I purchased a 4 stage fuji system about 6 weeks ago and it has been a huge improvement. So much in fact that i actually enjoy finishing now instead of dreading the process I actually enjoy it.
On this project I have been using target coatings emtech HSF5000 primer followed by em6500 pigmented lacquer as a top coat. I have no problem spraying the em6500 with a 1.8 or 1.5mm set with no thinning, i find that the 1.5 gives less over spray so i use that. The em6500 times around 45 seconds on a ford cup straight from the bucket.
I have been having issues from the beginning with this primer. I can not seem to get it to totally atomize and give a uniform spray. I would say that 75% of the pattern is good but the remaining 25% is made up of varying size droplets. Out of the bucket it runs about 55-60 seconds. I have done several experiments with thinning and trying 1.3, 1.5, 1.8 sets and thinning to a viscosity of 30 seconds. While i have found that there is improvement with thinning and a 1.8 I am still getting a slight orange peel pattern. Just to clarify this effect does level out quite a bit so the end result isn't nearly as bad as the pattern looks on a piece of paper but it does require a little extra sanding.
At this point I can spray the top coat straight, with viscosity of 40-45 with a 1.5 and get great results but even when I thin the primer to 35-40 and use 1.8 it's still not quite right. Do I need to get a 2.0 set? Any thoughts,
Andy Giddings, i know you have plenty of experience with a fuji
Thanks