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AKZO spraying tips

diamond

Well Known Member
Well I am about to spray my first round of parts with AKZO. I bought a HF spray gun, but am a little nervous about the initial spray session. Any tips would be very helpful.

One issue I wonder about is whether I need to clean the spray gun between spraying sides of the parts. I understand it will take 15-25 minutes to dry before I flip the parts over, but will the primer also dry in the spray gun during that wait? I will use the HF disposable plastic hoppers initially, but may change to the much recommended 3M system if I don't like the results.
 
Akzo dries VERY fast. I primed all of my wing ribs yesterday on my 2x4' wire mesh table and was practically able to flip the first of the batch of six by the time I finished the last one. (it is about 95 degrees though!) If I was a bit early, I just went and wiped down a few of the next batch with prep-sol to kill a few minutes.
Do not flood the primer on. Put it on thin and close. I thin it a bit with MEK even though it mixes up thin. The thinner seems to give me a better flowout. Like I said, it dries fast and you will get a dry (gritty) coat if you have the gun too far away from the part. I use a single action air brush to do the small parts and flanges, then hit the big areas with the HF gravity feed gun. I throttle the needle pretty good, definitely not wide open like when you are doing top coats or clear. In pretty close and "blip, blip, blip" for things like ribs. Skins and large parts just overlap passes and move the wet edge along the part.
Don't forget to let the primer kick for 30 minutes before you shoot it, and don't let it dry in the gun. By dry, I mean cure. You'll have time to clean up with lacquer thinner.
I use the Devilbiss liner system since I have a Devilbiss 670 for finish work. Works on the HF gun too. Saves some cleanup mess. http://www.qualitytoolsforless.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=2606&gclid=CLSX7rKi5r8CFVIQ7AodtyEASg
Wear a carbon filter respirator! I use a full-face, keeps my sweat from dripping on the parts!
Don't let any of this scare you, it is easy to shoot and hard to mess up bad enough to reject.
 
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I just finished spraying all of my upper wing skins, wing walk doubles and a pile of other parts.

Akzo has an 8 hour pot life so it will not harden in the cup until then. I have sprayed parts and let my gun sit for an hour at a time without cleaning the nozzle without having any blockage or spray pattern degradation.

Parts will be dry enough to turn over in as little as 5 minutes. Try starting with the air regulator set at 40 PSI. Turn the fluid needle and air needle all the way in then back out a full turn. Test the spray pattern on some cardboard continue to open the fluid needle and or adjust air pressure until you get the paint to lay down smooth and even. Too little paint will end up with a grainy, chalky look. Too much paint will cause runs. Also remember that air pressure affects paint flow. Once you get the paint flow set correctly then you can use the air needle to adjust the "fan pattern" to get the final result you want.

I usually mix 8 oz if I am priming a batch of small parts. I will mix 24 oz batches if I am painting large parts such as skins.

Go out and practice, it is actually fairly easy and fun once you get used to using the Akzo primer.
 
Clearing the gun

I don't use Akzo but SW P60G2 dries really fast so I clear the gun between flips or changing parts. If you use the 3M disposable cups, it's a sealed system. Flip the gun upside down. Squeeze the trigger till the paint clears. If it's more than 5 minutes, I pull the cup and pour some lacquer thinner in the gun and spray it out. Don't change the settings. When you're ready, just attach the cup and shoot.
 
Well I'm not a painting expert, but I have shot quite a bit of Akzo primer. I've getting pretty good results but its hard to really mess up with this stuff. When I starting spraying primer I really hadn't sprayed paint before. I bought a HF gun and had at it. I was having some difficulty so let me give you some tips.

1. Make sure you use a paint filter when you pour the paint into the cup. I bought the HG fine paint filters. I'm not sure they are the best, but I now have lots less clogging of the tip than I use to have. 2. Look at the pressure on your gun when you pull the trigger. I initially didn't realize that you set the pressure on the gun while pulling the trigger. I think it takes about 10 PSI to atomize properly. The pressure when you are not pulling the trigger doesn't matter just don't exceed the rating of the gun. 3. In dry climates add a little bit of lacquer thinner. I got this hint from a guy in Paso Robles but you may not need it being in a more humid area. 4. Before to spray the piece test your setup on a piece of cardboard to make sure you are getting the fan and amount of paint you want.

