<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o> I tried painting some lacer metallic paint but all I get is this zebra stripe pattern. How do I make it lay out right? This is my first time painting that doesnt involve farm equipment (seriously) Im practicing on some panels that I found in the woods and when Im done they hang in the shop. I have a cheaper HVLP gun at 20psi and not a clue what tip size I have.
Look at this thread.It should help you out. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=225633
I used lacquer for 35 years. Painting metallics is tricky for the pros, so don't think it's just you. Is your shop cold or damp? It looks like you might actually have a "blushing" problem. That is where cold or moist air causes the surface to skin over, before the solvents escape from the paint. That will give you "milky" streaks. I would not spend too much time learning to use lacquer. It is actually harder to get a good job from it....paint manufacturers stopped making lacquer formulas for the new colors....most paint stores have already done away with their mixing systems.....and within a few years it will be illegal. The new urethanes have so many advantages over lacquer that it no longer makes any sense to use it. About 5 years ago I gave away 350-400 cans of it. My paint store was the last one in a town of 800,000, and I was their last lacquer customer. The owner told me he could not maintain an entire mixing system for one customer. I can't think of anything I've done with lacquer that cannot be done with urethanes....and I've done it all!
With met paint you are better off putting on several light coats. In different directions. Then finish off with a mist coat with the gun at 18"s or so.....
Air pressure, distance from the panel, Technique, and fluid tip could all have some reason behind striping. You might also try adjusting your fan pattern on your gun. You can also try to cross it up to blend it in. Keep practicing. BTW Where are you getting laquer paint?
I'm guessing not holding the gun perpendicular to the panel. If you tilt the gun back at too much of an angle, the top of each p*** will go on too dry, while the bottom of each p*** will go on too wet. The little metallic particles lay out differently depending on how wet the coat is. Either that or the wrong amount of overlap, or maybe a gun with a screwed up spray pattern, or spraying too dry or too wet in some spots. Could be water vapor screwing it up too by spraying when it's too cold, and dew forms on the surface of the paint as the solvent dries and cools down the surface. I'm sure no expert though. Good luck.
could be a number of reasons, but first turn up the air pressure to about 50-55 lbs and make sure the fan is opened up and don,t hold the gun so close. let the first coat flash and then put the next coat on in a diagonal direction. once its covered, put a light dust coat on,(make sure its not to dry or rough finished) the last coat should make the metallic even. let dry for about 15 min. and then clear. this is not something you pick up on the first try. practice on some panels with different temp. reducers. painting is something you have or you don't. the final product will tell you if you have it!
im with Rusty i think your not holding the gun perpendicular to the work. also the spray pattern might not be fanning out like it should something like 6 to 8 inches wide is good. air pressure will help it streak, if you have too much then it will blow the metallic deep in the paint and give you dark streaks. if i was you go with base/clear coat. it is more forgiving and if you have weak spots you can just hit the areas that need it then you can clear it out.
Make sure your fan is as wide as it will go... and tip size is crucial.. I use a 1.3 or 1.4 with my Devilbiss guns, same with the Iwata. too big a tip and it will 'pour' the paint on, unless you're fast enough to keep up. I can't even get Lacquer around here-not that I use it.. and like others have said urethane is the way to go.. more durable and it'll hold gloss alot longer.. Don't expect a Harbor Freight or other cheap gun to atomize paint very well..... I have a HF gun that I use for primer every so often.
Try just shooting a burst of paint on a piece of cardboard or something. You should have a nice tall oval pattern with equal paint at the top, middle and bottom. It will be a little wider in the middle and a little less wide at the top and bottom, but it should be a nice consistent look with no empty or missing areas and no heavy wet areas. A lot of times a tip can get clogged up and give you way too much paint at the top or bottom. Or, you have the fan set where you are just shooting out a circle of paint. Bad. It should be a pattern just a few inches wide and up to 10 inches or so high. I would suggest opening the fan control on the back ALL the way open. I also like the fluid control ALL the way open, but you may be more comfortable turning it in a little to restrict flow some. Too much and you will be dry spraying everything and will not be able to wet out. I would agree you likely need to raise your air pressure to 40-55 pounds, but some HVLP guns are made to operate at much lower pressures. Hard to say what you have, but I would try the higher pressure. If you have the tip on 90 degrees off, your pattern will go side to side instead of vertical. That will be a huge problem if you are painting left to right and right to left. Loosen the tip and turn it 90 degrees until your pattern is vertical (tall and narrow). Only a burst of paint on a piece of cardboard will tell you these things. Once you have a nice tall narrow even pattern, then try painting a swipe from left to right and stop. When you put the next p*** on, overlap the first p*** by about 50% (It helps to just aim the center of your next p*** at the edge of your first one or so. Then do the same with your next p***. Keep your gun at least 12 inches or so from your panel (It looks like you might have a narrow pattern and be way too close to your panel). Keep it an even distance the whole time and keep your gun perpendicular to your work. A lot of people will swing the gun out on the ends like they are standing in one place and trying to water the bushes on either side of them. You have to move your whole body back and forth and keep the gun parallel and perpendicular to your panels.
MAN!! I learn a lot of stuff from you guys, and I think I'm already a genius!!!! Thanks for the free knowledge. Always good tips from the HAMB
One thing I forgot to add.. some of the cheaper guns like more air pressure then what the gun specs say... Even my dependable Devilbiss 670 Plus likes around 40 psi... but it's not an "HVLP" just a "compliant" gun..
I think it seems more like your overlap than anything else. Most colors are going to require around a 50% overlap, for metallics this is even more important. Metallics don't cover nearly as well as a solid basecoat and show things like stripes and bad technique more than solids. Try what others have said; 50% overlap, watch your wet out for even coverage, and maybe try a diagonal second p*** to even the metallic out. Good luck.
The Jalopy Journal
