At this point I took a break from the brutal prep, paint, fail cycle, to instead focus on fixing the process and refining the color.
To "fix the process" I decided to switch to a new spray gun, experiment with pressure, adjust distance, and do more spray pattern tests. The one below is just a (poor) example of several. The point is I found pressure and distance settings that gave a nice pattern with the new gun.
To refine the color, I had the paint shop mix up two successive batches, each slightly lighter than the last. This was accomplished by adjusting the formula to include additional white toner.
Left: Light Keswick, Right: Original Keswick
Pleased with the color, I got back to painting panels. Let the schadenfreude commence..
New gun, new settings..
fail.
Adjusted distance.
Fail.
Took a few weeks off and adjusted some things.
Fail.
A few days later.
Fail. (Don't let the soft focus fool you)
Next day. Adjusted.. something.
Fail.
Bonus
fail. Sagging and heavy texture.
I was really scratching my head at this point. I'd adjusted and corrected for every parameter imaginable and still found no success.
- The multistage air filtration setup had been checked several times.
- A new gun had made little difference.
- Pressure adjustments made little difference
- Lighter fluid flow / less overlap lead to more orange peel
- Heavier fluid flow / more overlap lead to more texture
- More thinner lead to less peel, but thinner coverage and more sagging/runs, and there seemed to be no sweet spot between the two
Having exhausted the possibilities, and knowing I'd painted successfully with this equipment before, I concluded the PPG paint system was crap - a tough pill to swallow considering I'd just shelled out good money for several gallons of it. I painted a sample piece in the "Light Keswick" and sent it off to a paint shop in Michigan. There they would match the color from the sample and formula I sent them, but mix it in Automotive Art Motocryl 50, a well regarded paint system that I'd used before successfully.
Unfortunately, this meant spending even more time waiting on another piece of the puzzle. With winter approaching, I only hoped the wait would be worth it.