Don't put it on too thick and it dries very quickly. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the replies. So about how far is the spray nozzle from the items you're spraying? Also, if you have paint in the hopper after you finish, do you discard it, or can it be preserved for the next spray session?
 
Another tip

I can't really add much to Mike and the others tips.

Like they said, it's pretty easy to apply, particularly if you have a little spraying experience.

If you are recoating within 20-30 minutes you will not have to worry about cleaning in between. That said, as soon as you are done clean up using laquer thinner. Pay special attention to ensuring that air and paint passages are open. With new HVLP guns this should be pretty easy. If you don't do this your gun etc will look awful after a couple uses and the air/paint chamber constrictions will wreck performance. The HF guns are cheap, but why wreck them prematurely.

One thing I strongly suggest is setting up a test piece so that you know what you get from a defined air pressure / flow setting / trigger pull and sweep speed. You don't need anything fancy, but something that is metal would be ideal so that you have a sense of what produces negative results (runs, sags, orange peel, etc.).

Make sure you have good eye, hand and respiratory protection. The solvents are nasty for your body. Ideally wear a bunny suit. They are cheap at the auto body shops. If you can find a way to contain the overspray and vapors, that too would be ideal. A bunch of people on here just spray outdoors to minimize both of those issues. I built a booth. It's probably overkill, but my wife can't stand the smell of any of these products; so this keeps her happy.

Good luck. Show us your results.
 
Thanks for the replies. So about how far is the spray nozzle from the items you're spraying? Also, if you have paint in the hopper after you finish, do you discard it, or can it be preserved for the next spray session?
Depends on which gun I'm using. Airbrush is about 4-5". Regular gun about 8". Those are guesses based on memory and it will depend on the gun settings. You'll figure it out on the practice item.
Akzo is a chemical cure epoxy, so it does not keep. I put the leftover in a baby food jar or similar in case I find some places I need to touch up with a brush or the airbrush (easier to clean) while putting things away. After 8 hours or so it is unusable. (so don't mix more than you need $$).
As I posted in another thread, I use a couple tiny syringes to suck up small quantities for mixing up touch up jobs like brush priming countersinks, edges, etc. Use separate dedicated syringes for the two paint cans and you can use them over and over.
 
Merits?

What are the merits of brushing or rolling Akzo instead of spraying?

Seems like you would apply it too thick.
Early on, I calculated the amount of primer used per sq/ft so there would be minimal waste. Spraying is no problem. Kinda like building tanks. Scares the heck out of you till you do it then you wonder what all the fuss was about.
 
Out of curiosity, I brought a primed part into work and measured the dry film thickness with a PosiTector 6000 N1 meter.
The recommended dry film thickness is 1.0-1.3 mils per the Akzo tech sheet.
My part measured between 0.25 and 0.8 mils.
Observations:
If you can see the shine of the metal through the primer, it is about 0.25 mils.
If you can sort of see through the primer, like barely make out streaks in the chromate or probably mill markings (if you didn't clean them off), it is about 0.5 mils.
If the coating is opaque, it is probably at least 0.7 mils.
I don't know how much Sharpie markings will bleed though as I don't leave them on.

I'm happy with the thickness on my parts since they will be well protected. I'll probably go a bit thicker when priming parts subject to wear (floorboards, etc.)

YMMV
 
The first time I sprayed Akzo 463-12-8 I was concearned about application thickness as well. I have read multiple comments on homebuilding sites where "they" say..."spray it on just thick enough that you can still kinda see through it, this is all you need for corrosion protection and if you apply it any thicker the airplane will be too heavy to fly". This resoning is simply not valid as evidenced by the material specification sheet and application instructions. For the paint to effective at preventing corrosion it must be thick enough that you cannot see through it, also the spec sheet provides application weights based on the reccomended thickness.

