MarkII
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- Jan 18, 2009
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Re: the paint problems.
Trust me, I feel your pain.
Maybe this will shed some light on the issue, or maybe not. I get crappy coats most often when I am in a hurry or when I am distracted, or when I simply act as if I was in a hurry. I get the best coats when I hold the can at the right distance, angling the can so that the direction of the spray is perpendicular to the surface, and when I move the spray down the rocket at an even speed from beginning to end.
When I am rushed or distracted, one or more of those things go out the window. The thing that I have become most aware of lately is holding the can so that the spray hits the surface straight on. When I am rushed I tend to swing my spraying arm in an arc rather than in a straight line. This causes the paint to hit the surface a different angles and even different distances as I spray from one end to the other. This almost always produces inferior results. So think about how you were holding and moving the can, and whether you were keeping it at the same distance, spraying at an angle perpendicular to the surface, and moving at an even speed throughout each stroke.
Maybe this applies to your situation and maybe not. I have been getting a lesson on the importance of these steps off an on this summer.
Another thing that I have been getting reminded of is to not try for completely opaque coverage with each pass.
Finally 18 hours after priming is a lot sooner than I go with topcoats. I normally give the primer coat 24 hours to dry, and often longer. If it still smells like fresh primer, I wait. I should barely be able to smell paint, or not smell it at all, when I am in the same room as the rocket or reasonably near it. If the rocket no longer smells like I just primed it, it's probably ready. If I touch the areas that caught the overspray and they feel cool and a little clammy, I wait. I want it to feel like it is at room temperature and as dry as a sheet of paper. I like to give the primer a very light sanding before applying the topcoats. If I try to sand and only get dry, loose dust, I continue. If my dry sanding sponge picks up any paint (as opposed to paint dust) or things start to feel a little gummy as I sand, I stop and wait.
I don't know if any of this can be applied to your situation, but I hope that it will be helpful.
Trust me, I feel your pain.
Maybe this will shed some light on the issue, or maybe not. I get crappy coats most often when I am in a hurry or when I am distracted, or when I simply act as if I was in a hurry. I get the best coats when I hold the can at the right distance, angling the can so that the direction of the spray is perpendicular to the surface, and when I move the spray down the rocket at an even speed from beginning to end.
When I am rushed or distracted, one or more of those things go out the window. The thing that I have become most aware of lately is holding the can so that the spray hits the surface straight on. When I am rushed I tend to swing my spraying arm in an arc rather than in a straight line. This causes the paint to hit the surface a different angles and even different distances as I spray from one end to the other. This almost always produces inferior results. So think about how you were holding and moving the can, and whether you were keeping it at the same distance, spraying at an angle perpendicular to the surface, and moving at an even speed throughout each stroke.
Maybe this applies to your situation and maybe not. I have been getting a lesson on the importance of these steps off an on this summer.
Another thing that I have been getting reminded of is to not try for completely opaque coverage with each pass.
Finally 18 hours after priming is a lot sooner than I go with topcoats. I normally give the primer coat 24 hours to dry, and often longer. If it still smells like fresh primer, I wait. I should barely be able to smell paint, or not smell it at all, when I am in the same room as the rocket or reasonably near it. If the rocket no longer smells like I just primed it, it's probably ready. If I touch the areas that caught the overspray and they feel cool and a little clammy, I wait. I want it to feel like it is at room temperature and as dry as a sheet of paper. I like to give the primer a very light sanding before applying the topcoats. If I try to sand and only get dry, loose dust, I continue. If my dry sanding sponge picks up any paint (as opposed to paint dust) or things start to feel a little gummy as I sand, I stop and wait.
I don't know if any of this can be applied to your situation, but I hope that it will be helpful.