The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Paint Problems

I have been attempting to paint my 3100 in a dark blue using Wandabase HS Basecoat and Wanda 8100 2k Clear. For the life of me and following instructions to a T I have had nothing but problems. When I spray it seems like a big cloud of reducer comes out of the gun. There is never a clear line when spraying. I have gone through all the youtube channels on how to set up a spray gun. I will spray on a scrap piece, the fan will be correct and I will go to spray and it will look like I held the gun in one place and moved too fast in others. Every time I am done it is blotchy, light blue in spots and beautiful dark blue in others. Because I knew I had this problem I decided I would put minimum of 4 coats on this last panel. Same issue. I painted my firewall and cab last year and had similar issues but the problems seems to be worse when I am spraying down on a panel vs horizontal. I am at a loss, maybe its as simple as the R500 gun I am using is junk, maybe it's me, maybe something else I dunno. Any advice is always appreciated. Thanks as always.

If at all possible, you should try to borrow another gun setup with the proper tip for your paint and give that a try. It will prove whether it's your gun or something else.

If you are using the recommended tip and the recommended air pressure AT THE GUN for the type of paint being used, I would say try a different gun.

I agree there is something wrong with a component in your system. I bought a more flexible 5’ line from HF to attach at the end of my 50’ hose. I was having similar supply problems and it was the whip causing the issue. Not saying that is the issue but you’ll have to check all of the components supplying the gun too.

I also agree that borrowing/purchasing another gun would be my next step. With the price of paint these days, using a cheap gun may not be the best choice. I bought a Eastwood Contours 2 spray gun and have excellent results. It comes with 2 tip sizes, 1.3 and 1.7, and it’s on sale now. Here is a link.

Yes correct tip. I even tried a larger tip to help flow and that did not work. It's like one pass is great and the next it shoots a ton of paint in a 2 inch circle like the someone went and manually changed the air pressure or something. 60 gallon compressor 25ft hose. Gun may just give an inconsistent spray pattern. Weird thing is my firewall which I shot first is great. Maybe gun wore out that fast. I clean thoroughly every time. Seems it shoots way better if the gun is held horizontal than vertical. What I cant get over us why even with so many coats is it not covering? That's why I wonder if it's a paint issue and not a gun issue? I did a lot of research and the paint had good reviews and is definitely not high end but not cheap either. I dont know anyone to borrow a gun from so I guess I will have to pony up for a better gun. Wasting time and paint is getting expensive. Thanks

Are you straining the paint before it goes in the gun?
How about a moisture filter?

I am straining..I do not use the filter that goes in the gun .. no moisture filter at the inlet of the gun. I have a generic one at the tank and I also have one of those that takes the toilet paper rolls at the tank which seems to do a great job as far as I can tell.

Yes on paint straining and moisture/oil filter right before the coiled air hose out to the gun. Also the closer to the gun is the pressure regulator, the more even will be the paint pattern.

Even though your gun is a LVLP one, you may not have enough air. Have you tried adjusting the pressure up a bit?

I only use one regulator at the gun. Paint will not even think of flowing until it reaches around 45psi but I think that is normal..again it only gives me a cap pressure of 10psi which i think is equivalent to 35psi at the gun. Wondering if that toilet paper roll filter is restricting air flow and causing it to sputter. Tank does seem to run a lot. Maybe I am not doing a good job of making sure it is coming up to pressure before spraying but then again if it has 45psi at the gun does it really matter what psi is at the tank? Reading some more threads on another site and someone is talking about how important it is to have High flow volume.

How big is your compressor? It sounds like you are running out of air after your first pass. You can buy a cheap air regulator that attaches directly to the gun, so you will know if you are running out of air. HF sells them pretty cheap. I found one on Amazon for Twenty bucks.

What Phil said about running out of air, especially if your compressor is running a lot.
I use a 3M Accuspray gun which comes with a regulator (of sorts - it's just a manual valve with a gauge on it). I set my regulator at the compressor (5HP-60 gal) at 50-60 lb to be sure I have enough pressure at the gun, then set the gauge at the gun at 15-20 psi on the gauge with the trigger pulled and paint discharging.

The proper set-up is to have a regulator at the outlet of the tank, then a regulator/volume control valve at the gun with a gauge at the gun to read the gun pressure.

