Alright so I am 18 and in no way plan on having my paint job be perfect. To start, I was planing on taping up my garage and spraying it in there. However, my dad thought completely differently and didn't want overspray all over the place and paint on the floors and what not. So I went to Harbor Freight and bought a cheap car tent garage for like 200 bucks. I put plastic on my lawn and then the tent up and made a little booth of a sort and had a fan with filter paper over it pushing the overmist out one side and a filter up high on the other. Since I have no background of hot rodding or even working on cars in my family and most of my friends don't either, none of us knew too much about painting. All I know is what I have read on forums and here on the hamb. So i went to our local Shucks (O'Reily Auto Parts) and bought this Duplicolor primer that is already mixed with reducer and stuff so I wouldn't need to worry about it. Well we sprayed the primer on and it didn't turn out half bad. It was pretty gritty and i think we had the pressure on the tank up too high because it was coming out more like fine dirt being sprayed than a nice even line. We also were not using the best guns (Cheap harbor freight one and a Mac one with paint tips on them). So far I started wet sanding and since it definately showed a lot of areas that need improvement I am gonna do a little more body work and prime some areas and try my hand next with paint. For a bunch of kids that don't know anything about painting. It was fun to try learning a new thing. Definately learned a lot of things NOT to do haha. One question. What would be the best option for paint for me? I was gonna shoot this premixed laquer paint but I have heard lots of bad stuff about it? I plan on visiting our local auto paint store and talking with them. But, definately having fun learning.
dont have much advice, but good luck man! nice to see another young gun turnin somethin old into a hot rod
Good on you for giving it a try! I have used the single stage cheap paint a couple of times, and it shines as much as the next guys! I would use it again. The best advice I can give you is....spend the $$ to get a good HVLP gun-even a hundred dollar one. My first gun was a $20 cheapie, and I painted a half dozen cars with it with OK results. When I stepped up to a "good" gun(can't remember the name) it was a world of difference in application, lack of overspray mist, and final result.
I did someting similar for my first paint job, made a little canvas booth and got stuck in. I was very proud of the finished result , its worth the hard slog sanding!
Fantastic that you are doing it yourself! Nothing like saying "I did it". Watch out for local laws. Doing that in your yard is not allowed in most places so don't be bragging about what you are going to do to everyone in the area. You will get a zillion suggestions. Read them all and get what you can from them. Here is my 2 cents... First and most important: No matter what anyone else says or how tough you think you are.. paint is dangerous. Humans are NOT meant to breathe it. WEAR A PROPER RESPIRATOR! PERIOD! Anyone says otherwise is showing their ignorance on the subject. Second: Since you said the primer was gritty like fine dirt... consider sanding the primer basically off. Three reasons; 1) To smooth the vehicle off as much as possible. 2) To re-shoot with a "wetter" spray. A dry spray means poor adhesion. There is no point to putting nice paint over something that isn't going to stick to the metal. 3) It will give you practice with a "wet" spray, which your paint will (must) be. As for the paint: premixed lacquer around here is decent enough paint and great for a first-timer. Lacquer is so forgiving, unless you go with candy. Don't do that for your first job. When you make a mistake you can fix it so much quicker than with enamels. But.. you have to wet-sand and polish lacquer to get the shine. That's an art itself and you can ruin a good job easily. Then again.. you can fix it easy after. Single-stage can be fun because once you are done.. you are basically done. It runs easy for beginners (and pros) though. Base/clear is almost like a combo of lacquer and single stage. The color goes on dull and then the clear gives you that shine. Well.. that is iF you are going for shine. That truck deserves shine. It's easy to make the clear run because you can't see it build like you can with color. -Read stuff about painting/polishing. -Read the directions for the paint and follow them!!! Mixes, time between coats, etc.) -Spray a test piece first to get used to it. -Watch for air temperature and humidity. Match them to the requirements of the paint (it's on the can). Wait for a better time if the temp or humidity is wrong. Don't rush. -Prep as per recommendations (sand with the proper grits and clean with proper cleaners). -I would suggest putting the filter lower to the ground to pull air down. -Have a filtered air inlet. Maybe you have that but I didn't understand that in your write up. -Wear some sort of protective gloves. Paint really soaks into the skin. -Put on clean, lint/dust free clothing. -When you are done.. close the door and walk away. Don't be tempted to go back and look at it until it's cured. -Take pictures before, during and after. keep a copy in the truck.. - Have fun. -----------------And wear that respirator! Good luck.
