I've just started spraying waterborne lacquer and although I'm committed, I'm having a bit of a struggle. It doesn't help that I'm new to spraying in general.
The stuff I'm spraying (Grafted Coatings KTM 10) seems relatively thin, (10 seconds in a ford cup), but I think I'm getting thrown of by the higher solids content. Plus, the stuff dries so fast that it's hard to tell how wet to make a coat. Seems like no matter what tip I try or where I set the pressure, I get micro bubbles in the finish. I get the same micro bubbles when I brush the finish, but they're gone the next day. When I spray, the bubbles appear later in the process, but they don't go away. I'm looking for pointers on tip selection, air pressure and technique. Everything I've read says not to thin the finish.
I'm using a DeVilbiss Plus HVLP gun; they recommend 26 psi at the gun (with the trigger pulled). My compressor has no problem achieving that, but it feels like a lot of pressure. Also, with a 1.3 or 1.4 tip, it seems like it's dumping a lot of material on the surface. The coat seems too dry with the 1.2 tip. I'm spraying test coats on a horizontal surface, so for now, sags and runs aren't an issue, but I know that will come if I don't resolve some of these more rudimentary issues.
Any insight is greatly appreciated.
The stuff I'm spraying (Grafted Coatings KTM 10) seems relatively thin, (10 seconds in a ford cup), but I think I'm getting thrown of by the higher solids content. Plus, the stuff dries so fast that it's hard to tell how wet to make a coat. Seems like no matter what tip I try or where I set the pressure, I get micro bubbles in the finish. I get the same micro bubbles when I brush the finish, but they're gone the next day. When I spray, the bubbles appear later in the process, but they don't go away. I'm looking for pointers on tip selection, air pressure and technique. Everything I've read says not to thin the finish.
I'm using a DeVilbiss Plus HVLP gun; they recommend 26 psi at the gun (with the trigger pulled). My compressor has no problem achieving that, but it feels like a lot of pressure. Also, with a 1.3 or 1.4 tip, it seems like it's dumping a lot of material on the surface. The coat seems too dry with the 1.2 tip. I'm spraying test coats on a horizontal surface, so for now, sags and runs aren't an issue, but I know that will come if I don't resolve some of these more rudimentary issues.
Any insight is greatly appreciated.