your simple questions sometimes require lengthy explanations..
it's a bit of a tricky question.. spraying paint is a combination of viscosity, resin-base, gun specs and technique...
that being said... basecoat never gets more than a splash of reducer, if any... it's thin enough as is usually...
most catalyzed products, single stage, clear, primers and such are reduced to varying degrees with their catalyst... then most will get 5% to 20" actual reducer.. what exact amount that is, is based on that top 4 criteria i mentioned...
but there are exceptions to those 2 on numerous occasions.. any urethane, as opposed to a poly will usually be a 3 part paint to 1 part activator.. some have reducers, some don't perfect example is Imron... it is a 3 to 1 that does not require reducer... it's in the paint already...
in laymens terms.. most standard spray gun setups, whether a 1.3 or 1.8 gun, generally like a poorman's viscosity test of about 5 to 8 seconds...
what that means is, you stir the paint with a wooden paint stick, pull it out of the paint, and count... if it pretty much stops dripping in the 5 to 6 second range, it's relatively thin... it's a little easier for beginners to spray like this..
if it's dripping at 8, 9, thats a little on the thick side.. there are circumstances where this is desirable.. primers for one.. then some varying spray techniques incorporated with single stages and clear, if your trying to achieve a certain finish..
thats really more of a collision shop thing.. matching finishes from varying manufacturers.. they ALL have different orangepeel, etc..
so.. in closing...
wooden paint sticks are your friend...
