Old timer at the paint supply house told me to stop being so stingy with activator

Guy named Jerry, probably been mixing paint since before I was born, said I was skimping on the slow hardener in my clear. I thought he was just being old school and wasteful. Fast forward to Thursday, did a fender blend his way with a 3:1 mix instead of my usual 4:1. The flow out was way better, less orange peel. Has anyone else gotten a tip from a random old timer that actually fixed something for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

felix_williams7117d ago

Three parts hardener to one part clear is a pretty big jump from 4:1. Did Jerry say why he runs that ratio or did he just throw the number at you without an explanation? I'm curious if he was talking about a specific brand of clear or if that's just his universal rule for everything. Because 3:1 would make my clear run like water in this 90 degree shop weather we've been having.

rileyb6119d ago

i mean, it's one fender blend. might just be a fluke or the planets aligned that day. idk if i'd rewrite my whole mixing chart over one old timer's advice.

hugomurray18d ago

Oh man, RIGHT on. I once had a similar thing happen with a vintage Ampeg and I tried to make it my new secret weapon and it just fell flat every other time. Some days the stars just line up and you get a magic take, can't force it.