Getting ready to paint- any suggestions

[CaptDana]

Hey guys- Last night I finished my prep work for painting the Flybridge and rest of the Superstructure. I have filled and sanded to 150. Now I am planning on rolling and tipping 2 coats of 545 Awlgrip primer before I spray the topcoats of Awlcraft 2000.(using awlcraft on the bridge and superstructure--Awlgrip on my decks, gunnels, and non skid areas)
Here is my question. I am going to be taping off everything today. I am planning on one coat of 545 tonight- sanding it with 320 tomorrow, second coat on Sunday night- sanding it with 320 on Monday and then having my guy spray the topcoat on Weds. Do I need to retape after each coat or can I just tape the one time? Any other suggestions are welcome--my only past experience of using grip is rolling non-skid. Of course-a good resirator is mandatory.

Thanks in advance
Capt dana

[Kevin]

Capt Dana,
When I did mine I was told to really work the primer into flawed areas. Don't be afraid to use too much because most of it gets sanded off to create smooth painting surface. Sounds like you are on the right track. I used roller for everything with primer, not sure about the need to tip it. When you sand it to 320 you will probably find spots that need extra coats of primer before spraying the paint. Good Luck.

[DRIFTER31]

Use masking paper from an autobody supply store that wont bleed-thru. Cheap green or tan paper will bleed and can absorb paint and cause paper to stick. I use thin white paper in the bodyshop and its easy to bend and work with. Cost more than the others but wont bleed under any circumstances. You can even wetsand and get the paper wet without worry. One more note. Use green masking tape3M brand and it can also get wet and be removed without leaving glue and can stay in the sun for a week or so. Good Luck Troy. 31Tiara"DRIFTER" Lafitte La

[tds8268]

I have done several boat with awlgrip, roll & tipping. I have never retaped unless it is a seam where two painted surfaces will meet. But if your talking about rod holders or cleats, etc. no need to retape. Use high quality Blue or Green tape, NOT the cheap stuff. I normally stick with the blue unless I need a fineline tape. If you haven't already, try the white foam rollers you can get at Home Depot. They are the best for rolling I have used and you may find that you don't even need to tip once you get good with them. Don't put too much paint on roller and always paint from dry to wet. On last thing; the more reducer you use the faster the paint will tack-up especially if ther is any wind or high temps. I would stick to 10 to 15% unless your temps are only in the 50's or 60's.

Dan

[Harv]

For masking areas that will have a break in color, such as by the boot stripe, I would use 3M brand "fine line" tape. It just leaves a cleaner cut than any other type of masking tape. It is made out of vinyl as opposed to the blue or brown masking tape which seems to be just paper. It is also very flexible and can be run around corners and be kept perfectly level. Especially good for cutting the transom corners and the point of the bow.

[CaptDana]

Well- I put the first coat on Fri night- had a hard time with the corners etc- Actually- after it was done- I was not very happy with the results- The areas I rolled with a 1/4" mohair roller were great- but the areas I had to brush had brush marks- etc. Yesterday I kept thinking that I should have sprayed the primer. Went back to the boat today- started long blocking the primer and I was suprised how easy it sanded and how good it looked.-- I have some coverage on my repair areas--although they still bleed thru.

I guess my next question- should I just continue rolling my second coat- or spray it-how much harder is it to spray?) The only reason I am now considering spraying the second coat is to give my spray guy a little "practice" with awlgrip and it's funky properties so when he does the top coat doesn't get botch it.

thanks in advance
Dana

[tds8268]

Need to ask; Why did you "tip" the paint ? Did it have small air bubbles? or just because you thought you have to. As I mentioned before many times you really don't need to "tip" if you use some of the newer rollers, 1/4 nap to too much. Spraying can be a real nightmare if you don't really know what your doing, plus you need to buy different Awlcat and Reducer, the #3 Awlcat & 0031 Reducer don't work for spraying. Before you go to that expense try the white foam rollers they work great. If your not happy with the results, sand it dull with 320 and do somethging else. REMEMBER roll from dry to wet and try not to saturate the roller with paint, a little goes a long way.

Dan
www.finchasersportfishing.com

[CaptDana]

I was told to tip the paint- however after trying it at first- I realized the primer was laying down nice- In retrospect- a mini roller would have helped get into the hard to reach areas.
I long block sanded everything by hand last night- looks good.

Still undecided on the 2nd coat- part of me wants to see my spray guy get some practice before the final coats are put on.

I will decide later today

Dana

[Buju]

Dana,

The primer and the topcoat behave very differently when sprayed. Especially if you are using the hi build primer, much thicker viscosity than the topcoat... If the topcoat were to be applied at the same WFT as the primer, you'd have bad runs, sagging, etc. I guess what I'm saying is that your "spray guy" is not going to get a feeling for how the topcoat will behave by spraying the primer... and in actuality, he should have no problems applying it. I have never used the awlcraft, but have sprayed a good share of awlgrip, and it is very easy to apply, really quite predictable- behaves like a standard alkyd enamel. I hear the awlcraft is supposed to be even more user friendly, and forgiving.
Tipping the paint also applies more to the topcoat, and its only real purpose is to get rid of roller stipple, lap marks, etc... so to tip the primer, which is going to be sanded anyway, would be a waste of time & brushes.
I'd go ahead and proceed to roll on your second coat of primer with either the foam rollers, or a real fine nap mohair roller, using either a miniroller, or brush to get in the tricky spots... give it the final sanding, wash with alcohol, and let your guy spray...
After the first coat of topcoat, really check out all of the angles. When you get that sheen on the boat, it may, or may not reveal any inconsistancies in the primer coat. If you see any, let it dry, and sand 'em out. Hopefully you won't find any...You can also accomplish this "sheen" when you wipe it with denatured alcohol. Wipe small areas at a time, and before the alcohol flashes off, look at the surface from several angles, the wetness will reveal any problem areas.. but the alcohol does dry real fast, so look quick. This can save you one whole coat of paint...

[CaptDana]

Thanks for the advice guys- I ended up rolling the second coat last night- Looks good- tomorrow we will sand out coat 2- remove the plastic around the boat- air hose all of the dust away- wipe and clean it with alcohol and then errect new clean plastic- get some dinner- come back do a tack cloth run on the boat and then Spray. The plan is to spray the top coat tomorrow night-- We are painting indoors- temp about 62 degrees--reducer is t-0001. Any recommendation as to how much reducer to use with this kind of temp or any thing else I am missing here?

Keeping the fingers crossed on this-- hoping I can end up with something close to all of the pics I see on this site.

Capt dana

[Buju]

Too many numbers flying around my head... the T0001 is the spray reducer right? If so just use the guidelines on the back of the can ( 5 to 10%...I seem to recall ) and you should be fine. Is it 'climate controlled' in your painting area? Or is it in a bldg with wide open garage doors, and 62 is the ambient air temp?
If the later is the case, then you need to get it done well before dusk, because of several factors which could really screw up the finish (humidity, dew point...) If it's in air conditioning, then do it whenever.

Personally, I'd wait on dinner until that first coat is on. It'll be a much more enjoyable meal with that behind you... :-D

[tds8268]

At those temps you may want to add 10 to 20% reducer. Is that temp constant or will it drop off over night? if so how low?

Dan