Majic tractor paints

[Bill Allert 68]

Just wanted to see who else is using this paint. (I get mine from Tractor Supply). I've been very happy with the overall finish but am having some spraying issues. I'm using a detail gun with a 1.0 tip & am getting too much orange peel. Does anybody have any experience spraying with this paint?? I'm a little heavy on the hardener & will cut back on that. Definitely setting up before it has a chance to level out. Tip too small?? Any thoughts?? 

[JimmyJam 542]

The tip maybe a bit to small if you are not thinning the paint ...or your air pressure is too high. Of coarse I use Rustoleum. I have had heard of issues with Majic from other members and hope they will chime in!

[Bill Allert 68]

I'm actually heavy on the reducer according to the instructions , which is a pint of reducer to a gallon of paint. I like the consistency though & never had any running issues. I'm adding a regulator at the gun to better control air. Could be "air wash" from poor technique with gun?? 

[squonk 41,632]

To much reducer in any  enamel will cause excessive orange peel. I tried that before thinking it would flow better. It doesn't. It has the opposite effect.

[Save Old Iron 1,566]

Tip is way too small for properly reduced enamel. I tried to spray Rustoleum in a HF 1.0mm detail gun and had the same results as you. Far too little pigment hitting the surface and never able to really maintain any type of wet edge stroke to stroke. I really think over reduced paint will loose a significant amount of gloss also.

I bought the HF automotive HLVP 2 gun set and use the smaller gun with a 1.4mm tip. Enamel needs no more than 30 - 40 % reduction with the proper speed reducer to achieve a good fan pattern and a good live wet edge.

If you have a larger compressor, the larger gun with the 1.8mm tip requires even less reducer to lay down a great finish. The caution with the larger tip is maintaining adequate airflow thru the gun to allow good atomization of the thicker paint.

The only use I have found for the 1.0mm detail gun is to spray lacquer based self etch primer (which is near water thin to begin with).

BTW . I found Majic in the spray cans to be less than satisfactory but the qt / gal cans with hardener seem to work well.
Another trick with the hardener is to separate the 8 oz bottle out into 8 separate 1 oz amber glass bottles with air tight caps. Leave no airspace in the vials and the hardener will not go bad in the can. It appears the hardener is degraded on exposure to moisture in air.

[clemedc 29]

I have a cheapy HVLP gun but I dont know what tip is in it. I have had good results (good enough for me) with Majic brand paint with some practice........ I AM NO PAINTER I mixed according to instructions (for thinning and hardener) practiced a few strokes messed with the spray nozzle a bit and painted. It also hardened well. Yes I had some runs and far from perfect but did I mention Im not a painter lol

[Bill Allert 68]

Thanks for the replies. I will try the larger gun with the 1.4 tip and give it a shot. Started with the engine, so hopefully by the time I get to the hood I'll have it right!! (the engine is in the gallery photos)

 

Bill

[546cowboy 301]

I don't know about the Majic paint . I use Van Sickle paint from a local farm store. There is one thing no one has mentioned here. When you add the hardener do you let the paint sit for about ten minutes before you add thinner? That is what you are supposed to do with the Van Sickle. As far as the gun you use, I use a touch-up gun from Harbor Freight most of the time and have never had orange peel. When I mix I add a little lacquer thinner so it runs easily off my mixing stick. I will usually only mix about 8 oz. at a time. You should spray an old piece of metal before you spray your parts to make sure you're good to go.

 

This is how mine look with the above cautions.

Edited May 7, 2013 by 546cowboy

[Bill Allert 68]

Paint looks great in that picture! Majic has their own reducer & doesn't specify when to add after hardener. My gun is from a Harbor freight set. Do you know what tip is in your touch-up gun?? (number is stamped on nozzle). I have had some pieces turn out pretty good, but as I said, mostly been fighting orange peel & quick set-up. I'm going to do as you said and make some practice shoots to find the right mixture with my bigger (1.4mm) gun.

[Save Old Iron 1,566]

If its the siphon feed touchup gun from HF, I believe the tip is 1.5mm.

