Morrells 421 waterborne topcoat 20% sheen

[Roughcut]

I seem to be having trouble with getting a good surface finish with Morrells 421.
I've sprayed (using Earlex 5500) 2 coats of Morrells high build primer without any problems but this 421 is completely different.
When I stirred the paint I expected an even run off from the stirrer but it just runs if in droplets, I even used a paint paddle in a drill to make sure it was stirred well which didn't make any difference.
It seems overly watery to me, but having not used it before I don't know if this is how it's supposed to be?
My experience with spraying is very limited and previously I used Leyland eggshell thinned 10% with water and it's met my expectations.
This Morrells has been sat in the garage sealed up for about a year so too late to send back to supplier.
I'm grasping at straws now because I'm half way through finishing a project but just wondered if someone might be able to shed some light on this situation, and if it is salvageable? :roll:

 

[ED65]

You say you're having trouble getting a good surface finish, could you elaborate?

Is it prone to puddling? Runs? Does it dry powdery?

I'm half way through finishing a project

You've probably heard this before but always always always test a new finish on scrap before committing to the finished article. It's worth doing with a finish you've used before too, but it's a must-do for anything new to prevent unpleasant surprises.

 

[Roughcut]

I'm not an experienced sprayer but I'm certain that the 5 litres of Morrells I had was not mixed properly at the manufacturers.
It's too watery and I ended up having to finish off with a foam roller and the multiple coats I had to do to get acceptable coverage led me to believe this was the problem.

 

[mahomo59]

I thought WB had a short shelf life and even shorter once opened. Could be that it's past its sale by date.

 

[Roughcut]

Thanks for your replies fellas.
I'm not entirely sure if it was past the use by date (1 year on) or not but it has been kept sealed up in the garage in that time and as I said the primer bought at the same time was good.
And I've never had problems with other wb that have been used more than a year after purchase.
I might stay with Leyland Eggshell from now on as I've always been happy with that.

 

[RobinBHM]

If it has got frozen, that would be likely to damage the lacquer.

I would have expected the material to not run off a stirrer in drips, it should run off without breaking into droplets.

Ive not used morrells but have used other wb lacquers like sayalack and they are all reasonably gloopy -sort of single cream (hows that for a technical description of viscocity!).

If you use a wb lacquer formulated for spraying, you will end up with better results than a formulations for brushing, its worth persisting with using the right stuff.