Getting the mix- Kirby & Penetrol

[Matt Middleton]

Over the weekend, I royally botched the job of painting a large stripe on our sailboat hull. I attempted the "roll-n-tip" method, and had little luck in not getting brushmarks and a few sags.

I think that I must be getting the wrong mix of paint (Kirby's dark blue) and penetrol (among other things), and was wondering if some other folks could give some suggestions as to what has worked for you.

Very likely, the heat and humidity of Florida in September has something to do with it, but I'd like to get a baseline to reference for mixing this stuff.

[Scott Rosen]

I use Kirby's dark blue for Patience's boot top. I find that the paint flows nicely, almost like a varnish. Here's what I do.

I use turpentine and Penatrol. For a half-pint of paint, decanted into a plastic pot, I add three or four capfulls of Penatrol. Then I add the turpentine about a tablespoon at a time. The windier the conditions, the more I thin it. When the paint is noticably thinned, I do a test on some scrap to check for flow. If you're still having problems, then add some more turps until the paint is just thicker than milk. Keep adding turps and testing until you get the flow you want.

I don't use roll and tip, because I've never mastered the technique. For large areas, apply the paint using vertical strokes of the brush or roller. If the stripe is horizontal, then do your tipping in the horizontal direction.

[Scott Rosen]

Another thought. You could try adding a very small amount of n-butyl acetate, which should slow down the drying considerably.

[Matt Middleton]

Thanks for the tips- I'm desperate for a workable solution. smile.gif