Some headway on the 67, slow and steady!

Hindsight 20/20, this was the first time I'd shot a metallic, and I had no idea how temperamental they could be. Here were some variables:

- Temperature was 72 degrees at 0630 hours when I shot it. Temperature got up to 95 degrees by the afternoon.
- Air Pressure at the gun was 35 psi
- Fluid adjustment and fan were backed out almost completely

So riddle me this, should my gun have been set at 25psi or less? I used to always shot between 28 and 35 psi. I didn't realize the higher the psi the lighter the color would turn out on account for all the metallic raising to the top of the surface after spraying. I wish I would have known this before, but like I said, this was my first time I shot metallic as I've always used Enron.

 

air pressure is best adjusted kinda by feel if that makes sense try a little in the gun and start as low as itll spray a decent fan and spray something, then crank it to 35 or so and spray a little more on something else your finishing pressure is some where between those extremes. as far as fan goes i go as wide as i can get as long as its a flat edge.closing the fluid has sort of the same effect as higher pressure ie lighter color, 72 at time of spray is about as ideal as you could want as long as it didnt get hot as you sprayed and make the paint flash too fast giving dry edges and orange peel....

 

As far as the body goes, no orange peel, runs, or tiger stripes. The hood and grill however, is another story as the temperature creeped up and I noticed the paint flashing upon contact, and began tiger striping. While unfortunate, its not that bad considering I planned on wet wanting and applying a 3rd coat anyhow.

 

To avoid tiger stripes paint alternating coats in a different line think tic tack toe board.

 

Yeah, I tried that. It helped a little, but I can still see some stripping (minimal and only on the hood). What I'm debating is tinting the paint with black metallic? Metallics are not an area I generally have experience with.

 

Mix a little and do a little testing first once you add black there is no going lighter I think with a little practice you can achieve the results you are looking for without tinting the color. Future repairs will be a ton easier if the color is stock.

 

Will do, thanks.

 

I still like the color as is but you can scuff it and spray a satin clear on it which will give it a darker appearance or you can even slightly tint the clear. I use the 3m gun with the D cups. 50 lbs at the regulator and 30 lbs at the tip. Also use the larger diameter connectors. Unlimited air flow is key. The normal connectors starve the gun of air on the bigger panels

 

Alright I need your opinion. I went ahead and tinted the paint with 8 ounces of black metallic, and whacked it down with a little acetone so it isn't as shiny. Here is the result after shooting two coats on a test piece. The result is its a lot less gold looking:

 

I like it. A lot better than the first color .

 

I think I'm going to add 8 more ounces of black, and 4 ounces of dark brown and see where I stand then. Its definitely going in the direction I want.

 

For anyone keeping score, I am still alive. I just moved out of state, started a new job, and I had a second child. My Jeep is currently being stored at the moment, so I have no updates to report.

 

X2

 

Where did you end up? I see Southern Oregon...

 

Up in Roseburg just outside the Umpqua National Forest

 

Sweet... I'm a couple hours from there

 

Congrats on the newborn, looking forward to seeing how this paint saga unfolds!

 

Just found your thread now that you resurrected it. Love the color of the Jeep, especially after the tinting.

Were you in Sebastopol before, or did your Jeep just come from there?

(Analy High School, Sebastopol, CA, class of '87)