Do you use tack cloths?

A

adrynalinjunkie

If so when do you use them in between coats of base? Surely not in between clear coats?
If you are basing a entire car will you shoot a few pannels and tack off?
Or
will you go all the way around the car and then tack cloth before the next coat?

Last question what are some good tack clothes to buy?
 
I tack before base, in between coats of base, and before clear. Some people think you should not tack between coats of base, because it can leave marks. If you are getting any dry spray, the tacking must be done carefully and thoroughly to avoid leaving wipe marks. I tend to use a slow enough reducer so dry spray is very minimal, if any, so it hasn't been a problem for me.

I use good old Crystal tack rags.
 
crashtech;24966 said:
. . . I use good old Crystal tack rags.
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X2 I only tack prior to base and not between coats unless obviously necessary and then prior to clear. Quality tack rags will prevent many of the problems the cheaper wax type brands produce.
 
Crystal tack rags work for me, I've purposely done some smudges with them and seen paint and clear go on unaffected. I know some people say some brands can actually contaminate if a smudge is left. The deal with the old style rags is to open them up and air them out before use, then fold and use without any pressure so they don't leave any residue/smudges on the surface. I always tack rag and denib if necessary between coats.
 
I would say some common sense comes into play when deciding whether to tack between coats of base. In a really nice booth with immaculate prep procedures, it's probably a waste of time. Some painters in certain environments fight dust and trash getting into the base, and will often pause to wet sand stuff out of the base before proceeding, which is a big use of time and a disruption of the job. In cases like that, it's a no-brainer to tack between coats of base, because the risk introduced by doing it is outweighed by the problem of needing to sand the base. I've been able to knock dust out of a coat of base with a tack rag that might have been trapped in the next coat.

Like Bob says, unfolding tack rags completely and giving them a bit to air out is good. I've also found that, for me, using them in a loosely wadded up fashion helps catch stuff better.

One last thing, tacking before each coat focuses attention on all of the panel pretty well. It doubles as a between coats inspection procedure. I've found minor defects in panels during the tacking process that were revealed by a coat of base, but might have been missed if I'd just kept spraying.
 
crashtech;24972 said:
Like Bob says, unfolding tack rags completely and giving them a bit to air out is good. I've also found that, for me, using them in a loosely wadded up fashion helps catch stuff better.
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What's the purpose of airing the tack rags out before use?

How long is a tack cloth good for, you you use then for just one day/ one job? If you use them for a while, how do you store them?

BTW, I'm using Crystal Rags.

Thanks, Steve
 
They're a little extra sticky when they first come out of the package. I use them that way a lot, but you have to take more care not to apply too much pressure, or some of the tacky material may transfer onto the panel.

To me, they are cheap enough not to worry about re-using, though I will use one last used for paint on the next primer job, then I save that one to wipe off the air hose before the next paint job, and so on. So each one gets used three times, each time for a less critical task.

Since I use tack rags nearly every day, there's no need to store them in any special way. I hang them over a towel rack sort of thing in the booth. You might tuck them into a ziploc if you want to reuse one at a later date.
 
And when they lose their tack put them in a zip lock and place it in your pocket, your body heat will regenerate it like gummy bears, LOL
 
I was watching some YouTube videos last night and in a couple of them they were blowing off the panel with the spray gun as they were tacking. Is this the common practice? It seems like you want to catch the dust in the tack cloth not blow it around so it lands somewhere else?

Thanks, Steve
 
Does anyone have any advice on the best was to tack anything off? Should I blow it off as I tack or blow it off first then wait to settle then tack. How many times do you go over a panel?

Thanks, Steve
 
I blow off the area to be painted before mixing the paint, paying special attention to gaps, seams, and anywhere else that might hold loose contaminants. Then, just before spraying, I will carefully tack off the area, and blow it off very briefly with the spray gun before applying material.

I think everyone has their own little quirks, my way is not necessarily the best or only way.
 
crashtech;25452 said:
I blow off the area to be painted before mixing the paint, paying special attention to gaps, seams, and anywhere else that might hold loose contaminants. Then, just before spraying, I will carefully tack off the area, and blow it off very briefly with the spray gun before applying material.

I think everyone has their own little quirks, my way is not necessarily the best or only way.
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Thank you for the reply and yes people probably have different ways of doing it but the way you spelled out sounds good to me!

Thanks, Steve
 
I never blow off a vehicle in the paint booth as it can take up to a half hour for dust to settle down to the floor and stop circulating. There are also some good midcoat tack rags ( Dupont has some, though I can't remeber the name right now ) that have far less tack to them where they won't leave residue.
 
on the day i paint i wash out my booth . i blow the car off good outside. once the car is in i turn on the exhaust . i blow it off back to front several times . i tack the car twice to make sure i catch the spots i missed.
 
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