Technical Need help with paint type selection

It's been 30 years since I painted a car but I'm going to give it a shot again. First I'm just doing the top of my 56 Olds Holiday to start with so not a full paint job. I just recently purchased my first HVLP gun and some epoxy primer from Summit Racing http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-UP232. I'm going to finish prepping the top today and will be priming it sometime this week. I'm working in my garage so I know going in I'm going to end up with some dust or imperfections in the paint so what is the best bet for a newby to use? If I use a single stage urethane will I be able to sand and buff it later? I am going to paint the top with a gloss metallic silver color.

 

You can color sand and buff single stage urethane but have to be careful on metallics, you can cut through coats and end up with stripes. I would use a base clear, they are easy to shoot and much better to sand and buff.

 

Go with a base clear set up, go to a local jobber. They will have a "value line"'from one of the big mfgs, they will have tech sheets, and be able to answer questions for you. Make sure you put enough clear on the sand and rub, I would also wet the floor down, try to clean up your garage a little, get some paintable plastic sheeting to drape over things as well as the portion of the car your not painting

 

Well that's two for base coat/clear coat. I have already hung plastic in the garage to keep the dust from sanding off of everything. Last time I went into an automotive paint store the counter guy was a total******, if I didn't know what I wanted he didn't want to give me the time of day. I'm a lot older and a little wiser so I think I can deal what ever comes at the store.

Anybody know anything about TCP Global?

 

Maybe try these guys.... http://www.thecoatingstore.com/Home_Page.html
I've used their products on a couple of motorcycles, been pleased with the results. Biggest issue with them is a limited choice of colors as they don't do custom mixes. The other main issue with catalyzed paint is there's a 'time window' for application; these paints depend on a chemical bond between coats and if the paint cures too long you lose that, so once you start you need to keep going until done. I'll second the base/clear if using metallic...

 

After looking at some of the sites people have recommended, is all base/clear paints urethane type paints? Do you shoot the clear right after you are done with the base coat? If so do you need to stop and clean the gun or have a second gun ready if there is a time concern? Can you just start mixing clear and dump it into the same gun and keep painting?

 

You definitely need to clean the gun between materials, even if using a different gun for clear you should clean your base gun well when you're done shooting. As far as time between base and clear, you should let your base thoroughly flash before you clear. Two to three coats of clear is plenty to wet sand and polish

 

That's what I thought but never hurts to ask.
Is a quart of base and a quart of clear enough paint to do the top of that four door hard top Oldsmobile?

 

The other thing to remember is the new paints are extremely dangerous so make sure you have a good respirator and plenty of ventilation and that there are not unprotected people or animals in the near vacinity while you are working.

 

It can vary with the brand of paint, but the 'time window' is enough that you can clean your gun (and should) before spraying clear. If I recall correctly, the window on the paint I used was 8 hours max so if you could miss some sleep you could do this over a few days. You can get single-stage paint (no clear needed), but for an amateur you should stick to solid colors so you can sand out any flaws.

And quart of each of base/clear is plenty to do a roof (as long as you don't screw up too much... ).

 

My advice...go to your local autobody supply house and get your materials. All the major brands (Dupont, PPG, Sherwin Williams) have good paint, just don't get the cheap "car lot" paints. Going local, you can usually rely on them having tech sheets, that will tell you how to mix, apply, and shoot your paint, what is compatible in terms of primer, sealer, etc. They may even be able to help if you run into problems. My guys certainly know enough to help a beginner.
Any metallic or pearl, go with base/clear urethane. ask your supplier about safety equip. Especially a a good respirator! You only have one set of lungs!
If doing it in your house garage (something I would not recommend, BTW) be sure to try to work out a very good ventilation system, and even with that, be prepared to live with the stink of the paint for a few days...and it isn't very healthy, either, even after shooting it.

 

I'll 2nd what chop said, especially about ventilation. It's not just the solids that can get you, the fumes can get you as well. That 'stink' a few hours after things have settled isn't something to take lightly. On materials, I'll 2nd that too. Find a jobber that supplies body shops. Here in Motown we have "Painter's Supply" for PPG products and "Finishmaster" for DuPont. I'm a PPG guy and would be hard pressed to recommend anything but. There's others who swear by DuPont and other brands. What I will recommend is consistancy. Make it all 1 brand. You can save money on color but don't go too cheap on clear, yet there's economy lines that handle and gloss like show car products. The logic to apply is whether or not the car will live outdoors day in and day out. Most of 'our cars' don't except for a few********* types. There's plenty of time to clean your equipment between base and clear, and yes you can go right to clear once the base is down. More good advice that was already given, get the tech sheets on the products you use.

 

Thanks for all the good advice especially on the safety matters. You guys got me wondering if I should even try this. If I had gotten started on this a month earlier I could have done it outside but now I'm afraid it's either too cold or or too windy or both. My plan was to open one window at the back of the garage and open the overhead door about 2 feet, then run a couple box fans at the base of the door. Maybe I should just prep it & primer it, then take it around to a few paint shops to see what they would charge.

 

ive painted a quite a few cars,with less than perfect results.but ,im the only person I know who works for free!!!!!I always drive my rides.they always get chipped ,scratched ,tools dropped ,etc.unless you got a trlr queen,paint it ,and go.more gun time is the only thing you cant buy.!! bill

 

Ask around to local bodyshops, or check with the guys at you body supply...some shops will rent you time in their spray booths. esp. "after hours". Safer, cleaner, better alternative!