Great to see a youngster doing something other than playing video games! Good choice in a hobby! If you're not all that concerned with getting it perfect, (assuming you can get away with it in your community), I'd ditch the tent and just spray in the wide open outdoors. I've done it many times, my driveway is my paint booth! It's much safer this way too; you're breathing much cleaner air than the stuff trapped within a tent. Primer gets sanded anyway, so if you get bugs and grit into it before it dries, it'll sand out anyway. Same for the final clear coat if you use a 2-stage paint; debris can be sanded out prior to the buffing. Heck, I've shot 1-stage enamels in the open and came out great. All depends on your surroundings, I guess. Lacquer is good as it can be easily sanded/touched up and buffed. But it's hard to find now, and it fades rather easily compared to the new urethanes. I'd stick with a 2-stage urethane system. It's quite easy to apply and is forgiving. most body shops are willing to give away their extra paint, rather than paying to have it hauled away/disposed of properly. Might want to check into that to save some $. Post some progress pix as you go along, we love to watch other people work!
Get a NIOSH approved respirator. 3M $18 at NAPA, looks like this... A fairly decent gun at an attractive price is the Devillbiss Starting Line series
I've used the lacquer that is supposed to be ready to spray as is.. The first time I tried to paint with it, it was a mess... After thinning it a LOT, I've gotten it to work decent... Here's a close up of the last thing I painted with the "ready to spray" black lacquer...
Thin coats not to heavy first time paint job .At least 5 coats with enamel .Im a big fan of enamel ,But I think you should use laquer .Thats how are dads did it in there driveways years ago .You can sand and buff imperfections out ........And blends are easier . Ive used the duplicolor on a truck once ,Id opt for buying Paint you have to mix yourself .As far as a brand Im not sure . Good luck and I hope its a straight color ,Not metalllic.If it is metallic You will need to adjust gun perfectly .I would not reccomend metallic for your first shoot .Laquer will require more coats than 5
Make sure you have a compressor big enough to keep adaquate pressure at the gun. that may be why the primer was balling up at the tip and being lobbed onto the car. I learned that one the hard way with paint. there should be enough pressure maintained to keep the paint broken up into a fine mist, about 30 lbs into the gun at all times. Also, make sure you get a plastic air filter (cheap in-line at Harbor Freight) and put it in line into the gun. You don't want any moisture going through the gun with the paint.
Good luck!! I am about to paint my first car as well. Here is were I got my paint from. You can pick any year and color from this site or just use some of thier basic premixed colors. http://www.tcpglobal.com/Restorationshop/
I painted this roadster in my driveway and it came out very well. Here are my suggestions. Spend extra time on preparation, sanding, taping, etc. If your prep is good and the paint doesn't turn out to your liking, you can always wet-sand and repaint but if the prep is bad you will never get the quality job you want until it is corrected. I suggest you use a two-part solid color paint. With a solid color you can wet-sand and polish out dust, runs, etc. If you use a metallic you will get metallic rings when you sand through the clear surface. Put on plenty of coats so you have the ability to sand and buff without going through your paint. Be very careful of edges and high points as it will be very easy to buff through these areas. Let your paint cure completely before color sanding and buffing, I wait a couple of weeks which may not be necessary but better to wait than to get on it too soon. As others have mentioned, wear a quality respirator!! These paints are no joke. <O></O> Congratulations on trying it yourself, if you put the effort into it, you will be very proud of the end result.<O></O> <O></O>
ur best bet is to use duplicolor paint shop paint. no mixing or reducing, no recoat window so additional coats can be applied anytime. if u make mistakes u can fix em easy. a good quality gun goes a long way.
i'd say get yourself a scrap piece and practice practice practice. but then you can always sand the car down and start over again. and wear that mask.
Nicholas, Good for you!!...Lacquer is a good start for sure....you can put a "guide coat" over your primer (a real light fogging of a darker color from a spray can) to help find areas needing attention when you sand the primer to get everything smooth...All my projects have been painted at home and have had mistakes...oh,well look good enough for Randy
Make sure you get all the hard to reach places covered first, this will make the job go much easier. Good luck and show us how it turns out.
I always wear a respirator and have been wet sanding it all day already. And don't worry I spend a lot of time on the prep work with sanding and taping up everything. I think I might try the pre mixed laquer but tomorrow I am going to our local auto paint store and I am gonna talk to them and see what they sell and whats easiest to shoot. Thanks for all the comments and many of them were very helpful. I appreciate all the good jobs and the help. When Its all done I will post some more pics.
Done the garage thing, ventlate well! Not just for breathing, but to help keep you cool and not slinging sweat every where! Also get some one to help you out with a small ladder and additonal light. Oh did I say light, thats what was wrong in my garage! LIGHT that shop up!!!
