honestly don't understand how anybody who has never had any training and anybody doing this for a living can think you can explain this in a written form. What you are writing only makes sense to people that do this for a living. Too many variables IMO. IMO this is not something that can be taught in this way. I think making suggestions is pointless because you dont have enough information. A good teacher is a good listener. I believe a good teacher is also a good observer. What if he's holding his gun too close or moving too fast? Or holding his gun too far and moving too slow. Now mix up those 4 scenarios... You can't know that unless you watch him. Also, your technique may not work for him. Maybe he needs to spray closer and move faster...or spray further away and move slower...and his gun adjustments are all gonna be a factor in every scenario. I am not saying you shouldn't try to help...I juts think you should be honest in the help. Not that your arent...but its my perspective thats some information is left out making an assumption they know anything about this.
 
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