I.C.T.C. Holdings Corporation 1240 - Manual (Page 7)

HERO Operator’s Manual – Page 6 of 23
GENERAL OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
3.1
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS AND PAINTING TIPS
For the specific Operating Instructions and Painting Tips of your HERO sprayer, please refer to the
laminated card attached to the turbine handle of your system. If this card is missing or has been lost,
please contact your local HERO distributor or HERO directly, we will be pleased to mail, fax, or e-mail
you a new copy.
The following general instructions are meant to be a guideline for success with your HERO sprayer.
Although practice makes perfect, there are a number of books, videos and courses available on the market
to help you further refine your knowledge and skills of spraying in general, should you wish to do so.
3.2
PAINT PREPARATION AND VISCOSITY CHART
Most sprayable coatings must be diluted to be sprayed. If so, always follow the paint or coating
manufacturers’ instructions regarding thinning solvents and dilution ratios when preparing the coating to
be sprayed. Always mix and store your thinned material in a separate container, and label your containers
based on original coating, thinning solvent used and percent dilution.
The thickness of a coating is defined by its “viscosity in seconds”: “viscous coatings” are thicker
materials; “non-viscous coatings” are thinner materials. To properly measure the viscosity of a coating,
use the Zahn B viscosity cup supplied with your HERO sprayer.
1. Completely submerge the viscosity cup in
the coating to be measured.
2. Lift the viscosity cup out of the coating and
begin timing.
3. Measure the time in seconds until the first
break in the stream of coating.
4. The time lapsed will determine the viscosity
of the coating, i.e.: 25 seconds in a Zahn B.
Once you have prepared the estimated quantity of coating required, refer to Section 3.3 of this
manual for information about Needle, Fluid Tip and Air Cap Selection based on the coating being sprayed
and its viscosity, once diluted. Refer to Section 4.4 for information about Changing The Needle, Fluid
Tip and Air Cap.
Once you have chosen and installed the appropriate size Needle, Fluid Tip and Air Cap, detach the
paint cup from the gun, pour the diluted material (paint, coating, etc.) into the cup, and re-attach it to the
gun. All material should be strained with a cone filter when poured into the paint cup and/or a Siphon
Tube Paint Filter (included in Gun Accessory Kit) should be installed on the siphon tube.
For optimum results, always test coating viscosity, spraying distance, pattern size, film thickness,
Needle/Fluid Tip/ Air Cap combination and finish, on a sample of the surface to be coated.