Dip Painting

[BelowPAR 0]

Dip Painting... Anyone done it? I have 80 odd 400mm 25 x 25 rhs sections to paint. I have done the primer and it worked no worries, smooth albeit thick finish. But the undercoat went a little bit wonky, and the top coat is going worse.

 

I tried thinning it to match the consistency of the primer, helped with the undercoat, but the topcoat looks rubbish. A bit like its been dipped in paint actually.

 

Just wondering if anyone had any tips? (google didnt)

 

ta Ben.

[Matty 0]

you will have to thin it a long way to get it to work.

with thinning it so much you will have to do an extra topcoat to get the coverage and the protection you need.

 

what products are you using ?

[BelowPAR 0]

Cheers.

Not using anything fancy with the paint, just what i had in the garage. The primer was just standard etch primer (Altex i think..). The undercoat and topcoat are waterborne enamels (what ever that means, i thought enamel meant oil based..) Just from the local Resene, and using water to thin as specified.

[wheels 543]

Enamel is what the paint is. What solvent keeps the paint "liquid" can be many things.

Dip painting requires special paint mixes and fast drying solvents.

[Guest]

Might be worth a try just to warm the paint a bit. Sit the tin in a bucket of hot water. Water based enamel probably won't get real glossy like an oil based.

[wheels 543]

Yep the Water based works just like any other type of solvent. Solvents are a carrier. Their job is to keep the hardners apart so they don't harden in the tin, and act as a carrier to enable the brush to get the contents from the Tin to the surface you are painting. The chemistry of the paint then determins how it allows that solvent to escape allowing the hardeners to come together and do their job. Remember that the first part of the paint to dry tends to be the surface, with the paint below drying as the solvent escapes. So the surface has to remain Porus enough to allow that Solvent to evaporate away.

Waterborne Coatings have come along way in very recent years and I think we will start seeing much more in this area. I see a Waterbased antifoul is now on the market.

For instance, in the City of LA, 60tonnes of Paint Solvent evaporates into the air EVERY DAY! from drying paint.

[Guest]

And thats why the kids are so happy.

[BelowPAR 0]

SO eventually got a system worked out. Key is getting it thin as advised by Matty. Talking proper thin, like 15 ish % thinners. Cant be too good for the paint properties, but for its purpose it will be no worries. Il pop up a photo of the finish quality, but where it is done properly it is excellent.