Spray Can Advice
 

My shop teacher won't let us paint our cars in class. Even if we bring the paint, we still can't do it.:icon_tdow

Since i don't have a paint gun or the necessary safety equipment, I'm left with spray paint

I going to spray can my 87 Rx-7 white with the black trim; because I like the flat finish for some reason.

The only place I have to paint is my driveway.

Question 1: How will I protect the basecoat?
Reason: Is there clearcoat in a spraycan?

Question 2: How long will this take?
Reason: weather conditions

I appreciate the support!

P.S. I have plastic filler and glaze for my dent, also sandpaper.

Feel free to post pics of your rattle can projects.

my advice
1. drive way is not a good place to spray can. you will waste A LOT of paint..... set up a place indoor if you can....
2. there is clear coat you can spray. however, to get a good clear coat will require A LOT of layer.
3. if you need to spray...do it on a windless day, under the shade, best in the summer. the paint will drip if it is not dry fast enough.
4. use atleast 1200 grid sandpaper to get a smooth feeling.
5. prime it really good, clean it the really good before you spray paint.
6. if all fail.. prime the car really good, and take it to maaco. they paint really cheap...but they dont clean and prep really well.
7. if still really want to spray...it may take a long time due to multiple layer..

hope this help

I hope you like an uneven finish too, because that's what you're going to get.

it would be easier to buy a compressor, spray gun, and some paint, you will need like 20 cans to spray your car, and it won't flow very nicely.
also, spraying outside blows because you will get so much stuff landing in your paint. it also needs to be relatively warm outside, but not hot or cold

But if you are hellbent on doing it,
Spray the basecoat, sand out all the stuff that landed in your paint with 400+ grit, then clearcoat, and sand out the stuff that lands in the clearcoat with 1500+ and then polish it..it will probably turn out decent that way. also buy one of those little things that attaches to the spray gun that has a trigger...

no spray cans!

if your really mind set on super budget, alot of honda guys do the roll on paint
http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=1555133

better yet, i hear spraying that through a air compressor gets pretty good results. Some guys have done it and came out pretty good wiht solid colors.

might want to check this method out...

http://carpainting.wetpaint.com/page...+Method?t=anon

and/or

http://rollyourcar.com/default.aspx

I spray canned cars plenty of times....here's a link to what I did to mine over xmas break. I just painted the front purp/blk.
https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/blog-91-coupe-drift-time-attack-build-up-546629/page11/

I still got plenty more to do. I haven't buffed or wet sanded after I painted but it's aight for $15. But the advice given so far is good. Do it indoors, clean area, etc. The thing to focus on is PREP! Don't rush the prep work or it won't look good. If you don't know how to spray well with a can then practice otherwise it'll be uneven. Well, goodluck.

Balls to a 3 day (not including prep work) roller job. Go to home depot and purchase clear .5mill tarping material. Frame out an area (2x4s, old pipe, You live in oklahoma..so there has to be an old barn to dissasemble somewhere) big enough to pull a car into and still move around it. Borrow a buddies air compressor, Purchase gun at home depot too, husky for like 80 bucks. Also cop an inline dryer from harborfreight.com. Borrow window fans for exhaust from somebody you dont like.

now for 180.00 or so you are set up (semi proper) and where you would have started with the roll on deoderant job. Buy cheaper nason materials and learn. Continue practicing and fixing friends dents and shooting fenders....ultimately buying better gun, air compressor and networking to shoot under better conditions. If you are willing to take the time to learn, this can be a decent side buisiness...especially with the way highschool kids drive.

john ny

No spray cans OR rollers. They are both garbage. I have done both. Don't even attempt the roller trick. It starts to dry as you roll it and the roller gets all stuck to the paint and pulls it off and it's just a big mess and lots of wasted time and money from there. Flat rattle can is temporary while you do bodywork or if the paint is just absolute crap with 10 colors. DO NOT SAND DOWN A PERFECTLY GOOD PAINT JOB TO RATTLE CAN IT!! That crap pisses me off. You'll hate yourself later after everyone makes fun of you for having a spray painted car.

just take it to maaco
it will last about a year, and maybe look good for that wohle year. Then next year you sand it and prep it and take it to them again.
They just suck at prepping.

prep yourself, then take to maaco for color coating and clear if your lacking resources and a venue for painting. Over all you might be spending 500-700 bucks total for a decent job with you preping and them painting.

