When to use reducer for acrylic enamel?

[tsi1991awd]

I'm planning on redoing the paint on my car. The fenders and hood are chipping, hatch clear has all peeled off....so I'm going to redo everything with Kirker black cherry pearl, and then the roof/hatch with some sort of black by Kirker as well. This will be acrylic enamel with wet look hardener.

My question is, is a reducer needed...if so, how much and what does it really do?

 

[Jeff99GS]

Well that all depends on how thick you want it to be when spraying it. If you have a Spray gun with a larger TIP then you may not need ANY reducer. If you have a FINE tip then reducer will be needed to thin out the mixture. Usually some reducer is helpful to spray a nice shiny wet coat. HOWEVER be careful with thin paint. If you Lay it on too thick and you're going to get runs.

 

[tsi1991awd]

The manufacturer says you use 8 parts paint to 1 part hardener to 0 - 50% reducer. So 8 : 1 : 0-50% so will i just have to mix the paint and hardener and reducer and see from there how thick the paint is....also do I mix all the paint and hardener and reducer at the same time or as needed? I dont want to get an inconsistency between the thickness of paint.

 

[95mitseclipsegs]

If I were you when it comes to mixing, mix all the paint and hardener at the same time and pour it into separate containers that are pre measured so that you will have the same amount of reducer required for all the containers of pre mixed paint. Then pre measure out the reducer and draw an indicator line on the side of the container used to measure the reducer. After that your paint should not have any inconsistency in the thickness as long as you precisely measure out the amount of reducer that you are using for each batch of paint that is getting put into the gun.

 

[tsi1991awd]

Thanks for the tip. I will play around with it and see....how long after you prime the car can you wait until you paint? Can i prime then wait say a week then paint?

 

[Jeff99GS]

If you mix all the paint and hardener at once the paint will start to thicken as you are spraying the rest on. So the Last couple coats will turn out terrible. DO not MIX all the hardener in at once. Get a couple Paint mixing cups. They will help you measure out the right parts as you're painting. You should be waiting 5-10 MIN between coats also.

Mix a quart of paint with hardener then pour a little in the gun and spray it on a TEST piece...adjust your air to paint ratio. Now NOTE the spray quality and thickness. If it leaves a lot of orange peel its probably too thick. Add some reducer to get the right consistency for the best lay of the product without RUNS.

Usually a little reducer helps quite a bit. I always reduce...but NOT too much.
I don't know...Its hard to explain. Its more of a personal preference on how thin or thick you like it. Also depends on the size spray tip you're using on the gun, and what pressure you're spraying at.

 

[tsi1991awd]

I believe they said use 60psi at the gun to spray....tip I believe is 0.054"

Are you saying to mix the paint and hardener and while it's in the gun, put the reducer in and mix it.....or just put a bit of paint into the gun and if it's too thick, reduce the rest of the paint that had already been mixed?

 

[Jeff99GS]

MIX the paint and hardener in a mixing cup then add reducer to get the spray you like.

I usually do ALL of my mixing in the mixing cup form a paint shop. It has measurements on it so you can pour out the right parts.


I would suggest a HVLP spray gun. High Volume Low Pressure. Spraying at 10psi with a HVLP gun gets MORE paint on the car and LESS in the air.
Less waste and better spray IMO.

 

[tsi1991awd]

I do have a HVLP gravity feed. Holds 20oz. Say I paint the whole car with black cherry...can I go back afterwards with black for the roof and hatch or do i have to just tape off what I dont want painted then hit it afterwards....because I m NOT taking the hatch off just to paint (also the trim that runs along the top of the doors and ends at the mirrors for the spoiler)

 

[Jeff99GS]

I do have a HVLP gravity feed. Holds 20oz. Say I paint the whole car with black cherry...can I go back afterwards with black for the roof and hatch or do i have to just tape off what I dont want painted then hit it afterwards....because I m NOT taking the hatch off just to paint (also the trim that runs along the top of the doors and ends at the mirrors for the spoiler)

If you have an HVLP you deff do not want to spray at 60 psi. Usually 10-20 psi is sufficient.

I would paint the cherry first...wait for it to dry then do the black...then apply clear over the whole thing.

 

[tsi1991awd]

So even after the cherry is dry, the black can be put over it and it will stick with no problem? I'll have to mask the doors and rear quarters off, but that's no big deal really.

Still have to clear when using acrylic enamel?

 

[gpopppa]

Well,what i would do is just spray the smallest area black so when it dries you can mask over it with painters plastic,then do the color. And to be clear on prime to paint time, it all depends if you need to sand primer for imperfections. most need to and if you do, get something called guide coat, t will help find low spots.

And you said acrylic enamel?? To my knowledge this is a single stage paint,which means no need to clear. It has clear within. But also i believe, you can clear over some if not all if you want. Im about to paint mine but cant decide on the color. either rat rod flat black,or medium green metallic.

depends on where you get your paint,you should be able to find a spec sheet to use a medium reducer and if you want a wet look harder.extra gloss and durability.
edit.. on the ratio, put it this way. if you use one gallon,us a quart of reducer,and a pint of hardner. simple.
Good luck and post pics when you get it done!