Replies

1. 
   boilerbay | Dec 05, 2009 04:32am | #1

   Dusty and David (Ring)might have good input on this.

   What exactly are you spraying -- product wise? Are you spraying finish or dye? You said "I get some droplets of dye at the bottom edges" and dye is a whole nudder animal. Dropplets are a product of less than perfect technique :) If glaze is what you meant (not dye), glaze coats are applied the same as finish coats.

   Don't rush the job. You've already put a ton of time and effort getting this far. This the last place you want to rush and yes, it can be nerve wracking.

   Think in terms of less paint/finish but more passes going way past each side (I go at least 1 pattern diameter) before returning and either use a hook spray nozzle so it points directly down on the flat surface (I don't know of any for fine spray or HVLP- usually to coarse and designed for house painting) or suspend panels vertically and shoot straight into them.
   Whatever distance is putting down the pattern/volume you want, do not vary it. i.e. 12" away to start, 12" on each and every pass and try not to overlap pattern any more than about 20% of the pattern. Always start flow before you arrived at point of first pass so that uniform laydown is achieved, plus on many guns there tends to be a few "blops" when you first start the pressure running. Fill in the gaps, if any with additional coats. I usually do one set of passes horizontally and the next set vertically. Let coats dry to a hard tack between coats and not more than two full dry coats before more layers. Watch for nibs between coats. Depending on your prefinish schedule, two coats over a base sealer should do you in good stead. A gravity gun works well, but a bottom can is just fine if your shooting vertically.
   I shoot mine vertically and then put them flat, either rotating the panel to hit the edges or walk around it. Some use turntables or lazy susans.

   Hope this helps

   BB

1. 
   dlb | Dec 07, 2009 05:20am | #5

   "What exactly are you spraying -- product wise?"

   Gemini Spray No Wipe is the product over a base of sanding sealer.

   "Dropplets are a product of less than perfect technique :) "

   I believe you and that is the purpose of the OP - to try to learn where my technique is going wrong.

    

   Dusty and David (Ring)might have good input on this.

   I think that their advice (see above) is exactly what I was looking for.

   Thanks,

   dlb

   .

    The undisciplined life is not worth examining.

2. 
   oldusty | Dec 05, 2009 08:19am | #2

   dlb,  Could just be the pattern you are using with your spray

    some guys stand doors up some use actual hinges on a rack and hang the doors and spray the entire 6 sides at one drying time .

       Take the doors off the blocks and lay them flat or with a slight gap under them over a flat surface .I like to spray doors  flat , cabinets get sprayed which ever way they need to or whichever way is best.

        regards         dusty

3. 
   ring | Dec 05, 2009 08:48am | #3

   You didn't give any detail about what you're spraying or what equipment you've got. I assume that you're not talking about an opaque painted finish, but that you're using some kind of tinted undercoat to get the shade you want.

   You should be spraying at an angle from above the piece, even while doing the edges. Your spray booth should be vigorously carrying away any overspray that doesn't hit the door. The door should be lying flat on a turntable so that you are always working at the optimum (and most comfortable) position.

   Start each door with its edges, going all around the piece. You want the adjustments on the gun to give you the finest, driest spray possible, that is, the finish should be tacky as it hits the work. And move quickly on the edges; you are going to do them twice as many times as the door faces (once when working the rear and again when working the face)so they only get a sparse coating each time. The overspray that landed on the face will immediately be absorbed into the coat you next give.

   When doing the face of the door you want to re-adjust the gun to give a fuller coat. Angle the gun so that as you run past the edge of the door the overspray goes off into the air, not hit the edges again. This means that you are often turning the door on the turntable. It's possible to develop a swinging motion with the gun that achieves this, but it takes some practice. Whatever you do, the aim is to get an even coat over the whole surface but without hitting the edges again. If it's a frame-and-panel door you need to keep turning it anyway to get the spray into all corners. It definitely takes a light touch and practice to be able to get even results all over.

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1

1. 
   dlb | Dec 07, 2009 05:28am | #6

   Thanks for taking the time to reply. This is exactly what I was looking for. Now, if I can implement it ....

   dlb

   .

    The undisciplined life is not worth examining.

4. 
   Woodman41 | Dec 05, 2009 06:36pm | #4

   could be your equipment as well... if you are spraying dye you should step down to a smaller tip size. In my Asturo gun I normally shoot with a 1.7 tip but for a dye I would go down to a 1.1.