# Using my new TrueCoat Plus



## paratrooper (Mar 6, 2009)

I used my new Graco TruCoat Plus for the first time on a few dozen hollow metal door and window frames in a new commercial building. 

Overall, it produced an excellant finish but here are some complaints:

-The Cord: when there's only one outlet in the entire building (new construction) you have to snake a cord along with you. Keeping it off of the frames was a constant annoyance. Maybe the ProShot would have ben worth the extra money? This feels like a 1st world problem: like someone complaining that their tv favorite show isn't in HD. 

-The Tiger-Striping: the sprayer pulsed just enough to leave fine stripes on the new metal. They leveled out and hid after the 2nd coat, but I could not remedy them. First I thought that the extension cord was too long and power was lacking, but it did the same thing with a short extension cord as well. 

-One Quart: One quart is not enough. I thought that I saw a backpack of some sort that can siphon from a gallon held within but I'm not sure. I applied three gallons of SW DTM Acrylic semigloss---12 refills. Just when I would fall into a rythem it was time for a refill. 

Here are some of the things that I liked:

-Price: this is a very cost effective alternative for people like me who do not spray often (my business is based on hand-finishing). It ended up being in the low to mid $200 range. 

-Ease of use: This product was basically plug-and-play. Easy to setup and easy to operate.

-The finish: I was genuinely impressed by the finish. I spray something once or twice a year but have never done new hollow metal door and window frames. The finish was uniform, smooth and dried evenly--even after the minor tiger-striping. 

-ROI: the TruCoat paid for itself five-fold with this first project. From a business point of view this was a great capital investment (even as minor as it is). 

-No Batteries: this could be a pro or a con, but I would have been strangled by battery charging very soon on. It took only 5-10 minutes to spray one quart. If a battery lasts for one gallon I probably would have been waiting for a fresh battery. This sprayer was a little heavy as it is, not counting an 18v battery.

Overall, I know now that I need to spend some more time with this tool. It is worth the money for me and my purposes. Although I jockeyed back and forth between battery vs corded, I think that I made the right choice for now. I look forward to finding new uses for this tool.

Also, please let me know if there's something that I can do to make this machine more effective (tiger-striping) or more efficient. I'm not a proficient sprayer and am open to suggestions.


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## pinchegordo (Jul 3, 2011)

For the striping try reducing your material just a bit more and put on a lighter tack coat ... I have used my buddys true coat and pro shor and have found this to be the case also make sure you run the 100 mesh FF filter seems to help the true coat spray a bit more evenly( atomizes the paint?) good luck


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## paratrooper (Mar 6, 2009)

I'll try reducing the viscosity of the DTM this afternoon. Thank You.


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## Masterpiece (Feb 26, 2008)

Interesting, thanks for the review. I'm still debating on trying one of these but I really don't want something that requires thinning down the paint to properly utilize....


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## paratrooper (Mar 6, 2009)

I tried another color of DTM (a bright, deep blue) and there was a noticable difference in the 'tiger-striping.' I did not reduce it. The hollow metal frames are primed a dark grey so the blue covered much better than the offwhite. With the offwhite the stripes were very pronounced because of the color contrast. In the end though, all of it leveled out and looks great.


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## pinchegordo (Jul 3, 2011)

paratrooper said:


> I tried another color of DTM (a bright, deep blue) and there was a noticable difference in the 'tiger-striping.' I did not reduce it. The hollow metal frames are primed a dark grey so the blue covered much better than the offwhite. With the offwhite the stripes were very pronounced because of the color contrast. In the end though, all of it leveled out and looks great.


Good stuff! They are definatly a different animal.... I myself prefer to just break out my Titan 440 to spray small stuff but hey that's me..... Best piece of advice I can give for those thing is clean clean clean them drinking water clean after every use.. Best of luck


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## Masterpiece (Feb 26, 2008)

I can't remember, is the pressure adjustable at all on that unit?
And how's the level of overspray?


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## ibsocal (Apr 17, 2007)

Masterpiece said:


> I can't remember, is the pressure adjustable at all on that unit?
> And how's the level of overspray?


 
No pressure adjusments.
overspray is low unless your in a windy area.

this thing gets heavy after awhile even though i switch hands and have better then average arm strength.

it could use a back/hip pack + attachaments like its big brother(pro shot) as it blows through a quart very fast but overall I like it and will be making my own mods to suit me.


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## paratrooper (Mar 6, 2009)

I agree, it goes through a quart in a few minutes. It would be great to have a 'backpack' or 'hippack' that can hold a gallon. Overspray isn't too bad. Cleaning is a bit ackward because of having to lug a cord with you (new commercial space). After using it periodically for a week, I realize that more water will be run through this thing than paint. I think that having a pressure adjustment would make this machine better.


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## Tonyg (Dec 9, 2007)

The pulsating is my biggest complaint as well. I primarily use it for exterior garage doors, and occasionally exterior doors and dental block. When doing the doors or flat surfaces you really need to use a cross pattern to help with the striping.

I think the FF sprayer line may eliminate the pulsating issue with adjustable pressure but at the price tag they have it at I will break out the 595 before I drop $700-$800 on another toy


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## pinchegordo (Jul 3, 2011)

Tonyg said:


> The pulsating is my biggest complaint as well. I primarily use it for exterior garage doors, and occasionally exterior doors and dental block. When doing the doors or flat surfaces you really need to use a cross pattern to help with the striping.
> 
> I think the FF sprayer line may eliminate the pulsating issue with adjustable pressure but at the price tag they have it at I will break out the 595 before I drop $700-$800 on another toy


If you are getting pulsating you need to reduce you material a bit.

Also the do make a 1 gallon back pack for it


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