 

Buick Bill - I'm with you, you can't learn by writing checks.

Chop Olds - I would love to rent a paint booth and have a safe clean place to work in.

 

Good respirator and a tyvek suit. I've been wanting to try tcpglobal.com but haven't had a chance yet. A lot of guys here and other boards swear by southern polyurethane clear, but they have very limited base colors, gotta mix and match.

 

Under your name it says "from Indy". There has to be a few body shop jobbers in your area. I'm a big fan of PPG Shop-Line products. User friendly and priced right for all but the highest end builds/restorations. I used Shop-Line base color on lots of cars and have had zero issues, and there's also "Shop-Line Plus" with better color tones and closer to OEM shades and variants. The real longevity and durability is in the clear, and in the proper application as well. DuPont has a 'production' product line too but I'm not familiar with it. There's a few diffeent labels out there that are actually DuPont or PPG with a different distributor's name or label on it. That's a real good idea to try booth rental, but they tend to want experienced users. At a million BTUs for heated booths(yes, a million) the cost to run is substantial. You can't be the only one you know trying to get his own things done, right? There's usually some hustlers out there who paint on the side as well as their day job. Some just have open air shops to crank out quick work. They're not all bad either. I worked in those conditions for the 1st 5yrs of my thing and turned out some winners. Good luck...

 

If you are going to paint at home I'd recommend going with old-school catalyzed acrylic enamel. You will not get the brilliance or depth of a base coat clear coat job, but it's much easier and safer to work with. As has been mentioned here more than once, you've only got one set of lungs.

 

I recommend that you go to your local PPG dealer they have a jobber line called SHOPLINE it very good value for money. Use the complete system from primer to base clear. make sure you get the P-Sheets for each component. Its easy to use with great results. great color choices. just my 2 cents

 

When I get my car ready to paint, I plan to sign up for an adult auto body class at the local community college so I can use their paint booth to paint it, not too high priced to do that but they only run those classes in the summer.

 

Great advice so far....I love painting. If you focus on minimizing mistakes....everyone can pull off a passable paint job.

As far as the paint tech not giving you the time of day....ask again, maybe even a different place....but usually since you're already there....get somebody who knows you are a diy guy. Most paint guys always like seeing success with the little guys at home. We still exist, and often get quite a bit of respect. Cash sales, and an apt listener...........rather then 90 day/net 10 recievables accounts, and maybe not even a hello. Most of the businesses in my area love guys like you, and me.

If in doubt, call the manufacturer, and ask for the tech department. Another great diy respectful group. Down to your supply list needed.....they will love you just the same.

 

Just a heads up as I have heard DuPont mentioned a few times, DuPont no longer makes automotive paint they sold that division and it is now being called Axalta.

 

I like the sound of "much easier and safer to work with" but I was advised by more than one person that if painting a metallic I should go with base coat/clear coat paint.

If you saw what I lived with the last 11 months you would know it doesn't need to be too great to be a big improvement.

 

Yes, the new BCCC urethanes give brilliant results, nobody would argue with that. But I don't particularly like such obviously modern finishes on otherwise traditional cars. I much prefer traditional metallic colors that have the traditional original appearance. For added depth the final coat or two is done with paint heavily fortified with clear.

The downside is that acrylic enamel metallic colors are fussy about application to avoid "stripes". It's also pretty important to paint the car****embled rather than in pieces to****ure that all the panels will match. Much less forgiving in this respect than BCCC urethanes.

But again, if you want to do it yourself in your garage or driveway, acrylic enamel is the way to go in terms of safety.

 

MISSYSDAD1, if you use acrylic enamel with the hardener, which you should as it make it dry faster, and it's a tougher finish, that you can later retouch if necessary, you are still dealing with isocyanates. Still very dangerous to breathe. Even without hardener, you shouldn't breathe it, but hopefully everyone knows that!

 

Build a frame out of 2x4's screws. Add free cardboard from body shop to keep cold/dirt and nosey eyes from the booth. One fan may do the job. Adjust window accordingly and maybe even a good furnace filter in window to keep intake clean. Drain compressor night before. Use an inline filter at gun. Wear cartridge filtered mask when mixing chems. Cover all of your body while spraying. Keep pets away from garage. Driveway clear of vehicles, 'cause overspray will make their finish sound like Comet on a dry tub. Consideration for your neighbors when using these nasty coatings. Good luck.

 

It is true that DuPont sold their paint division, but the paints are the same with the new company. They are not going to mess with the success that DuPont had

 

If this is your first attempt at painting might I suggest Dupli-Color Paint Shop ready to spray Lacquer sold at most auto stores for about $25 a quart. More forgiving than enamels and available in a small variety of colors and a clear if you want. No recoat window either.

 

Lacquer paint, now that is old school, that's what I painted 30 years ago. I haven't read to many good reviews on the Dupli-Color lacquer that you can buy at the auto part stores. All I remember about lacquer was that is was easy to fix your mistakes but it took an awful lot of sanding and buffing to make it look good. But in time it shrinks back to show any questionable body work and it chips easily.