To thin, or not to thin ...?

[Rick Moyer]

I am about to attempt my first go at spraying. I have a Grizzly 5228 gun with option of either 1.4mm or 1.7 mm tip. I will be spraying Target shellac and then Target USL. Will I need to thin these coatings with this set-up, and if you think so; at what ratio?

[Mark Roderick]

If you haven't already done so, post your question at the Target web site. Jeff Weiss, the owner, is terrific about answering specific user questions. Although I'm not familiar with that gun, I doubt you'd need to thin. In fact, the 1.4 and 1.7 tips might be too large, especially for the shellac which is a very thin material. Good luck with spraying. It's a great way to finish.

[Larry Fox]

I agree with Mark that you should give Jeff a call. However, you will also need to judge for yourself based on the results. I think tip size is less a consideration than your setup's ability to properly atomize it and the way it lays down. I know nothing about the particular gun so I cna't speak to that. USL is a relatively heavy-bodied finish and something like a 3-stage turbine-based unit might have trouble with it. I had a Fuji 3-stage unit that just could not do it very well so I thinned by about 5% and was able to get fairly good results. I now have a Walcom conversion-gun setup with a 1.2 tip set and don't need to thin it at all.

[Jim Becker]

The Target products generally should not need to thinned for spraying with the correct projector set in the gun.

[Dustin Thompson]

A 1.7 is more for heavy bodied stuff, closer to latex paint. I think the last time I shot the target coating, I used a 1.1 or 1.3 and I was moving quick.

The target coatings level out great, have fun!

Go to the homesteadfinishing.com message boards and they will set you up.

Dustin