Spraying Rustoleum Enamel with HVLP

[Dolfan]

I'm looking for some advice on painting with my HVLP.

I painted my race car with NAPA basecoat clear coat with this gun and it turns out great. I've have in the past also shot some parts like wheels using Rustoleum thinned with 15% acetone and a bit of hardener.

I'm painting my team race car and I'm getting different results from different colors of Rustoleum, for the life of me I can't get the red to flow and leave a smoother sheen. It's Gloss Sunrise Red but isn't turning out too well. All the same settings on pressure, and the gun for the most part. I sprayed the Rustoleum Aluminum color and it flows out better and dries with a sheen.

This morning I painted the trunk lid and decided to thin a bit more and did a dust coat first, then laid on coats after this. But similar outcome. If you look at this picture you can see how the silver is pretty good but the red is orange peel and not glossy. Then to boot the yellow is just Rustoleum rattle can and holy cow it is supper glossy and smooth.

It is just a race car paint job and we use these colors to make quick touchup and repair with rattle can, but would like the red to be better as about 1/3 of the car will be red.

 

[Dolfan]

Looks like the trunk may be leveling out better than on the hood, moved it into the sun and it isn't too bad I guess. Its hard being a perfectionist sometimes

 

[BillK]

Could it be the thinner you are using ? Maybe try mineral spirits instead ?

 

[Stelzer]

1st pic shows "fingers" in the red, indicative of product too thick, pressure too low, or both. Larger needle set might also help. Remember also you can heat your paint up to make it flow better. Reduces viscosity without having to thin. Cross-hatching can also help minimize fingers and allow for a more even coating, (spraying 1 way one 1st coat, second coat sprayed perpendicular).

I'd need to see the second pic in reflective light in order to know how much of it leveled out.

 

[Dolfan]

1st pic shows "fingers" in the red, indicative of product too thick, pressure too low, or both. Larger needle set might also help. Remember also you can heat your paint up to make it flow better. Reduces viscosity without having to thin. Cross-hatching can also help minimize fingers and allow for a more even coating, (spraying 1 way one 1st coat, second coat sprayed perpendicular).

I'd need to see the second pic in reflective light in order to know how much of it leveled out.

Yeah I think it was not thinned enough looking back on it compared to the mix I did today. The red paint is almost twice as thick as the Aluminum color, which is almost like water opening the can.

And agreed on warming the paint, that helps, I do that with rattle cans with some success.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I used Mineral Spirits and thinned more than recommended. The red tool box I sprayed black came out really nice. Impressed myself with that one.

 

[cgrutt]

You may need to thin much more than 15% and/or use a larger needle such as a primer gun. Acetone as much as 40-50% but that will flash off super quick. May want to try an actual reducer.

 

[Dolfan]

It's so odd, just shot their Smoked Gloss Grey and it looks glossy and smooth, same gun, same mixing. These pics show the grey and Aluminum and those colors seem to work for me. Maybe Red just doesn't like me!!

 

[Stelzer]

It's so odd, just shot their Smoked Gloss Grey and it looks glossy and smooth, same gun, same mixing. These pics show the grey and Aluminum and those colors seem to work for me. Maybe Red just doesn't like me!!

Consider thinning the red with naphtha instead of acetone to allow more time for it to level and flow.

 

[Mandres]

For Kubota orange I ended up thinning it a lot. I think it was like 3:2 with thinner for the final mix. I also used the majick brand hardener from tractor supply. It came out great!

 

[rust in the eye]

A friend used to brush or roller paint with RustOleum and thinned with xylene. His results were surprisingly good.

 

[PoorUB]

What does Rustoleum recommend for thinner? Usually there is enough info on the side of the can to decide. If where you are painting is pretty warm, 75F or better a slower thinner will work better, mineral spirits probably. Cooler temps I use a "hotter" thinner, lacquer thinner, xylene, naptha, perhaps, read the can.

I will admit I have had trouble with red Rustoleum. Very bad orange peal. My resolution was to give it a few coats of clear and wet sand after it dries well.

 

[racecougar]

What does Rustoleum recommend for thinner? Usually there is enough info on the side of the can to decide. If where you are painting is pretty warm, 75F or better a slower thinner will work better, mineral spirits probably. Cooler temps I use a "hotter" thinner, lacquer thinner, xylene, naptha, perhaps, read the can.

It's been decades since I shot Sunrise Red, but all of the black Rustoleum I've shot in the years since called for Xylene on the can.

 

[Dolfan]

It's been decades since I shot Sunrise Red, but all of the black Rustoleum I've shot in the years since called for Xylene on the can.

My can read for mineral spirits or acetone. But I just did a respray with mineral spirits at 40% and got a better result. We'll see once it completely dries but it flowed better.

 

[mikegt4]

I spray my Bilco basement access doors and sides with Rustoleum using the cheap HF purple gun. I thin with acetone or mineral spirits. I found that adding hardener makes a much better finish and no more waiting a week for the paint to dry. Rustoleum Professional (what I use) fades after about 4-5 years so I scuff and respray at that interval.

 

[Chris_Hamilton]

Use a high quality urethane reducer. It will work with alkyd enamels. Good reducer will help it spray. Reduce it 25% (4:1). Keep in mind it will run easier so you need to adjust your fluid needle to compensate. When I was starting out in the very early 90's synthethic and alkyd enamels were still used to some degree in automotive refinishing. What I would recomend is your first coat be a light coat, commonly known as a tack coat. It will help with minimizing any runs. Wait 30 minutes then spray the next coat like you want it to look. Again wait 30 minutes and spray a second. I would not go past a tack coat plus 2 regular (medium wet) coats. No point really.

To be clear, tack coats only apply to the old style enamels. Modern urethanes you don't spray a tack coat. If you do you end up with texture in the clear or single stage color that you can't get out with subsequent coats.

If you can find some alkyd enamel hardener (not really common anymore) use it, if not you could also substitute a clear coat urethane hardener/activator. You are not inducing a chemical reaction when using a hardener or activator but it does help it get harder quicker. A good general purpose ratio or amount is to use 2 oz per 32 oz of ready to spray material. So if you had 32 oz of reduced paint, add 2 oz of any urethane clear activator to that.

 

[Sweetcorn]

Rustoleum paints often need thinned far more than what the can recommends. I've used that sunrise red in the past on stuff and it is very thick. I believe I needed to thin it about 50% to get sprayable results. Use an appropriate thinner and you will have good results.

I use Rustoleum on some agricultural stuff now and then, but anymore I prefer to buy a budget friendly automotive paint for non-automotive jobs instead of using the Rustoleum. The auto paints usually come with far less hassles to get a quality finish.

 

[APEowner]

I don't thin I've ever sprayed Rustoleum but I've noticed when brushing and rolling that the different colors have dramatically different viscosities so I would expect to have to thin them different amounts.

 

[jubilee]

I’ve sprayed a lot of rustoleum with hvlp in the past.
i think 50-60%+ acetone. Instant dry.
Can clear almost immediately if you want

 

[driver50x]

I have sprayed Sunrise Red without any thinner, and mine came out really nice. However it took literally about 3 days to become dry to the touch. And it didn’t look really good until it dried thoroughly.