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We're now seriously considering making the switch from oil-based paints to latex or acrylic based paints...particularly for backgrounds. Have any of you made this switch, and if so, do you have any sage words of advice, or special tricks regarding this. My feeling is that this transition may become inevitable for most folks in this business, what with the apparent quality deterioration of One-Shot, Chromatic,Ronan et al. Personally, I've had it with the premature fading and chalking that these types of paints seem to be providing, not to mention, the smell, and fire hazzards represented in using oil or alkyd based paints. Also, I don't feel that I should have to apply Frog Juice, or any other clear-coat or UV inhibitor to supposedly premium type enamels.
Perhaps the time has come to closely examine the positive and/or negative benefits of latex or acrylic based paints for background colours.
------------------ Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail kjmlhenry@home.com
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About 3 years ago I switched from Chromatic Oil to Deka Latex. For 1 year I used Deka exclusively. The result: Paint cost doubled, smell was worse, some colors faded quickly, including light colors, maroon is especially bad, allthough I really like the color when it's new. Could not paint on aluminum, only wood. Really good for use on PVC. Last year I switched back to Chromatic or Ronan oil. Deka is considered to be the best, I find that it falls far short of what I needed.
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Posts: 157 | From: Lancaster, PA, USA | Registered: Aug 1999
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I switched to water-based paint about 10 years ago. I had to for health reasons. The fumes were killing me, and I'm not talking about a little headache, but I won't go into that now. I hated the way water-based paint worked at first. Getting it to flow took some practice. In the long run I've been better off. I use primarily Frazee Mirro-Glide, available here in southern California and I have found it to be more fade resistant and longer lasting than bulletin enamels. Also a lot of my work has to be color matched to buildings, I find it much easier to buy a line of paint that I can pick colors from a fan instead of mixing every time I need a custom color. I had bad luck with Deka. It fades fast, and won't flow out smooth. I don't do any hand lettering any more, so I'm not concerned about coverage with a brush. Hope this helps.
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Ken, A few years ago, I switched to Porter Paints for 95% of my work since Gary Anderson raved about the product. I won't go back. I spray most of my backgrounds & the latex works great. It dries quickly & for brush work, I found it took a little getting used to, but I needed to put those old sho-card brushes back to work. Mack also sells a line of waterbased brushes which have preformed very well. I'm happy I've changed, give it a try! Good luck, Jeffrey P.
------------------ Jeffrey P. Lang Olde Lang Signs Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 412 322-5264 oldelangsigns@msn.com
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I too have changed over to latex for 90% of my work. Tried ten years ago with dismal results but todays acrylic paints are far better. Use Porter Paint exclusively with so far better than expected results. We spray backgrounds with an airless hvlp gun and have been getting nice smooth finishes. Was sceptical about applying vinyl but seems to work great with a gloss or semi-gloss finish in combination with the high performance cast vinyls. Health issues are a mute point now. No worries about EPA and disposal of thinners, etc. As for brushing, two coats to cover and I stipple the paint on with foam brushes, rollers to eliminate any brush strokes. I say go for it now because you won't have any choice in the not so distant future.
Jeff Lang, I've got quite a few red sable showcard brushes that I haven't used in a while. I trust these will suffice to letter with the acrylic paints. What do you use now to properly clean out your brushes??
Also, what is the difference if any, between latex paints or acrylic paints??? Do they have different properties, coverage characteristics, flow characteristics, etc.
Are artist's acrylic type paints more colour-fast and permanent, than say, Decca, or Createx???
------------------ Ken Henry Henry & Henry Signs London, Ontario Canada (519) 439-1881 e-mail kjmlhenry@home.com
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Ken, I wash my brushes with clean water & if there is any clumped in the heel area, I pull it gently across a fine wire brush, like stainless or brass. Sometimes I'll use a little dish soap & work it into the brush to try to get some dried paint out, but make sure to rinse it thoroughly.
As for comparing to those other products, I don't know, have never used them. Except for regular acrylics, those are much thicker. I keep the Porter thinned a bit so it brushes on nicely. You got to work quickly, & you can't go back when your lettering because it sets so quick. The best advice is to give it a go. I didn't like Benjamin Moore because it would always feel tacky. I like a latex paint that dries hard, & Porter gave me that.
Let me know how your tests went! Jeffrey P.
------------------ Jeffrey P. Lang Olde Lang Signs Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 412 322-5264 oldelangsigns@msn.com
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Hi Henry We used to use Speed Primer from General Paint for years and years to paint overlay plywood, the trouble with all solvent based primers is the drying time. Rainy days, humidity in the air can prolong drying, especially for a double coat of primer. We are sanding with airsanders and solvent paint primers clog up the sand paper. Also when handlettering by using tape, often the finished paint came off with the tape. For about 15 years now we are using flat exterior acrylic latex from General paint for priming our overlay plywood, two coats with sanding inbetween. The latex drying can be speeded up with fans, two coats per day plus one coat on the backside, we finish still with one coat of solvent based enamels, mostly marine enamel.We haven't had one single paint failure in 15 years, latex used as a primer doesn't clog up the sand paper and we never had tape pull off the finished paint. For coloured backgrounds we used a close match of coloured flat exterior latex. One good advise for all painting jobs is to break the edges of the boards regardless what kind, we use coarse sandpaper on the airsander and break the edges, top and bottom about 1/8 round. Paint does not flow well over sharp edges and will break there first, it flows nicely over a rounded edge and also eliminates the build up of a paint edge underneath. We still use solvent based primer for aluminum and steel. I hope this tip helps, been painting signs for 50 years, cheers. wolf
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Posts: 17 | From: Vernon, BC Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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I have made some test with latex (arent acryl just a diff name?)
I found i may even mask and paint reverse side glass. had one on a shop window for 2 years and still as new. I did clear it with lukas size before I removed the mask.
What I used was Jotun STRAX.
I was hard on the brushes till I found that warm water makes the latex melt
------------------ Stein Sæther GullSkilt AS Trondheim
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I buy ALL my substrates already coated from the factory,or use products such as celtec,or styrene. This elimanates ANY painting on my part weather with latex or oil base!PLUS it frees me up to be doing the actual lettering,where the money is.
------------------ PKing is Pat King of King Sign Design in McCalla,Alabama The Professor of SIGNOLOGY
Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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