FME Thinning question...

Mark Vanderhoof

Mark Vanderhoof

Active member
i have an air sprayer that i will be using to spray my boat with FME from lou. how much do i need to thin it for the sprayer to work properly? thanks, mark
 
i have an air sprayer that i will be using to spray my boat with FME from lou. how much do i need to thin it for the sprayer to work properly? thanks, mark
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Mark,
Depends upon what type of sprayer. A top-cup, gravity-feed gun will use a lot less air and a lot less thinner for proper aeration than a siphon (bottom) cup gun.
You want to thin the paint the least amount necessary to get the pattern you want.

I use a top-cup, primer gun and thin about 25% and I get excellent results. THIN YOU WIN! That means spray thin coats......not necessary THIN it with a lot of thinner.

What gun do you have?
Lou
 
hi lou, i have the bottom mount type metal canister. i was hoping to do 3 thin coats but dont know how much thinner to use. also, im stripping the old paint off with aircraft stripper and though id use acid etch primer.(alum boat) will that work? thanks alot, mark
 
hi lou, i have the bottom mount type metal canister. i was hoping to do 3 thin coats but dont know how much thinner to use. also, im stripping the old paint off with aircraft stripper and though id use acid etch primer.(alum boat) will that work? thanks alot, mark
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Hi Mark,
I'd start with 20% thinning with a high quality paint thinner or mineral spirits (don't use cheap stuff). Filter it before putting it into your spray gun. See how it sprays. If it's acceptable, run with it. If it doesn't spray well or doesn't atomize well......add another 5% thinner until it sprays how you want it. 20%-30% should do just fine.
3 thin coats show work just fine. Allow overnight between coats (gives best results). Keep it warm.....70+degrees would be best. If it gets cold......drying and curing will slow to a crawl and you'll be displeased with the results. Do not let the dew form on it until it's cured/dried....that will retard drying/curing. Drying requires that the paint loose it's solvent and curing is a chemical combination with oxygen. Cook it in the sun during the day as long as it's warm out.
An etching primer should do just fine. I prefer our AG Primer but there are a lot of great primers on the market. Follow the manu. specs & directions.
Holler with any questions. I'll be leaving the shop in a bit and might not be able to get back to you until later or Tuesday. ;)
Lou
 
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