I have access to multiple Positector meters at work as well, but i have been too lazy to bring any parts in to get a thickness reading. The first parts I sprayed were the wing ribs and even though I had the paint gun adjusted correctly I used way more paint than I was expecting. When the ribs dried I used a sharp scribe and carefully scribed through the paint to get an idea of the thickness. My best estimate is that I am averaging just less than 1.0 mil, much thinner than I was expecting based on the smooth opaque look of the finish. I suspect the reson why I use so much paint when spraying small parts is that you are only using less than half of the "fan" pattern to cover these small parts, and therefore alot of paint is being wasted. Adjusting the air pressures and fluid needle to make a smaller "fan" pattern did not work very well because the paint would either look "grainy" or the gun would start "spitting" I marked the first batch of parts with a sharpie but I found that if the primer is applied to the correct thickness you will not be able to see the markings.
 
Thanks for the tips. I just completed my first session spraying Akzo with a HF sprayer. You guys were right. This stuff sprays on very nicely without much attention to sprayer speed, position, etc. I thought priming was going to be one of the building tasks I would come to dread, but it was actually fun and I look forward to the next round of parts. I used one of the disposable plastic HF paint cups, which worked well, but I may consider investing in the 3M system mentioned in an earlier post.
 
Just an idea...I see you have already bought a spray gun, but by the time you buy the disposable cups and adaptor you will be close to the purchase cost of a gun already set up for disposable cups.

This is the set-up I bought, it is a two gun kit. The second gun is kinda redundant but the price is right when you consider the cost of the DeKups starting kit by itself.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/DEV-803485_2.html?sc=120&category=2664999#.U-giT8u9KK0

http://www.tptools.com/DeKUPS-Starter-Kits-and-Spray-Gun-Adapters,2957.html

Or just buy a really nice gun that will do it all, if I could do it over I would go this route.
http://www.tcpglobal.com/DEV-FLG4-GUN-13-18-D.html#.U-gk28u9KK0

As a side note the application instructions for the Akzo says to use a 1.4mm tip. My guns came with 1.5mm and 1.8mm tips. The 1.5mm works well when using a higher pressure and fluid flow rare such as priming skins. I think that a 1.3mm tip may be the ticket for priming smaller parts due to ability to reduce the air pressure which would allow for a smaller spray pattern and less wasted paint.
 
I damaged a rib a few weeks ago after it was already primed and ready to install so it got replaced. This morning I decided copy fl-mike's idea and take it in to work and use one of our Positector paint thickness checkers to get an idea of the average thickness for my priming application. The dry film thickness ranged from .7 mils to 1.6 mils with the majority of the coverage area measuring in at .9-1.2 mils. I do prefer to lay the primer on a little thick or apply two thin coats until the finish is smooth and glossy, so I was happy to see I am right at the upper range of the recommended application thickness. One notable finding was that the areas that looked smooth and glossy measured .9-1.2 mills and areas that measured above 1.4 mills indicated very light orange peel. The spec sheet for the paint indicates a dry film thickness of 1.2 mils weighs .009 lbs per sq/ft so I think even laying it on a little thick will be OK.
 
The main danger of spraying Akzo primer is that you will begin to think you know how to spray paint because it goes on so nicely and easily. I was really disappointed when I sprayed real paint later.
 
Gun liners

I use the Devilbiss liner system since I have a Devilbiss 670 for finish work. Works on the HF gun too. Saves some cleanup mess. http://www.qualitytoolsforless.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=2606&gclid=CLSX7rKi5r8CFVIQ7AodtyEASg

Hey, can I get a little more info on this liner system pls? I picked up the purple HF gun on sale yesterday, and am looking to spray Akzo this weekend, but am confused as to how these liners are sealed in the cup. Is it just a push fit at the bottom of the cup with the provided bushings, or....? I gather these liners are just thin ziplock-like bags (yes?)

Thanks for any help.

