I'm so screwed, need help asap

[Guest]

I took on my first customers job the other day. Not my friends, or relatives, my 1st customer, and he works at a bike shop down the road. He wanted some bike parts in high gloss black... easy right! Wrong.

I think my ebay gun is permanently contaminated with metallic silver that I sprayed like 4 jobs ago. I sprayed his parts and they had a bunch of metal flake in them . I thought I cleaned my gun throughly as always. Well I tore it completely apart tonight. I urge anyone with this gun to unscrew the grey back end and clean it out.. It was packed with previous powders. Cleaned that out, ripped down my spray booth walls and put new walls, washed them first. Cleaned the floor, new spray booth filters, new clothes, washed every possible surface in the vicinity of the spray booth with water.....EVERYTHING!
Sprayed a test panel, and same thing but slightly better. WTF. So I look into the mirror black that was brand new from pbtp. It looks contaminated.... Tried brand new wet black, same thing but slightly better again. Probably 10 flakes on a 4"x5" test panel. I don't know what else to do. These parts have to be done tomorrow evening. I'm desperate at this point.

Help

[wiseguyz]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

I have been changing colors back and forth since I got mine...metallics, mirror blacks, clears, candies, and have no problems like you're describing. Maybe the powder IS contaminated. Do you have a local powder supplier where you can get more mirror or high gloss black?

[Guest]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

CALL PBTP ASAP........

I took on my first customers job the other day. Not my friends, or relatives, my 1st customer, and he works at a bike shop down the road. He wanted some bike parts in high gloss black... easy right! Wrong.

I think my ebay gun is permanently contaminated with metallic silver that I sprayed like 4 jobs ago. I sprayed his parts and they had a bunch of metal flake in them . I thought I cleaned my gun throughly as always. Well I tore it completely apart tonight. I urge anyone with this gun to unscrew the grey back end and clean it out.. It was packed with previous powders. Cleaned that out, ripped down my spray booth walls and put new walls, washed them first. Cleaned the floor, new spray booth filters, new clothes, washed every possible surface in the vicinity of the spray booth with water.....EVERYTHING!
Sprayed a test panel, and same thing but slightly better. WTF. So I look into the mirror black that was brand new from pbtp. It looks contaminated.... Tried brand new wet black, same thing but slightly better again. Probably 10 flakes on a 4"x5" test panel. I don't know what else to do. These parts have to be done tomorrow evening. I'm desperate at this point.

Help

[Auto-Cycle PC]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

On every cleanup you need to remove the small air line on the bottom of the gun and blow through the fitting on the gun with compressed air you will be surprised what hides in there. Then with the hose off and the controller power on pull the trigger to flush any powder particles out that are hanging in the hose.

[C3PC]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

You may also want to give your oven a once over.

[wiseguyz]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

Good suggestion on the oven cleaning. Even if it looks clean, metallics can dislodge and float around from closing the door or whatever. When I clean my ebay gun, I don't take any of the airlines off, but I do completely remove the tip and the collar behind it and blow the gun out with compressed air, first through the cup to remove the majority of the powder while pulling the trigger. That forces all the powder out of the cup, the gun, the barrel, ect. Then I blow air from the tip end of the gun back through, and and finish up by blowing it out from the cup end again. I just repeat until the air comes through clean. I've never had a contamination problem. By the way, I have the air pressure at the controller set to about 50 psi so the little blowgun has enough pressure to actually do something.

[rbroker]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

Their done! And they look good, If I had more time i would recoat one side of one of the peices. He's getting a deal of a life time. I should have charged hime 50% more even without the troubles I incurred. O well.

TheKing was very helpful, even though it wasn't their problem.

Well my ENTIRE shop is contaminated with the "Shimmer River" i sprayed 2-3 weeks ago. I pulled the gun completeley apart and sprayed a can full of electronics cleaner at it, worked well. I found out why the gun was conatminated too, more on that later. I cleaned the oven out with a rag and water. I was suprised to see how much flake came out. I made sure no air was moving in the shop and turned the booth to low. No air movement whatsoever. Hotter than hell in there but it got the job done.

The ebay gun's static tube is broken on the end where it meets with the hopper. The crack in the tube allowed powder to backup into the gun caseing. I taped the crack shut for now, but it will have to be replaced. I wonder how long it will take to get a new tube... Either way, I was instructed NOT to blow air down the tube. Only to shoot air through the hopper. Well thats fine but I tried to clean the gun last night and there is a TON of powder built up in the tube that won't come out. The only way in my mind is to blow it out through the opening. I might have to rig up a plastic tube with holes in it and shove it down the tube at 10psi. You can't not blow air down there to clean it.

What a lesson I just learned. Its too bad that there is so much riding on these parts. The local biker "gang" down the road is waiting to see how these parts come out. If they like them they say there's a bunch of parts coming my way. I feel I could do better with a little more time and practice. He also said that hes got some handle bars made by Arlen Ness (sp?) that he wants me to do...

Thanks for the input guys.

[Guest]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

There are Gals out here as well

[wiseguyz]

Re: I'm so screwed, need help asap

There are Gals out here as well

And some mighty fine ones at that!