How to paint with a hammer paint spray gun

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

Hammer paint from a popular German brand with a 25-year warranty

It may seem to a person who does not encounter painting work that the process is simple and does not require great mental abilities. In fact, this is far from the case, high-quality painting is a whole science, with a whole list of its subtleties and nuances that you just need to know.

Each material has its own characteristic features, and in this article we will talk about how hammer painting with a spray gun occurs, and if you have plans for such an event, we strongly recommend that you read this material to the end.

What is hammer paint

Closer texture on closer inspection

To understand how to work with this or that material, you need to study it thoroughly to understand why this process occurs in this way and not otherwise.

Hammer paint Is a stable polymer dye dissolved in a chemical solvent and having a porous structure. Such paint appeared relatively recently, and immediately gained popularity, thanks to its almost unique characteristics that other dyes do not have.

There are two versions why this paint got its name:

• When hitting a painted surface with a hammer, there are no chips or scratches left on it, and if the metal was deformed, then the paint took its shape and did not lag behind the surface.
• External qualities. After painting and complete drying, the surface is not smooth, as is the case with other materials, but as if in potholes that resemble forged metal, on which the blacksmith’s hammer left its mark.

In any case, whatever it was, both of these facts are completely reliable and have a place to be, so it does not matter which version is correct.

Pros of Hammer Paint

Hammer enamel can safely cover the bottom of boats

It is no coincidence that hammer paint has unique technical characteristics, and unless powdered polymer, which is applied by polymerization, can compete with it, it is almost impossible to do it with our own hands. Hammer enamel in this case is a good alternative, of course, it is somewhat inferior in quality, but we should not forget that the price of such a coating is much lower, and plus you can make it yourself, and you don’t need any special equipment.

Important! Unscrupulous manufacturers of metal products often give out a hammer coating as a powder polymer. It is very difficult for a person who has not encountered this question to find differences, and the fraud will come up after some time, when the coating begins to manifest itself.

Enamel has a lot of pluses, and for listing them you will need a separate article, so we will focus only on the most significant:

• Hammer paint is one of the most durable, not depending on in what environment it is used.
• Decorative qualities are very convenient for masking metal defectsthat are common, especially on forged products.
• High UV resistance. The paint does not fade in the sun and does not lose its original decorative qualities.
• Maximum resistance to temperature changes. Neither choking heat nor severe frosts are terrible for hammer enamel.
• The technology of painting with a hammer paint includes the application of only one layer, without additional primers and impregnations. This is very beneficial, especially considering that such a paint is relatively cheap.

Not yet diluted hammer paint in a can

• Resistance to mechanical damage. One of the main aspects when choosing a paint. Hammer enamel is very difficult to damage, and the polymer component allows it to deform and take the necessary forms in the event of any impact.
• Moisture resistant. As you know, water is the main enemy of metal. With constant contact, the corrosion process begins, which is very difficult to stop, so it is so important that the paint gives reliable protection, and hammer enamel easily copes with the task.

Minuses

Hammer enamel of little-known manufacturers, and as a result of dubious quality

Unfortunately, the ideal material does not exist, and even with hammer paint you can find a number of minuses, which often become very significant. Of course, there are much fewer of them than pluses, but you just need to know about them in order not to encounter unpleasant surprises afterwards.

• Difficulty applying. This applies to both smooth surfaces and products of complex shape. The fact is that if at least one place was unpainted, then corrosion will start from it, and the entire coating will quickly come to an end.
• Hammer paint does not interact with any other coatings, and simply folds upon contact. This nuance must be taken into account when painting old products on which any paint has already been applied.
• If ever, you will need to repaint the product, then it will be very, very difficult to do. On top of the hammer enamel, other paints do not lie down, and you will have to completely remove it, and it will be very difficult to do this.

Well, and probably the main disadvantage that repels most potential buyers is the cost. It should be noted right away that we are only talking about trusted brands that are produced in Germany. Of course, today there are many cheaper analogues, but only they do not meet half of the initially declared qualities.

Important! The brand name also does not give a one hundred percent guarantee of quality, since it is these materials that most often become victims of fakes. In order not to fall for the tricks of fraudsters, carefully study the distinguishing features of this brand, which are specially made for protection, and are rarely faked by attackers who rely only on the credulity and ignorance of consumers.

Choose a spray gun

Pneumatic spray gun with separate pressure sensor in the system

Any professional will tell you that the right choice of a working tool is already a 50 percent guarantee of quality work. You can be an arbitrarily good master, but if you don’t know, how to choose a spray gun, nothing good will come of it.

So, the first and most important thing you need to know about hammer enamel is that its consistency is very thick, even after dilution with solvents, which means that the spray gun should be as powerful as possible.

Hand pumps can be immediately discarded; they are only suitable for water-based liquid paints. The electric version can be used, but you need to choose the most powerful model, and only eminent brands have such ones, the cost of which can simply be off the scale.