Mick
 
I also use the Devilbiss Decups dispoable system. Check out the demonstration video on Y tube.
I bought my supplies through TCP global here
http://www.tcpglobal.com/DeKups/

I have changed my prep process for skins and large parts. After hand scuffing my upper wing skins both sides I have decided to sand the rest of the skins using a DA sander and 220 or 320 grit paper. Sanding with the DA gives a more even result, takes a fraction of the time and saves your fingers!
 
I also use the Devilbiss Decups dispoable system. Check out the demonstration video on Y tube.
I bought my supplies through TCP global here
http://www.tcpglobal.com/DeKups/

I have changed my prep process for skins and large parts. After hand scuffing my upper wing skins both sides I have decided to sand the rest of the skins using a DA sander and 220 or 320 grit paper. Sanding with the DA gives a more even result, takes a fraction of the time and saves your fingers!

Try a red or gray ScotchBrite pad on your sander instead. It may be even easier to operate than a flat sanding sheet.

I'll also add a +1 for the D-Kups.
 
Try a red or gray ScotchBrite pad on your sander instead. It may be even easier to operate than a flat sanding sheet.

I'll also add a +1 for the D-Kups.

Good advice Gil, I did in fact try some of the grey and red 3M scotch brite pads that are designed to use with a "hook it" velco DA sander pad. The gray is way too fine, the red is OK but I find that 220 grit paper is much more econimical and easier to use.
 
Hey, can I get a little more info on this liner system pls? I picked up the purple HF gun on sale yesterday, and am looking to spray Akzo this weekend, but am confused as to how these liners are sealed in the cup. Is it just a push fit at the bottom of the cup with the provided bushings, or....? I gather these liners are just thin ziplock-like bags (yes?)

Thanks for any help.

Mick
The kit comes with various bushings that go in the bottom of the cup. You then take a bag and push a plastic nipple through the bottom of the bag and that snaps into the cup bushing using a pointed stick they provide. Frugal builders...ehm...can reuse the nipples and use ziplock storage bags if so inclined.
 
Good advice Gil, I did in fact try some of the grey and red 3M scotch brite pads that are designed to use with a "hook it" velco DA sander pad. The gray is way too fine, the red is OK but I find that 220 grit paper is much more econimical and easier to use.

Red Scotchbrite is around 400 grit equivalent.

Is the 220 sandpaper a bit too coarse?

If you are priming interior surfaces it is better to keep the Alclad layer intact...

Exterior, the painter will take care of it...:)
 
The maroon scotch brite #7447 is what I use on small parts and was using on the first skins I primed. The data sheet does not call out a grit equivalent, but the painters at work say it is close to 320 grit. The 220 is actually not too coarse when used with a DA, if used by hand in a straight line 220 looks a little bit aggressive. We use 220 to prep new skins and parts at work for alodine and primer.

The decision to remove the Alclad or leave it is a can of worms. If you have an aircraft painted at a paint shop they will sand and etch the skins to make them water break free, which removes the Alclad layer. The reason they do this is because almost nothing will stick to Alclad and your pretty paint would peel off if not removed. All of my wing ribs were thoroughly hand scuffed with maroon scotch brite prior to applying the Akzo primer which removed most but not all of the Alclad. Most of my prep work on the ribs would not pass a water break test. I did several paint adhesion tests on the ribs with very good results, which shows that the Akzo primer has excellent adhesion on parts as long as the surface is slightly abraded and clean. Since I will be painting over the Akzo on the exterior surfaces I really need to have good primer adhesion and sanding with 220 or even 320 make me sleep better at night:rolleyes:.
 
I'll add my .02 on Akzo. Its superb and stupid easy to use. I shoot it with a primer pistol w/film canisters - forget the HF gun or any gun for that matter. The pistol is the best for this primer. I tweaked mine to shoot at 10psi (yes ten) though I like 20 better - allows me a little faster travel speed with good coverage. I use a 9 gal cheater tank, regulator, 2 mechanical driers and a last chance drier onthe gun. I can shoot 2or 3 of canisters before refilling the cheater tank - and its highly mobile. Akzo flows and coverage area is superb for the amount you mix up. Dries on the part in as little at 10 mins even at low temps, though I give it 30 no matter what if I have to flip parts to prime the opposite side.

