Painting car parts yourself, help wanted.

[FastFwd]

Aight, I have purchased the first link. Give that a go, work on my technique and go from there. I believe the issue with my current gun is it is 1.4mm or less using acrylic paint. And the 2hp compressor can't keep up with the bottom feed gun. That and the paint to thinner mix.

[MassiEk4]

Just out of curiosity, did you fiddle with the spray gun's setting while you were spraying.
The dry spots might be because you weren't spraying enough paint through the gun's nozzle.

[FastFwd]

Just out of curiosity, did you fiddle with the spray gun's setting while you were spraying.
The dry spots might be because you weren't spraying enough paint through the gun's nozzle.

Yeah i did and i wound it all the way in and all the way out, it was making a difference when i wound it all the way out but not enough. But like other users have mentioned that i could be spraying through a nozzle smaller than 2.0.

Few issues i did feel was the spray wasnt constant pressure, it wasnt a solid constant stream of paint when i sprayed, and when it was at its best it just didnt feel think/wet enough. Could that also because of the thinners to paint mix? some guys mentioned running a 75/25 or a 60/40. I was running a 50/50, will running a thicker paint mix also make it wetter, and with a combination of a 2.0mm head and a top fed gun which i have purchased and just waiting for delivery. I could be resolving most of my paint issues.

I want to get to a point where my setup is dialed in and i can just work on my technique.

[jdm_b16a]

Yeah i did and i wound it all the way in and all the way out

You need to understand what the adjustments on your gun do. If you continued to spray whilst adjusting the nozzle this would explain for the most part the varying finish you were getting.



In the above example:

(1) the smaller topmost knob allows you to spread or fan the spray of paint. You should aim for a hand width pattern so spray a demo on a piece of scrap metal and then spread your hand out so the resulting spray is the width of your hand from thumb to fingers.

(2) the larger of the two knobs (2nd from the top) controls the needle aperture. Wind it all the way in and then there is no fluid (paint); all the way out and then you have maximum fluid flow. You should aim at somewhere in between usually about 2/3 way. Trial and error, and practice.

(3) On more expensive guns you can also have a third knob which controls the amount of air into the gun. This is usually on the bottom of the handle as in the example above.

The fact you still had problems suggests

(a) your mix was too much paint not enough thinners and

(b) your aperture nozzle was too small to allow enough fluid out.

Another factor is the temperature of the day and therefore the temperature of the panels. If its hot paint in the shade as a hot panel will evaporate the thinners from your job too quickly; too cold a day and you might have to warm up the panels a little with a heat gun.

Also note that you can also change the fan pattern from vertical to horizontal by loosening and turning the cap 90degs.

Few issues i did feel was the spray wasn't constant pressure, it wasn't a solid constant stream of paint when i sprayed

Simply put, your compressor wasn't replenishing air quickly enough - not enough pressure - it couldn't keep up with you. You need to work around this by slowing down and giving the compressor a chance to catch up. Do small sections at a time.

A key factor here is making sure your air hose to the gun is as short as practicable.

Will running a thicker paint mix also make it wetter?

No, it will make it worse. Think about it, the more paint the harder the compressor has to work to push the thicker fluid through the gun, and a small aperture compounds this. That's why you need 2.0mm tip and needle. The reason you add thinners is, as the name implies, to thin the fluid and allow the gun to 'atomise' the paint mix and air for application to your panel.

Also be careful here. You have to match the 2.0mm needle with the 2.0mm air cap. They should be stamped. Don't mix and match 2.0mm needle with a 1.4 or something else air cap.

I want to get to a point where my setup is dialed in and i can just work on my technique.

Absolutely. Your local library will have some spray painting books - they might be a little bit old but the general technique has never changed.

Failing that, look around the web for this ...



Great book with useful setup hints and how to's with lots of photos.

