Hi all - I'm excited to be painting my 63 Comet this weekend. It's gonna be about 65 degrees, and I've got my garage made into a paint booth with intakc and exhaust fans and all that. It might be more like 70-72 in the garage because it'll be closed off. I'm using a single stage acrylic enamel that says no reducer required (optional) and I have hardener. I'm wondering how long to wait between coats, and even how many coats would you recommend. Thanks as always. Aaron
I have never seen reducer optional acrylic enamel. That tells me that results could be all over the map and that a spray out test with/without reducer and coat numbers/dry times is highly recommended. This testing should have been done before spray day.
I have never seen acrylic enamel you could shoot with no reducer . Better shoot some test panels first. Use a viscosity cup to mix if you are unsure of the thickness. And like has been mentioned, the product data sheet is your friend. Do you have a friend who paints cars? Maybe have someone give you a hand when you spray it. JMO. Lippy
For the guys that have never seen paint with no reducer. A lot of on-line paint kits have no reducer. It is mixed in. The hardener has the component for different temps in it. Just a different way of doing things I guess. For the OP. You should have data sheet to read for those instructions. If not, I would spray a coat and do a touch test on a part that has tape on it. If paint is wet too soon. You want it so it is tacky yet does not stick to your fingers. Usually longer is better. Most paints have a couple hour recoat time. Around 15- 30 minutes is best. If I mess up someplace and get paint on too heavy at a spot, like a certain corner that you may have to fuss with, I may wait a hour between a coat so I do not get a sag in that area.
one hour wait seems a bit much to me. more like 15-20 minutes.one important thing if you have never done it before, the trick is to be fast enough to get all the way around to where you started with the start point still wet. if not, the over spray at the joint will not melt in and you have a dull dry spot. allways three coats, and try not to spray in the exact same pattern each time or you will miss a spot. on the last coat, reduce it down a bit more and stay farther away, more like a fogging instead of direct spray, and this will help to wet it all down and flow out orange peel and dry spots. acrylic will be touchable the next day, but really takes a week or more until its tough enough to not leave a mark with a tool or any violence. the guy who taught me said if you dont get any runs, you didnt put on enough paint. kinda true, but we all hope to avoid the runs, but 3 or more coats can be wet sanded and fixed, less paint, less chance of repair, and less chance of a good gloss. good luck
Rednek Yoga, are your exhaust fans explosion proof? Generally, for homeade booths, I seal it as best I can, and just use fans on the supply side, but with filters on each side so the positive pressure forces air out. Plenty of guys are probably gonna jump on here and tell you they did it and it was fine. The problem with that is everyone gets away with everything, until that one time they don't. Can't find a picture of it, but when I used to work in the automotive field, a spray booth exploded at one of the dealership body shops, killed a couple of people; and leveled the building. Sent from my SM-G955F using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Good luck with your paint job. I'm sure it'll turn out good. Always check the product datasheet before doing anything.Think of yourself as a robot. Keep the gun at the same distance, wrist locked, watch the paint not the gun. Your next lesson will be cut and buff. Have fun!
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