Shot full side skins and small parts the size of your finger with the PP. I draw the components up in 1floz syringes and mix it in a dixie cup (someone else here on VAF mentioned this and its a top notch idea). Can and have mixed as little as 10ml at a time right in the film canister and its no problem. Shot it as low as 40F and as long as 24hr old - put a saran wrap lid on the cup with a rubber band. At 24hr age shooting was ok, though a bit slower in drying - not much really. It kept for 2 days in the garage at 55F, but by the 48hr it had solidified. Up to that point, I keep it in the cup and use a q-tip to touch up drill holes, edges or what not. I clean up with acetone as long as it hasn't dried ie for syringes, cups, gun etc. If its dried forget it. You have to scrape it off.

Speaking of which, I did some tests early on - primed out of the box AL - no scrub, no acetone wipe, finger prints all over it. It stuck pretty good, but with some good mechanical action it came off. So my prep is 7447 Scotch using Crystal Simple Green (not the same as regular SG - I use CSG for oxygen service cleaning - can't get better than that), tap water rinse, and an acetone wipe. Sticks permanent - I need a grinder to get it off this way.

I do use a full face mask and HomeDepot zip up paint tyvek suit, but I shoot it outdoors always so the suit keeps me warm a bit too. I'd say its really no worse than any rattle can fumes, but since I bought the stuff out of an abundance of safety, I use it.

YMMV; but mine in this area is outstanding. Originally, I wasn't going to prime all my inside skins - leave 'em bear and hit the inside with CorrosionX every few years. But the Akzo is so easy and bullet proof, I changed my mind quick.
 
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Technique

I am reading all of these posts on the Akzo product and I am coming up empty on the technique.

I will prep with PreKote (cheap, really easy and very effective) and prime with Akzo.

My only question is how will I know when I have enough on the parts? I am spraying the entire interior of my RV-9A and I don't want to add too much weight. I have read posts that state that a fine mist is enough on up to posts where they put on two coats and get a full cover. One gentlemen states that he is still able to read his sharpie marks through his Akzo primer. Another says "no way". The Akzo instructions say 1.8 mils in ONE coat I think.

Can anyone post a photo of how a properly primed (with Akzo) part should look (and maybe a simple guide to the process....like one pass, two passes, etc.). AND....what weight should I expect to for the entire interior?

I am probably guilty of over thinking this process and worrying too much, but once the weight is added, there is no going back! I tend to think that one medium fast pass that does not entirely "cover" might be just fine. After all........many don't prime at all!

Thanks.
 
I am reading all of these posts on the Akzo product and I am coming up empty on the technique..

Dude you are way over thinking it. I have black sharpie writing on all my parts and I can read it through the primer fine. Enough coverage is such that you no longer can see the AL through the primer, but not so much as you can't read your sharpie. For me its one pass with the gun with enough over lap on passes to avoid streaking like you get with a spray can. I'm sure someone will say this is too much, but it looks good to me.

I'd post a pic, but I'll be damned to figure out how to do it here on VAF. It keeps asking me for a URL and my pics are on my computer, not up in the friggin' cloud....
 
Spray on a light coat and let it dry (about 10 minutes). You can clearly tell after the primer sets up whether you got it on too light or too heavy. If it is too light of coverage (you can still see bare aluminum) then lay on another light coat. I have some places where it is probably still too light of coverage and other places where it is probably on too thick. It all balances out in the end!
If you are really concerned about the amount of weight this primer adds, then weigh some large skins before and after and see what you are actually worrying about. It is probably insignificant.
 
