Who's Picked up a Paint Gun and Been Successful?

Hey guys I have no real painting experience except for spray bombs and very little with a spray gun (helping a guy out once) but I like it, plus I'm cheap and don't wan to pay to have stuff done I could possible do my self. I'd like to at least paint the engine compartment and inside of my cab on my old Sweptline. I'm just wondering how many guys do this kind of stuff themselves and are successful, any hints on how to get started would be some help, I'm all ears!

 

Worked for me. Bought a cheap compressor and spraygun. Painted my 55 Plymouth in PPG Dulon, with a flaked roof. Did it in my garage and it came nearly as good as a pro job. A shitload of elbow grease involved though, but my time is cheap.

 

Practice, Practice, Practice... and then practice.

 

I screwed up the first two or four until I got it right. You really can't screw up as wet sanding & buffing will fix alot of mistakes. You will eventually realize that you don't really like wet sanding, and wet sanding & did I say wet sanding all your mistakes away and will overtime develop a technique that allows you to get the color down with a minimal of prep (read wet sanding) until you are ready to buff.

Now don't forget that buffing is another art form & don't be surprised when you buff off all your paint and you are starting all over again laying down base that you again have to prepare for buffing. Did I say wet sand???

Take your time and read about or better yet help an experienced painter out with his next job & you will eventually be OK. It took me awhile before I was happy with my finished products.

Good Luck

 

My first try worked great, even got a PT job at a street rod shop partially because of it, just dive in

 

generally......you get what you pay for.... you buy a cheap gun.. ur gonna get cheap quality. period... a nice line of guns on the " cheaper side" is devilbliss....but i picked up my sata i use for BC for 225 only a few years old.

 

Practice, patience and wet sanding..... don't forget all of the prep work and block sanding prior to color. Engine compartment, interior, door jambs, etc. are good places to start, as they are smaller and you don't have to worry about your overlap and coverage quite as much.

Good Luck and remember, you can't screw it up bad enough that sandpaper won't fix.

 

Try and find a parts store that sells paint and ask them if they do a paint seminar/clinic ever. I went to a PPG clinic and learned a ton. Start with primer, its easier and less spendy if you goof up!

 

Prep work is everything. Prime, sand, repeat, etc, etc. Get a good gun that has all three ajustments, and have a compressor with a large reserve. Eastwood makes a reasonable gun that runs at only 4cfm at 29psi, perfect for most home compressors. Id start with satin finishes or if you want gloss stick with light colors and forget candies, flake, etc (rockabilly had somer nice first results not typical!). Also, stick with one paint system. On one of my first paint jobs I used brand X base and brand Y clear and got a laminating mess.

 

Pick up a gun and give it a try ,that's the only way to really learn. Follow some of the tips already mentioned and I'm sure you'll do just fine.

 

my very first paint job EVER was a real showy 3 color plus flake job on a real neat custom bike. i was using a 3 for $99 vaper set and a pull along craftsman compressor.

i had a painter buddy of mine give me a couple of tips, but i learned everything on the job.

when i was done he looked at it and said... thats an $1800 job in my shop.

i've since upped my investment in equipment and am far happier because of it.

spray LOTS of test panels. pick up some used fenders or hoods to practice on.

 

The best painter cannot make poor body work look good.
Spend the time block sanding.
As for the paint, get some parts to practice on.

 

What the other guys already said. Then,

* Bright solid colors are good to learn on. Dark and heavy metallic / pearl colors require a little more experience. Hook yourself up with some junk panels and some cheap paint to get a feel for it.

* Buy a name-brand gun. An entry-level DevilBiss isn't that much more than a HF gun.

* Make friends with the local supply house. Using better grade materials ( paint and primer) and supplies (sandpaper, masking tape / paper) costs more up front but will save you money long-term. Buying sandpaper at 5 bucks for three half sheets at Autozone isn't smart.

* Get the car really, really clean before you start sanding. Take the car to a coin-op carwash and blast all the jambs and underneath. Less dirt on the car = less shit to sand out of the clear.

* If you're garage-bombing the car, you can't have too much light. I've got 8' flourescent fixtures on all the walls and the rollup doors. Works okay but I still get shadows.

* Early mornings are best. Humidity will help keep the dust down, it's a little cooler and the bugs are still asleep.

