# spraying aaa kem aqua / kem aqua plus discussion



## aleae (Jan 24, 2014)

hi,

we have a small, high end custom cabinet shop on cape cod, mass. about 2 years ago we picked up a kremlin air assisted airless sprayer and cold turkey converted from oil based spraying over to waterborne using the Sherwin Williams kem aqua line. i don't have any contacts in the area using this system, so all of our knowledge has come from trial and error and online video and forums.

I'd just like to open up a general discussion on spraying ka / ka+. please join in and recount your experiences. i would like to know:

1. what you spray with (hvlp, aaa, etc)
2. what your process is
3. what challenges you may have had and how you solved any problems
4. any major issues
5. what variety of projects you have used the ka line on

I'm not all that interested in comparing ka/ka+ with other products, I'm more interested in dialing in an already solid process, so kindly please keep the discussion on this topic.

I'm hoping to collaborate with some experienced users to keep improving our system.

thanks!


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## aleae (Jan 24, 2014)

1. what you spray with (hvlp, aaa, etc)

- kremlin 10.14 aaa with mvx gun

2. what your process is

- ka+ surfacer unmixed at 30psi air/ 550psi liquid, 
- let dry approx 30 mins
- very very fast light sand with electric palm sander with used 150 grit paper on the flats, and 3m thin fine sanding pads for sides, edges, corners, profiles etc. maybe actual used 150 sand paper on difficult profiles

3. what challenges you may have had and how you solved any problems

more to follow on this topic

4. any major issues

more to follow

5. what variety of projects you have used the ka line on

- mostly new construction, bare wood
- mdf, medex for our cabinet doors
- poplar for nosings, other details
- unfinished birch plywood for cabinet boxes & drawers

i'll post up some pictures shortly. thanks to all who respond.

luther
bateswoodwork.com


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## sharrard (Mar 27, 2013)

1. what you spray with (hvlp, aaa, etc)

- graco 395 fine finish - 410 tip, capspray 8100

2. what your process is: 

wash w/ tsp or as required, 
sand 120 to 220 as required, 
fill holes and cracks first pass as required, 
kem aqua primer (1X) , no sand,
fill holes and cracks second pass as required, 
kem aqua surfacer (1X), sand 220, 
kem aqua finsh coat (1x), sand maroon pad, 
kem aqua (1x) MONEY COAT!

- if its white your done, it its a darker colour likely another.

3. what challenges you may have had and how you solved any problems,,,, trying to get it on thick enough but not too thick - cracks filling in between the detail and panels can be a problem. using a 410 tip to apply all the product (primer, surfacer, finish coat) helps with the thick enought but not to thick thing. i used to use a 310 tip but read here to to try the 410 tip (and it did make a difference). 

4. any major issues: never looks good going on - lots of microbubbles - trick is getting the paint on thick enough so they run out. not fun to watch dry.:whistling2:

- in MHO the AAA thing is over rated - graco's tip for AAA G40 Gun i find to be a real pain - always getting clogged and needing a good cleaning every 20 or so doors. it has 8 very tiny holes that pass air and they always get clogged.

- it seems that we usually go AIRLESS in the shop due to our experience and all the variables of having to deal with the AIR part. you'll only spend a day or two sanding out microbubbles before you say F this and go back to your AIRLESS roots. we might blow more paint but we go really fast.:thumbup:

- on AAA - the best results i got where with MATERIAL PSI 800 TO 1000 and the AIR PSI set to 30 or higher. Material PSI is will be a factor of your how thick the glue is (Kem Aqua) and the shape of your tip. I gather you want to set the material psi as low as you can (like airless) but the air PSI can go a lot higher than the MDS states (of the dum guide on the side of my sprayer). This i stole from a ML Campbell presention i found on the web. Again lots of variables with the waterborne product

5. what variety of projects you have used the ka line on: we paint cabinets, nottin but, airless in the shop and capspray HVLP on site.


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

Great replies. Hopefully straight lines chimes in soon. 



Sent from my blah blah blah


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