Earlex 5000 and latex Paint

[skysharks]

Hey all, just a quick note to share a tip about spraying latex paint.
I had read somewhere about this little trick and it works great.
I have the Earlex 5000 and soon will also own the Earlex 5500.

So I am making cornhole board games and had to apply paint.

Try this: Try mixing polyacrylic with your latex paint.
I used a ratio of 4 OZ latex piant, 2 OZ polyacrylic polyuerethane, 1 oz. Floetrol.
Man what a nice finish and a hard finish.


Anybody else try this or something similar?

Mac

 

[bwat]

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Canuck]

Sounds like a great idea.

What size of needle are using to spray?

Thanks Mac!

Wayne

 

[tryingtokeepmyfingers]

photos of the boards or it did not happen

 

[skysharks]

Hey guys
a little update.
1. I used 2.0 needle
2. after mixing the stuff together I then thinned with water to right around 60 seconds. Still couldn't get the spray to atomize just right.
really didn't want to thin it out much more so I went with it.
3. First coat I sprayed lightly, waited till it tacked up then came back and put down a slightly heaver coat. initially it looked orange peel but as it dried it laid down nicely. I then waited a bit longer maybe 15 minutes and sprayed another coat on till I was satisfied with the color coverage.
4. I waited overnight then sprayed straight from the can poly-acrylic clear gloss (min-wax) This I used the 1.5 needle.
5. In about 1-2 hours I noticed that the white paint had a slight yellowing to it. I had thought that by using latex based poly that this wasn't suppose to happen, but it did. here is a picture of the completed boards.



I will have to come up with another type of clear coat to put on the next ones.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Mac

 

[Canuck]

Boards look great, Mac!!!!!!!!!!!!
:icon_thum
Wayne

 

[ScottM]

Super looking boards and a great tip. Mac thanks for sharing.

 

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> I had thought that by using latex based poly that this wasn't suppose to happen,

Not necessarily so. Some waterborne formulators add some amber coloring to their clear finish to mimic the amber color of an oil based clear varnish. That said, I have found Minwax Polycrylic to be a finish that goes on water clear and dries to the same colorless clarity. General Finishes waterborne Polyacrylic claims to be water clear also.

Finally, be careful thinning any waterborne finish. Water is not a thinner for waterborne finishes. It's intent is to act as a carrier of the other chemical components of the finish. When the water evaporates it allows the other chemicals to come into contact and to sort of mix together (coalesce) forming the film finish. Adding water can upset the balance of the chemicals by keeping them so far apart that they will not come into contact properly and the resulting finish may not perform properly..

Avoid thinning with water unless the label specifically allows it or you contact the formulator for advice.

 

[skysharks]

Thanks Howard
I did use minwax Polycrylic as the clear coat. I did not the thin the minwax, as it shot great straight from the can. Looked good for the first 20 minutes then started the ambering over the paint.
I did thin the latex paint with water maybe that set me up for what happened not sure. Maybe use distilled water, not sure.

I thank you for your thoughts and appreciate any info that could help out here.
I don't want to stop putting clear coat over the paint but I have no clue right now on what to use that won't amber the original paint color

 

[Howard Acheson]

What is the paint you are using? The problem may lie with some sort of interaction between some chemicals in the paint and some chemicals in the clear acrylic. Waterborne finishes contain some high tech chemicals and they may not play well together.

Another thought is to contact the formulator of the paint you are using and see if they can be helpful.

 

[Weber]

I am real curious as to what you find. Like you, I would have thought the Minwax water base would have been perfect. YOu are right: it does spray beautifuly right out of the can!

Thanks!

 

[Bas]

I used my Earlex to spray acrylic paint a few years ago. Had to really thin it a lot (water/ Flotrol) to get it to spray. It came out good at the end, but the thinning caused it to lose all its gloss. So I top coated it with Minwax polycrylic. No ambering at all. So maybe there was something wrong with the can of poly you got. Or something specific to the interaction with the wood used. Or death rays from Mars.

Assuming you have any left, have you tried topcoating something like a piece of maple and see if it yellows? Or tried the same poly over another painted board?

 

[uncledavid]

Very nice John..

 

[jhreed]

I have been poised to purchase an Earlex for some time. I want to be able to spray Sherwin Williams Super Paint. Most of what I read says the Earlex will not spray latex well. I really do not want to thin the paint. Do you think the Earlex will spray this paint with the #2 or #2.5 tip?

 

[jhreed]

Your boards look great. I have made about a dozen. No problem giving them away, no luck selling. I think I have the best contact as far as quality & price for the bags. PM me if you want the contact.
I am using 3/8" MDO for the top (no sanding needed) and 1x4 for the framework & legs. Glued and nailed with 18 ga. the legs fold in. This is much lighter than most. I am 330 lbs and can stand on it. I see no reason to use 1/2" plywood and 2x4s. Makes them too heavy to carry.
James