ground body of car when painting?

Is it true that you should ground the body of a car when painting? If so whats the best way? should battery be disconnected? Any other tips?
thanks

 

huh???

 

I've heard that before, but I don't. I do know weather is a big factor in static electricity when painting, but if it's a low-humidity day (early morning is always best) I don't think I'd worry too much.

 

painted lot,s of things but never grounded any ??? dont know for shure???

 

Always do. wrap chain around rear and let lay on ground. Takes seconds Was told it was to prevent static electricity. Grounds frame I dont know why, But the guy who taught me how to paint always did this and so will I. I think it has something to do with. While your painting + positive charges are in the air. without being grounded the car could have a + positive charge so in short .Ground the car.

 

Silly, maybe, but I use to hear of guys grounding the ch***is and body's on vettes to the floor before wiping down and painting. Course depending on what you were wearing shoe wise it would discharge when you touched it. Air, believe it or not will cause a static charge on a car when blown across it. Use your own judgement I guess.

 

I've heard of this too. Because of static electricity. Dunno if it's true but I remember hearing it...

 

An old painter friend of mine even runs a ground along the air hose to his paint gun ...well to the disconnect anyway...something about the air traveling through the gun at high velocity creating a charge of some sort...same as with the car I guess.

 

As a very little kid I watched dad paint a lot of cars, and I now have painted quite a few, and I paint someting almost everyday, but have never heard of this before....

 

Plastic cars could sure get a bit staticky (is that a word?). I know striping on plastic can be a challenge.

 

Some shops did that.. Ground the car.. it was to eliminate static.. Corvettes were a common car to do that on.. the static issue was there..


to some it may be a myth..

 

The last place I worked they grounded all the parts racks and all the machines they ran through the paint booth. They had a welding ground cable they hooked up to the racks and machines that ran to a earth ground.

 

Plastic cars build up a LOT of static when sanding/wiping down with tack ect. I do ground plastic bodies in several locations when working on them and it is a very noticable difference. Just like rubbing a latex balloon. If I am not "suited up" and the body isnt grounded, lint, skin flakes will jump off you onto the car.

 

cant do any harm , ive done it on fibre gl*** stuff but they still have static

you can get anti static panel wipe too that can help

 

Steveo try running several in different spots around the body, it's a noticable difference.

 

Painted cars for years working in bodyshop of a dealership never grounded one of them and no problems.

 

I've heard of static electro painting where they actually use a positive charge at the gun and ground the body to draw the paint to it. Not sure how it worked but I heard about it somewhere.

 

Yep i was taught to do this also, I think it makes more difference on GRP though.

 

From body school in the 60s. Grounding the ch***is will help reduce the amount of overspray by minimising the static charges that build up in the paint and the body. Airflow through the hose makes a static charge that is transfered to the body via the paint spray. Subsequent coats are repeled by the static charge induced by the previous coat causing increased overspray as lighter particles do not go the the surface.
When spraying lacqueres the reduced overspray was very evident as was the reduced dusting on the painted surface. It also seemed to polish out quicker. On Enamels the reduction was noticable, but the main thing was orange peel just didn't happen. My experience.
We did some applied static painting. Practically 0 overspray but it also attracted dust, dandruff, hair, thread from clothes, bugs and small animals.

 

I ground the body, even though I've never seen any conclusive evidence that it helps or doesn't.

It doesn't take but a second, it doesn't cost anything, and when you're spraying in your home garage you need all the help you can get. Lol.

 

never heard of that before...but makes sense I guess

 

I ground all fibergl*** bodies in 4 to 5 places. As far as metal, only if i'm using certain paints that i've found to not spray well otherwise. Also, the more plastic filler you use will add to this dilemma.

I made it a point to prove once that true metalflake can be electrically charged and can affect your finished paint in a good way, or a bad way. You can go try it....get a magnet that you use to re-magnetize a screwdriver, rub it around an old fender or body panel, and then try to paint it. It'll surprise you.........

 

I'm 71 today, but when I started LEARNING body work at 16 buy one of the best painters in our area, You hung a chain over the axle to the floor to kill the static electicity build up created buy the spray application. That was law. We had no spray booth, just canvas curtins to close off the spray BOOTH from the rest of the shop. And NO fans ether. Just a lot of water on the floor. Some great paint jobs came out of that little shop, and then the enamel was 8hr dry time. No sanding and rubbing to clean up Bo BOs. Iceman

 

I heard it as well, from Overspray. And if he says its a good idea, you'd better do it!

 

I say we call MYTHBUSTERS and get this sorted out. Can't do any harm. I have heard this off and on for years.

 

Well, I know it was discussed in the Paint and Bodywork text book I had in the 70's.

 

I'll ground my 27 T when we paint it this week by suspending a chain down to the floor. I've known painters who have practiced this procedure for years. I never questioned it.

 

I used to repair photocopiers & part of cleanup was vacuuming toner out various parts of the machine. This could build up quite a static charge, even worse if a steel carrier was involved. Everybody I worked with had taken several healthy shots from this at one time or another.
I could see how this could be an issue, especially when spraying metalics.

 

They sell and anti-static wipe down or you can mist it out of the gun for a good result. I have had static problems in the past the fibergl*** and I use PPG dx103 it is alcohol based and it elimintes static when misted over your panels. Its a good final prep wipe down.

 

Anti static for the wipe down will work.. But wasnt it designed for Tpo , Urethane Bumpers, as well as ground effects ? the most static you will get is from New Bumpers, and those other plastic parts that are on todays cars..