[thenrie]

It was...shall we say...a learning experience.

Cub Cadet paint is not oil-based. Must be some kind of epoxy paint. Neither naptha nor mineral spirits will thin it. I happened to have a quart of acetone on hand. Tried that. Thinned it beautifully. Figured I'd try it, since this will probably be the last chance I will get this year to paint. So much for all my preparations. The acetone was too fast as a thinner.

Also my first time trying HVLP. Finally got the paint thinned enough and the gun set fairly close, but the paint was drying so fast it was hard to get things covered before the paint kicked. Then I ended up with not enough acetone left over to clean things properly. Some parts turned out smooth as glass, others turned out too dry and rough.

Figure I'll just have to sand it this spring and try again.

Conclusions:
- Decided I like HVLP. Low overspray.
- I won't use Cub Cadet paint again. Not that it's bad paint, but it makes me angry that it is so expensive, yet they don't even bother to tell you what kind of paint it is and how to thin it. Nothing at all. I've never seen paint so poorly labeled before.
- Next time I'll go to an automitive paint store and get the help I need before I buy the stuff.

Frustrating. Thought I'd be able to start reassembling next week.