Fluid Bed Issues

[Ernest]

Does anyone else have issues with certain brands or colors of powder paint in fluid beds.  I used pearl white and chartreuse with no so good results.  When I dip my jigs it appears the top of the jig get coated properly however the bottom of the jig is not getting enough paint.  Its like its not sticking the the lead.  I know my lead is hot enough so I was wondering if anyone else has this issue.  I did use black/blue flake with no issues.  Is it just the color of paint?  I am using pro-tec and stamina.  I went back and dipped straight from the canister with the same paint with no issues.  I am thinking maybe just the colors i am using.  Lighter colors seem to be a little more finicky to me.  Any comments would be appreciated.

[bass100]

There can be a difference from brand to brand and color to color.  As far as getting an even coat goes, if you dip straight in and then pull out you will have inconsistent results.  Instead dip in swirl one or two times and then pull out and everything should be coated fine.

[cadman]

Here is my input on powder painting and fluid beds. First a couple of questions

 

#1 are you only trying to apply 1 color?

#2 in your fluid bed is the powder in there 1 color or did you mix two colors.

#3 are you applying one complete color to the jig and then going back and putting your jig in a second fluid bed with a different color?

 

I'm asking these questions because there are several processes here that might help.

 

#1 if you are just using 1 color in your fluid bed, let's say white, and that is the only color on your jig, then you should not have a problem getting even and good coverage if your jig is hot.

#2 If you want to do a two color jig, let's say the  bottom is white and the top is ylw chart. I would not advise to do the second color in a fluid bed, because the jig won't be hot enough to grab the paint. So this is what I would do.

 

These are only suggestions, so don't shoot the messenger. Others on this site have their way of making mutli-color jigs and whatever works for them that's all that matters.

 

#1 heat your jig, and then dip the entire jig into the fluid bed that has the white. Make sure you get good coverage, and the jig glosses over.

#2 take your hot jig, and re-heat it (don't burn the paint). Now sprinkle on your second color over the white, wherever you want. Do this until you get the desired results you want. Reheat the jig, and you will see the colors will melt (blend, fuse) together, making everything look smooth. This is what you want. You're done with one jig, repeat this process for the next 500. LOL

 

Now back to your question.You did mention that the bottom of the jig did not get covered. The first thing that comes to mind, is that you were not rotating your jig to get even heat coverage. When you heat your jig, rotate it all around with your forceps, and count out the number of seconds, so you know what to do on the next jig. Each jig the bigger it is the more time it will need in the heat to get good paint coverage or adhesion. This is really all about practicing and finding the correct heat and time ratio before you swirl your jig in the powder paint.

 

BTW, unless you have bad paint (which I doubt), I use paint from 20 to 30 different manufacturers, and they all work . Some are more troublesome than others, but you have to play with them to find what works.

Edited June 13, 2014 by cadman