Saw a huge difference after switching to waterborne paint

I been spraying solvent for about 10 years now. Finally made the switch to waterborne at my shop in Denver about 3 months ago. The color matching is way better and I dont have to mess with hardener and reducer ratios all day. First job I did was a 2018 Honda Accord in that dark blue metallic. It blended perfect on the first try and my painter buddy was shocked. But I still cant get used to how fast it dries in this dry air. Feels like I gotta move twice as fast. Anyone else have tips for keeping waterborne wet longer in low humidity?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakotawood2mo ago

Have you tried bumping up your air pressure a bit to atomize heavier? That plus @claire_ramirez recommendation on the 3M 8101 helped me buy an extra 30 seconds on my blends in Phoenix.

king.wyatt2mo ago

Yeah the dry air out here in Denver is no joke for waterborne. That 3M 8101 retarder is solid, I use it too but I bumped up to about 8% on my first coat to really slow things down. Another thing that helped me was switching to a slightly slower reducer in my basecoat, like the PPG Deltron DCX61 if you're running their system. You gotta move fast on the blends no matter what, but I found that keeping my gun just a little bit closer to the panel, like 4 inches instead of 6, gives me a wetter film that stays open longer. Also, if you're not using a waterborne specific gun with the right tip size, that can mess with your dry times too. It's a game of small adjustments but once you dial it in for your shop's temp and humidity, it gets way easier.

claire_ramirez2mo ago

3M's 8101 retarder is a game changer for dry climates. I add like 5-10% to my mix and it buys me enough time to feather edges. Denver air is brutal but that stuff keeps the wet edge way longer.