Robert
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I did find a solution to my problem. I switched materials. I stopped using the Wanda (akzo nobel) and switched to using Omni base. I switched from using the Keystone clear to Finish One and Southern Polyurethane clear. I haven’t had a run or a redo in two weeks. I don’t think keystone clears are crap, but this combination is working for my painter and when he is happy I am happy.
I bought two 4000 RP’s for my shop. Both of my painters came in with their own paint guns that they preferred. After trying the Sata’s I bought both of them use them exclusively. I am not a painter myself, but I really like the Sata guns.
My lighting is good, but not the best. I did hire a painter that can paint extremely well but he is slow. Trade off I guess.
Is that a vinyl wrap? If it’s not a wrap someone spent a good deal of time with a airbrush. As far as your question about clear coat, if it’s not a wrap it most likely has a urethane clear coat on it. I would not recommend using anything out of a spray can. If the clear coat or paint is chipping, flaking off then those panels will need to be re painted. You could touch up small rock chips and such with some touch up paint and dab some clear coat on it, but certainly nothing bigger than a chip.
[quote=”candyman” post=25061][quote=”nick@dunsdale” post=25034][quote=”thenextlevel” post=25029]I am running an economy operation. As far as paying my painters I put them on commission, the last guy would be making $20 hour if he paints 4 cars a day. I don’t have a problem paying a painter what he is worth, I am just having a problem finding someone who is worth what I am paying.[/quote]
4 cars a day should be no problem for any painter, four complete’s may be a little harder i will leave them for the experienced under 30yo old guys with loads of energy lol[/quote]
4 partial cars a day for a flat rate shop translates from anywhere from 16 hours,to 40 and up,hell 4 completes would be 100+ hours! :wak
$20 bucks an hour isn’t enough for straight time workers.[/quote]Economy paint shop. I run my operation very similar to a Maaco. Total prep time is less than 3 hours and it’s in the booth. If I spent anywhere near the times you mentioned I would be out of business.
You are generating 175 repair orders per month and $300,000 and you don’t have a way of tracking your jobs? Or did I misunderstand you?
I am running an economy operation. As far as paying my painters I put them on commission, the last guy would be making $20 hour if he paints 4 cars a day. I don’t have a problem paying a painter what he is worth, I am just having a problem finding someone who is worth what I am paying.
[quote=”Andy T” post=25012]One question – how long are you giving these painters to settle in?
Moving to a new job, new products, new booth etc is bound to be a challenge for even the best painter, and it might take them several jobs to get into the swing of things. They’ll need to learn how the products work first, then get to grips with the fluctuations inside the spray booth. Even my fairly high spec 4 year old full downdraft booth doesn’t have perfectly uniform airflow and temperature. If I do get a run I know it’s going to be in the left hand rear corner, as that’s the (relative) cold spot. To counteract this I try to start my first coat of clear in that corner, and finish my second coat there. That gives the longest possible flash time between coats in that area. Maybe they just need to get used to reading your booth in a similar way, which only comes with practice.
I’m not trying to defend them as I don’t know them, but trying to suggest possible reasons for the problems you are having. And if they’ve been there months, then just ignore me :lol1[/quote]
Yeah both my painters had 2-3 months before I moved them out of the paint booth. I have auditioned 2 people so far this week and neither one went well. Tomorrow I have a guy with 20+ years experience trying out so hopefully he can get the job done.
Thanks for the info, I am going to look at some of the clears you mentioned to see if that can help the problem.
As far as technique is concerned both of the painters I have tried paint differently. Instead of painting the car from the front fender back they jump around and paint different panels I imagine this does cause some overlap. As far as flash times we are using 15 minutes between coats. Have a painter auditioning today at 1pm, hopefully I will find some talent.
Thanks for the advice on the clear, I will look into the clears you mentioned. The two painters I have had are moderately experienced. In a high end collision shop where all the parts are removed and you are painting bare panels they would probably do ok. I pull a older cavalier in the booth with everything still on it but the license plates and emblems. I understand that it’s more difficult, but I still should be able to get cars painted without runs everywhere.
Yes there are temp specific hardeners for the clear and I stock all 3 of them. The painter that I saw paint 700 cars is not employed by me despite my best efforts. I also do understand that a painter needs time to become familiar with the products I am using. My most recent painter has been with me two months and still hasn’t figured it out.
Our booth does have enough airflow. Filters are changed regularly, exhaust stack was cleaned very recently. I am in the process of ordering a new modified downdraft booth with a cure cycle. Should be installed in a couple of months. As far as over reducing the paint, the mixing system I am using has the option to mix paints RTS (ready to spray) so over or under reducing shouldn’t be an issue. The keystone clear I am using is a inexpensive clear and I realize that. I run a economy paint operation and for the prices I charge I can’t really afford to use a nicer clear. I am using the keystone euro clear now. In the past I have used Sherwin Williams Finish One clear as well as Wanda clear (Sikkens). The amount of runs really hasn’t changed with the different clears. I am really banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how to fix this problem by some other means than just running painters out the door. Most of the time the runs can be wet sanded out, but because of the kind of operation I run doing so robs my profit.