Hot Rods Laying down glass like paint......advice for the DIY crowd?

No coffee? For that finish I guess I can skip one day, or have two cups after I spray paint. Bob

 

nice!

 

I have a 1.4 in my Sata. t seems to be a good all around size. What are most of you guys using?

 

I use this 3M guide coat powder to help with sanding, I really like it, it shows all the scratches and pin holes and it is much easier to sand than a rattle can of lacquer. I didn't think it would work well for wet sanding but it does. A little goes a LONG way. This is a lifetime supply.

 

I was wondering about that stuff. I hate using the rattle cans.

 

It can be messy, wear a dust mask. I used it recently over a very dark gray primer and it showed very well, I bet it would not work on black primer though. It is much better than the old spray can thing. A big bonus is that it really keeps you from sanding too far, once the dark is gone move onto a new area, saves on having to go back and re-prime because you hit metal.

 

You can buy dry guide coat like the 3M in an aerosol. It's usually way cheaper, easier to apply and if you drop it on the floor you haven't lost a $30 tub of product. It is still dry so you don't have t wait for it to dry like paint spray it on rub it around with a cloth and sand.

 

Squegie off the water after you block wet sand will tell you if all the orang peal pits are gone, or if another coat of primer is needed. Bob

 

I LOVE!!!! this stuff. Yea, it's like 30 bucks and I have dropped a new can of it on the shop floor, but it is still WAY better than spray paint.

See ya, -Abone.

 

I like SEM guide coat spray paint. Dries real fast and doesn't act up with top coat. Rattle can lacquer might cause problems.

 

A friend said one word. PREP. Then, he walked away as the fog came in.

 

Tell us more about the turbine spray system... Inquiring minds want to know...

 

Tips for getting that slick paint job:
Practice, practice, practice
Prep - straighten metal, high build 2k primer, block, and repeat. Surface must be flat, smooth , free from deep sand scratches, and clean before shooting base coat, clear or single stage.
Use quality materials... Paint, sand paper, tape, masking paper, etc.
Find a low volume HVLP gravity feed gun... I use an older Sata for base coats and an Iwata LPH 400 LV for clear. Iwata shoots finely atomized material at a real low volume of air.
Regulator and inline filter at gun.
Read tech data sheets for your products. Don't mix products from different manufacturers... All reducers are not the same!

Cut and buff... This separates the men from the boys. Uncut finishes are for body shops, matching textures on panel and spot repairs (that's an art in itself).

Wear proper PPE, respirators, etc.

Practice, practice, practice.

Check out Kevin Tetz's "Paintucation" how to video series. I bought a set from him years before he "made it" on car guy TV.

 

x2 (3,4?) on the guide coat. I used a spray guide coat, ppg brand I think.
I love the product, particularly if you're doing two or 3 grits on a final blocking of 2k primer. Hard to tell where you've been and where you haven't otherwise. Very light trace coat is all that's needed.

 

There is a bunch of great reading here with an"hvlp" search. This is one of the better ones; http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hvlp-turbine-paint-systems.529675/
It got me started on the whole subject.
Couple key points here.
I've never painted a car. I figure that the Turbine/HVLP system is good for me because I have no experience with standard techniques. It seems like the techniques are a bit different and the paint lays down different with turbine, so I'll learn that way.

Also, although I have a good sized compressor, I've got air that is not clean and dry enough for painting. I feel that I'd spend a bunch to get the clean, dry air that I can get with turbine.

So far, the learning curve seems pretty simple. Use a viscosity cup and get it right for the recommended tip. Air remains constant so the two adjustments end up being fan size and paint volume.

Overspray seems to be minimal and it may just be me, but the paint just seems to lay on without a lot of atomized paint blowing around. The paint thats applied is not disturbed because there is not much air pressure blowing on it. Around 7-8 psi at over 100 cfm.

Anyway, you asked. Results may vary

 

One trick you can do is add a capful or so of Ethyl Benzene (eb) this is a very slow tail solvent, and gives your paint time to flow and level. This also helps in high humidity because it's slower than water to evaporate with air movement in most cases. It cost retail around$30/quart maybe less.
I add eb in lacquer thinner for different flash times for customers needing a slower lacquer topcoat. Also works in clear coat if you are have dye back issues. Adding too much however will result in solvent pop.