Also don't be lazy because at the end of the day you will be tired even exhausted as spray painting is a physical and mental strain. You have to make sure you disassemble all your equipment and clean it thoroughly otherwise paint will dry inside the gun and block airways etc. No. 1 priority is a clean setup to work at it's best. Which also means when you reassemble you have to recalibrate for the next job, but that's part of the fun. A setup from one day may not be ideal on another day - remember the temperature, and also if its humid there's more water in the air so adjust, adjust, adjust.

I think you are probably coming to realise why spraying a whole car costs what it costs!

Good luck.

Peter

[jdm_b16a]

Go the VG Auto Paints site. They have lots of info for the budding car painter.

As I said before they also have lessons and demos on Saturday mornings - they had one last Saturday focussing on painting with 'candy' paint.

These guys know their stuff and these demos aren't just 'hard sell' opportunities.

Plus they have a raffle and a BBQ so you can get fed after the demos and even maybe win some car care prizes.

I've been to a few of these (and yes I do buy all my supplies from these guys because they're local and are helpful with advice)

Peter

[FastFwd]

I will be receiving my new gun in 1-2 days so once i get it i will prep my area and give it another try. Unfortunately im in perth so i wouldn't be able to make the saturday lessons or else i would defiantly do it.

Thanks a bunch for your information. I will be prepping a nice little area in the next couple of days to start my painting this long weekend.

So just for example. This weekend in Perth will be around 28-31 degree's but i will be doing all my painting in my shed in the shade. What thinner mix should i be running then? 60% thinner 40% paint?

[jdm_b16a]

What thinner mix should i be running then? 60% thinner 40% paint?

Start with the usual 1:1.5 mix (1 part paint to 1.5 parts acrylic thinners; or general purpose thinners if only doing undercoat)

The paint should go on "wet" but flash off and be touch dry in about 10 minutes. Just keep the panels out of direct sunlight.

Although you could put them out for a minute or two to warm up and then bring them inside and paint. If they're 'hot' to the touch then wait awhile.

Let us know how you go.

In the meantime here's some self promotion on my part to inspire you ...

This is a DA9 that was Milano Red, now Type R yellow. This is only colour coat - no gloss lacquer applied.



















This is an ED6 Civic project



This EG5 Civic was oncer an automatic in silver, and its now one of a few in Grand Prix White (not buffed in these photos)







Yes I even paint behind the door skins





Turning these



into these



into these



Peter

[FastFwd]

wow a lot of inspiration for me. great work, cheers.

[jdm_b16a]

I've been painting for almost twenty years so don't expect to pick it up quickly - take your time, develop your technique and practice, and keep learning. It's all down to preparation.

Peter

[FastFwd]

Peter,

I did some painting on the weekend. Basically did all of the same as my original post but with new hvlp gun the correct thinner mix and this is how I went.

First and second coats of paint went awesome, looked really good. Issues came whilst painting the clear coat and after. I don't know if ii was doing it correctly or the correct mix of thinners but some parts of the panel came out perfectly clear coated and some came out with a haze of white almost looked like dust. It was kinda like over spray residue leaving a film of dust and I had to go back over it. When I went back over it, it was fine. After 3 coats of clear I got a perfectly sprayed panel. About 10 minutes after the last clear coat it was decently touch dry so i put the panel on the car. After that all he'll broke loose. All the paint started to bubble. It was hot outside that day so I believe it was the heat which I should have left it in the shade but can you confirm this for me so I don't do it again.

[jdm_b16a]

Hazy white : too much product through the gun - back off the amount of paint/clear. Basically you need more air and less product. On the other hand could be you got too close to the panel. The paint should be atomised into a fine mist.

Bubbles : you had too much thinners and it ate through to the original paint, causing a reaction that was incompatible. I've done it myself - sand it all off and start again!

Personally you don't need three coats of clear. You're thinking if one coat of clear is good, three will really make it glossy! Not so, the real shine is in the cutting back and buffing/waxing.

Trial & error is the learning process.

Cheers
Peter

[BG-33P]

Love your work peter. Always refinishing cars to a clean OEM standard. Wish i had the space to practice my own painting.

Good luck with the project fastFwd.