The most ideal option is a spray gun with a compressor, and the compressor receiver should be of sufficient volume to have time to pump up pressure, during long and stagnant work. The fact is that painting with hammer paint takes place in one approach, that is, once you press the trigger, it is released only when the paint in the barrel is over, or the work is completed.

There are several factors that a spray gun must work with to work with hammer enamels:

• Coarse nozzle size.
• Maximum allowable pressure during operation of the spray gun.
• The size of the compressor receiver, which should be sufficient to maintain a constant pressure for a long time.

And most importantly, the spray gun must be sterile clean. So that there are no foreign elements inside it that impede the normal flow of paint. Otherwise, the paint will fly out lumps, and lie unevenly on the surface, and this is already a marriage, which will be difficult to fix.

The instructions for working with hammer paint will be described in detail below, but before moving on to it, we strongly recommend that you watch the video in this article, which clearly shows the entire process of applying paint with a spray gun. This will help you understand everything that will be discussed below.

Work with hammer paint

Wide range of hammer enamels

As we said above, the staining process begins with the choice of the paint itself, and here in fact, not so much choice. No, there are plenty of brands of hammer paint on the modern market, and moreover, you can pick it up based on any financial possibilities. But this is precisely where the main snag lies - why does one paint cost several thousand rubles per kilogram and the other only a couple of hundred?

Is it a brand matter? From the part. But the fact is that brands take great care of their good name and will not save on components in order to reduce prices by a few rubles. But the less popular and well-known brands do not care so much about their customers, focusing on momentary profits.

So, here is our advice to you: if you want to get a truly high-quality and durable painted coating, forget about the money saved. Good paint, by definition, cannot be cheap.

And the benefit is completely leveled, given the fact that low-quality paint will have to be renewed at most every three years, or even more often. While the popular German brand shown in one of the photos in this article will last at least 25 years, and you won’t have to renew it.

Paint preparation

Special brand solvent for hammer enamel

So, the paint is bought, and after you open the can, you see a thick viscous liquid, which, in addition to everything else, does not correspond to the washed color. Do not be alarmed, as it should be, just all the active substances are separated, and now they need to be thoroughly mixed.

Any tool that has a spade-shaped end and is able to reach the bottom of the can is suitable for this. It is necessary to mix the paint until there are no obvious lumps at the bottom, and the consistency does not look like thick sour cream.

We carry out these manipulations with all the banks that we plan to spend on painting, and merge them into one large tank. This is necessary so that all paint has the same consistency, and, accordingly, color. Now, pour a little solvent into empty jars, and carefully wash off the residues from the walls and bottom. Do not be too lazy to do this, since there remains a lot of material that you would otherwise throw away.

Important! Using branded paint, dilute it with a solvent of the same brand. Only in this case, the manufacturer guarantees the declared quality and service life.

Now, the paint needs to be diluted to the desired state. It is determined by eye, and the easiest way to do this is to raise the tool with which the paint was mixed and watch the flowing paint. The stream should be even and not interrupted, if the paint does not drain and drips, it is too thick and you need to add more solvent.

Spray gun preparation

The result of the interaction of hammer enamel with its inappropriate components

An equally important stage, which concerns not only a used tool, but also a completely new one. The fact is that inside the spray gun there may remain oil or grease elements that are simply incompatible with hammer enamel and will destroy it upon contact.

Therefore, before pouring paint inside, fill in a compatible solvent and blow out the tool with it for several minutes. The solvent will remove foreign elements and create a favorable environment. Now, it regulates the air supply on the compressor and the spray gun, and you can get to work.

Painting

Too thick paint

Well, here comes the most crucial moment. If we are talking about painting complex products, then the most important thing is attentiveness and accuracy, so as not to leave in the process non-paints, from which rust will begin to spread.

If we talk about a flat area, then there is another complication, which, by the way, is no less important - is the uniformity of the coating. It is her most difficult to achieve when working with hammer paint. The fact is that depending on the thickness of the put paint layer, the configuration of the potholes on the surface also changes and after complete drying, this will be very noticeable.

To begin with, it is best to practice a little on something outsider to understand how the paint applied by the airbrush behaves. Start painting from the corner, and slowly draw a line to the other edge of the surface to be painted, then, without releasing the handle of the tool, go to the next row and move in the opposite direction.

Painting horizontal surfaces with a spray gun

Each line should step a little on the previous one, and the speed is determined by the thickness of the laid layer. The paint should go slightly in waves, this is a sign of a normal layer and the optimal speed of movement of the spray gun.

The main thing here is patience and a firm hand, which should not stop the process that has begun. After several trainings, you will feel how the paint behaves, and you can safely take on a responsible job. And remember, do-it-yourself hammer painting is not a geometry theorem, everything is much simpler here.