Painters..........I need an opinion.......

[SKR8PN]

SO.....I'm at a buddies shop today(body shop),bullshitting with him about some shit.I mention the fact,that he always gets a nice even coat down,no runs,no orange peel,NEVER any chips..... and I ask him WHAT his secret is........
Says he adds "flex additive" to the base AND the clear!
His reasoning is two-fold.#1 it makes the paint "flow"
#2 it makes the paint a whole lot more chip resistant. doesn't have any problem with putting shit together AFTER it is painted,and if it DOES chip,it is never as deep or as bad as regular base/clear.
So,is he full of shit? or is this something to really think about doing?

[Roothawg]

I think he could be right. Never done it but they suggest it on cars with a lot of flex, such as Corvettes etc.Can't hurt ...right?

[poncho]

ya but when you go to sand it down the road,it sands like SHIT!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[MercMan1951]

I don't get his reasoning, and have never experienced a painter who would use "flex additive" on everything unless he was painting a rubber car.
Flex additive will make paint more pliable, I.E. not cure throughly or hold the dry time out. It is meant for flexible parts (plastic bumpers) so it will be more flexible come assembly time. It shouldn't be used for the entire paint job. It will also reduce the possibility of "fish eyes" and cracking by making the paint less reactive to silicones and abuse. IMO, he's making excuses for not having a "clean" shop with people who use care when assembling the parts after being painted.

[MercMan1951]

Also, you can get your paint to "flow" better if you use the correct reducer, assuming he has a thermometer and a humidity gauge by his booth, and a good gun. Otherwise, he's wasting his money. A lot of it comes from the gun and technique. I could use a Sata, and spray slow, and have no orange peel or runs, or I could use a cheap knock-off and spray the same speed and have a ton of orange peel and drips everywhere...shot on the same day, same weather conditions. Air temp, humidity, water in the lines, gun quality, atomization, reducer, and general skill all have a small but noticable part in the quality of a finish.

[SKR8PN]

His main reason for doing this,(on SOME jobs)is to make the paint less susceptable to chipping(as in daily use) and he claims it lets the paint flow,or lay down better. At least for him it does. He has a very up to date,downdraft booth,with all the bells and whistles. He shoots his colors and his clear in two seperate guns.
His every day driver is a pickup that he used flex additive in. He drives the SNOT outta this thing,never washes is,never waxes it,etc.etc. If you look real close at the front of it,you can see where rocks and stuff have hit it and left a SMALL mark in the clear,but nothing goes all the way to the primer. This paint job is 5 years old and gets run every single day,year around here in Ohio. There must be SOMETHING to using flex in your paint,I had just never heard of anyone doing it before.......