enamel through an airless

I need to spray about five gallons of alklyd enamel through a Graco XR7 sprayer. This will be the most efficient way to do this project. I have sprayed a lot of latex paint through it over the years, and it did fine. Just wondering what the differences are with enamel. Clean with mineral spirits? Check to make sure I am using the right orifice? Tips appreciated.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B
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We worked from 5 PM to 1 AM yesterday, and will do so again tonight. You musta had that great sunset we had yesterday. WOW! And then .................... COOL! With those big hotel parking lot lights out there, it's like daytime, just 30 degrees cooler. I got to get this squirted so I can get it buttoned up. Have a lot of low spots to fill up, and prep, but it's getting there. If I don't spray it with an airless, but the little hand pot, I know I will come up with a nice checkerboard effect. Plus, I want it fairly thick. Will have some new pics soon. Had to add three more rows of laterals to screw the sheets to per company engineer. Hoisting frame next item, 3" sq. tube, 16' span, 10' between rails so I can lift boat off trailer, and have hoist system for when I feel lazy.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

"Joe" wrote Generally, IMO the enamel painting will be somewhat easier than latex, with more chance of runs perhaps. Good luck.

joe

This is metal, and is going to be outside 24/7, do latex is not an option.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Steve .013 tip 10" fan pattern so you need a .1310 tip strain paint though panty hose before spraying if its hot out float a little mineral spirtits on top of paint to keep top from skinning over wear protective clothing tyvek and a mask as well as a spray sock two light coats not one heavy coat,this paint runs like a greyhound

Sherwin Williams makes a "d t m" (direct to metal acylic) that works great on metal in that case use a .1510 tip and float water.Clean out with water and and chase water out with laquer thinner

Reply to
roemax

"Oren" wrote

Yeah, the trusses and the containers themselves.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Buy a paper cone type strainer, look into adding some "penetrol" if the paint does not go on the way you want.

Reply to
beecrofter

Post to rec.woodworking, they know about sprayers.

I was told over there that in general, latex is tougher on nozzles than oil -- at least in air spray guns. So it shouldn't be a problem.

If it's just two containers, tho, why not just brush it on? By the time you've figgered all this out, you'd be done. Mebbe a garage-floor-type epoxy paint, if durability is important. But rustoleium is good.

You might also try rustoleum primer in a spray can, followed by a one of their spray enamels. Their primer is really tough. I spray the undersides of my vehicles with a cupla cans, when I get a chance.

Reply to
Existential Angst

For the record you can run any paint you want through it. Just use the appropriate solvent to clean. You can recirc the solvent but let it spray the left over paint out. You can usually tell when the spray stops being paint and starts being solvent.

Reply to
jamesgang

What liquids are there in "enamel" that there aren't in alkyd paint? Actually, how does alkyd paint differ from "enamel"? AFAIK, enamel (paint) is just glossy oil paint. Or maybe you mean a water born alkyd?

Reply to
dadiOH

Steve, get a good quality oil based paint. Equipment enamel works well, like the stuff Tractor Supply sells for painting a tractor. Water blast the container to remove any loose material - let dry.

Make sure to strain the paint - an old ladies nylon will work. Life is better if you have a reversible tip for your gun - Graco calls theirs RAC. I would use a 515 (10" spray pattern, .015 )

Reply to
DanG

I would use a paint that is meant for that purpose. Most likely, an oil paint, possibly poly (not likely to find that except at a marine store). Read some at

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Automotive paints should perform well too. I know nothing about them but here, briefly, is what I know about paint in general, learned both empirically and by reading...

Paint is a coating meant to protect and/or beautify a surface. All paints consist of: 1. a material that will dry and/or cure to a film (a resin) 2. a liquid to keep #1 in suspension or dissolved until use (a vehicle) 3. something to make it opaque; used to be, it was usually white lead, now, most is titanium oxide 4. color 5. possibly, other materials to modify properties of the above

Take away the last two and you have varnish. (Or lacquer. Or shellac.)

There are a whole bunch of different types of paints but for our purposes we can divide them into two: oil base and water base.

Water base paints use acrylic, vinyl, PVA and others for the resin, water for the vehicle. Their films are durable and elastic but not very hard.

Oil base paints use alkyd, polyurethane, phenolic and others for the resin; the most common is alkyd. They use petroleum based products such as mineral spirits for the vehicle (used to use turpentine). Their films are durable and hard but not very elastic. Any of various oils are added to the mix to increase elasticity but at the expense of hardness...more oil = more elastic but less hard. Nothing in oil paint will hurt your sprayer.

When you were talking about "enamel" you were really talking about plain old oil paint. AFAIK, it is always glossy unless something else is added to it (by the manufacturer) to reduce the sheen. Used to be, you could go into any decent paint store and buy some flatting powder (talc). Ask for that now and all you would get are blank stares.

The manufacturers of water base paint call some of their product "enamel". It isn't; it is neither hard nor as glossy. Moreover, it takes months to cure...set something on a shelf six months after being painted with it and it is very likely it will wind up stuck to the shelf. I think acrylic paints are great for walls, wonderful for the exterior of a house but suck for anything else.

Reply to
dadiOH

Regarding that corrugated metal you put on the containers, is it galvanized? If so, it will need special attention. Here are some informative links...

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Reply to
dadiOH

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Proly should have the subtitle, Why NOT to paint zinc.... goodgawd....

In your previous post, you omitted "epoxy paints". DanG mentioned "equipment paints" -- I wonder if those are epoxy paints. I see epoxy paints as garage floor paints, as well.

Reply to
Existential Angst

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