Talked to a paint rep last Thursday and he changed how I mix clear coat

I was at the supplier in Columbus picking up some materials and started chatting with this PPG rep who's been in the game 30 years. He asked me why I always go heavy on the hardener in humid weather, and I said I thought it helped flow out better. He just shook his head and told me to stick to the exact ratio no matter what, then let the flash times do the work instead. Tried it on a 2015 silver Accord hood at school and the finish laid down way flatter than usual. Has anyone else been messing with ratios out of habit without realizing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

samthompson1mo ago

Oh man, is it really that big of a deal? I mean I get it if you're going way over but a little tweak here and there has always worked fine for me.

wesley_fox921mo ago

42 times out of 50 I've seen guys get away with a small tweak for months, then one bad batch or a sensor hiccup and suddenly their rig is throwing a code they can't clear. It's not the little adjustments themselves that get you, it's that once you start making exceptions it gets real easy to push a little further each time. In my experience, sticking to the manual for anything over 5% just saves you the headache of a surprise breakdown on a deadline.