 

Other than requiring more cleanup then an HVLP gun and a higher amount of overspray, it is the touchup gun I used on smaller jobs before HVLP showed up.

[546cowboy 301]

The touch-up gun is from Harbor Freight and it is all metal and is HVLP and it holds about 4 oz. of paint. I just went to their web site and I couldn't find it there. So they may have quit selling it (damn!!!!!!!!!) seems every time a guy finds something that works, they quit selling it. I'll have to check, but I usually buy an extra just because of that. It's 4:30 a.m. so I'll have to get a picture of mine in the morning. Check back then.

 

Now I just couldn't wait to see if I had another new one so here is a picture of the box with another new gun in it. There is no mark on the tip that these old eyes can see so I don't know what size it is.

 

Here is the page it's on in the catalog http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=paint+gun

 

So thankfully they do still sell it. I would be lost without this little gun. Another thing is this is only $12.99. What a bargain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Another thing, in the little booklet it says that "orange peel" is caused: if the paint is too thick, the droplets will not form a smooth layer, and the resulting surface can be described as "pebbly" or "orange peel.

Edited May 8, 2013 by 546cowboy

[wildbro 14]

I have had problems with Paint Majic and won't use it again. I'll stick with Martin Senior automotive paint since I can't get Valspar anymore.

You may be having the same problem I had with the paint. It is wrinkling but it looks a lot like orange peel.

I have to paint outside and I use a screened awning to keep the bugs out. I never had a problem till I used Paint Majic.

At first I thought I had a problem with the primer. But after stripping the hood and fender pan for my Lawn Ranger twice I believe I found the problem.

The paint went on just like any other brand and was looking good until, I came back after it had set up a bit and did some touch up to a few thin spots.

As soon as the paint started to set up again it started to wrinkle very small and looked a lot like orange peel. After stripping off the paint for the second time I found some Valspar that I didn't know I had.

It went on with no issues even when I did touch ups and came out looking great.

 A gallon of Martin Senior Wheel Horse red is about $100. But I have never had a problem with it and many times the conditions were far from perfect.

[546cowboy 301]

Actually I paint outside also (not on windy days) and have never had a problem with Van Sickle which by the way is @ $25 a gallon and the hardener is @ $30 for a large can. It mixes 8 oz. of paint 1 oz. of hardener. I have tried other paints, Valspar, Rustoleum, Ace and the Van Sickle is by far the best paint I have found. It's easy to work with, covers well and shines great for years.

 

The last time I bought automotive paint I got a quart of paint, reducer and hardener for @$100 from Napa.

Edited May 16, 2013 by 546cowboy

[Ken B 3,164]

I go into my local Tractor Supply at least once a week. This crap for paint ain't flyin off their shelves I can guarantee you that! I think they are going to realize sooner or later that it is a waste of shelve space.

[Bill Allert 68]

I also had that wrinkle problem (which is different than my orange peel problem). I had tried to apply a 2nd coat by brush to some rims I had painted. Probably 12 hour wait time , and the first coat started to wrinkle up. It never happened  again after waiting 24 hours. I found that I could spray a 2nd coat without problems, but that was only waiting for paint to flash dry. 

I'm a mechanic by trade, and don't spray often, so there is a learning curve here!!!

[pacer 3,174]

I tried Majik paint shortly after the change over at TSC and was NOT impressed, after using the previous Valspar brand. For this current project I'm doing I ended up deciding I wasnt going to go any further than the readily available - and inexpensive - Rustoleum and I am very impressed and pleased with it.

 

As mentioned, orange peel and wrinkling are 2 different things. Orange peel is caused by to thick paint (the most likely) not enough air pressure, or too much, not enough atomization, etc. Wrinkling is caused my combining conflicting ingredients, the most easily recognizable being when lacquer is applied over enamel. One reason I chose Rustoleum is it comes in matching rattle cans, but I have found that it - and other rattle cans - if applied after spray painting, say to touch up a spot, before it is totally dry, say 2-3 days, I will get wrinkle. I also use Rustoleum red oxide primer and if I apply my color over it before good and dry, I will also get wrinkle.