 

25 years ago I worked at a different small town Chrysler dealership. We had a silver car that the bosses daughter wanted but she wanted it in red. Boss asks if I wanted to give it a try and sure enough I shot it in straight red enamel with no orange peel or runs!Probably painted a dozen more used cars after that.Paid a guy 3 grand to spray my 57 though.....

 

TAKE YOUR TIME and do not get dicouraged. If you screw up sand it off and do it again. Go for it! It is a lot of fun to paint your own car.

 

Lots and lots of practice, but every now and again I get one right. I started off doing some collision work to get the technique down and then moved on to some more showy things. The first complete I ever shot was a leased black metallic Mazda, not exactly a walk in the park.

 

Honestly if you're any good with a rattle can, and pay the slightest attention to your mixed viscosity & gun settings......you'll rule with a gun.

Rattle cans have such low solid content and thin paint that you'll be amazed at how much decent paint you can throw with a gun and how nicely it'll flow out. I ain't gonna be painting any ridler winners anytime soon but can paint really complicated shapes without runs and with consistent finish, all cause of the eye and basic technique gathered with years of rattle cans.

Remember, flash coating is your friend. Good luck!

 

Beautiful work. Simply amazing.

Rod and Custom Magazine did a pretty good article on gun control. Might be of some help if you end up doing it yourself.

http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/techarticles/0809rc_paint_gun_perfection/index.html

 

yeah I'm convinced I'm going to give it a try. Lots of parts to do before I have to decide whether to do the whole outside of the car but if all goes well I just might.

 

I painted my fairlane, never even picked up a spraygun before.I put on the primer then sanded it off ,about3 times then I got up enough nerve to do it.I used duplicolor from the parts house only because it was already mixed.I figured it would minimise the screwups.It wasn't perfect by no means but from 20 feet away it looks good.My buddy saw it and ask if I would spray his 49 chevy truck .I did and he likes it .you learn from mistakes and experiences.just a little confidence goes a long way.

 

I painted this ,1st attempt, done in my garage, every thing was purple including the dog ! ,Do it again ???, yeah but in a booth ............

 

Its not only in the technique but the right products for the job.
I didnt know shit about activators, fast, slow ??? Well one activator might be good for painting a steering wheel but using it on a whole car will leave over spray.
Slower activators lets the over spray say from across the hood to settle back into the finish. Or if your painting old school like me no paint booth, just a wet floor I need all the help I can get haha

 

I do ok on small stuff..havent tried an entire car..yet

 

I picked up a HVLP gun from princess auto in Winnipeg a few years back, it was mid priced, still in expensive compared to others out there. I really cant complain about it, I find that practice and dialing in the gun are the most important thing. The prep work is really vital, but I found that once you get the hang of using the gun ( feel of it ) it's easy to learn.

 

my first set of flames

 

You have to define success for yourself. The pro painters may laugh at my work. The 1956 factory paint had a big run in it. A nice car for the street does not have to have a perfect hand rubbed firewall IMHO.

I'm personally pleased with this. Having realistic expectations for your first attempt is important IMO. I hope to paint this car for my first and only all over paint job. The firewall is my test to get the feel for painting vertical surfaces. I'm actually excited about the results.

I read every paint related post on the HAMB. They have given me confidence enough to give it a try.

 

This was my first full paint job. I didn't even own a gun at that point, i borrowed one from Tuck here on the HAMB and i painted it in a friends shop..garage. not even close to a booth.
The car came out wayyyy better than i could have hopped..I consider it luck..
As was said prep work is everything! as is a LOT of blocking
I painted the truck in my avitar over the past winter too along with laying out and shooting the flames, in the same garage. I'm a mechanic by trade and by NO means a paint and body guy.
Tony

 

I picked up a roller and was, by all accounts of those who have seen it, successful. Rustoleum Antique White has been on there two years and still has shine and reflectivity. I've seen a lot of similarly done jobs and it seems that lighter colors work out better. The darker, richer reds, blues, greens don't have the same "depth" qualities. I know the method has a lot of detractors but, hey.

 

That looks damn good. Wet and shiney.

 

al the above is good info,
if you dont have a gun, a good cheap one i have used is a finex ,
use a larger tip 1.4 1.8 for the surfacer and a 1.2 1.4 for the base and clear
it takes some time and every company sprays different,
One thing i would make sure of, at least it has been a prob before for me is, use the same brand for all base, reducers sealers and clear,
i know you can miss match things, but some have solvent issues and some dry times can very
GOOD LUCK