nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 13, 2014 6:08:50 GMT -8
Temperature recommendations on the web are all over the place.
Some say 70-80' some say 50-70, etc.
As the weather changes I wonder if my window of opportunity has closed until next spring.
Any opinions based on your experience?
And does any particular gun (brand) work best for you?
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Post by bigbill on Oct 13, 2014 6:24:50 GMT -8
Premium paints can be temperature adjusted by the thinner you use but when you get below 65 or 70 the drying time slows down and it becomes harder to avoid runs/sags. When the temperature exceeds the 80s drying time speeds up to the point that it is harder to keep the paint wet enough to flow out and dry with a good gloss. Also humidity affects paint it can cause blushing of the color. As far as spray guns go for the casual user I would go to harbor freight to buy my gun. The type depends on if you have an air compressor and what size or do you need a complete airless system, the list goes on.
The most important thing is decide what paint you are going to use then read the manufactures directions as to temps and equipment.
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John Palmer
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Hi, From a vintage trailer guy located in Santa Ana, CA. It's good to see lots of activity here.
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Post by John Palmer on Oct 13, 2014 8:46:44 GMT -8
In a "production environment" you would be spraying inside a "climate controlled" spray boot to avoid the adverse painting conditions. Since that is likely not going to be the way your going to spray your trailer you need to select "the optimum weather" (including wind speed) of when to spray.
As BigBill already pointed out the temperature and the relative humidity make all the difference in when to spray. The reason you will hear recommendations of different temperatures is because the REAL issue is the actual DEW POINT which is driven by both temperature and humidity. Any good automotive paint dealer will give you the Material Data Sheets for the paint your shooting, and it will spell out all the details. The DETAILS on these sheets are very important. Considering the large amount of labor time involved, and the high cost of materials used, you will want to actually read, and follow the directions, and not do what most of us men do and "just wing it".
If you follow the manufacturer instructions on surface preparation, surface cleanliness, spray in the allowed Dew Point range, used a quality product, you will end up with a long lasting durable, good looking finish.
You need to make sure you have an "adequate air volume" to run a spray gun. It takes a HUGE AMOUNT of CLEAN/DRY AIR volume to power a HVLP spray gun. It's likely the highest volume air tool, you will ever run off of your compressor. It's right up in the same air requirement as a DA sander. What usually occurs is you overwork the air compressor, heat up the air caused by the compression process, and you get water condensation during the hot air cooling process. This water gets into the air lines, and the water mist sprays out with the paint. It's not a good thing. IMO, the best "home use" sprayer is one of the turbo HVLP sprayers, that look like a backwards working vacuum cleaner. You need to have very good fluid control, if you end up using an "airless sprayer" applying an enamel paint. They are used more for house painting with heavy latex paints.
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nccamper
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1962 Forester- 1956 Shasta
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Post by nccamper on Oct 13, 2014 10:16:20 GMT -8
It sounds like my timing isn't good for painting in NC. Too cool and too damp. Looks like I'll get her dried in and be waiting for the end of March.
the turbo sprayer I just saw in use on YouTube looked great but is out of my price range. I have done a lot of spraying but never with an hvlp gun. And never a camper. It will be fun...or tragic. Definitely one or the other.
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txoil
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1960 Shasta Deluxe 19
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Post by txoil on Oct 14, 2014 5:50:33 GMT -8
Ideal conditions are 75F and zero humidity. Since you won't have that, you must manipulate to get best possible conditions. As for temp, you can use a faster or slower reducer to mitigate flash time with your paint system, but humidity can be a killer. ALWAYS use a line dryer to remove moisture from your air source--you can buy disposables good for one use--and remember that if you are trying to paint in high humidity you may get 'blushing', or water condensing in your newly applied paint. You can rent HVLP sprayers ( a complete system) from tool rental locations, but if you buy an HVLP paint gun and compressor, they will be yours to use whenever. I own several HVLP guns and have used them for auto painting as well as painting home remodeling projects and of course, my Shasta.
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Oct 14, 2014 9:05:03 GMT -8
It gets up to 75 here now and down to the 40s at night with dew. And rains every other day. So I am benched for the winter.
Thanks again for the great advice although I was hoping somebody would say "down to 50 is fine and don't worry about humidity, just add --- to the paint and use the new --- hvlp gun!"
Dare to dream.
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