TOPIC: Spraying Zolatone......

I am in the process of refurbishing our 1960 Glasspar Seafair Sedan.
Over the past two weeks, we have sanded, primered and finally gotten the original MEDUSA GRAY "Zolatone" Finish down on the entire interior of the boat. Here are some photos of the work from start to finish:

ZOLATONE PRIMER:

ZOLATONE "MEDUSA GRAY" FINAL/FINISH COAT:

ZOLATONE "MEDUSA GRAY" FINAL/FINISH COAT:

This was my first ever attempt at spraying "Zolatone" but I had watched it being sprayed on two prior occasions. Overall, my Wife and I were pleased with the way the job came out all things considered.

My question for the experts here on Fiberglassics is who has experience spraying this material and what type of spray guns did you use? I had read and been told that an HVLP type spray gun could be used, however, FOR ME,.....that DID NOT work! The nozzle and area under the paint cup continually got plugged with the thick "Zolatone" even though I had a 2.5mm nozzle!

Upon recommendation of a good friend of mine who is in the marine refinishing business, I ended up using an old style "siphon type"
spray gun which ended up working well. I would appreciate any input from those of you that have sprayed or worked with
Zolatone.

Thanks!

WoW Looks great. You can add all your pics in one post. After you submit your post for the first time hit edit and you can add another pic and more text too. Submit again and add another and continue the process until you have them all. But the smilies don't work for me anymore.

Here is a photo of the "siphon type spray gun" I used after it was recommended by my friend:

robert-lorigan wrote:

WoW Looks great. You can add all your pics in one post. After you submit your post for the first time hit edit and you can add another pic and more text too. Submit again and add another and continue the process until you have them all. But the smilies don't work for me anymore.

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Robert:

Thank you for your kind words Sir! Also, I appreciate the tips on posting the photos! I will try that next time. I had a couple of "double posts" when one of the photos did not want to post up.

Like you, I cannot get the "smilies" to work for me either.

The Seafair is looking good John! You should post some photos here of the nice exterior surface you put on it.

Dean (I have to manually create the smilies)

deanlofall wrote:

The Seafair is looking good John! You should post some photos here of the nice exterior surface you put on it.

Dean (I have to manually create the smilies)

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Thanks Dean!

Yes, I will try to get some of the photos up here of the hull and woodwork we have done on our refurbish. I should have the boat ready for the new Merc 90 within the next couple of weeks.

Hey Dean, how is your boat project coming along?

I have used and sprayed Zolotone on many occasions. It looks like to me you were successful in your endeavor.

It is based on the old oil and water trick.

You use a the typical siphon spray set-up, just as you would with a normal lacquer or enamel. Only you adjust the nozzles for the desired effect.

The base color is thin and is sprayed at a high volume, high pressure. The accent color has a different chemical composition and will not mix with the base color. You apply that by using low volume, low pressure. The result is spatter.

I can see why some folks would think that a HVLP gun would work but it does not. You need the two different settings on the siphon gun to achieve a proper Zolotone finish.

Tough as nails, it is what a lot of boats and even some car trunks were treated with.

headley wrote:

I have used and sprayed Zolotone on many occasions. It looks like to me you were successful in your endeavor.

It is based on the old oil and water trick.

You use a the typical siphon spray set-up, just as you would with a normal lacquer or enamel. Only you adjust the nozzles for the desired effect.

The base color is thin and is sprayed at a high volume, high pressure. The accent color has a different chemical composition and will not mix with the base color. You apply that by using low volume, low pressure. The result is spatter.

I can see why some folks would think that a HVLP gun would work but it does not. You need the two different settings on the siphon gun to achieve a proper Zolotone finish.

Tough as nails, it is what a lot of boats and even some car trunks were treated with.

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Headley:

Thank you so much for your input and experience Sir! That is exactly what I was looking for. It is good to hear you think my first attempt at this was successful! I can tell you that it was a good experience for me. Having to shoot that "Sheer Coat" at 50psi and then "reset" the gun to lower pressure (30) for the "Finish Coat" and watch the difference in how the "specks' came out was interesting.

Thanks again for you post Sir.