First time shooting went horribly! Need some help

[JayR0071]

Hey guys,

As mush as I thought I did enough research for my first time experience spraying, I wasn't prepared enough. I did not know I needed 29 psi at the gun with trigger pulled, so you can imagine how that went. Also can someone describe to me how to adjust the gun, what I mean is, what is it that I'm attempting to achieve. I understand the concept of fluid knob and fan knob, but what is it that I'm looking for ? I have a Devilbiss Plus. Thanks

Like I mentioned earlier, my first time went horribly, I was shooting epoxy and 2k. Do I need to resand it all off or can I just go from there and block sand?

[88GT]

2K as I know it is not going to spray well through a Plus. Not with the tips that come with it. The epoxy might if the viscosity is that of regular paint. Use a 1.8-2.0 tip for the 2K.
I spray with my plus at the high end of the green on the gage (30 or so psi)
The good news is, its just primer. Block it with 180 and re prime with a primer gun. The cheap guns work fine for primer if the tip is big enough

[JayR0071]

I forgot to mention, I did use a primer gun. I used a Devilbiss Primer gun with a 1.8 tip for the SPI regular primer. For the epoxy I had to use 1.4 on the Plus as stated on the SPI epoxy data sheet.

Thanks for the reply.

[88GT]

I forgot to mention, I did use a primer gun. I used a Devilbiss Primer gun with a 1.8 tip for the SPI regular primer. For the epoxy I had to use 1.4 on the Plus as stated on the SPI epoxy data sheet.

Thanks for the reply.

so that most likely leaves spray technique as the culpret. Possibly wrong reducer/activator speeds, or a faulty gun. I spray with the plus (and most guns) with the fan and fluid wide open.

[tech69]

I forgot to mention, I did use a primer gun. I used a Devilbiss Primer gun with a 1.8 tip for the SPI regular primer. For the epoxy I had to use 1.4 on the Plus as stated on the SPI epoxy data sheet.

Thanks for the reply.

I sprayed that combo the other week and you have to constantly add reducer to that stuff. It sets up fast and I think that results in small bits of dry overspray and of course tiger stripes if you don't keep adding reducer. Sands nice though. Here's simple stuff to remember...right psi(doesn't have to be accurate for primer),gun distance, keel, reducer, and a clean gun n air cap and of course your overlaps. Primer is pretty forgiving but it's always good to go for even peel. A couple times I heard some users on here mention that uneven peel doesn't matter for 2k but that's just silly if you're gonna do all that handblocking that's much more work than holding a gun steady. why not aim for a clean application that will only lead to straighter surface?

[Len]

Hey guys,

As mush as I thought I did enough research for my first time experience spraying, I wasn't prepared enough. I did not know I needed 29 psi at the gun with trigger pulled, so you can imagine how that went. Also can someone describe to me how to adjust the gun, what I mean is, what is it that I'm attempting to achieve. I understand the concept of fluid knob and fan knob, but what is it that I'm looking for ? I have a Devilbiss Plus. Thanks

Like I mentioned earlier, my first time went horribly, I was shooting epoxy and 2k. Do I need to resand it all off or can I just go from there and block sand?

Depending on how rough the finish is you may need to do some sanding before you recoat. It also sounds like it could be your technique, you may want to pick up a copy of the Spray Painting 101 Video linked below.

The DeVilbiss Plus gun is excellent for spraying top coats and with the proper set up and technique you should get excellent results. Be sure that you use the proper hardener and reducer for the temperature during the spraying session. Apply your first coat wet but not so wet that it runs then allow it to dry to the touch before applying your second and third coats.

[6t7goat]

I use a devilbiss plus for top coats and clears but for primer i use a finishline. I am using Spi primers on my current project also. I set my air pressure at about 32psi with the trigger pulled. My fan is wide open and I open the fluid knob about 2- 2 1/2 turns. This gives me plenty of paint and I dont have issues with runs. So far so good. I use the 1.8 tip for 2k primer and a 1.5 for the epoxy.

[JayR0071]

First off I want to thank Len for helping me out Friday night. I was having problems shooting and the only person I could think of was Len, sure enough he was there and helped me out. Thank you Len.

I sprayed paint for the first time in my life on Friday and it was a great experience. However, I was having quite some difficulties. Now, I have a few question hopefully you guys can help me out with.

I was having problem with the Devilbiss Plus not shooting enough paint and with a fan of about 3" long with both fluid and fan knobs open all the way. First I used a 1.3 tip and then the 1.4 like len had suggested, for the first few secs. it would spray perfectly then died out again. Finally I realized that the culprit was the lid, if I would spray without the lid it sprayed perfectly but once i placed the lid the spray patter died out. The hole was open and clear from any debris, so i ended up making the hole on the lid a little bigger to be able to shoot.
1) Has anyone experience that problem?

2)After the lid problem, with 30 psi at the gun with the trigger pulled, i noticed that i was wasting a lot of paint. The whole place got fogged up when spraying. I turned the fluid needle but it wouldn't spray enough. Then I lowered the pressure but that wasn't it either. What should I do? I spray a test car, a Fiat X1/9 (which is small) and it took almost a whole gallon, so i definitely feel that a lot of the paint was being waited.

3)For the second coat of clear, are you suppose to use a tacky cloth or shoot right after the flash time of the first coat?

I was using a tacky cloth after every coat of paint and it worked out great in catching any dust.

4) After painting, how long should I wait before removing the tape?

5) What's the wait period before wet sanding and buffing?

Thank you in advance.

[Len]

1) Has anyone experience that problem?

My guess is that there was some clear over the hole. If the hole is open it won't cause problems.

2)After the lid problem, with 30 psi at the gun with the trigger pulled, i noticed that i was wasting a lot of paint. The whole place got fogged up when spraying. I turned the fluid needle but it wouldn't spray enough. Then I lowered the pressure but that wasn't it either. What should I do? I spray a test car, a Fiat X1/9 (which is small) and it took almost a whole gallon, so i definitely feel that a lot of the paint was being waited.

Without seeing your spraying technique, paint products, spraying conditions, etc it's very difficult to say what the problem is. The hole in the lid being blocked can cause this problem. Are you disassembling the gun when you clean it? Do you have a decent gun cleaning kit? Are you cleaning the gun immediately after spraying? If you're using the gun for spraying primer you need to be very careful to clean the gun properly.

3)For the second coat of clear, are you suppose to use a tacky cloth or shoot right after the flash time of the first coat?

I was using a tacky cloth after every coat of paint and it worked out great in catching any dust.

If you have cleaned the surface properly and prepped your environment properly AND you wear clean, dust free clothing while spraying you shouldn't need to use a tack cloth between coats.

4) After painting, how long should I wait before removing the tape?

I usually leave the vehicle masked until after I have polished the car but if you want to unmask you can usually do it carefully 4 hours later but I usually wait until the next day. The temperature can make a big difference in how long the paint takes to harden and no spraying should be done under 60 degrees F.

5) What's the wait period before wet sanding and buffing?

That depends on the type of materials being used and the temperature during the cure cycle. Press you thumb against the surface for about 5 seconds then remove it and wipe the surface. If you thumb print disappears you can sand and polish but if the print remains in the surface wait until repeating this test allows the print to disappear.