Hey this is Donnie Smith and I’ve got a tip for you about reducing waterborne paint.
I recently went to this last week went to a waterborne school for PPG Envirobase Autocolor
waterborne paints and we’ve using waterborne paints, but I did get some tips here and it
helped fix some of the problems that I was having and I thought these maybe the problems
you would have too because if you look in the P-pages the technical data sheets for
the Envirobase it is a little bit misleading.
I guess sometimes what they are putting here it should work, but it doesn’t because what
is actually working out in the field it varies a little bit than it does in here.
You’ve got to remember though that when these are printed it is in controlled environment
for example 70 degrees the humidity is certain range and everything.
I mean if it is colder or hotter it is going vary a little bit.
But, there is one thing that is quite a bit different and causes a lot of problems we
were having.
Metallics no problems and usually the metallics have more problems than solvents.
The metallics lay down great has had no problems with that.
We had no problems with blending.
That looks great.
The color matching is absolutely terrific with waterborne, much better than it was with
solvents.
But there is one thing that I was having problems with.
That is drying, particularly white.
We sprayed some whites and the students and I had more troubles with white than any other
color and we couldn’t get it to dry good.
And you may think the less water the reducer that use this is not tap water by the way
that is a special water they have.
But you would think the less water the better it would dry.
But in fact it is kind of opposite.
If you put more water and it helps it lay down it helps it dry better.
So if you look in the P-pages that talks about reducing says to add reducer anywhere from
10 to 30% and that is a little bit misleading because just about nothing reduces to 10%.
In fact it says for solid colors require reduction of 10%, metallics require 20, mid coats 30,
you can forget about all that.
They said at least, everything start at about 20% and then check the viscosity.
Viscosity is you take a viscosity cup and you test how long it takes, you got to time
it.
This is anywhere between 23 and 25 seconds that is where you want regardless of what
you are spraying in waterborne.
So if you will do that.
If you are having problems with your solid colors and think about reducing them quite
a bit more than it mentions in here.
I think we started at 25% and then moved up from that until we got that viscosity just
right.
Whenever I sprayed it like that it worked fine.
It went on better and we didn’t have drying problemes.
In this case when you have solids then add more water it dries better.
So I kind of hate; it is kind hard to teach like I use always recommend to the viewers,
the DIY, and students to always follow these P-pages, but sometimes there are things in
that doesn’t work and that is one I am going to point that out to you.
Anyway I just thought that I’d share that with you.
If you are using waterborne be sure and play with that reducer a little bit.
Worry about the viscosity not the parts.
Like with solvent, It is all about the parts you want exact.
Well this is not the case.
I mean this to me if you remember the lacquer days it kind of reminds me of that.
What we would do with lacquer?
We would reduce it until spray right.
On a colder day the lacquer is going to be thicker on a hot day was going to be thinner
so this kind of a same thing.
It is not about parts it is about getting it at the right viscosity before you spray.
So don’t be afraid to mess around with the reducer a little bit get it right and check
it with the viscosity cup and that may fix a lot of problems you are having too.
Anyway that is it for this tip we will talk to you next time.