I'm not sure how many cars I've painted in my 43 years, but its hundreds if not thousands. I can't recall one job that everything went perfect from start to finish. There is always some small snafu. It might be a fly or gnat, or a run, bodywork thats not just right, color match, etc... Whatever it is, its always something. There is no such thing as a perfect paint job. Lots of nice ones but no perfect. I've learned that it is how you handle these small setbacks that make you a quality painter. The guys that stop, and take care of these problems in the middle of a paint job are the guys you want shooting your car. Not the guy who brushes it off and continues. I only took time to post this, as I am in the middle of one of those all day in the booth jobs and things aren't going exactly as planned. Waiting for proper flash times. Chris
I spent 24 hrs in and out of a paint booth on a candy job I did one time. I had everything go wrong that could. I'm like you , I painted for a living and your right, you have to have patience. And you can not freak out. But 24 hrs tested me pretty good. But the paint job was about one of a handful that was about perfect. The owner never knew the difference. Them flash times can drag things out, I know what youre talking about.
I'm not really good, but I get by on my personal projects. I have learned to leave the garage during flash time, go in the house, and watch tv for a little bit. Has saved me a lot of greif from being too antsy.
Ha ha more like, Painters = glutton for punishment. I know why good paintwork cost so much, its pain to get it done right!
You guys are full of shit. There's NEVER a problem painting a car. Just wet the floor and spray it. At least that's what the deal seekers will tell you. They all become pros when it comes to pulling the trigger. And frankly, you paint guys posting know this, you can train a fuckin chimpanze to pull the trigger on a spray gun. It's the mixing, the conditions, the surface, the substrates, your fuckin mood, the shape of the car or truck. All of it important. I've talked to painters that say they never have a problem. Liars. The only painters that don't have issues are the robots in the OEM's shop. The OEMs don't use "REFINISH" material. They use special resins that cure by heat and time. Refinish materials are designed to work in a myriad of different conditions and surfaces. Then there's the cheapo production materials. You know, the $99.00 "paint your car at home" shit. I've found that out of all the different levels of craftsmanship involved in creating a beautiful rod or custom that the painters generally get the least respect. They all look shiney on TV. Let me look at it. I'll tell you where it's fucked up, what was done to it to fuck it up and what should have been done. I looked at last year's Ridler winner and my friend said "How's the paint?" "Gimme a minute and I'll tell ya..." I found 4 flaws in about 30 seconds, flaws that should have been addressed before color ever went on. I've done a few perfect finishes in my day. None were easy or cheap but they were worth every dime and every minute invested. Yes indeed, getting out of trouble during a finish is just as if not more important than how to do it in the 1st place. It's not that you NEVER have an issue, you're dead on balls correctamundo, how to solve that issue.
I have said this for years, anyone can do it if everything goes right. Reality is that it NEVER goes perfectly. There are so many variables in doing bodywork and paint that something ALWAYS goes wrong. The differenc is that someone who has knowledge experience knows how to handle the problem when it arises. It is like carpentry, anyone can build on a square and level surface but nothing is ever square or level! The true carpentar knows how to fudge it so it appears square and level.
BOY YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD,i asked the house of kolor painter john K one time at a h.o.k class is there such thing as a perfect paint job,he started laughing and said no way,nothings perfect,THEN I WATCHED HIM MESS UP A PANEL IN FRONT OF THE CLASS,,,, i do agree with the problem solving while painting,it takes allot of patience not to throw your $700.00 sata jet somedays,,
Well, just stepped out of the booth. Not perfect, but I believe it will do. I'm still in pursuit of that elusive perfect finish. " I've done a few perfect finishes in my day." Come on Highlander, there are no perfect finishes. Damn nice ones, but perfect??
OH,and most of the disaters happens with just my own personal cars,i painted one of my cars pearl white,last coat of clear was killer,then the main airline blew right in front of my filters,blowing all the filters out(cross draft)as the booths fan pulled 20 years of dust and shit right on top,i can go on and on,,
I thought I was the only one that stupid shit like that happened to. Probably my one of my top ten.......... I sent an entire gallon of Torch red flying out of the shaker and onto my floor, as well as splattering another car in shop.
haaahahaha! This is a funny topic If it was EASY, EVERYbody would be a painter! Don't you guys just love coming behind a "pro" and straightening his mess out? Just today.....big $$$ 1st gen Camaro, torch red(well, looks like it anyway) Hood is a mismatch...scuff hood/fenders with 1000....first pass with base color----6 inch swath wrinkles up like we hit it with stripper . Wait an hour, feather, shoot again---same result. Pull hood, wash ALL the color off(!) with thinner. No primer, just single stage red over the e-coat. I'm a hack, but I feel better about my skills when I have to fix crap like this.
