Sikkens
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There is a good chance that I might be using Sikkens products. Any advice would be great. The only thing I know about the switch is that I will be using autoclear III. Any opinions on this clear? How fast is it? gloss hold out? What are color matches and flash times like. I have been using sherwin for about eight years and know it inside and out. Also, If the sikkens deal goes through, it will be water. Could this compound the switch even more for me?
wow let me know what ya think sikkens is spose ta be good $hit
THE BEST THING IVE FOUND IN THE SIKKENS LINE UP IS THEIR COLOR SCALA PRO AKA THE VARIENT DECK I THINK YOU WILL LIKE THE HS PLUS CLEAR IF YOU GO AUTOWAVE ITS ONE OF THE THREE CLEARS THAT CAN GO OVER AC3 IS NOT ONE OF THEM AUTO CLEAR SUPERIOR 250 IS THE BEST CLEAR IN THEIR LINE BUT IT TAKES SOME PRESTINE CONDITIONS
I have been spraying sikkens off and on since 1988, and everyday for the last 8years,last 9 months has been autowave.There are some other clears that you can use that isn’t common knowledge.If you have a bake booth you can use superior with no problems,it works well in an air dry situation but you need to use accelerator.If you are in a cross draft I would use lesonal pro-air clear,very fast and nice gloss.Lesonal glamor clear also works well,has a nice shine and easy to use.I wouldn’t waste my time with hs+lv ,we used it at the training center and we weren’t that impressed with it.I’ll second Bob’s comments about hs+ very good user friendly clear with a nice look to it.
Color match is very good,alot of times we will paint parts off the vehicle and when installed it is a perfect butt match,9 times out of 10 the standard variant will give you a blendable match.Coverage is also very good most metallics and pearls cover in 2 coats +a control or drop coat,solid white is transparent but with the right sealer it is not a problem. Autowave is easy to spray,and blends beautifully.As long as you have good airflow in your booth it is just as fast if not faster than solvent.I have seen the new mixit pro computer mixing program and it should be out for everyone by mid 2010.I think it is a very solid system,but you will have to try it yourself,take the course and keep an open mind and you will like it.The nice thing with sikkens autowave is you can sand the base if you get a dirt nib or whatever in a short period of time,try that with 90 line.If you have any questions let me know.When you mean “try that with 90 line”, do you mean:
A)Its can’t be sanded in short time if you get dust nibs
or
B)It can’t be sanded at all?I used BASF water for about 6 months before switching to Sikkens. Their is no comparison between the two. Sikkens is light years ahead of what BASF has. Sanding the base in BASF can turn into a nightmare if you are not very careful. Takes forever to dry even with blower, and from what I have seen I am not sure it ever drys 100%. Having cars come back after a month or two the clear doesnt look near as good as it did when it leaves, and its not die back. The base must stay soft so if you get a kind of impact, bugs, small rocks, it leaves a mark. Didnt have that problem when we were spraying Diamont. Blending is okay with Basf, and color match was decent. But the dry time alone has paid for itself a few times over with Sikkens. Plus I really like the 250 clear. We are getting on average 1 more car through the booth a day compared to BASF..
couple questions for you water guys. do you find the film thickness per coat in water is thicker than solvent. on thing i like about diamont is its so thin so when doing graphics and stuff it doesn’t take as much clear to burry the edges. #2, once water is flashed and given a little time to harden up can you tape and mask on it without pulling it off, leaving tape marks, etc.? just curious for the future how waterborn is going to work in the custom paint side of things.
Film thickness is less with water. On a metallic it is only 0.4-0.6 mils with Dupont. I would not use Cromax Pro for graphics though. It doesn’t recoat well after your initial 1.5 coats.
After trying PPG and spraying a little Autowave I would go with either of them. I have taped on PPG with no trouble.
You can tape on Sikkens, BASF wants you to clear between colors.. Another reason we switched..
Joe, you obviously didnt take lessons from Crash on 90 line otherwise you would be singing it praises :rofl :rofl :rofl .
Seems a lot of people like sikkens though for water. I never used it but know a few shops that use their solvent base and was never impressed with the way it looked[b]ding wrote:[/b]
[quote]Joe, you obviously didnt take lessons from Crash on 90 line otherwise you would be singing it praises :rofl :rofl :rofl .
Seems a lot of people like sikkens though for water. I never used it but know a few shops that use their solvent base and was never impressed with the way it looked[/quote]Funny you mention that.. I did actually cut and paste his thoughts and tried it his way and it made no difference. I was really disappointed in the way the painted looked after a month or so.. The diamont line was so bullet proof it worked day in and day out with no problems. Their water was a big let down.. Sikkens solvent I also never really cared for, we switched from autobase plus to diamont. But their water is really nice..
Agreeing with Ryan here Jim.
Film thickness is certainly thinner on WB. For that reason, when I converted years ago I had it drilled into me that surface prep was even more important, and that sanding grades ought to be slightly finer, as the lower build clearly has less ability to fill sanding scratches and imperfections.
And yes, on the four different WB schemes I’ve used, taping up is fine once the film is fully dry, given the usual common sense caveats of removing the tape with at least a modicum of care, and not baking the base with tape applied due to the risk of adhesive transfer (just as with solvent base).
[b]Jayson M wrote:[/b]
[quote]I wouldn’t waste my time with hs+lv ,we used it at the training center and we weren’t that impressed with it.I’ll second Bob’s comments about hs+ very good user friendly clear with a nice look to it.
.[/quote]Not too sure what the hs+lv means. Is that the auto clear 3? The reason I ask about the sikkens products is because I might change jobs and they spray sikkens. After the first of the year they will be going water but I dont know how soon. So, in the mean time it will be solvent. I will be mostly spraying in a semi down draft with infra-red light for cooking it off. I do know I will have to use the auto clear 3 for a while and just want to know what to expect. Is it an overall? can it be made faster with other harndners or additives? What does it spray like? Thanks
Wouldn’t be my first pick but it isn’t bad. You can make it as fast as you want or slow it down. If you speed it up too much it will die on ya. I would rather use HS+ or 250 but if thats what you have to use it will work ok for you. Sprays decent. Seems to prefer a 1.4 in my opinion.
Sorry about that,HS+LV is a low voc clearcoat,not to be confused with HS+ clear.Autobase Plus and autoclear 3 work just fine,if you are doing a complete I would use HS+ clear.AC3 mixes with XP hardener and you can change the speed depending on what activator you use,choices are rapid,medium,standard,and a very slow one for hot temps.If you are doing a bumper cover or 2 panels rapid works great,don`t use rapid on a horizontal panel like a hood or roof it can dieback.I had the best luck with autoclear3(ac3)using a first generation sata rp with a 1.4 at 30psi.If you have any questions in regards to the solvent system just ask,there are a few guys on this board who have experience with it.
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