Ranthane silver

Hi All,

Just wondering if anyone has had experiance spraying Ranthane silver polyurathane top coat?
I have just sprayed a test panel to get the feel for it and I'm finding its dificult to get the silver uniform without a mortally to the finish!
I have reduced it to the thinnest recommended point and tryed very thin coats but still getting that slight mottle to it.
I haven't ask polyfiber yet, thought I'd try the knowledgeable Kitfox community first!
Any thought and help would be greatly apreciated!

Don't know anything about ranthane, but with polyfiber system, if there is a lot of humidity in the air, you can get blushing from the evaporating solvents cooling the surface and pulling in moisture. Does this sound at all like what you're getting? Jim Chuk

Hi Jim, thanks for your reply! I know what your saying about the polyfiber blushing.
This is not quite the same, normally I'm use to silvers with a base coat and then a clear over the top but this is like a high solid paint that goes glossy with the metallic silver in it.
I was talking to someone today that has used Ranthane and thinks I need to give it a longer induction time and maybe reduce it a little more until I get a consistent finish... I plan to give it another go tomorrow so fingers crossed

Iwata spray gun helped solve my same problem you are having. I found to get that uniform finish I needed to have a gun that would atomize very very fine and I would keep the volume of the paint coming out of the gun low. With this fine of a spray pattern the paint would flow out very well and no mooting of the silver. Good luck, silver is tought to spray. If you have a bottom cup keep a couple of ball bearings in it and keep them moving between tigger pulls to keep the paint (silver) from collecting together.

Thanks Flybyjim!
That kind of info is most helpfull!
I have an iwata ws-400 spray gun, I think it sounds like its technique I need to master, like you say keep it very fine.
I'm back into it today so hopefully get some better results...

Hi Ben,

The Iwata gun you have should be a very high quality unit.

Just a few thoughts to throw into the discussion....throwing this out in case some of it may be useful....if you are aware of most of this already...I don't mean to over speak.

1) Anyone who says that silvers and high metalflake is hard to spray is so right:eek:...much more technique sensitive than solids. Practiced my sailor language quite a bit the first time I sprayed metal flake:rolleyes:....anyway - it can be a challenge. Good to be patient with one's self:)

2) I had a particularly bedeviling experience once with metalflake paint....turned out the gun I was using was pulling the needle back in a non-concentric fashion causing an off shape pattern....a slightly bent needle or a lump of crud in the wrong place can cause that also.

3) How fast the paint flashes off can have a significant effect on the metalflake separation//appearance/mottling .....I always found that thinning with a grade of solvent that would flash off relatively quick helps.....the solvent can be a problem if a person is prepared to paint in hot weather and only has a "slow" thinner...then the weather gods turn on the cold air and there you go. If it takes too long to set up due to the thinner it can allow too much time for the metallic stuff to move around. The "silver" particles are microscopically flat so they create a different appearance depending on how much time they have to move around.

4) Getting the right distance between the gun and surface can also create a situation similar to #3....closer to the surface corresponds to a slower flash off....further away corresponds to a quicker flash off as some of the solvent evaporates on the way to the surface. In any case - keeping a uniform distance from the surface once the right distance has been determined is golden.

5) Adjusting the gun to get the right pattern is important...should be a nice oval pattern, not circular and not too narrow. an oval pattern with a half overlap works well...and it is a little artsy trying to figure out what the right oval is...although, I normally start out with the width half of the height - then practice shoot and adjust from there.

6) Then there is the speed of travel.....slower builds up more paint on the surface and slows the flash off.....faster motion speeds of the flash off.

In any case...the metallic stuff like silver can be very technique sensitive and practice pays off:)...You'll get 'er.

Ah crap, back to thinking I'll use a paint shop! Im using silver also. :confused:

Thanks Dave, I read your reply this morning before picking up the spray gun and it was really usefull to consider and ponder on your points!
After a day of trying different setups I'm feeling pretty happy now with the results, I found I needed a lot more air pressure than what I'm use to with automotive paints and when I figured this out it seemed to be atomising the paint a lot better and I was getting good consistancy.
Thanks again for everyone's imput and EFWD don't let my little hiccup put you off... I think when you work out how it needs to be applied this paint will go on nicely!

With most metallic paints it is best to not thin too much. Very thin coats are best The objective is to have the paint hit the surface and stick before the glitter can migrate You do not want a wet surface that allows the metallic particles to float on the surface of a puddle. Static charges will cause the paint and the particles to migrate or clump. Keep the gun away from the surface to prevent heavy coating. Fog the area to be painted and let it set for a minute. Lots of thin coats are better than a few heavy coats. Do not try to get a glossy finish with the base color of silver. You are trying to get an even distribution of glitter. The gloss comes with the top coat of clear after the base coat is completely dry.

John P

Thanks for your thoughts on this John!
The tricky thing with Ranthane silver is it does not use a clear over base. Its a single process polyurethane that goes gloss when applied so its a balance between getting a uniform metallic and a glossy finish.
I feel like i have it pretty well sorted now with a bit of fine tuning and practice.