Paint Does Not Have a good Shine!

KCTractors

Member
Location
Central Wi
By no means am I a body-man, but I had very good luck with CIH paint & thinner before. I sprayed smaller parts of the tractor, had a nice shine. Sprayed the hood and it does not have very good shine at all. Any ideas what I did wrong?
 
You put it on too dry, have to apply paint until it gets glossy, then stop before it runs. It will do this if you progressively go over it with thin coats.
 
That may be the problem. I couldn't get the gun to give a good spray. I had the volume screw turned almost all the way out and I still couldn't get much spray. I didn't think the paint was too thick, but maybe it was.
 
No hardener is probably the main reason.
Could be the temperature also.
I shot the back of a tractor last weekend and couldn't get much shine.
But it was only 55° out so that was likely the cause.
 
I would disagree, finish has more to do with amount of paint, proper temperature range of reducer and air pressure, then hardener.
 

An old body man told me years ago to remember this..." you can buff out a run,but you can't buff dry spray!"
 

You DO NOT need hardener to get a good shine, but you DO need to lay the paint on heavy and wet. I've seen paint jobs that were not done by a professional, and no hardener was used, but still had a gloss equal to those done by a professional using high dollar products. The secret is to use very little reducer, or none at all, but turn up the air pressure enough to make the paint atomize.

Paint hardener contains iso-cyanates. I have been over exposed to iso-cyanates at the factory where I used to work, so I CANNOT be around paint hardener. No problem. I just don't use it.
 
If you are using HVLP, turn the main jet screw in with the gun empty and the trigger pulled until you feel resistance, do the same with the pattern adjustment and leave them alone. Set the air pressure at the info marked on the gun or in the instructions. Those are the correct adjustments that do not need to be changed. Hardener will help very little.
 
Hardener only causes paint to cure faster and completely through. Some hardeners have a "high gloss" label on them and will shine a little more after a few months than regular. All gloss paint will shine the same if applied properly to a properly prepared surface. Improper adjusted gun , too much air pressure , paint over reduced ,air temp too high for reducer used , not enough film build are main culprits. You already stated your gun wasn't working correctly....that's when you STOP...it usually doesn't correct itself. It's just human nature to be "too careful" when it comes to the smooth sheet metal parts that we want perfect and everyone will see. Only comes from experience. If "the instruction book" was all we needed then everyone who can read can paint like an expert. Haven't seen it work yet. Learn from your mistakes and move forward, you will get there.
 
Had a body shop in Seattle WA. Reno NV. and Las Vegas NV. I painted year round, raining freezing or 120% it is just adjusting to it all. I also painted for the SEMA heavy equipment shows in Las Vegas, and house boats at lake Mead National Park. Put on a medium to light wet coat called a tack coat ( evenly ) wait for it to tack up good ( about 30 min depending on temp ) then 2 good wet coats ( watch how thick ) with good tack time between coats, ALL coats should be put on evenly, if the paint is orange peeling lower air pressure, thinners should be as slow as you can stand considering weather. Hardeners do just that thy make the paint hard, as when Emaron and Miralon first came out the hardeners made the paint pretty BUT it was like a sheet of glass and would shatter. In most cases the longer it takes for paint to dry the more it levels and the more durable it will become but heat ( force drying isn't a bad idea holding temp 60-70% wont hurt.
 
(quoted from post at 07:42:06 11/01/14) I completely agree
Oh and what thy call hot potting is a good option BUT you better know what you are doing. and don't put a hardened paint over non hardened paint even if it is the same paint the hardener doesn't like it, an most likely will cause a reaction.
 
(quoted from post at 17:56:22 10/09/14) By no means am I a body-man, but I had very good luck with CIH paint & thinner before. I sprayed smaller parts of the tractor, had a nice shine. Sprayed the hood and it does not have very good shine at all. Any ideas what I did wrong?
to slow, to much air pressure, to hot of a thinner, to little paint film, all will cause paint to blush ( no shine ). Let it dry then 600 wet sand and do it again WITH MORE CARE THIS TIME. Or if you can put a clear coat on it BUT YOU BETTER CHECK some of the time you cant do that, it totally depends on the paint and what you have done, additives are funny when it comes to paint.
 
I know this is an older topic but I've been fighting this my self.

I'm so worried about a run I move too quick and never get a nice wet coat.

The paint seems to setup fine and is good an tough but lacks shine. I need to get a better feel for it, usually I start figuring it out when the gun is near empty... :p

K
 
There are 3 things which can affect shine, air pressure, reducer temp range and the amount of paint you put on.

You have to get daring and put enough paint on. I put on 2-3 coats with 15-30 minutes between coats. Put the first coat on just thick enough to make the surface real tacky.
 
Your spray gun needs to breathe. If the vent tube is clogged it will then develope a vacum in the canister and not much paint will come out. Just talking from my experience.
 
Yes it was mentioned further down the post that hardener does not make paint harder. I'm not sure where people get that idea, I guess from the name it's been given. Look at it as an activator. What it will do is preserve the look of the paint for years to come without the paint fading.
I always gave my sheet metal one coat, if it had a run or two I didn't worry about it because I always sanded them out after the paint dried. Then followed with a second and sometimes a third coat wet sanding with 250-300 up to 500 grit in between each coat. This is what will make it shine. Painting is all in the wrist. You'll develope a feel for it. Practice on some scrap metal.
 
I disagree, you can get a great shine without sanding between coats. You have to paint the next coat while the prior coat is wet enough that the solvent will soften and make it flow.
 
I try to have the paint about the consistency of water any thicker than that you want get enough paint through the gun unless you turn up the air. But I am old school and still use What use to be state of the art , enamel. I em sure that the new paints need different mixtures. I put on 2 to 3 coats. Each coat needs to be applied while the previous coat is still tacky. Hardener makes for a more durable coat, but does little to make it shine to start with. My lungs cant stand the hardener anymore.
Boss
 
You must be painting with a siphon gun, my dad always got the paint at that consistency. I remember him dipping the stick in and seeing how it dripped.
 
(quoted from post at 16:46:33 12/01/14) I try to have the paint about the consistency of water any thicker than that you want get enough paint through the gun unless you turn up the air. But I am old school and still use What use to be state of the art , enamel. I em sure that the new paints need different mixtures. I put on 2 to 3 coats. Each coat needs to be applied while the previous coat is still tacky. Hardener makes for a more durable coat, but does little to make it shine to start with. My lungs cant stand the hardener anymore.
Boss
Yep synthetic enamel and nitrocellulose lacquer still work for me when I can find it. that is what I started with and held up darn good with a good finish, but now everyone wants to clear coat everything.
 
That was my dads favorite. I am partial to urethane, it takes getting used to, but coats well once you get the hang of it.
 

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