[Brandon]

maybe this should be in the newbie section but anyway..

I'd like to paint my rig, and my fleet of cars for that matter. I have a nice two stage compressor (on the way), any painters here that could point me in the right direction for some starter tools?

I got a cheap DA that I sanded the paint of with then shot it with a sand blaster to get a nice smooth finish, primed with some rattle can etching primer and that is where I am..

Taking it to the metal was too much work though, next time I just rough it up!

I am wondering what a good spray gun would be, at a reasonable price (HF?)

Two stage or single stage paint?

Any other pointers/links much appreciated as well..

thanks!

 

[scottz]

harbor freight HVLP gravity feed gun (the purple one). About $50 on sale and will pretty much spray anything. I've used them for everything from painting small parts to complete basecoat/clearcoat jobs. If you take care of them they'll last a long time.

what other tools you'll need depends on how nice you want stuff to look. Sander and the spraygun are a good start. If you're going to do some bondo work you'll want an airfile or a bondo hog too.

You can also save a bunch of money by buying your sandpaper somewhere besides the hardware store. Try Thompsons Supply on Roseville Rd.

If you want some paint send me an e-mail, I've got a bit laying around I'll probably never use.

 

[Bones]

A friend used a gravity gun I think from HF and shot my junk with it. I just used Tractor Supply paint thinned to the directions. $20/gal. and I have half left still.

It fads rather fast w/out clear though.

 

[71RCKCRZR RYAN]

i dont know a lot......but this is what i do know

im pretty sure a gravity fed gun is the way to go, a good one is a few hundred.

prep work is an important thing.

dont go with single stage paint the sun will fawk it up fast. go with a clear coat its only another step. the more clear themore you can rub out.

ummmmmm

doing flames is easy too

paint a base color,
clear it,
sand it,
layout flames,
paint flames,
clear the whole car,
done....you can also strip the flames to ad more bling

flames are cool

 

[GRMhick]

How much overspray do you get from a gravity spray gun compared to a rattle can or a suction feed gun (what I own).

 

[scottz]

single stage paint can outlast base/clear depending on color and quality of paint.

other thing people miss a lot is primer. If you're going to do a lot of bodywork even a home job will turn out a LOT better if you use a decent (meaning not spray-can) primer. My favorite is polyester, cheap (like $50 a gallon) and fills up anything with minimal shrinkage.

there are a whole bunch of tricks to painting in a garage too, if you do it right and have some luck you can turn out work that looks like it was done in a professional spraybooth (by a professsional painter even..).

 

[Wilson]

single stage paint can outlast base/clear depending on color and quality of paint.

other thing people miss a lot is primer. If you're going to do a lot of bodywork even a home job will turn out a LOT better if you use a decent (meaning not spray-can) primer. My favorite is polyester, cheap (like $50 a gallon) and fills up anything with minimal shrinkage.

there are a whole bunch of tricks to painting in a garage too, if you do it right and have some luck you can turn out work that looks like it was done in a professional spraybooth (by a professsional painter even..).

care to elaborate? I'd like nothing more than trick paint job on my buggae. I had a pretty cool rattle-can job on my truck with some peeled sticker graphics (on my truck)

 

[Old Scout]

I'm just starting my painting. I did a ton of research and came to using a HF HVLP gun and Imron 333. 333 is a industrial polyurethane. It's about as tough as you can go with out going to bed liner.

The HF gun is now on sale until the 24th
Here is a PDF on the 333.
http://www.michiganpaint.com/files/PDF 333.pdf

 

[ROCKSFORBRAINS]

I'm allergic to Imron! So I don't use it anymore, but we can still get centauri here. I usually use half the recommended hardener with it, seems to not chip so bad. For bare metal use metal etch primer like Dupont Variprime or anything with phosphoric acid in it. You can also use the acid by itself before priming or painting bare metal. Variprime isn't really for sanding and filling though. I think somebody else said use a good polyester primer for that. Don't wait more than 30 minutes for the Variprime to dry before either spraying paint or primer over it (helps with adhesion)
On the spray gun, I don't think you want to delve into the HVLP thing.. just a regular old HF gravity feed should serve you fine unless you're really serious about paint and body.(not a very good way to make a living...)

Single stage paints will last for years, just require waxing more often. I use Meguire's no. 7 rather than wax. Doesn't leave swirl marks and you can paint over it.