Next time, I'm going to do it with a brush, as it was with my first paint job about 1948 Paint it and be done with it. Look forward, not back, it's only paint. ......... for now? It's beer time!
man i've had it all happen to but the worse thing that has happened was having a bike rear fender fling off the stand as i was buffing it. candy red over silver flake with a ton of graphic's big ass dent in the top and had to start from the metal up again. that's is just one of the dumb ass things i've done but as you get older you learn to slow down. if i have something in the booth and things dont feel right i'll move on to something else in the shop and try the next day
What do you call perfect? I call it ZERO orange peel, flat surfacing, no blotches in the color, no waves in the sheetmetal, no "tootsie rolled" sandpaper tracks in the body reveals, no sand scratch swelling or filler bullseyes. Is it cheating if you "color" the car twice to get that? Then OK, fuck it. I'm a cheater. Those were finishes well in to 5 figures on a couple cars worth $500K +. Those guys can not only afford perfect, they DEMAND it. The work isn't hard and if you want it bad enough you can do it. What is hard is the day after day after day after day after bloody fingertips and burning rotator cups in your shoulders from all of controlled flattening of the surface. That's my description. A finish that will reflect with perfect clarity in any light and from any distance be it 5ft away or 50. A finish that 15yrs later is still capable of winning a 1st place. Close enough? I've done it twice. The rest were finishes with flaws so minor that I'd have to point em out. I usually don't. I'd also call Foose's "Impression" 36 roadster perfect and Trepanier's "First Love" 36 coupe perfect. I looked at both of those cars with a very critical eye and found nothing. For what they cost to build they better be, don't you agree? I never did accept the "no such thing" comment from anybody. It's a pacifier to allow one to accept less. Anal? Demanding? Critical? Yes to all of the above. I applaud your discipline to soldier on and correct paint anomolies as they appear. That's a given in my view and a good indicator of a dedicated finisher.
"man i've had it all happen to but the worse thing that has happened was having a bike rear fender fling off the stand as i was buffing it. candy red over silver flake with a ton of graphic's big ass dent in the top and had to start from the metal up again. that's is just one of the dumb ass things i've done but as you get older you learn to slow down. if i have something in the booth and things dont feel right i'll move on to something else in the shop and try the next day " Maybe I should change the name of the title to .... " Things I've F**ked up in search of the perfect paint job".
" what do you mean? cant you just scuff it and spray it?ill spend thousands of dollars on pointless parts ,but when it comes to the first thing you see ill skimp and beat you down till my price will just barely cover the materials." i love to paint and have been for 10 years. im 25 and have heard allllll the lines already haha.if a paint jobs perfect then no human did it.
Dropping full cups of paint, getting it in your face and eyes as well as the car....thinking the cup was on tight. Old Binks No.7 days.
yay I'm glad I'm not alone in this whole painting thing. i agree with the never being perfect. there is only so much one person can do to a car/truck before paint. i know i personally start to over look stuff not on purpose but, just due to the fact i have been staring at the same car for months and everything starts to blur together.
Hey, I was once asked by a customer " Why do all painters drink?" Having several small jobs going in the shop whyle waiting out flash times helps the work day go down better. I think "yuppies'' call it ''multi-tasking''. " Meanwhyle, back aboard The Tainted Pork "
Machines cannot achieve what the eye can see, so I call B U L L S H I T. I'm more than twice your age, you ain't seen nuthin yet. Sounds like an excuse to me. For the record, I don't drink. I just focus. If I lose focus, I walk away and find it. If I have something ready and it's after 2:00 or 3:00 PM, I'll shoot it in the morning. Fresh eyes, fresh attitude, well rested and seeing shit that might have been missed trying to hustle through the day. Nothing perfect is body shop talk. What this board is about, what the topic is about, well the only thing in common with a body shop is the equipment. Perhaps that's one of the things a finisher needs to get out of his head. There's a few lurkers and few that participate that have had either the pleasure or the anguish of working in my world. They know what I mean. NEVER confuse perfection with production. It's the same kind of discipline as martial arts. Focus. See it before you do it. Not everything needs to be perfect and perfect gets paid for or they don't get it.
Well we know who the real guys are!! Painting is so much fun and it's easy to. Right!! I only paint about 3 times a year and I tell ya I stop shaking about 1/2 way through. I'm usually into about 250 hours of prep and I don't want to screw things up. Never happens, Something goes wrong just to keep me on my toes. O well back to the Flatting and polishing. The Old TInbasher
If anyone is gonna lay down a perfect paintjob, my money would be on the Highlander. Boy knows his shit. As for me, I'm gonna stay consistent and keep fuickin em up!!
I hate bugs Had to stop on my last repair job and reshoot after 400 the decklid down again I tried throwing him a life line but the bug was to stupid to grab it ,It was tape .I get nervous everytime I paint ,Im just a backyard guy ,Garage is set up like a booth .
I always thought that painting was a good mix of science, magic and good luck. The good painters had the talent to do the magic, the good sense to follow the science (or directions on the can!), and the creativity to overcome any bad luck!
I was a paint rep. for 30 years and some of the best demo's I did was when something went wrong. I had the chance to show them how something could be repaired without starting all over. I can teach someone how to spray paint but I can't make him a painter. Don
A number of years back, I was painting a truck that was going to be displayed at the SEMA show... (I know, I know... it's way too much glitz-n-glamour for me, too...) It was one of those deals where I get the call one Monday and the following Monday afternoon this guy is heading West. I came to work Tuesday morning and worked until Friday night, sleeping at the shop, showering at the shop, actually never leaving the shop... Anyhow, looking back on it, I think I must've waited a little too long between coats of HOK Ko-Seal... I really don't know what happened. Heck, I might have nodded out, I don't remember... Anyhow I didn't have any problems it until after I had finished the base, locked it down with SG-100 and painted the flames, and as I was unmasking the flames, the entire basecoat (Sunset Pearl) started peeling up. I mean, the sealer actually separated, there was white sealer still on the truck, and there was white sealer on the "sheet" in my hand. We took razor blades and had to strip the entire paint job down to the sealer, then re-do the entire job! I finished striping it and loading it up at 8:00 Monday night. What a marathon!
The Jalopy Journal
