Chassis refinish....DPLF and topcoat..

[John M.]

Re: Flattening DCC...

I almost never flatten below the 60% mark. I usually just jump from the semi-gloss (60%), to full gloss. If you extend the mixing schedule that PPG supplies. I would think that 10-12 ounces of 685 with no reducer and 32 ounces of hardner should be about right. Of course, this is for a quart of DCC color.

Regards, John McGraw

[Jim V.]

Re: Flattening DCC...

Thnks John... I am not sure I understand the strategy however. Did you really mean to substitute more HARDENER in lieu of the flattener (685)....or did you mean to substitute REDUCER for the flattener? The mix you suggest would have four times the recommended proportion of hardener. What effect would a heavy hardener mix have?

Thank you.

[John M.]

Re: Flattening DCC...

Jim,

The ratio's completely depend on which hardner system you are using. Du5 and DU6 use twice as much hardner as DCX61, and DFX hardners use twice as much as the DU5 hardners. Just Google "PPG bulletin P-162" to get the full ratios for each paint and hardner system. The key point is that with the DCC color, there is no reducer used with the DX685.

Regards, John McGraw

[Jim V.]

Re: Flattening DCC...

John and Dick thanks. Got it. I am using the DCX and have read all the tech sheets. I just shot a test coat with a 2:1 ratio of color to flattener (no reducer). Not to happy with results however. Came out with a mix of glosses. Hmmmmmm...might I need an induction period upon mixing the flattener and color...or just a lot of constant agitation to get a consistent gloss? Seams like I am always learning the hard way....

[Jim V.]

Chuck...I hear you.......

Yep...same issue. Got the rainbow gloss effect on my first coat. See my latest post.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Chuck...I hear you.......

In your case, you may have inadequately mixed the DCC and the flattener initially if the gloss is varying from one pass to the next.

I use a cheap Harbor Freight shaker ($100) to shake DCC and DX685 for five minutes before I stir in the catalyst, so I KNOW it starts out well mixed. The problem, IMO, is that DX685 settles very quickly and will have to be constantly agitated to come close to uniform flattening. Rather than screw with this inconsistency, my jambs may get dulled, uh, by other means.

I believe DX685 is essentially talc in a solvent carrier. As you know, all of the solids settle to the bottom in a short time, and you have to "dig" the solids off the bottom to mix it to uniform consistency.