Oh, one other thing I'll say about thickness as I think about it. The way I described above seems to be thinner than the protectant plastic that we have to peel off. I'm going to guess that's 1mil plastic, but Ive never measured it. Akzo flows out so you don't gotta get thick with it to have it cover. I'd say shoot some test pieces (which you should do to dial in your gun anyway) and you'll get the feel for it. Its 10x more daunting just thinking about doing it than it really is just doing it. Drinking a glass of water is probably harder than spraying Akzo.
 
drinking water

I am going out to the kitchen to attempt to drink a glass of water!

To post photos, you first need to put them on free website like photohub or whatever the **** they call it, then copy the url for that particular photo and paste it into your message. Not the easiest approach frankly. Most other forums allow you to post directly from your computer files AND force you to adjust the size so that you don't blow up the whole page. Not knocking it. Sure there is a reason.

At any rate, these tips help. I think that I get it.
 
My Tail is inventoried and my shop is almost ready to get started building a 7. I'm wading through all the primer information and have a question about AKZO. Is it possible to spray it in a basement or will I be smelling it in the house for a long time afterward. I don't have heat in the garage and I don't want to wait until the Michigan winter is over to do all the priming.
 
My Tail is inventoried and my shop is almost ready to get started building a 7. I'm wading through all the primer information and have a question about AKZO. Is it possible to spray it in a basement or will I be smelling it in the house for a long time afterward. I don't have heat in the garage and I don't want to wait until the Michigan winter is over to do all the priming.

Spray it outside, then immediately bring it inside to cure. There will still be some fumes, but not as bad as if you sprayed it inside.
 
Wow. Not sure that is possible without massive ventilation, which is unlikely in your basement.

I am no expert, but I sure wouldn't attempt this.......and the house will definitely reek of solvent fumes. It is epoxy after all.

Read the MSDS for sure. Sorry!
 
Spray it outside, then immediately bring it inside to cure. There will still be some fumes, but not as bad as if you sprayed it inside.

:eek: Youre nuts.

@ Andy - Get a heater and put it in your garage. Plenty good ones at Northern Tool. But please read the MSDS and use instructions before you become a statistic.
 
Paint booth

Spray it outside, then immediately bring it inside to cure. There will still be some fumes, but not as bad as if you sprayed it inside.

Agree. Not a good idea for too many reasons. Health, flash fire hazard, over spray, etc. Water based primers might be ok.
I live in cold as well. I get everything ready to go then open the garage door and quickly take parts and gun out then close it behind me, spray, reverse the procedure. For small parts, I built a temporary down draft booth that works pretty good. Should be on my blog on the "Aileron/Flap" page. If not, it will be in a day or two. Basically four pieces of foam poster board with a Rule 240 bilge blower plumbed with dryer vent hose to a hole in a board I place under the garage door. It sets up and down quick and takes up very little space.
 
I have only dipped my toes in all the primer information. I figured I would look to see what I want to use and then figure out how to go about using it. I know I have a lot more research in my near future.
 
I have only dipped my toes in all the primer information. I figured I would look to see what I want to use and then figure out how to go about using it. I know I have a lot more research in my near future.

Thats good. Do your research and read everything you can. I think I took 3 months of off and on reading until I finally decided which primer to use. Then I re read it all again when I thought I'd made the right decision.

These cold months are a great forced non-primer time to do exactly that. You also need to decide about what cleaning procedure and chemicals you want to use, not to mention alodine, anodine, iradite etc etc. and that will have an impact on what primer you use. Don't forget guns and any topcoating you might want to do later. It all matters. In the end though, there are alot of good solutions. Research is the only way to know what will work for your situation. Good luck.
 
PreKote is safest, fastest, maybe cheapest and easiest way to prepare for priming according to my very in depth research. Simply spray on surface, scrub with scotch Brite, wash with clean water, let dry and prime away with Akzo.

This is what I intend to do.
 
For those of you who thin AKZO before spraying, what type of thinning ratio do you use with lacquer thinner or MEK? I sprayed my wing ribs yesterday and had a lot of trouble with my gun clogging up. I think it's because my AKZO is thicker than it should be because the first several times I used it I did not get the thick stuff mixed off the bottom of the can. I bought one of the paint shakers from HF, so now it is mixed well , but the AKZO is now a little thicker than it should be. I'm thinking I need to thin it some, but not sure how much.
 
