45 minutes of block sanding ruined by one drip I didn't catch

I was blocking out a 2018 F-150 door today and got it looking perfect. Then I sprayed the sealer and walked away for 10 minutes. Came back and saw a run right down the edge of the body line. I was so focused on keeping everything flat that I rushed the last pass and didn't check my fluid levels. Found out from a buddy that a lot of guys use a lower fluid tip on their primer guns to avoid this. Has anyone else switched to a 1.4 or smaller tip for sealer and noticed less drips?

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2 Comments

robin_roberts844mo ago

I switched to a 1.3 tip on my sealer gun after the exact same thing happened to me on a Ram 1500 door last spring. That drip set me back almost an hour of resanding and respraying. Now I run a 1.3 for sealer and a 1.4 for primer, and I haven't had a run since. You gotta watch your air pressure too, I keep mine around 22-24 psi for sealer to keep it from getting too wet. Just slows down the material enough to catch any issues before they set.

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william_henderson4mo ago

And see, I went the exact opposite direction and it worked out better for me. I bumped up to a 1.5 tip on my sealer gun and dropped my pressure down to around 18 psi. Gives me a drier, more forgiving spray that doesn't puddle up on vertical panels. Those tight 1.3 tips just force the material out faster and make it harder to lay down a consistent coat without fighting it. I'd rather have a little more material control and a slightly rougher finish that I can sand back than a smooth coat that runs the second I look away. Different strokes for different folks I guess, but I've been running that 1.5 for years now on Rams and Fords and I'm not changing back.

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