Paint & Body Work - i have a couple painting questions

i have been doing alot of painting the last year for side jobs 20+ cars

i have a autobody degree. and they tought us everything basic. but i have some question

i only spray ppg

on the clear coats its hard not to get dry over spray or get a good consistent orange peel on big jobs so i have been using some blending solvents dx840 on the last coat of clears and i never get any over spray and the orange peel is perfect on the last 5 or so cars ( i just thought of this one day and it work awsome)

i lay down two good coats of clear than the one with blending solvents on the 3 coat to get rid of any dry over spray or orange peels ( i do not blend on parts of the panels. i do the whole thing)

i never heard of any one doing this but they turn out perfect after and im doing them in a garage and i dont even have to sand or buff after. there almost 100% perfect except for acosional dust nib.

i know when blending on parts it will fad after a couple years but if you put your 2 coats down then the blending on the last i dont see how it will fad?

any imput??????

not one person that paints on here???

sounds like you're using the wrong hardners and reducers.you shouldn't add the blender to an overall or large area.

they only have two harners for the clear and i use a med temp hardner

I thought the title said you had a couple of questions. It seems to me you are trying to get someone to agree with your newfound painting techniques.

Answer:

Knock yourself out!

how am i trying to get someone to agree with your newfound painting techniques. its a question about the clear hardners or the temps im spraying at. am i spraying at to high of a temp?

and here is the question in the op



i know when blending on parts it will fad after a couple years but if you put your 2 coats down then the blending on the last i dont see how it will fad?

i would bet my lunchbox it will fade.you're doing something wrong pay attention to your overlaps.you shouldn't have dry areas try using the high temp or the slow.whats the temp when you're spraying??also what's an autobody degree??did they go over painting??

spraying in a booth is cake work. in a garage with no heater on. its alot harder to spray and harder see the over laps with the lighting to. and we maybe covered 4 months of painting. i manley focused on frame pulling and mesuring. i did alot of sectionings. just some clips and some major hits. i had to replace half of cars and pass DOT. but i spray usually between 70 and 90degrees

what clear and activator? gun pressure at tip? what type of air filtration? what type of gun? what is your path around an overall vehicle when painting? need info to give you some answers. I have pulled some painting shit out of my ass in the last 20 years, but never spraying blender on an overall. do use it to take care of an occasional hanger, it doesn't fade in that situation. i will have to give it a try if i get a used car sometime! in theory i don't think it will fade....you are basically just "melting" the top coat of clear.

I'm no expert, but I have done some painting. I know if you go heavier on the last coat, even if it looks dry in some areas, let it sit a few minutes because it'll flatten out. I personally wet sand a buff everything afterwards though. Detailing is my part-time professional trade so I'm really really good at that part.

Like ctjohns said the path u spray makes a difference, you need to use a slow( high temp.) hardner to keep a wet edge and your gun needs to be properly set up. Also the ventilation makes a differance. If your overspray isn't ventilated away good it will fall back on the car, and last is technique. I've never used blender but I've heard of people useing a little extra reducer. Personally I wouldn't do either, but if it's working for you and doesn't dye back or cause sags or runs more power to you.

what clear and activator? gun pressure at tip? what type of air filtration? what type of gun? what is your path around an overall vehicle when painting? need info to give you some answers. I have pulled some painting shit out of my ass in the last 20 years, but never spraying blender on an overall. do use it to take care of an occasional hanger, it doesn't fade in that situation. i will have to give it a try if i get a used car sometime! in theory i don't think it will fade....you are basically just "melting" the top coat of clear.

its a omni clear and mid temp reducer. and 29 psi and a sata 3000 rp. and what do you mean path? i always go side to side and starting with the hardest spot/ angle first. and try for a 50% over lap. ( its hard to see over lap in a not good lighted garage. i need more lighs i know that. but all my extra money right now is going into the car.) and i try to paint parts off of the car. its cheaper than masking and taping plus you i can get a better job done imo. the only time i spray on the car is when its rockers and 1/4 panels ( at the house)

I would switch to a high temp reducer from the temps you say you spray in. Increase overlap to 75% and set the gun to a nice 10-12 inch pattern. By path I mean where do you start and move to while you paint. Start on roof, move to quarter and work around the car? If you do alot of painting off the car, there shouldn't be any dry areas...work on overlap and slowing your gun down...may be moving too quick when spraying. I think you can get it smooth without the blender, just takes time and experience! Good luck