Airbrushing With HoK S&L Enamel

[Farrell]

I have heard of people spraying reduced HoK S&L Enamels through an airbrush. Why would you do that instead of airbrushing with regular HoK paint? 4oz of BC25 is $7, 4oz of U01 is $16 ... so why airbrush with the really expensive striping stuff?

Also, when striping, I have been told I can reduce with regular RU311. What makes the S&L reducer special?

-Farrell

[ABD]

Well i've done it because it was the only paint I had in the color I wanted..lol....Always mixed hardener with it and sprayed like any other paint.


Mixing thinners within diff paint brands would prolly be a give or take with people...Some do and some don't...Brands always say to use the same components throughout...But obviously they would, they want you to buy their goods....Ive done a bit of mixing (within reason) ..and no probs...But ya really gotta know what yer mixin I spose..lol

[Smi7th]

Never having sprayed any type of HoK paints,I can't comment on that part of your question.As to using different types of reducer than is recommended can get you in a heap of trouble.It may seem to lay down fine but the problems arise when you go to clearcoat the work.Anything from lifting to layer separation to not drying.

I would think it difficult to catalyze intermediate coats(such as art work)due to the fact that it is usually critical to get proper proportions of material/reducer/catalyst;especially in such small quantities as in an airbrush.Too much catalyst and the paint may never dry or it may dry too rapidly and not allow proper solvent evaporation resulting in surface imperfections.

As for striping;whenever I have used HoK for striping(which I really dislike doing)the materials have always been supplied to me by the person who is doing the actual spraying.The reason I dislike using the product is I am usually working over a freshly sprayed surface and there is no room for error.Supposedly if you make a mistake you can remove it with denatured alcohol without damaging the basecoat.I have yet to be successful in doing so.I also can't wait for the basecoat to set up as we are working in a narrow time window.I have had a little better luck if an intercoat clear has been applied to the base as it gives me a bit more time.

I would rather use 1-Shot and mix a couple drops of the catalyst that is to be used in the final clearcoat and let it set up for 24 hours before applying clear.There are several types of clear that will go over the 1-Shot without puckering it but you have to use a certain technique and do it within 24-48 hours.Technique is easy:spray a VERY light tack coat and let set 10-15 minutes;spray another VERY light tack coat and let set again;then you can lay on a standard wet coat.I have used PPG 2021 and 2042 as well as DuPont's 3000 series clears with very good results.WARNING!!!!
DO NOT use a flattening agent in the clear as it will pull the striping regardless of whether it has a catalyst or not.

JMHO

[Farrell]

Thanks for the comments.

RU311 is HoK's regular reducer. It is used (recommended) for damn near everything they make ;) Primer, paint, clear. But they also make a reducer specifically for their S&L enamels, and the person I spoke with at Coast said she never had problems with plain old RU311.

I have not tried using any reducer yet as the enamel seems to be thin enough straight from the can... but I am just learning so I don't really know if I would benefit from reducing it. I can pull straightish lines and make some poor attempts at C and S curves with success.

As for using HoK enamel over fresh paint, is the problem that the enamel wants to melt into the layers below? or does it not wipe off cleanly?

And speaking of hardener, I was told that I do not need to add any to the enamel if I will be applying a layer of clear. Is that correct? I am under the impression that you only need to add hardener/catalyst to get resistance to the elements, but if you clear the layer of clear will take care of that. I top coat all of my stuff with 2K clear.

-Farrell

[Smi7th]

As for using HoK enamel over fresh paint, is the problem that the enamel wants to melt into the layers below? or does it not wipe off cleanly?

And speaking of hardener, I was told that I do not need to add any to the enamel if I will be applying a layer of clear. Is that correct?

-Farrell

#1 question:Both conditions seem to occur.I am usually working on a pretty narrow window and the reducer(not sure what it is;customer supplies it and he has been painting for nearly 50 years)seems to be biting into the surface very rapidly.A clear intercoat helps prevent penetration but isn't a cure-all.Tried alcohol and it didn't seem to want to remove the paint at all.

I also use a pair of cotton gloves with the thumb and index finger cut off(to facilitate brush holding)to keep fingerprint contamination to a minimum.The only down side to doing this is if the paint is too fresh it will mar the surface when leaning against it.Sometimes it smoothes out by itself but more than likely there will be a slight mark from the glove.Better than oily fingerprints though.

#2 question:Catalyst should be used only when a clear coat will not be used.This is not necessary with 1-Shot and actually can be detrimental.Seems to make the paint very brittle and prone to chipping and flaking.Also regular mineral spirits seem to create a lot of fish-eyes in the paint when mixed in;especially in colder weather.Odorless spirits don't seem to have this problem.