Personal Protective Equipment
Caution
Do not get in eyes, on skin or on clothing. Use solvent resistant
safety eyewear with splash guards.
Solvent impermeable gloves, clothing and boots should be worn to prevent skin contact. When applying an Awlgrip, Awlcraft 2000 Topcoat, Awlcraft SE Topcoat or any other isocyanate containing product, a respirator that is approved for use with such products must be used. A positive pressure air supplied respirator (TC19C NIOSH/MSHA approved) is recommended.
Spray Equipment
‘Ten Steps to Success’ — Key points on Equipment for Awlgrip Applications
You need good quality, well maintained equipment.
If you are using the best paint you limit your chances of success if you are not using the best equipment in the best condition. This includes ensuring the air hoses are of the correct type and capacity.Standardize your equipment.
When more than one sprayer will be working the job, it pays to have everyone use the same make and model of gun/pressure pot, etc. This also includes having the same aircap, tip and nozzle, as recommended by the gun manufacturer.Ensure clean gun/hoses/air.
If the air hoses are dirty; replace them. Check the air cleanliness by running air for 10–15 mins through a tack rag. Change filters and service traps regularly.Check environmental conditions.
Temperature (air and substrate), Humidity and Air Flow all may need controlling to optimize your result.Once the environmental situation is known,
choose the correct reducer and thin to the recommended viscosity.Determine the optimum gun setup.
Use the ‘3 step fan check’ to get your paint atomization set right. Check the fluid flow rate and air pressure at the gun.Synchronize gun settings.
Check all sprayers have the same fluid flow and air pressure, and that these are not modified during application.Record the settings for future reference.
Spray a test area.
At the start of the job and before each coat, spray a decent sized area on a separate panel and check the appearance and wet film thickness.Work well within the pot life.
As the paint continues to induct, the rheology can change, affecting the final result.
Air Atomized
For use with Awlgrip, Awlcraft 2000, or Awlcraft SE and lower viscosity Awlgrip primers such as 545 Epoxy Primer, 321 HS Undercoat, Quik-Grip, Awlquik, Awlbrite and Awlspar.
Airless Equipment
For use with high viscosity primers, surfacers, Awlquik, High Build, Hullgard, Sprayable Fairing Compound, Ultra Build and Awlstar Gold Label Antifouling.
Spray Gun: ...............................................................................................Airless
Orifice Size: .......................................................................................028”–.043”
Fan size & angle:................................................................8” & 80° or 6” & 60°
On a 25:1 pump, the pressure gauge should read 4.8-5.5 Bar (70–80psi).
On a 40:1 pump, the pressure gauge should read 3.4-4.1 Bar (50–60psi).
High Volume Low Pressure Guns
True HVLP equipment operates at a maximum gun pressure of 0.7 bar (10psi). It is difficult to achieve optimum results with this equipment. Contact your local Awlgrip representative and gun manufacturer to arrange a consultation.
When consulting the DeVilbiss spray gun set-ups for Awlgrip materials on the following pages, please make note of the points below:
- Gun air pressures are measured at handle with trigger pulled.
- Some gun models and fluid tip combinations shown are not available in an ‘off-the-shelf’ suction gun. Customers will have to buy a pressure gun and a separate KR suction cup assembly.
- Some Fluid Needles listed are suitable for use with more than one size fluid nozzle.
- Care must be taken to balance fluid and air quantities and pressures or distorted fan patterns and bad spray results will occur.
- Pot pressure given is typical for a hand held 0.6 gallon (2.2lt) Tank with 1.2–2m fluid hoses 6mm internal diameter.
- Maximum fluid nozzle size available for this gun model.
DeVilbiss spray gun set-ups for gravity guns
DeVilbiss spray gun set-ups for suction guns
DeVilbiss spray gun set-ups - pressure pot
Brushes & Rollers
Use brushes and rollers which are specified for use with urethanes and epoxies. Household types will ‘melt’ because of their lack of solvent resistance. The listed products from Corona Brushes and Redtree Industries have proven to perform satisfactorily with our products. Equivalent products from other manufacturers may be satisfactory as well.
Brushes
Corona: Heritage® or Urethaner® brushes are recommended for most work; or a Europa® if a thinner brush is needed for fine detail work.
Redtree: The Badger®, Onyx®, and Chinese Ox® are recommended for fine finish work. The Fooler® is recommended for epoxy coatings and maintenance grade work.
It is sometimes helpful to use at least two brushes. Keep one soaking in T0031 while using the other. Switch brushes periodically to keep material from building up in the heel.
Tip
Remove excess reducer thoroughly from the brush that was soaking before using again. Spin brushes with a brush spinner for best results.
Roller covers
Corona: The Glasskoter® R101F (1/8” nap), and R201F (3/8” nap) are conventional mohair type roller covers. The Foam Slicker® F780–012F is a foam cover.
Redtree: The Deluxe Mohair® R–11PH (3/16” nap) is recommended for topside enamels and varnishes. The Foam Roller® (1/8” nap) is designed for all urethanes and epoxies. The Dynex® R–22PH (3/8” nap) is recommended for bottom paints, epoxies and resins.
A brush should be used for tipping off the paint to remove any bubbles or stipples left by even the shortest nap rollers. Use fresh T0002 and/or T0031 to clean or soak equipment.
Always keep extra equipment handy on the job.
Warning
- Never soak brushes in conditioners, oils or turpentine.
- Foam brushes become soft and “melt” into the coatings. They are only suitable for tipping roller stipple on small projects.