Been Reading the Archives: ? on Reducer/Thinner

I am going to repaint (not completly restore) my Farmall 504. I am going to use the TSC Valspar primer and paints with hardener in all. The question is in the thinning. I am going to use napatha to thin because that is what is suggested. From what i have read the more thinner used the more the paint can and will fade, especially reds and greens. Is thinner even required? Can I use half the max amount? I plan to shed the tractor, but the sides are open so some sunlight will be present. Maybe I can sometimes drive in and sometimes back in

Thanks again,

Charles

the tsc paint is an alkyd enamel. most alkyds do not have a uv protector in them, which is why, over time they fade in sunlight. when reducing alkyds,, you generally thin up to about 10% with naptha, you are basically getting it thin enough to go thru the gun as it is a heavy body paint. in the old days of dulux enamel, the paint was "hot potted" before being sprayed. the paint was heated on a hot plate to about 120 degrees, then applied. i have never tried to hot pot tcs type paints, but you can prolly experiment a little and see what happens.

That is good info. I may wait until this summer, it only gets +100 here in Louisiana! I could place it in the sun for a couple of hours before painting.

Charles

Best results are obtained at 70-75 degrees. Forget the sun, paint in the shade and use the mfg specs for thinning.

Roger to the 70-75 degrees. I plan to paint this outdoors. Should I paint under an open shed or in the open (some trees... debris?)? I want this to turn out as good as possible (I know, cheap paint, work tractor). I have painted grain bins, trailers, equipment, ect, but never a tractor. I want it to look like I cared when I painted it.

The TSC Valspar cannot be as bad as the ARCHIVES say it is when so many people use it... I can return it and get IH paint if it will be "so much better year later". The cost difference is not great and I have to drive 60 miles to get either, they are across the road from each other in Alexandria, LA. It is just one is open "after hours".

Thanks again guys,

Charles

In the olden days of Dulux and other enamels,we NEVER hot potted the paint before applying it! And, with proper reducers, and use of them, i hardly ever had sags and runs! They were caused by too much material in the "overlap" areas, not from room temperature paint! I usually used a gallon of synthetic enamel to do a standard sized car, or pickup. Also, the choice of reducer (thinner) made a big difference, in flow out and smoothness.
Painting cars, trucks, tractors, and whatever, and being good at is this: Don't let the job "scare" ya! Set up a pattern of applying the paint, and watch yer overlaps, and don't forget to bend down to paint the undersides of doors, fenders, tractors, or whatever! Air pressure plays a big part, too. I used around 40 lbs. pressure. You must have a good continuous supply of air, not a little 12-15 gallon tank with low cubic feet per minute air supply. A small air compressor is sure to cause trouble, when you run out of air, part way down the side of the job, as while you wait for the pressure to build up, the paint will start to sag, and cause runs.
buy several of the little white, or orange, ball filters that screw onto the spray gun, at the air inlet fitting.
Don't spray on humid days, as water will form on the job as you spray the paint on. And, if there are any trees or weeds present, try to paint on a windless day. I have raised a sort of tent, made from clear plastic sheeting, and tied to the trees, to keep tree and bird droppings off the new paint.
And, remember, nobody wants to find the new, dry, paint looking like a fuzz-ball when you look at it later!

I swear by the screw-on 1/4" filters for paint guns. I also use a filter/regulator combo (I have both Wilkerson and SMC) at every drop and have a Parker main filter at the compressor.

I am just new to the paint/hardner application. I have used MS Equipment paint with hardner and reducer once and also used MS hardner and reducer in Ace Rust Stop twice (used too much hardner, brittle). I do not want to make a mess of my little 504.

Charles

People use it because it is cheap. You get what you pay for. CaseIH 2150 is also alkyd enamel, but it is supposed to be "acrylic modified" alkyd enamel. That is, it has UV inhibitors in it. I have not used it and suspect that it is just plain alkyd enamel as it used to be, again. Reason is I did buy a quart a while back just to match the color to acrylic urethane. The can just said "enamel". Before you buy your paint, read the can at the CIH dealer and see if it says acrylic modified. If so it will probably suit your purposes. If not it isn't going to be any better than TSC's Valspar. The CIH paint, whatever it is, is also made by Valspar.

I painted my first tractor in 1973. I've been painting them ever since as a hobby. I've tried the cheapest and the more expensive paints. I have used O'rielly's paint thinner good for any temperature called Specialty Reducer and found it works with many enamels and hardeners of other brands. Many think you can't paint when it is below 50 degrees. But what they don't know is when you want to save paint you have left over with hardener in it you put it in the refrigerator or the freezer to use at a later time. I've painted down to 35 degrees and it turned out fine with no heat. I know everyone is going to think I'm nuts but then you probably haven't done it either and you just take everyones word on what temps to paint at.

This is a good time of the year to paint outdoors (weather permitting) when the bugs won't be landing on you fresh paint.

Have you looked into the TSC restoration series paint also made by valspar. It runs about $15 a gallon more and they say it is a automotive quality paint. I used this on a JD 210 disc about two months ago, i used with hardner but did not thin the paint. Paint seemed to be fairly thin out of the can. But did say you could thin if needed. The paint that dried on the side of the can has a excellent shine.

My TSC opened in October. I have been there 3 times and they only have the "Restoration" paint in rattle cans. I bought the standard tractor paint last time I was there. The TSC is 60 miles away and my home town will not get a TSC until May. Should I return the paint and "Special Order" the Restoration paint?

Charles