Synthetic Paint help & tips

[czm]

Just ordered up some old school Synthetic paint to g over an old VW camper van.

never used Synthetic beofre but this cam along cheap and for the job its needed to do it seems perfect.

Beofre I start I was wondering if anybody has any tips on nozzle size, pressures ect that I should be looking to make the job go as smoothly as possible.

I was going to go 1.4 needle at around 45psi
First a tack/mist coat then a wet coat all over.

Thanks all.

 

[steveo3002]

do you realise you only get one chance with it ? any runs or orange peel and youre stuck with it as you cant flat and polish it, poor choice of paint in my opinion

the seller should be able to let you the gun spec ...only tip i can think of is that it sprays much nicer when warm , so look into dunking the paint can into a bucket of very hot water

 

[czm]

Yeah I am slightly worried about it however I do not have all the precautions necessary to feel happy/safe with 2k which is what I wanted. I have seen first hand what ISO's can do and I do not want to go down that road with the risks involved.

I will just have to take my time and get the best job I can with what I have.
I will certainly look at warming the paint before applying. Is it best to warm before or after adding the thinners?

 

[HughF]

Why don't you base and clear it then and use 1k clear? Or use celly?

 

[czm]

Paint is purchased and on its way now so nothing I can do about it other than make the best out of the situation. Looking around there have been many many people very happy with the results that have had with synthetic paints so it does not sound all doom and gloom.

One question, what the best method of heating up the paint

 

[Shedendman]

I brush painted my van with synthetic paint which was suppose to be brush,roller and spray able,worse thing i ever done

 

[steveo3002]

id heat it by standing it a container of hot water , make sure the lid is cracked

 

[czm]

Thanks Steveo. The whole tin or just what I have mixed in the cup??

 

[steveo3002]

id guesstimate what you need to complete the job and warm that up , the heat makes it thinner so not too much thinners and try a test panel , add thinners until its spraying how you like

 

[czm]

Thanks again, will get a large bowel of warm water and sit it in there for a few minutes then load up the cup and go from there.
I thought I could you a camping stove but then the thought of naked flames around all those lovely thinners is probably not the best idea ..lol

I do have an old (but never used) fish aquarium heater with a temp setting and thermostat thou, never been used so clean and I will use filters anyways. This may help in keeping the temps of the paint up.
What do you think?

 

[HughF]

Paint is purchased and on its way now so nothing I can do about it other than....

Other than sending it back under distance selling regs....

 

[steveo3002]

no idea on the fish tank heater , would it heat enough to notice?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I sprayed my Ford D Series lorry chassis with synthetic, used a standard Devilbis suction gun with a 1.6mm tip. Sprayed it in the summer when the weather was warm. Really pleased with the finish, not a mirror finish but very glossy.
Not sure I'd do body work with it though as it does give a plasticky look.

 

[czm]

So shall I just bite the bullet and go 2k and air fed mask?..

Will it really make that much difference in looks and application ease?

 

[Wendelspanswick]

So shall I just bite the bullet and go 2k and air fed mask?..

Will it really make that much difference in looks and application ease?

The problem with synthetic is it doesn't flash off hard, but stays soft for a long time. This makes it ideal for lorry chassis's and tractors etc as the paint scuffs instead of chips but not so good cars as the soft paint means you can't cut it back easily to achieve a high gloss, if you try and sand it it will clog the paper even with wet cutting and you risk dragging the finish. You can polish it but you need to be careful you don't heat the applied paint when using a mechanical polisher as this will soften the paint further.

 

[the snooper]

So shall I just bite the bullet and go 2k and air fed mask?..

Will it really make that much difference in looks and application ease?

its not good stuff, it will stick to everything in sight and it really is sticky, if you should get any runs you get to keep them its not very future proof as it doesn't polish well nor does it take solvents very well if you decide to paint it again in the future , not great for any spot repairs, the only thing good about it that I have to say is, I don't have any and havn't used it for years and years

 

[langy]

do you realise you only get one chance with it ? any runs or orange peel and youre stuck with it as you cant flat and polish it, poor choice of paint in my opinion

the seller should be able to let you the gun spec ...only tip i can think of is that it sprays much nicer when warm , so look into dunking the paint can into a bucket of very hot water

x 2 big time

 

[czm]

Thanks all, think i will go 2k then.

What about the ISO free 2k I saw at Jawels?
Is that worth looking at?

 

[richie00boy]

You could use cellulose if you are afraid of 2k. I've used HMG M99 cellulose and been very happy with it.

ISO free 2k from Jawel has not had very positive reports on here recently.

 

[steveo3002]

the iso free 2k sounds like its not quiete there yet , i wouldnt use it

2k = best hard wearing , can repaint or flat any runs out

celly = bit old school and doesnt last so well in the weather , can repaint and flat runs out

rustoleum combi enamel = suitable for a cheapie blow over , can be flatted and polished etc