Paint application help!

[Brendanpd28]

So I got the first coat of easypoxy on my console today. It is 70 degrees with no humidity in my area of MA. I'm rolling and tipping with the "flawless" roller cover and tipping brush made by Wooster. No matter how gentle I am I cannot seam to avoid brush strokes OR maintain a wet edge. I have to thin and spin the brush every minute!! I have a good quality electric sprayer but am not experienced with spraying. Any advice here?? I need to figure it out before my next coat. Thanks!!

[RickK]

I have never used "Easypoxy" and I couldn't find much instruction on the Jamestown site.  Not sure if it is thick or thin or if it needs to be thinned before spraying.  I would call Jamestown or contact their tech support before going forward.  As for spraying, it's not hard.  Light coats.

[Brendanpd28]

You are supposed to thin easypoxy when spraying. Also when brushing but only in high heat. I'm gunna go for the spray technique. I'll practice before hand of course. The brush marks aren't too bad so I'm hoping they'll sand out pretty easily.

Thanks Rick!

[jaythefisherman]

easypoxy , enamel , as with any paint, always better to spray, i like a  LVLP, RATHER THAN hvlp, sprayed a about 15psi at the gun, as good and maybe a better choice is rustoleum from walmart or home depot, and thinned 40%, and majik enamel hardner from tractor supply, it will be phenomenal shine, and adjust your fluid needle where its about midway to less than halfway, what that accomplishes, not too much paint comes out at once and keep moving slow and steady, never pausing, and do a semi light coat, DO NOT TRY to get the wet look on first coat, make it a sticky tacky coat let it flash off 15 -40 min depending on temp, then do the wet coat and it will look atleast as good as imron , or awlcraft/awlgrip,,,,,,let it dry 48 hours,,,,,,wet sand with block with 320 and spray another coat or spray automotive clear on it, and it will easily last 10-15 years looking brand new, ppg shopline jc60, has clear and hardner for a gallon under 60, takes about half gallon of  rustoleum for 20ft boat with 2 coats, and clear not quite 2 qts, and you do not have to thin the clear, just keep moving, slightly faster than, with paint.

just as easy spray gelcoat mixed 20% acetone and  1/2 laminating resin and it goes on almost shiny , like using the duratec additive , but at  1/4 the price, although, duratec is an excellent user freindly product, 2 coats, then sand after drying for 4 hr-6hrs, with 600 , 1200, compound, polish, very easy to have a perfect paint job, for a very, very low budget, i have 30 years fiberglass, paint and body experience and do it everyday for a living. rustoleum hired the best chemical engineers money can buy and goes out gets all paint manf paints , and uses expensive equipment to analyze contents, all the way down to the molecular level, and works with research and developement engineers to improve the paint to increase sales and a low price point, i just do not feel a need to spend insane money for expensive paints, and i have used them all , even new waterborne base coat clear coat, which are the wave of the future, but way too expensive, for ''acyrlic'' fancy latex paints in my humble opinion.

[CLM65]

Interesting!  To be clear, is that 30% gelcoat, 20% acetone, and 50% resin (not sure what "1/2" means)?

[RickK]

Interesting!  To be clear, is that 30% gelcoat, 20% acetone, and 50% resin (not sure what "1/2" means)?

I am wondering the same thing.

[Brendanpd28]

Gave spraying a go today. First I got orange peel, then sags! I'm gunna have to sand and start again.   I'm assuming I didn't thin the paint quite enough. I wish there was an affordable shop nearby just to do the console then I can just roll and tip the top sides myself. I'm beyond frustrated at this point

[RickK]

Take a breath.  You can't expect to be an expert on the first try. I went through several re-sprays of several areas on mine until I got it acceptable.  You pay the pros because they have made the mistakes repetitively until they got good at it, and frankly are worth the cost because they only do it once.  If you want to do it yourself just to say you did it, like me and many on this site, then you have to be ready to learn from some mistakes.

[Brendanpd28]

 Thanks for the words of encouragement Rick.  I will stay strong Lol!!

[jaythefisherman]

yes on the mix ratios, and as for orange peel , thats definitely to thick, thin and you can use a viscous meter, or i use a paint fileter fine mesh and if it flow fairly easily thru this , then you  good, painting isnt  applied physics, but it does seem like chinese calulas when learing practice on a piece of cardboard  or old tarp , get your rhythm, and fluid addjustment right, also proper pressure for you gun,, be sure and move fast and no pauses, do not try to apply ''wet'' and get shine on first coat or it will run all over the place, this is especially true if you use awlgrip, it has to be applied very runny , imron more user friendly , but as i said before, i love rustoleum with hardner, no its not quite as stong as imron or awlcraft, but it is close is has the same deadly poisonous isocynacates as well. for the next best bang for your buck, spray gelcoat, and its stronger than all of them combined, but does require more work  and sanding and polish, all though my trick i mentioned will drastically reduce this , and you can roll it on with this method with a really fine cabinet roller from hd/lowes, but it will  have orange peel look and require lots more sanding, so i always spray with a cheap gun from harbor freight,the purple one and drill the tip out to 2.5 or you can buy one at northern tools with a 2.5mm tip, i like cheap because , no matter what it will eventually harden and build up in gun and ruin it, pick them up for $9 on sale buy 5 at the time if doing alot of spraying, the unloader guns spray way too much for smaller areas, but if your doing a bilge or non skid use one of them or even the hopper gun texture at harbor freight, mix in your non skid and spray or you can mix in cabosil

[CLM65]

Thanks for the info, Jay!  Do you add wax to your gelcoat recipe for the final coat?  Or does it not need it, like when using duratec?  I just drilled out a couple of HF nozzles to 2.0 mm last week, but haven't sprayed with them yet.  I'll try one at 2.5 mm and see what difference it makes.

[jaythefisherman]

yes and great question, i do add the wax to final coat for sanding, use the 2.5mm for buildup and you can spray  a little thicker with that tip, 2.0mm  on final , and might even thin, slightly more, almost like paint, i do this so much i dont think about it, so i hope i dont confuse anyone, and you can use styrene, but if prefer acetone, and also the more acetone, the more hardner, be sure to mix hardner  in good before thinning, i stir with and old spade bit ground flat and in a drill on slow speed so no bubbles, also adjust fluid needle less material on final spray when thinned more.