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I typically paint Gillespie at the recommended 4:1 ratio and use Xylene like everyone else. I have thinned it as much as 1:1 without issues.
I shoot it with a cheap Harbor Freight paint gun (https://www.harborfreight.com/air-t...oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-62300.html).
It lays down very well. It probably would be better with a 1.8 tip in the gun, but I've used the 1.4 tip HF guns for years without issue. Turn the pressure up a bit. I think I shoot this stuff with the regulator set to 40 psi.
It flashes pretty fast, I can typically get a second coat on the same day as the first (early morning first coat, late afternoon second coat).
I know you can use a hardener in it, but that will gloss it up some and obviously for our purposes that's not desirable.
![20191211_155357.jpg 20191211_155357.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590160-76c4b2bc53fd58f514c12b173da1ecce.jpg)
![20191215_123204.jpg 20191215_123204.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590161-d1e2c8bbdb4b624e3af42c489c4ee8b2.jpg)
![20191216_135052.jpg 20191216_135052.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590162-7d9a6287016edf3f6823e85f87148626.jpg)
![20191216_172551.jpg 20191216_172551.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590163-498a82ccffe1cb9987d90a64ac25d73e.jpg)
I try to sandblast everything I paint because I'm insane. I always use Southern Polyurethane's excellent epoxy primer and everything I've shot over that has stuck to it, including real S-W waterborne CARC
![20131025_185040.jpg 20131025_185040.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590164-60959fdd0e3ff6c2595937f760a13884.jpg)
![997223c636e5f552ed23799c1771213c.jpg 997223c636e5f552ed23799c1771213c.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590165-245436a3f82397b1d1b5d05c0831ad7a.jpg)
![20131030_154509.jpg 20131030_154509.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590166-778bcbf01ad60bccbc5492ace34a5d0e.jpg)
This Power Wagon was SP epoxy with Gillespie on top of it. I did about half the metalwork and all of the spraying.
These are halftrack fuel tanks
![20210103_183753.jpg 20210103_183753.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590168-b13ca1d7303c655debfcad36afe726b4.jpg)
It's a cheap paint. It's $40 a gallon. I've paid $400 a gallon for automotive stuff for restorations, so $40 is cheap. You're getting what you pay for.
But if you do the prep correctly and pay it down halfway right, it'll stick fine and if you keep it indoors, it'll last a long time. I'd say the limit for a truck stored outdoors is 5-10 years, depending on a lot of factors.
I shoot it with a cheap Harbor Freight paint gun (https://www.harborfreight.com/air-t...oz-hvlp-gravity-feed-air-spray-gun-62300.html).
It lays down very well. It probably would be better with a 1.8 tip in the gun, but I've used the 1.4 tip HF guns for years without issue. Turn the pressure up a bit. I think I shoot this stuff with the regulator set to 40 psi.
It flashes pretty fast, I can typically get a second coat on the same day as the first (early morning first coat, late afternoon second coat).
I know you can use a hardener in it, but that will gloss it up some and obviously for our purposes that's not desirable.
![20191211_155357.jpg 20191211_155357.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590160-76c4b2bc53fd58f514c12b173da1ecce.jpg)
![20191215_123204.jpg 20191215_123204.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590161-d1e2c8bbdb4b624e3af42c489c4ee8b2.jpg)
![20191216_135052.jpg 20191216_135052.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590162-7d9a6287016edf3f6823e85f87148626.jpg)
![20191216_172551.jpg 20191216_172551.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590163-498a82ccffe1cb9987d90a64ac25d73e.jpg)
I try to sandblast everything I paint because I'm insane. I always use Southern Polyurethane's excellent epoxy primer and everything I've shot over that has stuck to it, including real S-W waterborne CARC
![20131025_185040.jpg 20131025_185040.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590164-60959fdd0e3ff6c2595937f760a13884.jpg)
![997223c636e5f552ed23799c1771213c.jpg 997223c636e5f552ed23799c1771213c.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590165-245436a3f82397b1d1b5d05c0831ad7a.jpg)
![20131030_154509.jpg 20131030_154509.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590166-778bcbf01ad60bccbc5492ace34a5d0e.jpg)
This Power Wagon was SP epoxy with Gillespie on top of it. I did about half the metalwork and all of the spraying.
These are halftrack fuel tanks
![20201227_164740.jpg 20201227_164740.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590167-14c2e5d594c71ac362e62002199094fd.jpg)
![20210103_183753.jpg 20210103_183753.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590168-b13ca1d7303c655debfcad36afe726b4.jpg)
![20210105_170254.jpg 20210105_170254.jpg](https://www.steelsoldiers.com/data/attachments/590/590169-540db4107dfb1a6da7362447e4f845a3.jpg)
It's a cheap paint. It's $40 a gallon. I've paid $400 a gallon for automotive stuff for restorations, so $40 is cheap. You're getting what you pay for.
But if you do the prep correctly and pay it down halfway right, it'll stick fine and if you keep it indoors, it'll last a long time. I'd say the limit for a truck stored outdoors is 5-10 years, depending on a lot of factors.