PPG Deltron - painters opinion needed

Got some odds and ends projects and can buy a few Deltron off the mix rack at my paint store. Want to paint some equipment and the price is right to use good paint, nice colors too. Ive got a half gallon of detron reducer from an old paint job.

Can I mix Deltron acrylic urethane (topcoat) DAU with Detron basecoat DBU and shoot it? do you see any paint interaction problems? will this provide a semi gloss finish?
I should still be able to clear over this if I dont like the dead finish?

I know I should use all new paint and spec it to what Im doing, but I would like to mess around with this new gun I bought on something useful and the paint is cheap.

 

Nope...you'll end up with a big mess.

Jeff

 

Says on the cans not to mix. Only delton base and the DAU are to different animals. Just my 2 cents

 

DAU(Deltron) and DBU (Deltron basecoat) both mixed off the same DMD toners. DAU was meant to be catalyzed with DAU2(loooong obsolete) to create a single stage acrylic urethane finish. With base/clear becoming the standard in the 80s, the Deltron system needed to expand, so DBU was born. It's DAU converted with DBX 695 most times about 50-60% color formula and the remainder DBX695, then clearcoated with DAU82 clear(with DAU2 catalyst) OR DAU75 clear which used DXR81 catalyst(acrylic enamel hardener).

So much for the history lesson.....

To answer your question, no, you don't wanna mix DAU and DBU.....UNLESS you cut the DAU about 50% with DBX695....at that point, you'll need to clearcoat with about any clear in the PPG line--most are compatible.
The only safe use of DBU without clear would be DIA(I think that stands for Ditzler Interior Acrylic)--interior paint, which uses DRR reducer....which contains a catalyzing agent that reacts with the resins and makes them "gel". Not durable at all for exterior use because of the lack of UV inhibitors.
Soooooo.......all you got a shot at is maybe some cheap basecoat! Cheap and Basecoat usually are mutually exclusive words, so you might be on to something

 

What he said^^^^^^^^

 

Thanks guys, kept me from making a huge mess out of my new gun.

theres some red / maroons in DBU I can use, Perfect to paint my shop equipment with. since its an inside job Im not too concerned with high quality clear, very little UV, so I can pick up a budget clear

Will have to verify the half gallon of reducer I have, see if its Delstar of Detron. Its from a paint job on one of my fathers cars, I know it was single stage, just dont remember acrylic enamel or urethane. I prepped it and shot all the primer on the damn thing, should remember,