Some people hate it and others love it. I don't know what it is, but a flat black paint job is the coolest look ever. Especially if you have nice rims. I made the mistake of going with glossy black on my first spray paint job, and it looked ok, but very uneven. Flat black stays preatty even.

^^^^Yup.... I am a huge fan of flat black too. He will still need to assemble a ghettobooth and prep and shoot it like any 2 stage job. I am not a fan of sanded down stock paint with rattle can flat black.......looks like a crackhead mad max MOST of the time.

john ny

Yeah, make sure you prep very well, and have a good place to do it. If you have a garage, use the plastic stuff to make yourself a ghetto paint booth in the garage, and put a few coats on. Take your time too, if you get tired, you may get sloppy.

$200 at maaco right now if you are really that cheap.

You will spend that much in spray cans figuring that you need a dozen and half cans to do both the primer, base color and clear coat. If you absolutely have to go that route, then get your paint from here: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/ where it is real automotive grade paint, and real automotive urethane clear coat in a spray can (http://www.automotivetouchup.com/spray_paint.asp), not some home depot special paint designed to paint a deck chair.

But a rattle can paint job (even one with a flat black color) will always look like a rattle can paint job.

And don't forget a real breather mask, no matter what you do. DO NOT use the cheap disposable dust masks for protecting your lungs when spraying, they just won't protect you from getting black lung... so that will add another $20-$100.

^ oh yes im ordering some paint from them

painting in your driveway is not that great on the environment either man, dont do a driveway job. maaco did an awesome job on my old rx and it was only a couple hundred bucks.

go buy some books read them, slowly buy the tooling from someplace like harbor freight, use real auto paint, do the prep yourself take your time practice painting on your buddies pile for free make them buy the stuff once you get the technique down for good color sateration and coverage your ready to do it up now be good and go study like a good little boy and someday you will understand the mistery of squirting paint like a pro

Just get a real paint job.

http://fotski.com/oscommerce/images/...NS20022078.jpg
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...7005-2-3ww.jpg

flat and satin finishes can look pretty awesome. Those ninjas that came in "candy flat raw plasma blue" are fantastic.

OK, there aren't any barns that I can drive my car into with them falling down. I've seen the results the roller job and it looks decent from a distance. Same as the rattle can. I found a paint gun, but I think I need a rebuild kit for it. My compressor is fine, and everyone in my class got paint masks for free.

Heres the rough draft:

Make space in my garage for my car.
Use some sort of tarp to make an indoor tent/ paintbooth
Put a 2 fans and house filter at garage door to make a side draft paintbooth/ fresh air for me.
Prep outside than roll in and starting shooting.

Edit this is it needs to be.

Oh, my paint scheme is white with the black trim. My shop teacher is talking to some of his shop friends to try to give me a discount because of how serious I was on painting my car soon, but if I can't, then I'm going to do what I can. My estimate at a really good local bodyshop was $880 because it was "custom".

^^^I still recomend doing it yourself, to gain the skills. Materials with discount should be maybe 400, giving you some left over primer, thinner, reducer, activator and clear. This will enable you to just buy color for random jobs. Then charge for materials you used and re-up on them + more and price for the job. You will always come out ahead.

Your plans seem accurate. I would still construct the booth outside if your garage is attached to your house, though.

Post pictures as you begin to put this plan into action.

john ny

Not that great on the environment?? Where do you think the paint goes in a professional booth? Through a vent into the atmosphere.

Anyway... Buy a gallon of single stage paint from Napa, reducer, and primer for around $120. Rent an air compressor from Home Depot for $25. Buy a spray gun for $50 from Napa. Spray it in the best place you can find at home. Garage with the door open to vent, under a car port, in a driveway under a shade tree that doesn't shed.

Your really not going to get top notch results, but if luck is on your side with great weather and a shade tree you can actually get a pretty nice paint job. Stuff CAN fall into it. Flash showers CAN occur. Will you always get a crappy paint job in a driveway? No... but it may not be perfect. I've painted outside quite a few times and never really had any issues. You can buy a clear coat to throw over the single stage for around $120.