Painting with a spraygun and compressor

[Captain Furious]

So tomorrow is looming and the pug will finally be roadworthylegal.  The next item on the agenda is bodywork.  Really it needs a full respray, it may get one at some stage but I need to run it for a while to decide if its a keeper before dropping that amount of money on it.

 

Its mainly the bonnet and roof, the bonnet is a replacement and in a mixture of primer and red oxide and the roof has advanced stage lacquer peel to the point it looks like it has some kind of flesh eating virus.

 

I have a compressor, and possibly a gun of unknown quality/serviceability, is it worth having a crack at doing it with that, and if so does anyone have an idiots guide, or just buy a load of aerosols from Halfords and make a dogs breakfast of it that way.

 

At this stage I'm only really after it all being roughly the same colour and acceptable at 100 yards.  I've never tried painting with a gun before and I'm keen to give it a go, but I don't have a tremendously successful history with bodywork.

[Matt]

I'm sure there are plenty of guides on YouTube so grab a panel from a local scrappy, watch some guides and have a bash I say. As they say prep is everything when it comes to painting and I've seen some DIY resprays where they put up a large gazebo, wet the floor down, brush it out, seal themselves in and spray away. A quality mask is mandatory of course.

[Ian_Fearn]

I've had some really successful paint jobs at home with the compressor and gun.

 

For smaller jobs I normally buy a pack of 10 acid etch primer rattle cans and then get the top coat paint from a local factor or online is pretty handy these days.

 

I would say don't bother unless you're prepared to splash out on something like this:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-ap8gf-professional-gravity-fed-hvlp-min/

 

My painting went from 'don't know why i bothered' to 'really presentable' just going from an old suction fed gun to gravity fed. I use the same technique for going over the surface regardless of rattle can or gun. Always lay the first coats (grip coat) very thinly and allow to dry before hitting it for a full coat.

 

Make sure you understand the paint you buy i.e does it need a hardener? does it need lacquer etc. A decent paint shop will tell you all you need to know about the product. 

 

Get a can of panel wipe, various grades of grit paper and some decent masks.

 

I would happily paint an entire car now knowing it would look good. 

 

Also, expect to wait for the paint to cure before attacking it with a rotary buffer. Feel free to ask questions.......

[Captain Furious]

Thanks for the advice, I don't mind spending the money on a gun if you think it will offer a decent advantage.  The one I have is suction fed and I'm not sure its any good anyway, I've certainly never used it.

 

There is a local paint and bodywork supplies store near here where you take the car to them, they match the colour and mix it for you on the premesis, so I will probably get it from there and they should be able to advise the need for hardener, lacquer etc (its metallic so lacquer is a given)

 

Patience is where I have come unstuck in the past, I'm the kind of person that wants to get the primer, top coat, lacquer and get it polished within about half an hour with predictable results, but I'm going to make a determined effort not balls this one up through rushing it.

 

Its going to go one of two ways, either I'll come out of it with a new, misplaced, confidence to paint the whole car, or a new appreciation of just why resprays cost thousands of pounds.

[Ian_Fearn]

If you want to do the whole car, its a fair sized undertaking. You do need patience. In warm weather primer can go off in a few hours, likewise, properly mixed top coat + hardener but otherwise, I reckon 12-24 hours between coats drying in air, forget trying to rush this. I find 2 weekends with evenings in between does a full car. Laying a coat takes no time at all. Correcting runs and flatting back takes an eternity so never overdo the paint application.

 

Don't underestimate the amount of cheap thinners you'll need to clean the gun after each use, time spent here will pay dividends the following day! Also, loads of latex gloves, rags, sealable pots to empty unused liquids into and a clear workspace to mix paint.

 

You need a garage/area sheeted out including the floor ideally for the duration. I prefer to move the car/panel outside to flat back, natural light is better for seeing imperfections and it keeps the dust out of the paint booth.