I have seen posts indicating a maximum, of 15% (with what I can't remember at the moment, but a Google search for thinning Akzo will bring it right up I would guess), but that probably is not your issue. If you have already removed "thinner", you are just replacing it I would think, but I am no expert.

I do use Akzo and have not had a problem with it at all. I do mix it VERY thoroughly every time however.

I wish that I could be more help.
 
For those of you who thin AKZO before spraying, what type of thinning ratio do you use with lacquer thinner or MEK? I sprayed my wing ribs yesterday and had a lot of trouble with my gun clogging up. I think it's because my AKZO is thicker than it should be because the first several times I used it I did not get the thick stuff mixed off the bottom of the can. I bought one of the paint shakers from HF, so now it is mixed well , but the AKZO is now a little thicker than it should be. I'm thinking I need to thin it some, but not sure how much.

What size tip are you using in the gun? I mix the base very well and at the 50/50 ratio, the final product is still very thin - pretty much like water.
 
Jon,

I am using the cheap little HVLP gun from Harbor Freight. The standard tip is a 1.4 I think....can't remember, but the stuff couldn't be easier to spray. It is a little watery, but not like you seem to be describing. It pretty much covers the aluminum in one pass, but you can still see the Sharpie writing underneath. My parts come out green as ****.

PS The 3M cups are a must. Expensive, but really makes the job easy.
 
Same question from 2010, but no answers. :-(
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?p=458836

How much of the non-thoroughly-mixed green part did you use before mixing all the solids back into what remained?

I know laquer thinner, mek and acetone all clean it up well. Maybe mix up a test batch thinned with one (or all) of those and see what happens...experimental building after all. :)

Best,

Jim
 
As a reference point I used a 1.4mm tip on my HF gun and now a 1.5mm on my DeVilbiss. Both guns shot fine w/ the standard 1:1 mixing ratio -even at various pressures at the gun. I always poured the primer through a filter and now I also use a filter on the canister - switched to the DeKups system. Good point made by a previous poster - perhaps you used a portion of the base before mixing the settled solids and have now made it thicker than standard...
 
If you have thick Akzo after using the standard 1:1 ratio its because you bought or got a batch that past its use by date. There is a lot of it on ebay - way old. Once the stuff starts to gells up, its junk. No amount of thinning will make it perform as advertised.

As has been said before, the 50/50 or 1:1 (same thing) ratio makes it as or thinner than water in consistency. No need to strain it or filter it. Mix it, pour into the gun and shoot. Again, if its performing anything but like this, then you most likely have a batch thats gone off.

I buy from Graco and ask about the shelf date and lot number before committing, and then specifically request that - shelf life is 6 mos to first usage, but once its been shook and used regularly, it'll last much longer - mine is going on a year now and its same as day one.
 
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I bought it from Graco about six months ago. I had used about 15-20% of it when I noticed that I had not been mixing the green part thoroughly. As I mentioned before, I have a HF paint shaker now, which works great. I am using the HF purple sprayer, as many of you are. I open the air and paint valves about one turn. I use about 35 pounds of pressure at the gun.
 
So Diamond, I get what you are trying to do. We all do it. But really, maybe you should just chuck your current akzo and buy new. Use the 3/4 left for the lawnmower or some such project.

I mean, around how many city blocks would you be kicking yourself in 10yrs if it starts failing......? Its a what...$70k airplane youre building in the end? What's another $160 in good primer insurance? Eh?
 
When I use Akzo in the really dry Socal area I add a touch of laquer thinner as someone recommend here on VAF. That helps, but this stuff dries really quickly so you have to make sure you filter it and put it on in a good film and not too thick. I've had some trouble with it clogging in my cheapo HF gun with the standard 1.4 tip. Once I started doing the filtering and adding the thinner its been much better. I love this stuff but its still not perfect.
 
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