Concrete handicap pole bases???

Finnally did it. No worrys with rain, dry time. Caught a buzz with the xylene in my enclosed trailer. Reduce exposure time! Does any one use straight gas for clean up anymore? Only using latex for seal jobs!

Same here. Tons more money made with alkyd due to increased productivity. Watch out using gasoline. Heard horror stories!!!

NEVER - NEVER - - NEVER EVER USE GAS FOR CLEAN-UP !!! If you use gasoline for a solvent in place of mineral spirits, you are taking a huge risk and askig for serious problems. Unless you are having unusual problems, mineral spirits are all you need to clean a machine used for alkyd or CR paints.

I am surprised Ken missed this one, why clean the machine if you use it a couple times a week. Oil is a lot more for giving than latex in a machine. I use the thinner the manufacturer tells you too. Stay away from gas. Jim

I would not use gas either unless its 3:00am and you forgot to get another five of thinner and you have to switch colors to finish a job... Also I would reccomend a stronger thinner than mineral spirits when using CR, we use xylene or toluene, we are able to use much less compared to mineral spirits, because it cuts much faster, also as if CR paints did not dry fast enough, you can add a small amount of toluene to your paint and increase the dry time a little more..

Is it better to use oil based paints then? Seems like everyone is switching to latex here, so Sherwin Williams says. We've always used Latex, so I know nothing about other paints.

I don't know that it's better to use oil based paints, but they do have advantages. We use oil based most of the time. Advantages: will dry quickly even in cool or humid weather, atomizes easier than waterbased so you can use less pressure and makes a nicer line, solids won't settle out as easily so you can leave it in machine for days at a time, dried paint in the system will be dissolved by fresh paint so it won't cause tip clogs like waterbased. Disadvantages: you have to use thinner to clean up, but cleans quicker than water cleans waterbased, EPA issues unless you buy the acetone based. These days the paint mfg's are spending all their R&D on waterbased, because someday, that's all they will sell. So there are improvements made to waterbased paints every year. But even the best and fastest drying waterbased paints can't dry until the water evaporates, and if the humidity is 100%, the water isn't going anywhere.

A summer helper of a former employer of mine previously worked for a striper in Minneapolis, the other company he worked for evidently used gasoline for thinning and clean-up. We use alkyds and thinner for cleaning etc, gasoline is not an option unless you want to be on the receiving end of an explosive fire. The summer helper had the dangers explained to him, he was caught using gas instead of thinner and the thinner was right there! He got the explanation again and a warning to knock it off or else. He didn't get it or care, the way he learned it was of course better. I think he would have continued to defy authority if not for the "flaming" he received as he was messing around. Apparently he had a clogged tip and was running gasoline thru the lines, he poked the gun down into a steel can that was not grounded and a static spark ignited the volatile fumes. I witnesses the flaming of a fool who was told and warned, quite a site to see, fortunately for him he was uninjured. Do not use gasoline for anything other than it's intended purpose.

Last week I read in the paper about two guys that were remodeling a house. They were using gasoline to dissolve glue from concrete slab floor. They had a fan blowing out a window for ventilation. It ignited the fumes and both guys are now facing a long stay in the burn center. The house was a total loss.

I pay less than $5.50 per gallon for naptha thinner, the recommended thinner for the paint I use. I cannot even remember the last time I needed to thin the paint. Cheap (expletive) mineral spirits at WalMart are under $2.50 a gallon. Use the cheap stuff if you are cleaning up, pour the clean-up thinner back into your paint at a rate of a cup or so per five, then there is no disposal issue and at that amount it should not affect the performance of the product.

Most of us do as Ross (sdstriper) mentioned with used thinner. It results in zero dispoal concerns. As a side note, I was on a job yesterday and did not have my machine with white alkyd with me. I had a machine with blue alkyd and yellow alkyd. Of course I got a call late to do another small job in white so I uysed Kens method of just pulling the suction tube out of the yellow pail, wipe it down with rags, stick it in a pail of white and purge the yellow / white mix into the yellow pail until it is almost completely white then purge only the short hose the same way. After that, just go paint white and after the first few lines, it is completely white. No wasted paint. No mineral spirits used. Takes only about 5 - 10 minutes.

RandyV wrote on Apr 30, 2005:Go to #11

Most of us do as Ross (sdstriper) mentioned with used thinner. It results in zero dispoal concerns. As a side note, I was on a job yesterday and did not have my machine with white alkyd with me. I had a machine with blue alkyd and yellow alkyd. Of course I got a call late to do another small job in white so I uysed Kens method of just pulling the suction tube out of the yellow pail, wipe it down with rags, stick it in a pail of white and purge the yellow / white mix into the yellow pail until it is almost completely white then purge only the short hose the same way. After that, just go paint white and after the first few lines, it is completely white. No wasted paint. No mineral spirits used. Takes only about 5 - 10 minutes.

I used a similar concept yesterday only went from alkyd to latex, wiped down the suction tube and return line, pumped a little to a slop bucket, changed filter out for insurance and off I went. No solvent or water to mess with.

i seen some say here on another topic in regards to using oilbased on asphalt emulsion and did not have any problems ( i was using latex on my seal jobs and was scared to use oil) anyway i used oil on asphalt emulsion and no problems, for the most part i will not have to use latex no more and i am glad....

Is there any white solvent based paint (CR, Low Voc, Etc.) that can be used on fresh sealcoat? I've used yellow CR before but never found a substitute for white Latex.

We use Sherwin, TMT Pathway, and Ennis all CR on fresh asphalt emulsion seal coats with no problems. (coal tar sealers may be a different story)

AM, Any problems getting any of the above mentioned CR paints trough your machines? I can't get one of them to atomize without excessive thinning.

KEN!!! Did ya have to put that post up !! LOL the (Graco peoples) are going to jump all over that post!! Ken Titans are perfect for C/R the best machines out there for pumping C/R Dirk Diggler (8900) throws out C/R like it was water. Must be because you've taken off the front wheel! can't be the pump! In all serious we only use C/R now through the 6900's and 8900 and have no probs at all.

Wend, You missed the context.... no problems with any of the Titans....mucho problems with certain paints.

Two things: First, NEVER, EVER use gasoline to clean or thin! Solvent ignites, Gasoline explodes. Secondly, some are under the impression that all solvents are created equally. Nothing could be further from the truth. One reason a paint manufacturer recommends a particular solvent because it has the best "cutting power" with that particular paint. So if you choose to use another solvent it may take more solvent to do the same cleaning job and end up with more cost. Ken, some Chlorinated paints are tough to spray.

Ken, No problems with any of them, we just shot right out of the bucket. The SW bucket says "STFST Chlorinated rubber" I am assuming Set Fast? they have so many lines, seems like every state gets something different. On the TMT the paint is "Norline" and the Ennis is the old Lafarge formulation of the "Pro 5 CR", I forgot we also used some Aexcel last year with awesome results, I don't remember the part #, but it did require thinning to spray, but the color was the best color yellow I have ever seen.. p.s. maybe if I took off the ol' Graco's front wheels the Aexcel might spray better like a Titan ?.. j/k , really, If I didn't like our Fat Tracks so much I would try your idea on removing that wheel, I do think you have a good idea...