You might consider painting outside. Ya I know, sounds stupid, but my buggy was painted outside (shop was just too full)and most people think it was powder coated. We had a nice calm day and wet the ground down around the paint area. The side benefit is the overspray (big source of dust) doesn't hang around like it would in anything but a dedicated booth. Sure, you can crack a door and turn on a fan, but that's actually worse for dust than painting outside.

Last, use a damn good respirator. You'll wish you were dead if you get enough paint in your lungs.

Just some of the things I remember from the days when I was trying to make a living at painting.:flipoff2:

 

[Chaz M]

I'm allergic to Imron! So I don't use it anymore, but we can still get centauri here.

Dupont Variprime or anything with phosphoric acid in it.

Both centauri and Veriprime is not legal in CA anymore..

For painting our trailers we use a single stage paint, Imron 5000..and the primer is a epoxy type..cant rememeber the name off hand but can find out monday..

The imron 5000 holds up well..there steel track machines runnin over the trailers on a daily basis and even the oldest trailer still looks decent considering the conditions they are being used in..i also used it on the buggy...

 

[Jaffer]

It costs more, but I'll stick with DuPont paints all the way up.
Their new two part epoxy primer is great, works on galvanized, and you can spot repair paint with it as it is a good sealer too.
My paint store guy talked me into trying some cheaper "Omni" primer/filler my last go-around and boy was I sorry ... it started setting up in the pot and almost ruined my gun.
If you plan shooting further projects consider getting a big, cheap suction cup gun (Sears) for primers because they hold more paint and primer so hard to clean up, then use a good gravity gun for the color/clear.

 

[ItsaCJ6]

I'm just starting my painting. I did a ton of research and came to using a HF HVLP gun and Imron 333. 333 is a industrial polyurethane. It's about as tough as you can go with out going to bed liner.

The HF gun is now on sale until the 24th
Here is a PDF on the 333.
http://www.michiganpaint.com/files/PDF 333.pdf

IMRON is great paint, but some of the more dangerous, make sure you wear the appropriate respirator, you can permanently damage your lungs from one un-protected paint job and if you are seriously inhaling, imron can kill you.

 

[ROCKSFORBRAINS]

Both centauri and Veriprime is not legal in CA anymore..

For painting our trailers we use a single stage paint, Imron 5000..and the primer is a epoxy type..cant rememeber the name off hand but can find out monday..

The imron 5000 holds up well..there steel track machines runnin over the trailers on a daily basis and even the oldest trailer still looks decent considering the conditions they are being used in..i also used it on the buggy...

We're behind the times here, in just about everything including epa regs I have to travel at least 150 miles to get any thing besides basic imron. How much is the imron 5000, comparatively speaking? I'm used to paying around $150/gal. for indian red centauri here.

 

[Old Scout]

IMRON is great paint, but some of the more dangerous, make sure you wear the appropriate respirator, you can permanently damage your lungs from one un-protected paint job and if you are seriously inhaling, imron can kill you.

Ohh Yea I know. I'm using a marine grade zinc chromate primer and the airborne zinc will get ya as well.!

BTW Imron is the name of DuPonts line of polyurethanes, there are over 200 different formulas. The 333 is railroad/bridge/chemical plant paint. It has much higher solids than automotive style Imron. The high solids will support a thicker covering and abrasion from the trail. . It's cheaper as well at ~70.00/gallon for any standard automotive color code, but most reds are 6-15.00 more.

 

[Old Scout]

Here is what I'm using for primers.

Petit Marine Zinc chromate self etching primer sprayed on to bare metal.

Interlux marine epoxy primer over the Petit Metal Prep. Then a 4-5 mil coat of Imrom 333 in Land Rover Arles blue.

The Zinc then Epoxy primers is a standard practice for painting steel ships and yachts. I don't think I will ever have a rust problem!

 

[JR]

IMRON is great paint, but some of the more dangerous, make sure you wear the appropriate respirator, you can permanently damage your lungs from one un-protected paint job and if you are seriously inhaling, imron can kill you.

A few years ago, I remember hearing a story of a guy who painted his car in the garage...with no respirator.
He checked himself into a hospital after complaining about breathing problems. The doctor told him to get his things in order. He died a day later. :skull:

 

[GRMhick]

Down here, the cheapie paint shops only charge $250 to paint a cab and clip. Doesent look half bad either. And for that price, I dont even know if it is worth painting a vehicle yourself.