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I sprayed a color coat that came out dry and somewhat gritty. Will it smooth out after a clear top coat is applied? This has not happened to me before, I guess the heat and humidity are to high tonight in NC.

Tim B

nitro?

tippie53 wrote:nitro?

Yes.

And?

Is this a sunburst or something else. If its just a solid color you really should level it and re-spray a wet coat. I assume this is from cans? If its from a compressor the air mixture was wrong -- what I am really saying is more information required to make a logical assesment. Just laying on more coats of nitro will not necessarily level the surface -- actually most likely it will not. And if you have not already, go out and buy the best thinner you can afford -- it will not evaporate as fast and will prevent some other problems as well.

kencierp wrote:Is this a sunburst or something else. If its just a solid color you really should level it and re-spray a wet coat. I assume this is from cans? If its from a compressor the air mixture was wrong -- what I am really saying is more information required to make a logical assesment. Just laying on more coats of nitro will not necessarily level the surface -- actually most likely it will not. And if you have not already, go out and buy the best thinner you can afford -- it will not evaporate as fast and will prevent some other problems as well.

Not a sunburst, solid dark red mahogany (double strength mix, stewmac color tone). Shot with compressor at 35 psi (adjusted at the gun), 1.4 mm tip (I have a 1.8 mm as well). Mohawk nitro 80%, Mohawk reducer 20%. Thanks for replies and any further help.

Tim B

To me it sounds like a simple air / fluid mix adjustment. Do you have a Zahn cup to check vicosity from batch to batch? Also, if not in a controlled area results can differ from day to day. I have a stack of cardboard I use to test my spray pattern, coat thickness and flow out etc. Since the gun is disassmebled after each use for cleaning there is no other way I can determine the mixture tweaks from the previous session.

I agree with ken Spray adjusting can be finiky. If you get too much are you start drying before it hits the wood.

Thanks John and Ken - I lowered air and increased the fluid and it came out much smoother.

Tim B

play with the knobs, it is what we do . You can learn alot. once adjusted mark the knobs for your settings , it gets you roughed in pretty well.