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Spraying paint- how much to thin?

COCHEV

COCHEV

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i got conflicting amounts when i searched. anywhere from 15-20% to 50%. if i thin up to 50% will i just end up having to do more coats to get the same coverage?

i am spraying good ol' rustolium flat black on a beater burb so its no show truck. but for the cost of all the spray cans i'd need, i picked up a cheap-o spray gun. and some paint.

also, is i super crucial that i filter with cheese cloth before i use it on low buck project like this?
 
50% sounds like way too much. The paint can should say how much to thin it.

I wouldn't bother filtering the rustoleum as long as there's isn't chunks of stuff in it, but it never hurts to do it just in case.
 
I did a car with Rustolium paint once...I did the mix 2:1. Took about 6 coats to get total coverage. Had I sprayed it on thicker, 4 would have done it. I didn't want to deal with runs so I did thin coats. Even with 6 I got very little orange peel. I'd rather deal with peel than runs.

How it turned out. No wax, buffing or wet sanding at this point.

l_4a20468d09564bcc834a0dfb2a117b15.jpg
 
the thicker the paint, the more orange peel you'll get, generally.... you can control that to a certain extent with gun technique...

really have no idea on Rustoleum specifacs, but any fluid sprayed thru a gun is based on viscosity, no matter what the paint... a poor mans viscosity test is to take a wooden paint stick, mix the paint, pull the stick out and count how long it takes to stop dripping.. 5 or 6 count is pretty thin, 9, 10 is thick...
 
toomany said:
I did a car with Rustolium paint once...I did the mix 2:1. Took about 6 coats to get total coverage. Had I sprayed it on thicker, 4 would have done it. I didn't want to deal with runs so I did thin coats. Even with 6 I got very little orange peel. I'd rather deal with peel than runs.

How it turned out. No wax, buffing or wet sanding at this point.

l_4a20468d09564bcc834a0dfb2a117b15.jpg
Click to expand...

how long did you wait between coats? the can says i can't recoat for 24 hrs....
 
ryoken said:
the thicker the paint, the more orange peel you'll get, generally.... you can control that to a certain extent with gun technique...

really have no idea on Rustoleum specifacs, but any fluid sprayed thru a gun is based on viscosity, no matter what the paint... a poor mans viscosity test is to take a wooden paint stick, mix the paint, pull the stick out and count how long it takes to stop dripping.. 5 or 6 count is pretty thin, 9, 10 is thick...
Click to expand...


so 7-8 drips being the sweet spot??? this is faaaaaaar from show quality here. just wanted more even coverage that rattle cans give.
 
it's a count, like Mississippi's... :wink1:

and yeah, I'd try to stay down in the 6 or 7 count.. it'll spray better for ya..
 
COCHEV said:
how long did you wait between coats? the can says i can't recoat for 24 hrs....
Click to expand...


I did the first four with an hour flash time between each one. The second two were done the next day later...about 14 hours. I didn't have any problems.

I do know that the thicker the paint is, the longer it will take to fully cure. If you search the original Rustolium (the roll on method) threads....some people were having problems with getting it to harden because it was to thick.

I don't have any runs in that car, just a tiny bit of orange peel. Which actually might buff out without wet sanding (I put it back in storage after painting to do the motor/trans).
 
i did one coat yesterday, the wet sanded with 600 today. the rustolium sprays on and leaves a very course finish. after todays coat i think i will let it set a day or two then when sand with 800-1000 and call it good.

also, flat surfaces come out way worse than the vertical. plus they show the inconsistancies in the covrage the most. good to practice on a $900 beater for sure. LOL!
 
COCHEV said:
i did one coat yesterday, the wet sanded with 600 today. the rustolium sprays on and leaves a very course finish. after todays coat i think i will let it set a day or two then when sand with 800-1000 and call it good.

also, flat surfaces come out way worse than the vertical. plus they show the inconsistancies in the covrage the most. good to practice on a $900 beater for sure. LOL!
Click to expand...


How much did you thin it down? What are you using to thin it? What is the weather like? Do you have proper gun control?

Mine went on nice and flat. No texture untill the end...but any paint will start doing that.
 
so, i'm not too thrilled with my results thus far. after three coats and sanding with 1200 grit its still blotchy and not even. i thinned it useing the above method and when i tested my spray patterns on some cardboard is seemed good. i didn't get any runs and when i tried going slower to get a thicker coat it just made for a a super coarse finish. i guess this is common with rustoleum, but still. i'll attach a pic or two. the hood looks like crap in my opinion. i can do that good with spray cans. Hmmm...

oh, its been nice and sunny, low to mid 80s.

i'm open of pointers. not sure if i will mess with this rig any more cause it hardly warrents it, but i do want to get better at it. i emagine higher quality paint goes on better.

also, i'm running a cheapo Husky siphon feed from home dumpo. i know they're old school, but hey, so am I :D

P1010148.JPG

P1010153.JPG
 
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another. shows the uneven finish.

will it even out as it cures? wishfull thinking??? LOL!

P1010147.JPG
 
Are you painting directly in the sunlight like that? If so, the paint is likely flashing way too fast. If not, your putting it on too light and it's dry.

Not a pro, but that's my take on it.
 
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