 

I find myself starting at 600 grit and then working through to 1200 grit prior to the very last coat. 2000 grit then used after the paint has properly hardened, a week or so later depending on the weather/paint type. Then head to something like Meguiars 205 or 3m Fast Cut Plus on the rotary polisher. Followed by the usual Detailing World tips 

[lisbon_road]

I wish you luck and all that.

 

Personally, I do most things myself but the fumes and frustration put me off.  Have a friend whose father works in a paint shop, just did an Astra bumper for me for £70, admittedly didn't need much prep but a decent job. 

[Station]

Get a gravity fed spray gun, the ones with the thing underneath aren't as nice.

Because you're spraying on a flat surface, the paint won't run. Get cheap primer matching your colour as close as you can, this will save having to use loads of coats.

 

Just make sure surface is keyed and is free of grease and shite and you can't go wrong. Don't scrimp on amount of paint used, would you rather buy more paint or start job over again, it's easy to mess it up by being impatient.

[andy18s]

If it's going to be a temporary job would some vinyl wrap be more agreeable?

Or do you really want a crack at painting it?

In my (limited) experience it's all about the prep

[Craig the Princess]

I wouldn't try spraying 2 pack at home, the cyanide content puts me off. You can get cellulose paint on eBay but can't paint cars (other than vintage or classic ones) with it. No idea how that is monitored or enforced.

[cros]

Above is better advice than I've ever found on Internet sites. I'm awful at spraying vehicles and endorse whoever said to take time to get it right rather than sorting mistakes afterwards.

Synthetic is useful if you can accept a commercial vehicle standard of finish, not least because its cheap and doesn't need an air fed mask. Cellulose has never been my facourite- it may be easier to spray but doesn't seem to last well.

[scdan4]

All about prep and patience. 

 

Wear gloves to stop hand grease. All in one coveralls to stop clothes ming and fluff.

 

Everything wiped over with thinners (twice) then tackrag before primer.

 

Scotchbrite or p400+ gently to denib the primer coat when dry.

 

Tackrag.

 

Slightly sparse, even gripcoat, let it flash off then a topcoat that thougherly wets the whole area, evenly. You want it wet, but not swimming. Be careful of corners and edges as they'll collect more paint faster than the surroundings. If in doubt let the area flash off a bit and come back to look at it later. Lots of "oh shit there's too much paint there" moments sort themselves out as the solvent evapourates.

 

Do corners / edges first the fill in working consistently in one overall direction.

 

Don't try to spray too large an area at once - do a bit well and extend the area, rather than trying to get it all at once. (don't leave any edges of areas to dry whilst doing this.)

 

Someone above confidently says "you won't get runs cos it's flat innit". I'd say don't get runs as you put the right amount of paint on it. 

 

Decent spray guns will have a 2 stage trigger and adjustable air, fan and paint controls. 

 

Set the gun up to your tastes first on something sacrificial and have a good old practise before moving straight onto the prepped car while you've got your eye in. I

 

When painting, especially if just trying to tickle a bit of paint on use the 2 stages to keep air running through the gun all the time and just tickle a bit of extra paint on where you want it. If at the hosing it on stage keep the gun moving and cut the paint before you cut the movement else you will get runs and blebs. (Very important that)

Remember that you can back the paint right off and put the fan to a spot to get real tricky spots or just touch up a dry bit of fill.

 

 

If you've got a dodgy bit, run, dead fly, hose drag, dust, pigment bleb, finger mark etc, leave it the fuck alone. Let the paint cure, sort it out after with wet and dry and a blowover. If you go wading into wet paint trying to pluck the bastard thing out/paint it out you'll only make it worse.

[DodgyBastard]

 

I painted my ranger with Aldi metal paint, the finish isn't great because I did very little prep, used a suction fed gun and a tiny compressor but it seems quite durable.

I now have a bigger compressor, better gun and good quality paint from my local auto paint shop so would like to paint it again in the warmer weather.