Could be multiple things. Gun is thoroughy cleaned from previous jobs? Enough cfm from the compressor. Can it keep up with the use? Big enough hose?

What’s the temp when spraying paint? The solvent may evaporating to quickly as it leaves the gun.

Sorry for delayed response, work has been crazy. I think it was around 80 degrees with no humidity the last time I sprayed. I use a 60gallon 3 hp compressor so it should have plenty of air unless I am restricting it somehow. Perhaps I will get a shorter hose, hi flow fittings, etc and install a regulator at the tank also. I had one at the tank previously but it seemed to give me fits so I took it off. I do have one at the gun. Not sure how one at the tank would differ from one at the gun??? Gun thoroughly cleaned with mineral spirits and the stuff that comes in the spray can. I soak the parts in mineral spirits also. I did just buy a devilbliss spray gun; a lower end model but has good reviews to see how that helps. The heat is crazy this week so until it passes not much I can do. Thanks for the suggestions.

You can still paint in higher temperatures, but you’ll need to use a slow reducer to slow down the drying process.

Quick update to anyone still reading this post.... I did purchase a lower end devilbliss gun. I also attached a regulator at the tank. Today finally was the first day in the last 2 weeks without high temps and humidity. I can say that the gun shot much better than anything I have tried to date. It actually shot a clear defined line. I am not sure how much was in the gun and how much was in adding the regulator but it worked rather well for base. I did struggle a bit to get it to shoot clear as well because I was getting a fan pattern where the middle was thinner than the edges so it was shooting stripes. I adjusted it a bit and got it better but never seemed to get it dialed in perfectly. To overcome this I shot more coats on it and did my best to blend it. Hope I can get it dialed in better next time but not sure what to try? It seems to have come out rather well and I hope after a bit of wet sanding it will meet my expectations.

Try adjusting the air pressure. Do you have a gun mounted regulator? Very important on HVLP guns. You can buy cheap ones on line or at HF.

yes i do..i was shooting the clear around 45 data sheet said 40 to 50..thanks

The data sheet pressures are guidelines, don't be afraid to go outside that range if it works on your gun. The pattern is what's important. The first part of this video explains if fairly well. And you need to remember that what worked at a particular temperature won't necessarily work well at a different temperature. You need to set the pattern up every session.

Another update and problem: This new gun works great for about a minute. Shoots real flat wide passes then slowly you can see it start to reduce to a thinner and thinner line until its only shooting a few inches wide. The air compressor isn't even kicking on, plenty of air. Pressure at the gun is staying the same. I clean it with a spray cleaner at the nozzle and it works fine for a few more passes. Clean again works fine for a few more passes. The air holes on the side do not looked clogged. The needle tip looks like it may be getting a bit clogged. Take gun apart mid way through painting, clean everything thoroughly. Continue on, same problem persists. What will cause this? Can the paint be thinned? Thanks

What happens to the pressure at the gun when you pull the trigger? Does it maintain a consistent pressure?

If your not maintaining that pressure, try a different hose? I bought a short flexible hose from HF and for some reason it didn’t pass enough air thru it. I noticed it while using a die grinder. It could also be a coupling that is failing.

Quick couplers are very restrictive; I haven't had an issue with them while painting but if I am working on the wheel lugs on my 2 ton, I connect my 3/8" hose directly to my IR impact wrench and it make a HUGE difference in the torque. The spray gun issue sounds like the paint isn't strained and/or the air pressure dropping off.

Given that the problem continues with multiple spray guns and efforts to ensure enough air I suspect the paint may be the problem.

Yes I looked at the gun pressure..seems to stay the same..paint is strained while going into the cup and then i also strain it while pouring it back into the gun. I added the internal strainer to the gun as well. Is there a universal paint thinner that can be used?

I just went and looked at the can because I was emailing Wanda to see if they have a specific thinner. I am not sure how automotive paint works as far as the base etc but the can has a date of May 2011 on it. I bought this can last year. Could this base literally have sat around that long before I purchased it? It's just the sticker with the coloring amounts, perhaps just a typo? I am trying to locate the dealer I purchased it from, no stickers or anything on the can and I cannot find them online, wonder if they went out of business!