DuraLaq-WB Waterborne Acrylic White Undercoater, p/n 1WB.200

Applicator	Fuji MM5
Aircap	1.3 mm
Air regulator	Full open
Fluid Control	Four (4) turns from full closed
Fan Pattern Control	12 O'clock (circle) for edges, 2 O'clock for surfaces
Wet Mils	3–5

What a great idea!

It is so product based...I will try to add some of my product settings as time allows.

Great start!!!  Now, if we could just get @tjbnwi, @JCLP, and a few others with considerable expertise to compile their experiences in a similar table with appropriate notes and suggestions, we'd really be off to a good start.  I, for one, truly admire their expertise and wish it could be more available as I start into the world of HVLP. 

Great start!!!  Now, if we could just get @tjbnwi, @JCLP, and a few others with considerable expertise to compile their experiences in a similar table with appropriate notes and suggestions, we'd really be off to a good start.  I, for one, truly admire their expertise and wish it could be more available as I start into the world of HVLP.

When I can find the time I will contribute to this. One of the biggest issues would be some of the equipment I use and environmental changes. Not to many here have 10K in finish sprayers set up.

Always listen to what the spray is telling you. You will hear changes before you’ll ever see a finish flaw.

Below are 3 sprayers and 4 guns I’m using on the current job, each one is set differently to adjust for the machine and product it is delivering. The Triton I had to decrease fluid pressure on from the start at 7 AM to the temp change at 1 PM. It was just a 2 psi change, but I had to make the change to keep the finish consistent. As the day cooled I had to add the 2 psi back.

Finishing is the hardest endeavor there is in wood working.

Tom

PPG Breakthrough
As many of you know, I have been spraying PPG Breakthrough, #V51-410C, tinted to a medium to dark grey. As I have had great success in laying down a very smooth coat I thought everything was going well until I looked at it uner an LED light. You see from the photo below that the colour turns out blotching and not smooth looking. It was smooth to the touch, but looked like junk when you look at the panel under the LED light at an angle. So I started doing a lot of testing with thinning, air pressure, needle size and spraying technique to rectify the situation, but had no luck. After much research, on the web and talking to paint experts and PPG support, I came to the conclusion that the colorant used to tint the base was not compatible.

Found out that some PPG dealers, who were also BM dealers, are using BM colourants to  tint the paint. Now many think that because Breakthrough is an acrylic paint and the BM colourant are also acrylic that it would work. WRONG.

After many discussions with PPG, they informed me that the only colourants that are compatible with Breakthrough is their 96 line of colorants. So off I went looking for a PPG dealer that used their colorants. To my surprise, it proved very difficult as many of their dealers our also BM dealers. So they gave me a location of one of their corporate stores, not a BM dealer, and I purchased a gallon using their tints. Guess what, it works perfectly.

As a warning, the acrylic that BM uses and PPG uses for their paints is not the same. Many people also use BM extender to thin Breakthrough. Do not, as the acrylic resin of BM Extender is not the same as the acrylic used in Breakthrough. Only use water to thin the paint. Also, be careful. Some PPG dealer will use the Glycol version of their colorants to tint Breakthrough. They are not compatible. You never put Glycol in an Acrylic based paint.

The two additional photos below illustrates the compatibilty of BM Colourant in Breakthrough. This can has been sitting for 2 days. The can tinted with PPG colorants did not do that after 2 days.

Cheers,
JC