sprayer tip size?

[deedee]

i am wondering what size is best for these primers and paints ?system 3 's. i looked at a few guns the other day and they had three different tip sizes. something like 1.4 , 1.7 , and 2.3. i am a long way from painting but i am curious because i will buy one the next time they are on sale. hvlp

[TomW]

You can go to System 3's site and register as a member and get there tech sheets and application manuals. That way you will know for sure.
I'd be guessing right now as I haven't looked at them in a while, 1.7 and 2.4 sound way to big.

Tom

[john_b]

Shine,
Could you suggest a good high build primer to go over a mixed surface of mostly gelcoat and epoxy.
And what would you suggest for 2 part paint. I would perfer to spray it vs roll and tip. Obviously, Sterling would be a choose for roll and tipping, but is there anything that holds up as well that I could spray that might be cheaper?
And what size tip would you use for the primer and paint?
How much would I need to paint the outside hull of a 23' boat?
Thanks,

[tech_support]

I do not spray epoxy high build primer, I roll it it on with a tight foam roller cover like this one...

http://boatbuildercentral.com/proddetai ... D_EZP_3715



The times I have sprayed primer, it just made for a huge clean up mess and wasted primer. Not to mention its better for your health. I cannot remember the tip size I used last, but it was the largest of the assortment that came with the gun.

Either the sterling or the System three Yacht primer will spray. the System three is water clean up - very nice.

As for paint, unless you are pretty familiar with spraying, i would roll and tip. I get better results from rolling and tipping. A true 2 part PU topcoat is top of the line as far as hardness, gloss, durability, and of course price

Examples of these paints: Sterling, Awlgrip, and interlux perfection. None of them are cheap. But if you price what a boat yard would charge to the job, the paints start to look inexpensive.

Coverage is listed in the product descriptions of the paints. you will need an estimate on the square feet to be painted. The white paints cover better, colors like red, green, and yellow will take a little more paint.

Coverage for high build primer is also listed, but its not as accurate because so much depends on how much you sand off.

hope that answers the question

[john_b]

Shine,
Thanks, that answers most.
I would like to finish the boat off with a shiny new coat of paint, but my question has to do with wear and tear. My boat sees alot more wear and tear than most, fish, sinkers, etc bouncing off the side of the boat.
With gel-coat, it's pretty simple to touch up this kind of stuff.
How do these paints last, wear and tear wize. I know they are shiny, but how well do they hold up compared to gelcoat, and how hard is it touch them up?

[jeremy]

They are much more durable than gelcoat.

Shine has said several times that gelcoat is a necessary side effect of producing polyester boats in a mold. All of the high end boats will use two part pu as it is better in just about every respect.

[JIM M]

I just bought the System three Yacht primer and it says on the can 1.5-2.0 mm tip for hvlp guns.

I will roll and tip mine, alot less mess than spraying.

Jim

[john_b]

They are much more durable than gelcoat.

Shine has said several times that gelcoat is a necessary side effect of producing polyester boats in a mold. All of the high end boats will use two part pu as it is better in just about every respect.

Let me clarify what I am trying to find out.
Most high end boats spend their life tied to the dock. They get a lot of u/v wear and tear, but most don't have 24oz sinkers bouncing of the sides of the boat. No doubt, these new 2 part Sterlings/etc have a nice finish. As a matter of observation, it seems that finishes that tend to be harder and thinner, chip more. Gelcoat is thicker and softer, and rarely chips all the way through. From what I have seen, which is mostly awlgrip, if you use the same color awlgrip, eg white over white gelcoat, when you get a chip, it's not very visible. If you were to put navy blue over white, you see all the chips etc. For an application where the finish is going to get wear and tear, and impacts, how does it hold up? and when/if you get chips, how hard is it to repair?