Sent from my SM-N920V using H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Prep, prep, prep, prep. Believe me, factory orange peel hides some terrible bodywork. If you spray it mirror smooth or buff it mirror smooth, it will SHOW SHOW SHOW every little mistake in your prep.


As fas as spraying glass, it's a very fine line to walk. Higher pressure, heavier product, narrower fan, waay closer gun distance, and FAST reducer. I had a guy at a seminar grab my hand once when I volunteered to try his clear out on stage. I told him "let me finish". It came out great and he asked me how many runs I get on a good week and I just laughed. It was either glass when it was done or it was runs. That's what I mean when I say fine line. You can't account for all angles and pitches on a car when spraying clear coat really heavily if you only do I occasionally. I used to paint 8 hours a day in a production shop and I still ran enough cars to be yelled at. But the ones that didn't run just needed a wash and delivery, no buffing.


Good luck, but I'd rather just put a little extra clear on, wet sand it, buff it, and go cruisin. Trying to spray clear like glass is a lot of time, effort, and risk that you'll be trying to cut runs with a razor blade before the clear flashes.

 

right temp.
right reducer
good air flow
gun set right
quality materials
proper prep

 

Good gravey , that's a lot of louvers to block sand
Sick

 

my finger tips are nice and smooth..............

 

build thread here for the brookville roadster.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/still-no-snow-so-lets-get-a-roadster-started.1001571/

 

I'd like to resurrect this thread. I've been reading a lot about painting lately. Does anyone have anything to add to this thread?

 

^^^^^^ print the tech sheets, follow instructions, prep prep prep^^^^^^^^
practice, practice, practice.
I stopped worrying about spraying things perfect
prep it perfect, then spray it good enough you can cut and buff it perfect

 

This is what I learned years ago. I tried and got pretty good at shooting paint to leave as is . Always stressed the he'll out of me until a guy told me you are just laying on enough material when you shoot. The paint job is how you work it out after shooting. I still try to shoot as well as I can but don't stress anymore. Another thing I figured out on my own is to throw the chord of a florescent shop light over my shoulder and hold the light on the area as I spray it. With enough light you can see the exact texture you are spraying and there is an exact flash point that looks like wet microscopic sand pebbles just before it glosses out. I spray to that texture and move on. Gets perfect finish every time. I don't know if this will work with the new HVLP guns. I have always used the early guns and a paint pot. Throw the air and fluid hoses over your shoulder the same as the light chord. I have painted many cars, motorcycles and aircraft over the years.

 

I use to be a painter, did a lot of custom work in the 70s/80s. Lacquers, acrylic enamels, later started getting into the urethanes. Always used my trusted Devilbliss siphon feed gun, use to pride myself on laying down slick paint. Today I try to paint something with these new high solid clear and a HVLP gun and I have orange peel or runs (or both). Seems no matter what I try I'm facing a hard cut and buff.
So most the time I hire out the paint work now days, the guy I use lays down some of the slickest paint I ever seen, pisses me off it's so nice. Of course I really do love it when it comes to buffing, little dirt nib and done. I asked him what is the technique, he just sruggs his shoulders, not sure if it's a "speed secret" he won't share or he's just lucky and has the knack.

 

Orange peel is to much air pressure for the material (fluid) you are laying down. Think of a lake on a calm day. Then think what it looks like on a windy day. If you have to much fluid coming out of the gun, you have to add air pressure to atomize the mix. To much and you have orange peel. Adjust until you get the right amount of both. Like I said earlier, I am not sure how the HVLP guns work. I have and still use the old guns.

 

Flatford39.I do the same thing. In the summer weather I try and paint as early as I can before it gets too hot and humid. Bruce.

 

Highlander.I like untaping a car after a GOOD paint job.Its like Christmas day to me.LOL.Bruce. P.S. I hate taping up a car though!

 

One trickpony.BUT what if you are spraying acrylic enamel {with hardner} would you use acrylic enamel reducer then to fog it over???Thanks Bruce.

 

Highlander very nice job.I shot this one was a while back done with acrylic enamel paint and hardner. Bruce.