X-Otic Paint Questions

[blinddog 99]

Steven, a couple of questions before I grab a bag o' X-otic to shoot up the garage with.....

After a lengthy discussion on Craig's site, there is a lot being said about pre-reduction of Uro's in bottle form. The HOK boys chimed in and concurred this is not a way to package their Uro's, and I was wondering if the X-otics come pre-reduced or is it similar, with KK type pigments mixed into intercoat clear, meant to be reduced before using?

It sounds like they're compatible paints, so can I continue to use UK clear overcoats and HOK reducers? If not, what should I change to, no problem doing that, just want compatibility in the end. (I think that is why I have stuck with HOK, just having all the components that are compatible and easy to interplay...

Any special tips or tricks that are out of the normal plane of use???


Thanks for you patience with my long winded questions!

[blinddog 99]

Thanks Steven. I could have made something clearer. In Craig's zeal to defend Coast airbrush he said they were the only small bottle distributor authorized by HOK, which turned out not to be true. The problem is, the other distributor (from whom I had bought paint) actually adds reducer, meaning the paint is on a very short shelf life and I haved already seen bottles of pre-mixed paints go dead in my cabinet. Just didn't want to switch just to see that happen again.

[Skids]

I had the same thing happen Dog.....got my HOK premix from that guy on miami vice...heheheheeee...yep, some colors are drying up.

[blinddog 99]

Yeah, Skids, I just get too wordy. My concern is that they can be pre-mixed with lockdown clears, but should not be pre-reduced, as they begin to break down from that moment on. I overstocked and am now throwing out several unused bottles of HOK Kandies I ordered from TPC Global. I think I will call and give the X-otic a try anyway, just based on Steven's experiences, as I use a lot of white underpainting for my stuff....

[Whit]

Seems it would be of benifit to get color
in ,, say,, half pints,,, clears in gallons and
reducers in gallons and just mix as needed !!
It would extend shelf life and would'nt effect
the integretity of the paint !!!
You'd have to mix your own,,, but some
applications take different mixing anyway !!
You could control the transparency of your
colors as well just by the amount of clear added !!!

[Clem]

Reading the posts I am kinda glad I started water base. I know after a while and I have an idea of what I am doing I'll move to the more accepted paints, X-otic most likely.

I wasn't sure of shelf life when I ordered these and so far so good. I'm still with the 4 oz bottles. White and black are going down but I really don't paint much yet. A large quantity of any would bother me at the moment.

Appears the shelf life of the reducers is about the shortest but that is just reading you folks posts.

Clem

[blinddog 99]

Thanks Steven, this helps a lot. On the HOK side, Coast uses lockdown clear premixed, which is fine, but TCP Global actually does that, then adds reducer, which is not a good idea for longevity. I will call Pro 1 this weekend and get some X-otic paint to try.

[Clem]

Odd question here and I don't know the difference. The kits listed from the X-otic web page all show a fast reducer with the kits. What is the difference and is the difference that much?

Clem

[Clem]

I have watched a couple DVDs and they recommend medium reducer. I wasn't sure of the difference it would make. Really wasn't sure if something about the paint would make the difference.

Thanks

Clem

[blinddog 99]

Nope Clem its mainly about the ambient temperature. Here in Texas, except for the past couple of cold days, I use the slowest reducer, which dries nicely on the work, but doesn't dry (as much) on the needle tip.

[Skids]

Clem, i think the thing is you want your paint to dry at a particular rate, not to fast and not to slow, so that it has a chance to flow out and be as smooth as possible and not trap any unevaporated reducer under the top layer of paint.

Temperature plays a big role in how fast a reducer evaporates, and they can mix the reducer chemicals to evaporate at a given rate for a particular temperature range giving you some control by using a different reducer as your painting environment temperature changes.

[Clem]

My temp here run about the same as Steven's in the winter and not quite as hot in the summer. From the way it sounds I would have little or no need for a fast reducer but more in the medium and slow range. It does hit the three digits during the summer for longer than I like.

Clem