Thinning down SW exterior paint for HVLP

[bradleyheathhays]

Just got myself a gravity feed 1000ml cup HVLP spray gun and I'm preparing to shoot some exterior bright white semi-gloss on some cedar sticks that'll be part of a garden trellis. Although the finish doesn't have to be anywhere close to perfect I'd like to see it go on as best it can, if for no other reason than to improve my skills for more demanding paint projects. I called SW for the spec sheet and they helped me translate what mm size number 3 and 4 needle size translated to, so that's fitted on the gun, 1.7mm I think. What I was surprised to see is that the sheet advises applying as is, no dilution. Although I have very little experience using HVLP I was almost certain most all paint needed to be thinned down to be applied this way, especially thick stuff like what I have.

Any recommendations on how to go about this paint application? What to dilute with and how much? Like saying, I'm new to this so all advice is appreciated.

PS When I was first asking about what to dilute with he reviewed his literature which explained 'it behaves like water' insofar as clean up is concerned, but also has alkyl properties. I suppose that has something to do with why they charge a hundred bucks a gallon for it. And to answer your question/expletive...it was the customer's request actually. I'll be switching to a much less expensive grade for my own projects.

 

[deema]

I’d start off following the material advice, if it doesn’t work, then and only then start to tinker. I would also get a viscosity cup (whatever the gun manufacture use to spec the viscosity of each needle / cap eg Ford no 4) to determine what the actual viscosity of the paint is and compare it the specs of the gun / setup I had.

 

[Kayen]

I'm not familiar with your particular paint but thinning paint beyond the manufacturer's recommendation usually reduces its durability, so I would check with them.

 

[Gareth Thompson]

Warming the paint up will thin the paint and will help when spraying using a hvlp/xvlp or compressor setup. It's trial and error, depends what paint your spraying, ambient temperature etc no set rules but thinning will be necessary.

 

[johnnyb]

I would just brush it on.

 

[MikeJhn]

Different paints have different needs, obviously, try without diluting then gradually add a measured amount of fluid to dilute into a measured amount of paint, if needed, My Fuji Q4 did not need any paint diluted, just a needle change as required.

 

[Gary B]

Does a lot not depend on how powerful your turbine unit is? If you are using a 3 stage unit you are much more likely to need to thin it than if you are using a 5 or 6 stage unit?