Well I posted previously about using water based colors when painting my cars..

the color coat lays down nicely

I havent figured out how to lay down clear yet... then again its been in the mid 90's here seems like the clear sets before it flows out

Im a total nOOB at painting... here are two of my practice pieces

wheel fan

Make sure you use some anti-seaze on those puppies when you attach them to your car Looks nice

Heh, even my "I cant believe they dissect things so intensely" thread here got a "pelican" type response

Im using a HVLP gun with Dupont HC 7600

How wet should this stuff lay down?

it great cleaning the color coats with soap and water..... the only nasty shit is when I shoot the clear

Any hints mis compadres?

Ship it to Los Panchos?

nice wheel fans....

Apply the clear early in the day before it gets too hot. Use a high temp activator. Lay a medium wet coat down first, then give it plenty of time to flash before laying down a second wet coat. You can watch the clear as hits the surface and see how it's flowing out. Don't be tempted to go back over it right away, it'll just cause runs or sags.

What about air pressure?

should I decrease air, and increase paint so it lays down better?

the tech info from dupont recommends 25-35 psi at the gun, so I set the pressure at 30psi...

I guess I need more practice.. Ill shoot the other wheel fans today... they get covered in brake dust after one lap anyhoo

Oh , I was just reading the info on DuPonts site.. they recommend 6-8psi at the gun cap? I guess I need much less than 30 psi at the gun..

is it just a judgment when the pressure is correct?

Info

Dropping the pressure a few #s will flow a little smoother, up to a point, then you'll get spatter..

Decrease it a couple, and spray a squirt, and again, and again.. just a hair each time, and find the sweet spot.

Yes, judgement... if DuP says 7-8lbs, and you have been shooting at 30, split the difference, to like 20, and then do as I said above.. you'll find the sweet spot.



M

QUOTE (TimT @ Jul 23 2005, 12:25 PM)

the tech info from dupont recommends 25-35 psi at the gun, so I set the pressure at 30psi...

You are setting the pressure with the trigger pulled on the gun aren't you? If not your gun pressure will be set way too low and you'll get lots of orange peel.

Learning new things every day

dropped the pressure at the gun...

color lays down even more nicely..and the clear just flows and set up...

I love when thing work out

Ill post pics when its all painted...

My friends dont like that blue/ orange combo I have going...

Im trying to give a nod to the Wyer/Gulf cars.... but not be a copycat LOL

It's a loud looking combo, I like it... HURRY! Take your time.


M

OK I officially SUCK!!! at spraying clear..

how can I fix this? just kncok it down by color sanding and shoot some more clear?

any of you guys interested in coming to NY and shooting some clear for me? ill cook supply beer etc..

ack ack

Looks like fisheyes. Got a filter/trap on your line away from your compressor?

Yes filter/water seperator at the compessor, and filter/water seperator/ regulator at the gun

this is frustrating because the paint lays down nicely.. I am having real trouble getting the hang of clear..

Did you heat dry the water out of the basecoat? Urethane clear will not tolerate any moisture. Otherwise maybe you just didn't spray the clear on heavy enough to flow out. You can wait at least 18-24 hours and sand it down flat then reclear it.

QUOTE (TimT @ Jul 23 2005, 04:58 PM)

My friends dont like that blue/ orange combo I have going... Im trying to give a nod to the Wyer/Gulf cars.... but not be a copycat LOL

i'm paintin' my 914 the same colors !

can you re-post the link to the water based colors? I lost it.

Tim,

no real advice for you.
I can say we had to shoot our clear 2X when we tried it.
I learned that I'm not good at painting...

but sand it down with 600 and then reclear it.
are you running the right temp of hardner in your clear for your weather?

that made all of the difference for us.
and we made sure we shot it at the time of day to match our hardner.

all I can say is 2nd time was better.. so I hope your 2nd time goes smooth (paint-pun-intended)

brant

Tim, what is the nature of the texture? Is it little popped bubbles, or a white area of small scaley crap, or is that tiny fisheye?

I see it's rough..


M

actually is like severe orange peel. Ive nbeen sanding it out

http://www.autoaircolors.com/

Tim

Are you shooting the clear the same as the paint?

If you are that could certainly account for the problem.

Check the directions again. Make sure that your pressure at the GUN REGULATOR is adequate.

What size needle and nozzle are you using?

That makes a diff also.

From the pic it looks like one of two things. Too much material or not the proper reducer. Check that you are using the proper reducer for very hot temp's

ChromaClear!

Tim, whats the base? I have used BC/CC a couple times, with ChromaClear.

The clear flowed on like water, and never changed gloss. I shot it with a turbine, clean up, and rub out took no time at all, fact is, that shit is way to hard to cut.

I think the base is suspicious.

Other thoughts:

1. Did you wipe the freshly dried basecoat with any kind of anything?

2. You are laying down 2-3 times the material you should be? (reducer dilema?)



M

QUOTE (redshift @ Jul 25 2005, 10:02 AM)

ChromaClear! Tim, whats the base? I have used BC/CC a couple times, with ChromaClear. The clear flowed on like water, and never changed gloss. I shot it with a turbine, clean up, and rub out took no time at all, fact is, that shit is way to hard to cut. I think the base is suspicious. M

That's what I use too. Needs plenty of air pressure at the gun (HVLP) to properly atomize or you get orange peel. 23psi at the gun means maybe 60 psi or more at the regulator end depending on size/length of hose. Normally I'll crank the pressure up to 100 psi and regulate it at the gun with a cheater valve. The clear sands nice 18 hours after shooting, but gets damn hard after a couple days. I'd have a hard time going water-base. I like to get the whole job done in a few hours with BC/CC.

I look at that picture, and I see molasses.. just looks thick.


M

K I feel like the karate kid.... wax on wax off LOL

I knocked down all the orange peel.. and will try to shoot this again when the weather breaks up here... supposed to be almost 100 with 90% RH these next few days

Miles the base is as smooth as a babies ass..

Im using that water based stuff posted the link before..

I had a friend of mine shoot the clear on another pieces and it looks really nice... the blue looks like you can reach into it and grab a few ice cubes..

I need to learn how to do that