SAiamNE

What I see through out this forum on painting is very vague and isn't very detailed as to what exactly you used and how you went about painting. I couldn't really find to many pointers or materials used to do the paint.


I know many people on this board have done all the prep and paint jobs in there own garage..
So let's start a new thread...
Please post the following...

1.) All materials used and total cost ( color/brand of paint, sand paper, kind of primer etc..)
2.) Compressor/tank size, paint gun used etc...
3.) Estimate of how long it took you..Preferably hours.
4.) How you went about making your own paint booth.
5.) Any additional information you would like to add.. (Steps you went through, problems you encountered and how to avoid them next time, etc..)

Please post pictures of the stages you went through and/or final product once you were done.

Let's see em boys!

NewbernD

iTrader: (1)

It's been a while. I've painted several cars and sand rails, most with single stage acrylic enamel paint. Never trying to enter a show but the paint always stuck well, came out glossy and clean. The key is to take your time and to the body work better than you think it'll take. Paint won't fix problems, only make them stand out.

1. Good luck with this one. Every job is different. I used to use a 5 or 6" porter cable right-angle electric random orbital sander and 110/220 sanding disks in bulk. It's larger than most you see for $50 in Home Depot. Simple single stage acrylic enamel ran about $120 a gallon if I recall. I bought from a shop called Mattos and I believe the paint was usually Dupont. One time I had them mix a two-stage color into single stage paint (which came out looking totally fine) for something like $220 a gallon.

Add $35 for reducer, $45 for hardener, $10 for some no-fish-eye, a few tack rags, $45 for a gallon of fill-n-sand primer, bunch of rattle-cans of primer. You'll want to get some nice aluminum oxide sand paper for block sanding too.

$50 on a good respirator with replaceable filters. A dust-mask or bandana around your nose is not good enough.

2. Don't laugh. As with everything there is the right way and then there is what works. This is what worked for me. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't enough. 1 HP compressor 7 gallon tank. Unless you have serious skills you probably won't out-paint the compressor. It's nice to have a drier on the line but honestly, not absolutely necessary. I have used several paint guns.. Started with a $50 craftsman special. I have since used other guns. For you and me, how well it sprays is not about the bling of the gun, it's about how well you know your gun, how well you mix your paint and the temperature/humidity of the day. If you're in the ballpark most of the temprament of how it sprays can be adjusted out. I always paint on a large piece of cardboard before I begin painting the car, just to tune the gun.

3. Depends on the car, how much bodywork there is to do and how well you can do it the first time. Also depends on how young your your back is. I painted an old honda accord for a friend in a few days.. took 2 days to strip it all down, scuff the paint, fill a few dings, fix some rust and buy paint. Painted it the next day, let it cure for a day. Done.

4. Wait for a nice day, open garage door. Push. If the elements are right, there's no pollen in the air, neighbors aren't cutting the grass, etc... it's nice to paint outside. You don't get accosted by the fumes and the sunlight helps you see dry spots. I've painted in a ventelated garage a few time also. You get paint everywhere but it usually dries before it lands and it easy to clean up. If you're military or know someone who is, many military bases have paint boothes that you can (they can) rent.

5. Hmm, what to emphasize?
- Don't get lazy on the bodywork. No, the paint will not hide it.
- Go slow, use common sense.
- It helps to raise the car up on jackstands. Start painting at the top of the car and work your way down. That way you don't get overspray all over what you just painted.
- I never used a gravity cup to measure thickness of the paint, I just measured paint. The only time I had a problem was when I let my dad mix the paint.. he put in 2x the reducer and the paint came out totally dry. Didn't look bad, just had a matt finish. At the time I didn't care.
- Find a paint store with honest sounding fellas and ask questions. They'll help.


Here's pics of some of the car's I've painted.. And don't laugh at my pic in the bug shots.. That was me almost 15 or so years ago.

http://dave.newbern.org/gallery/Moo
http://dave.newbern.org/gallery/VWThing
http://dave.newbern.org/gallery/HotVW
http://dave.newbern.org/gallery/SandRail

Hope that helps.

SAiamNE

WOW!! Thanks NewbernD, that was perfect.. I couldn't have asked for anything more!!!

Anyone else care to add there paint job experiences?
Keep em comming boys!

ChunkyMonkey

iTrader: (1)

This topic couldn't have come at a better time....I'm looking to paint and work my own car this upcoming year....I wanna go with Boyd Red, probably $$$.....I'm gonna setup my garage as a booth.

93redFD

can anyone list the steps in the painting process?

ChunkyMonkey

iTrader: (1)

you should be able to pick up a book regarding the process....I know Boyd Coddington has one for sale on his site.

SAiamNE

Ok guy's lets try and keep the chatter to a minimum. I do not want this thread to turn into 5 pages of worthless crap like all the other ones have.

Thanks

mike schramm

Go to this site.
http://www.autobody101.com/
they have good info as well as a paint and body specific forum.