Orange Peel

Do you mean I need to turn that screw/knob on the back of the gun IN instead of pulling it out?

 

I wouldn't mix products unless I had done a few tests to ensure that no bad things would happen.I learned a long time ago that if you ask the suppliers of a particular product if their product could work in association with another company's product there would be a sucking of teeth and a negative reply.A small test piece was invaluable on occasion and leaving it out in the weather for a few months added a bit more to the personal knowledge base.

I get a bit of amusement from the spread of enthusiasm for HVLP application.Mostly because I remember the adverts in Exchange and Mart for the early Apollo systems.For those who don't have such memories lodged in their minds,I will expand a bit.The purpose of the technique was to enable people with scruffy cars to apply a coat of paint with a spraygun,without having to make the considerable outlay for a compressor.The source of the stream that encouraged the paint from the spraygun was the exhaust of a domestic vacuum cleaner.By thinning the paint to suit and applying several coats of it,a serviceable appearance could be achieved.

Is there a particular reason why the technology would be the preferred choice for spraying gelcoat?I do know that if compelled to spray gelcoat a polythene tent around the job is a good thing as everything will become sticky.Come to that,is there a reason for using gelcoat-with or without Duracoat-as a plug finish?In the wooden boat sphere there is a truism that one shouldn't paint with glue or glue with paint as neither are best suited to an alternate use.

 

Well I'd stick with polyester products like gelcoat/duratec for a plug finish because other products like "paint" will melt and breakdown when you put the mold on it

another reason as discussed in the thread, using duratec high gloass additive can thin down the gelcoat to make it easier to spray, possible with less orange peel...i dont' really like the appeal of hvlp guns because they are not as easy to clean as chop guns for spraying then cleaning gelcoat

I have found on some technical sheets, the high gloss additive appears to be about 450 cps and the duratec sanding primer (and possible gelcoats) seem to be 2500 cps so as a measure of viscosity, the high gloss additive is very thin,

maybe Gonzo you can confirm because i would say thats as close to water as you can get, similar to car paint??

 

That adjusts the amount of fluid, there will be knob near the air hose connection that will meter the airflow.

There will also be a knob for adjusting the fan shape and size.

 

The tip size alone is not enough to answer your question. There are different types of diffusers, air caps and nozzles that affect the spray pattern. Also, if you use a pressure pot will greatly affect the spray pattern.