Slinging sweat? Buy some extra long tube socks. Cut the toes off. Pull them over your arms and leave just enough of your hand out to hold the paint gun. Put them on cut end first.
What everyone else has said...spend as musch time as possible on preperation before spraying the paint...your results will reflect the time you spent. Good luck and welcome to our world!
Rustoleum is what we use to paint our race car with. Great thing about it is that it comes in gallons and cans. So touch up is easy. It looks like a professional job and when it gets worn we spray a few splashes on it and nobody is the wiser.
Like a normal kid I spent tonight blowing shit up and playing with sparkler bombs but during the day I finished wet sanding the cab, bed, and all the parts (scoop, grill, doors, radiator cap, headlights...). Since our shooting wasn't the greatest I started out wet sanding with 400, then 800, then 1000, then 1500. I am officially ready to try my hand in paint. Still was not able to go to the auto paint store but hopefully check it out and see what they tell me is easy to spray and will come out with a nice semi gloss. I appreciate all the comments and yes we are doing everything safely and still having fun. and yes I enjoy wearing old golfer hats when I work on my truck, makes me feel a little more mature (like most of you haha)
I would just like to add that there is nothing wrong with the Duplicolor Lacquer except that it comes pre-thinned, which is not very cost effective. A gallon of straight product would be enough to put many coats on that project.
Yeah I am pretty sure I am not gonna go duplicolor. It just adds up way to fast and I am gonna be in massive debt soon as I go off to college in a couple months. I gotta talk to the paint shop but I think I am gonna buy a gallon of paint there. They said they can mix colors for me but I donnu if I want something that I can't match anything to if I have any problems. But pretty sure I am gonna buy a gallon of paint and then reducer or thinner with it.
Next time 1000 and 1500 is a bit too fine for base coat. The reason is the surface is a bit to slick for the paint to stick to. Using 400 or 600 leaves more minute scratches for the paint to grab onto. In the paint trade it's known as "tooth". While I wouldn't go back and re-sand I would keep an eye on how the paint is flowing right after it's sprayed onto the body it MAY tend to flow too easily and making SNOTs could be a concern.
I plan on painting it with chevy white single stage paint that is a 4:1:1 ratio. I figured I could paint it and be done and get it on the road. Any problems using single stage paints? I could use any advice.
No problems using single stage. Start at the roof and work towards the floor. Overlap your passes. Watch out at door seams and body seams that is where a lot of snots start. Paint past the end of the body a bit like keep the gun on momentarily as you get to the end just keep going out into space for a little bit don't just stop right at the end of the panel you are painting. Painting area CLEAN and dust free as possible if you don't have a booth wet the floors, not flooded but some water to hold the dust in the moisture BUT be careful not to drag a wet air hose near where you are painting. Tuck in or tape your clothing so it doesn't drag in your fresh paint. Run your air hose over your shoulder when painting the roof to keep it out of the paint. See where the vent is on your cup and try holding the FULL cup horizontal BEFORE painting the roof to make sure nothing drips out the vent. This time of year in the open (no A/C) you might need some retarding reducer to slow down the drying of the paint when painting a whole car at once. Check with your paint supplier or maybe the can for temperatures when retarder is needed. Tackcloth right before painting. If you run into problems with too dry orange peel or too wet runs or snots STOP RIGHT THEN don't waste good paint before you figure out how your are going to solve your problem. Good luck and have fun.
I appreciate all the advice everyone. I painted it on the 11th and 12th and for the last couple of days I have been putting her all back together. Honestly, for not knowing anything about paint before starting this I have learned a lot. I went to the local Napa (Westbay) and they told me to go to a store about an hour away from my house that mixes paint. I got Artic White in a single stage omni paint and they gave me a slower hardening hardner because it was pretty hot out. They told me everything I needed to do, sheets on mixing, drying times, tips and advice. I used tack cloth before hand and everything and painted away. I painted all the parts and the entire car by myself with my dad only mixing the paint. I think it turned out much better than I expected. There is a lot of orange peel but I am not too worried for a $400 or so paint job done by myself I am happy. I figured I would post some pics of the car put all back together so you guys could see. Also. I was told not to "Color sand" which I guess is just wet sanding the paint for 3 to 4 weeks to let the paint harden a bit. I was wondering when it would be appropriate and what grits to use? I am pretty stoked to get her back on the road again. Also, Anyone know any cheap pinstripers in the Tacoma/Seattle area haha? I want to accent it with black pinstriping. I think it will looks sick. Enjoy some of the pics:
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