Todd i wasnt asking about putting it on the motor but thx for the info..i was just reading up on it,and knew you was in the business so thats why i asked..so whats the deal on the base is it something that still can be used in a semi down draft booth?also how does the price compare?thx for the hemi info too..sorry for all the questions..im not in the business anymore but i lease my shop out and the booth inside it is mine,so if its something that cant be used in the booth anymore,then i may have to start making plans now to look into buying a new booth or working something out with the guy?
I was TRYING to be FUNNY Trouble. I was just joking about painting a motor with the waterborne so we weren't technically OFF topic.
It's all apples and oranges when it comes down to waterborne vs solvent base and costs. Waterborne toner cans are smaller and more expensive, thus water is more expensive than solvent BUT you'll use less. Waterborne covers much better than solvent - 1 to 1 1/2 coats as opposed to 2 to 3 coats solvent - so you'll use less waterborne material for any given job. So the costs are about the same in the end game.
Waterborne paint is thinner and prep work must be done to a higher standard. If your solvent based paint jobs look like crap - forget the water. Waterborne paint will separate the men from the boys. PERIOD.
Darn Trouble - this is work!
The key to waterborne is flash time and the drying of the base coat. Waterborne finishes need a different environment to dry properly. A down draft booth has LAMINAR or NON TURBULENT air flow. LAMINAR air follows the contour of the vehicle or part it encounters. This may sound good but it is not what you want with waterborne. LAMINAR airflow creates a boundary layer of stagnant air that develops on the vehicle surface. This layer of air saturates with moisture and slows the drying process. So with waterborne paint your goal is to create turbulence on the surface being painted. Turbulence will break up LAMINAR air flow and eliminate any micro climate associated with it.
So you think with all of that - you may have to change your spray booth. You don't. You must add quads or wall mounted blower units in the corners of your booth 12 inches off the floor. Additional units at the top. Vertical air is bad. Blowers - blast gates and corner towers are a must. I'm going back to a conventional cross draft booth with all of the equipment just mentioned..
One last point. Optimum humidity for your waterborne booth environment should be kept at 72% with a window of variance set at +/- 3%. If the water isn't completely flashed off it will boil or "POP" under the clear coat.
I could go on forever with this. I know that sooner or later - everything will be water. Be it 10 or 20 years from now - it's coming. And it WILL be EVERY state in the union.
Todd
