davewyo Posted June 4, 2016 Report Share Posted June 4, 2016 I tried out some General Finishes High-Performance today. It's the first finish I've tried spraying from my HVLP and I'm coming up with several details which are confusing. Can you spray in the sun? Do you thin your water bourne finishes? How wet a coat should I put down? If I put on a wet coat I get that milky appearance that acrylic finishes get. It goes away as the piece dries, so that isn't a problem, but my question is "Should I be putting down so wet a coat that it looks a little milky, or should I be spraying lighter coats?" I'm spraying at about 65 deg. F and 30% or less humidity. Dry times are pretty quick, but not so much as when it gets to be summer here. If the last coat looks to be completely dry do I have to wait the 2+ hours to put on additional coats? I appreciate any help. I'm just kinda winging it... Here's my "spray booth": http:// Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ..Kev Posted June 4, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 4, 2016 I'll try to take those 1 at a time.. 1. Spraying in the sun - I never do as I want it to dry evenly rather than quickly on the surface. I could be completely wrong but, it's always worked well for me. 2. Thinning - Never 3. How wet - On the flat surfaces, I spray heavy enough to see that blueish haze on the surface. On vertical surfaces, I stop short of that as I don't want runs 4. Dry Times - In that temp range, I'm usually blocking with 600gr in about 30 to 45 minutes. If you're unsure, shoot a test board as you're shooting your piece to test. Hope that helps.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted June 4, 2016 Report Share Posted June 4, 2016 I agree with everything Kev has mentioned. I always spray in the shop never outdoors as it's easier to stop bugs and bird crap that way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wdwerker Posted June 4, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 4, 2016 1. Avoid if at all possible 2. Almost never but if it's needed the amounts of distilled water should be minuscule ,less than a teaspoon. 3. Ditto, barely bluish on flat and less on vertical surfaces . 4. Always sand some scraps of the project wood using the same grits as you do on the actual job. Pre treat , stain etc every step on the scraps as the project. Spray the scraps last each time. You can test for dryness on the scraps without leaving fingerprints. If the sandpaper loads up wait longer to try sanding the project. If you have a finishing disaster you can test your repair on the scraps. Write the finishing steps on the back of the scraps and you have a sample in case you want to make matching pieces in the future. Make this a habit and it will save you so much grief ! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted June 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2016 Thanks guys! That is very helpful. I didn't think it was okay to spray with direct sunlight, but it doesn't say anything about it in the product data. I was spraying my test project indoors right near the open door. For convenience I sprayed some test scraps in the sun and they dried in a matter of seconds. No question, I thinned too much. I was messing with a viscosity cup and a stopwatch. I should have tried shooting full strength and then thinned if needed. I'm happy to hear that I can spray subsequent coats when it is dry rather than following the directions to the letter. It took me all day to spray 3 coats because the data sheet says 2-3 hours to re-coat. I had a strong feeling that 30 or 40 minutes would do, but I couldn't be sure. Sanding the test piece make perfect sense. For experimentation I'm spraying all kinds of scraps, unfinished or rejected projects, poplar mock-ups, and pieces of cardboard. I'm trying to work out my spraying technique/gun adjustments for spraying inside a small box and see if I like the looks of GF High-Preformance on various woods at the same time. Oh, and on the side I'm seeing if GF High-Pref will adhere over top of BLO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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