Adding universal flattner like one choice SU4985 to speed clear?

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SK13

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Has anyone added or used a clear coat flattener like su4985 from ppg one choice to spi speed clear? what ppg clear would spi speed clear be closest to? for mix ratio of su4985 to spi speed?
 
Short answer is no.

Long answer is that I wanted to flatten some SPI universal clear. I talked with Barry and he said OK to use quality flattener from reputable vendor.

I went to my local jobber to get some and ran into "issues." They carried "Lumabase" clear and had a flattener for it.
But, Universal clear is a 1:1 product and Lumabase is 4:1. So, the ratio's of flattener for various gloss levels wouldn't work.
I just ended using the Lumabase clear/activator/flattener so I knew the ratio's would be correct.
I was just shooting this on some fender flares, not the body so I was OK with it.

Bottom line is different vendor clears have different solid content and different mix ratios and their flattener ratios will be geared to their product, which may not relate to SPI clears. It can be tricky.
 
You would start at about 25% to the clear test and add from there, depending on your desired gloss level. Activate only the clear, not the flattener (go to 3 on the mixing cup,
Activate and then add 25 or so %of just the clear)
Now the bad news is you can override the flattener by loading coats with no flash, time, and I have never heard of anyone using the speed clear with the flattener. Does it work? I have no clue, but when I get back Friday, I will test and see.
 
Barry said:
You would start at about 25% to the clear test and add from there, depending on your desired gloss level. Activate only the clear, not the flattener (go to 3 on the mixing cup,
Activate and then add 25 or so %of just the clear)
Now the bad news is you can override the flattener by loading coats with no flash, time, and I have never heard of anyone using the speed clear with the flattener. Does it work? I have no clue, but when I get back Friday, I will test and see.
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right on im going to just try a test panel and see how it works, trying to color match some patina on a set of truck bed wheel tubs from 1963
 
Well i ended up shooting a test panel mixing the speed clear and flattening agent 1:1 and then added activator to that sum. and the results were a little more sheen than i wanted but i might just try to get a premixed flat clear to go over here they are.
 

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crashtech said:
Proper procedure would be to mix the Speed Clear 3:1, then add +-50% flattener to the activated product. It seems likely that your clear is overactivated.
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Yea i wasnt 100% on the mix i did, if that was right or not, i have the TDs on the su4985 flattening agent and it confuses the heck out of me. ill try that ratio and see what happens
thanks
 
Their chart is weird, but if you look closely, the ratio of clear to hardener always remains the same. So it's always best to simply add flattener to ready-to-spray clear. That way it doesn't matter if you are using 1:1 clear (Universal), 3:1 (Speed Clear), or 4:1 (Euro and Production), you will always have a material that has the right amount of activator.
 
I wasn't sure how the speed clear would work with a flattener mixed in, but you did prove it can work.

A few notes.
The amount of flattener decides the gloss, and there is no set standard; as more solids, the more flattener it will take.

Second, the hardener also can change the gloss, so the mixture must be exact if you want the next mixed cup to match the first cup.

You can fine-tune to get the gloss you want, but you must do tests to know exactly how to mix.
 
SK13 said:
Yea i wasnt 100% on the mix i did, if that was right or not, i have the TDs on the su4985 flattening agent and it confuses the heck out of me. ill try that ratio and see what happens
thanks
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The su4985 is NOT consistent. Our shop uses PPG. We switched to the premixed D8115 D8117. That being said, Flat clears are sprayed different. PPG’s (even using su4985) you spray light coats and must let it flash off between coats until it is completely flat. Then spray your next coat. The reason the data sheets are confusing is because one sheet is mixed by weight and the other sheet is by volume. If you notice they list a whole bunch of different PPG clears. And if you also notice, the ratios are all over the place. The ONLY way you are going to get it is experimenting.
 
Jim C turned me on to Utech 890, which is a good substitute for the disco'ed SPI flattener. Read the TDS and it gives a good guideline for gloss levels and amount of the product to use. Works well with Universal and Production. Probably the other 2 SPI clears as well, I just haven't used it in them.
 
Chris_Hamilton said:
Jim C turned me on to Utech 890, which is a good substitute for the disco'ed SPI flattener. Read the TDS and it gives a good guideline for gloss levels and amount of the product to use. Works well with Universal and Production. Probably the other 2 SPI clears as well, I just haven't used it in them.
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Can Utech 890 be purchased in Southern California?
 
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