vid1900 - any suggestions on thinning the Kilz Oil primer for use in the HF HVLP gun?

I prime my cabinet with a roller+brush.. but just could not get it perfectly flat sanding (too many pits/pockets) without taking most of the primer out too. So I now I need to spray it, but Kilz's says not to thin it... yet it seems all the craftsman do... Any suggestions on ratios?

I used foam roller and oil based kilz (no thinning). Oil as a base is always more forgiving in what you use on top vs latex.. and probably sands better too.

The finish was smooth to the touch, but not really and I was pushing for better. Example of the pitting that wouldn't sand out easily..

IMG_4248 (resized).JPG

yeah but starting with what kind of ratio? Can't see mixing, loading, unloading, mixing more load, unload, etc

Not sure what's the way to dial that in..

Thx Bryan. I did some of that the first time around.. but still had the large areas that were not flat, and wasn't going to fill the whole side again. Here is some before and after to compare..

Before...
IMG_4258 (resized).JPG

After...
IMG_4257 (resized).JPG

I was worried the before was 'too much' and would telegraph through the decals too much

The bondo filler work was rough sanded with 80 and then 180grit before I moved onto the primer. Whole cabinet was 180 sanded.

Trying to sand the primer.. I was using 320git.. but eventually moved down to 220grit for the final "I give up damnit!!" passes after not really getting past the 'before' photo above

SHOULD be in the paint.. but that's one of the benefits of primer, it really can expose what you may not see otherwise. It sanded flat without really getting into the wood, so it should all be in the primer. But it's also possible it was the bondo filler that didn't sand smooth and instead was 'tearing'. You can see more of it in the before/after I posted just above this.

If the cabinet is just painted... not decals... save yourself the time and cleanup and just sand. If you use stripper... you’ll still be doing a sanding pass anyways. Use a heavy grit and just knock it out quick with an orbital sander. Normally you strip to wood if u are chasing the best finish. Less variables.

Sounds like a non factory hack

For touch ups its common... for wide areas it usually leaves an inferior look due to the brush marks. But people have done it for decades... but it's not a great look. Best way is mask and spray if it's anything but scratches, spots, etc.

You have vinyl covered wood.. that they then screen printed onto. Not decals that are stuck on.

The vinyl can separate from the wood and you get what looks like decals bunching up, etc.

Pinching of the vinyl and the vinyl detaches from the substrate. Happens around the legs typically - just like modern decals.

Sanding or scraping.. pick your religion. I use a scraper and heat w/o much trouble at all. You will still have to sand though because of residual glue.

Use rapid tac and do a wet install and don't worry about this perfect fitment. What you need to worry about is not stretching the material trying to reposition. But even if you do a dry install, you should be able to position the decal FIRST, secure it, then lift some of it back, remove the backing, install that section, and then remove your securing stuff and work the rest of decal on by working up from your initial spot. Lookup any vinyl install video where they talk about placing, then removing about 1/4 of the backing to start your initial placement. you then remove your securing points and work the rest of the way back.

You can assume it's white - you can use a paint pen to cover white edges left from cutting. For decals the key is the surface free of defects.. because they will transmit right through the decal, especially if glossy. You should sand, prime, sand, paint for best base. Normally you would paint at least around the edges to avoid any edge issues.