project: paint the 7
11-03-05, 10:54 PM
#127
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Back from the dead, eh? This thread is like a friggin' boomerang 
Maffut - you got it, basically.. you use wet sand paper. It's not as effective for removing large chunks of paint (like when you're trying to completely remove a layer, like clearcoat). The dry sanding is for that.. Wet sanding is for the finer stuff (I've only seen wet sand paper availible above 300 grit, and most people I know use 1000 and 1200 the most). It will give you a much smoother finish, taking off things very evenly and precisely.
Just grab some wet sand paper, and a bucket of water (I usually put a bit of dawn in mine, to help remove any wax or other soap/oil residues), and then soak your piece of wet sandpaper and start sanding.
Normal process goes dry sand (rough removal)>wet sand (fine finish)>prime>wet sand>prime again>wet sand <repeat ad naseum> top coat> wet sand > repeat > clear coat > wet sand > repeat, repeat, repeat > wait 3 months > polish and wax (may possibly include a 14-1600 grit wetsand before polishing).
Maffut - you got it, basically.. you use wet sand paper. It's not as effective for removing large chunks of paint (like when you're trying to completely remove a layer, like clearcoat). The dry sanding is for that.. Wet sanding is for the finer stuff (I've only seen wet sand paper availible above 300 grit, and most people I know use 1000 and 1200 the most). It will give you a much smoother finish, taking off things very evenly and precisely.
Just grab some wet sand paper, and a bucket of water (I usually put a bit of dawn in mine, to help remove any wax or other soap/oil residues), and then soak your piece of wet sandpaper and start sanding.
Normal process goes dry sand (rough removal)>wet sand (fine finish)>prime>wet sand>prime again>wet sand <repeat ad naseum> top coat> wet sand > repeat > clear coat > wet sand > repeat, repeat, repeat > wait 3 months > polish and wax (may possibly include a 14-1600 grit wetsand before polishing).
11-04-05, 07:58 AM
#128
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ahh i see. damn this thread wants me to just break out and paint something. i dont know if i could trust myself on a car though. from what i gathered since the prep is the most time consuming part of the process (sanding and body work) if i did all that myself and left the primer and painting upto the pros would that take a significant ammount off the final price? i understand that they will still need to do sanding themselves in between coats, but atleast the hard paint removal and body work will be done. i will definately not have atleasts 3k to paint my car..
11-04-05, 08:45 AM
#129
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From the quotes I've seen thrown around on this board, it will cut your cost down to about 1000-1200 for a very professional paint job if you do all of the prep work yourself. You're right that it's the most time consuming part. Honestly, by the time you get done with the prep work, you'll see that to be the hardest part. If you have access to the equpiment, I'd say do it yourself, unless you NEED a show-car paint job. The only other reason not to do it yourself would be time, but if you're taking on the prep work, it's obvious that you have some of that to play with. The spraying is the easiest/quickest part of the job. Sanding will always remove runs.
11-21-05, 12:26 PM
#130
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I've always wanted to paint my own car. I've done prepping and body work before, its not a problem, its just painting. And what I fear most is having dust and other particles get stuck in the paint. How did you get around this???
11-21-05, 04:22 PM
#131
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It's all about the work area prep... Where I shot was an inherently dusty evironment. It was just our garage, which we also use to cut wood, do all other projects, work on cars, etc.. so to get around potential dust problems, I made sure to take extra care sweeping the floor and washing it (just grab a big broom and a hose), and then moved anything that could possibly be bumped while I was working on the paint. I then covered anything I didn't need with plastic tarps (go to a surplus store for clear plastic sheets on the cheap). That took care of most of it. I put a filter in front of my fan that i was intaking air with, and then I sprayed down the floor with water before I shot. I didnt' notice any worrying amounts of dust in the air..
Perfect? probably not, but damn well close enough that any dust in the paint isn't going be noticable, unless you never take your car outside. Honestly, you're more likely to get insects stuck in the paint, other than dust. I'd avoid shooting at dusk and dawn, and be sure to be done spraying early enough that the clearcoat/paint is dry by the time the insects come out in your area.
Perfect? probably not, but damn well close enough that any dust in the paint isn't going be noticable, unless you never take your car outside. Honestly, you're more likely to get insects stuck in the paint, other than dust. I'd avoid shooting at dusk and dawn, and be sure to be done spraying early enough that the clearcoat/paint is dry by the time the insects come out in your area.
11-22-05, 09:16 AM
#132
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I was thinking about basically making a "mini" garage of plastic tarp in my garage, and parking the car in there. In regards to the fan, you obviously are using that for air circulation, how did you filter it? Just a sheet of filter paper across the fan? I was thinking about getting one of those automated house fan/filters, that plug into the wall and filter/circulate air in a room. Use that and let it run for a day or two in my 'tarp garage.' Im just really picky about everything in life, including my paint jobs, I just remember when my brother and I painted his old skool baja bug, I could barely see little bits of dust and it just made me want to strip the whole car and start again. Cheers
I just remember when my brother and I painted his old skool baja bug, I could barely see little bits of dust and it just made me want to strip the whole car and start again. Cheers
Last edited by wilddog; 11-22-05 at 09:41 AM.
11-22-05, 04:31 PM
#133
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hmm..if you're that ****, a home garage paint job may not work out for you, reguardless of how you do it. It simply will not be a paintbooth unless you spend an inordinate amount of time making it one 
for the fan, I cut a square in the plastic I had over the door to make a slot for it, then put in one of the square filters you can pick up at lowes, and set the fan on low.. that created positive pressure in the garage, so if someone came inside or something, air would blow out of the garage, not into it..
That said, a lot of paint shops will really give you a substantial discount if you do all the prep work yourself. If you don't ahve the time/environment to get a job that you'll like, there's no sense in doing it.. you may want to look into getting it done by someone with a downdraft paint booth.
for the fan, I cut a square in the plastic I had over the door to make a slot for it, then put in one of the square filters you can pick up at lowes, and set the fan on low.. that created positive pressure in the garage, so if someone came inside or something, air would blow out of the garage, not into it..That said, a lot of paint shops will really give you a substantial discount if you do all the prep work yourself. If you don't ahve the time/environment to get a job that you'll like, there's no sense in doing it.. you may want to look into getting it done by someone with a downdraft paint booth.
