An essential part of working with a spray gun is thinning paint. It is usually concentrated and cannot yet be sprayed directly as paint. Therefore, the following is about which thinners are suitable for which paints. Subsequently, instructions show how to dilute it to a ready-to-use color.
Why should varnish and paints be diluted before use?
Since most paints are offered in high concentrations, you have to dilute them to spray them on in good quality. This is because a ready-to-spray color is often not provided right away, but you have to make the paint sprayable.
It has a very high concentration and could therefore clog the spray gun. On the other hand, the paint application could become too grainy, which becomes visible on the surfaces.
What should be considered when thinning varnishes and paints?
You must use the correct thinner. It should be said right away that it is not the nitro thinners or universal thinners that you can usually use. This is because they are essentially utilized as wash thinners.
Nitro thinners can only be used for synthetic resins. Otherwise, you can use them for cleaning tools, for example.
For thinning paint in car refinishing, on the other hand, you use 2K acrylic thinner. It is suitable for 2K solid paints, 2K basecoats, 2K acrylic primer fillers, and most conventional basecoats.
The basecoat thinner is the third thinner that you should use mainly for conventional basecoats and large surfaces, as they do not evaporate as quickly and dry up roughly. They are then called BC thinners in short form.
WBC thinners, which are alcohol-based and are mixed with water-based paints, serve as an additional area.
If you want to paint in the automotive field, you are referred to the particular 2K solvent (Beispritzverdünnung), which gives a better bond between old and new paint.
Another special thinner is the PE thinner, which you can use for spraying and brushing filler.
The last thinner to mention is the EP thinner, which is to be used primarily for epoxy resin and, for this reason, contains cyclohexane.
Thinning paint for the spray gun (instructions)
Below is a brief guide on thin paint for a spray gun. Always wear your respirator*, eye protection goggles* and gloves*:
1. Choose the right thinner
From the above, it is clear that you need the proper thinner. First, check the technical data sheet of the paint.
2. Choose the right amount of thinner.
As a rule, you should also find how high the proportion of thinner should be. Otherwise, for basecoats, a ratio of 50 to 60 % thinner applies.
3. Mix ratio and mixture in a container for quantity information
It is best to use a transparent container with measuring units, in which you can immediately read the filling level. After filling, stir the mixture well with a wooden spatula.
Paint spray gun Thinning paint
Thinning should always be done in a pleasant environment of about 20 degrees. Avoid direct sunlight.
It is also advisable to mix in a clean and not dusty area. This also applies to your work clothes, clean and not linty.
Basically, you should also use a funnel with a filter to fill the spray gun so that any coarse particles are filtered out.