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Item 44677
NOTICE
Clean the Spray Gun IMMEDIATELY after EVERY use.
Delayed or inadequate cleaning will permanently clog the Spray Gun.
Latex paint hardens quickly and permanently inside Spray Gun.
Preparing to Paint
Painting Tips
Successful spray painting is a skill which requires
knowledge of your equipment, familiarity with your
paint materials and experience. Differences in
paints, work materials and environmental conditions
make every painting task unique. For best results,
practice with your painting mixture on a scrap piece
before beginning to paint your work material.
It is critical that the surface be properly prepared before
painting. It will be difficult to achieve a satisfactory painted
surface if the original surface is dirty, rough or wet.
Properly mask your work surface from any
adjacent areas you do not want to paint.
Use drop cloths or other covers to protect adjacent
property from paint dust or overspray.
Paint Mixture
Each paint mixture will vary. You may use solvent or water
based paints. Each of these causes a different paint
viscosity, and has a different flow rate and drying time. High
viscosity is thick, like syrup. Low viscosity is thin, like water.
The purpose of the solvent is to make the paint
liquid so it can be applied. Once applied, the solvent
evaporates, leaving the pigment and its binders in
place. The solvent is also used as a clean up medium.
Paint mixtures which are to be sprayed are generally
less viscous (thinner) than mixtures which are to be
applied with a brush. Thus you will most often have to
add extra solvent to a paint which is to be sprayed.
When paint is sprayed, it is broken into tiny droplets,
then blown by high-pressure air onto the surface.
During this spraying process, the surface of each
paint droplet will begin to dry. When it hits the work
material, the droplet must liquefy again, and mix
with the droplets hitting alongside it. Ideally, these
droplets will mix evenly forming a smooth surface.
If the paint mixture is too thick, the droplets will not
form a smooth layer, and the resulting surface can be
described as “pebbly” or “orange peel”. If the paint
mixture is too thin, the paint will run, forming long drips
before they are thick enough to form a satisfactory
coat. Vertical surfaces are more prone to “run” than
horizontal surfaces due to the effect of gravity.
Applying the Paint
In most cases, it is best to move the paint spray
from side to side, overlapping the previous paint.
In this way you will gradually build up the paint
layer without leaving any obvious edges.
To paint in this way, the spray pattern
should be set to vertical.
It is important to prevent excess paint at the beginning
and end of each stroke. Holding the sprayer away
from the work piece, squeeze the trigger to start the
spray. Then move the spray gun in to within 14-16
inches of the work piece. Move the sprayer smoothly
across the work piece, keeping a consistent distance.
At the end of each stroke, pull the sprayer away
from the work piece as you release the trigger.
As you work, carefully observe the way the paint
accumulates on the work surface. It is more
important to maintain a good paint surface than
to form an opaque (thick) paint coat. You can
always apply a second coat to get the coverage
you want. If the surface is ruined, however, you
will have to start over with surface preparation.
If the surface does not smooth out in a few seconds
after applying the paint, your paint mixture is probably
too thick. Thin your paint slightly and test on a piece
of scrap material. If the paint goes on very thin and
threatens to run, stop spraying immediately. Add more
paint to your mixture to thicken the paint. Test on a
piece of scrap material before resuming work.
