TOPIC: Painting 101 For Frank. Or any one.

This is the video I told you I would make for ya Frank.
This is just the basics............ Do not use any of the quantity's I recommend in the paint mixing part. It was just basics.

By golly, you're okay Heather, thanks! Whadya mean, you're not much of a teacher?!?

I have a lot to do to get ready, but the technique you show is how I've started to use rattle can paint with much more success than the past.

I'm feeling a little better, so hope tomorrow to get a lot of things done. My compressor set-up (30 gal hooked to my old 60 gal tank) is on the other side of the garage from where I'm going to set up this temporary paint booth. I want to run a steel line 20 or 30 feet away from the compressor to get a valve drop to hook my hose to on the side of the garage I'll be painting in, and put my filter there. I also am picking up some disposable filters you screw on at the gun. Also, my gun comes with a regulator.

It would be nice tomorrow to clean out that part of the garage, and I wanted to maybe do some work on the boat. We'll see how I feel and what ends up getting done. It's supposed to be nice, and I wouldn't mind taking a ride in the hot rod, but after sitting in a portable garage all winter I need to pull it in where the paint booth will be and do a complete safety check, i.e. make sure every nut and bolt is tight and clean it up. It's filthy.

Take care and thanks again for the help. that is a great little tutorial.

Frank

Nice Video! Taking the time to compress a voice over to make it sound like you're miked under the mask is a nice touch!You really do a great job.

Peter
in Denver

Enjoyed the painting guide, too.

Couple of questions. I've done a few projects, and have difficulty adjusting the gun to spray smooth. Surface mottling, commonly called orange peel, seems a problem, no matter how I adjust. I spend more time on the practice wall than I do on the project.

Specifically, I have an Eastwood DeVilBiss HVLP gravity feed starter kit, with 3 nozzles. [the chinese one, not the top of the line, this is supposed to be ideal for occasional use] Using a 2 part, single stage urethane, no matter what pressure at the gun, amount of paint flow, no matter how thin or thick I mix the paint, I can not acheive the glassy surface I want. I know some types of finishes are meant to be rubbed out, but these paints are not supposed to need that.

Any advice for me?

I'm guessing air pressure. I shot quite a bit of single stage urathane. Be sure that you have your parts correct. Single stage tends to have some orange peel in it, but I know that some painters can make it lay flat. Keep in mind not to beat yourself up about the finish. Look at new car finishes, some, if not most do have some orange peel to them. Base/clear types of paints should be wetsanded. My experience with single stage urathane is that it usually does not retain a shine once sanded. I have had my Devilbiss forever and put mine to a buddy's cheap autostore gun. The finish was the same. He's just a better painter.

Well Heather, I made it today. Got most of the garage cleaned out for my future temporary spray booth. Got more to go, but my kid was a big help once I got everything done on the hot rod. The garage is about 26 X 26, and once I clean back to the shelves in the very back there, I'll have all the space from the red pole you see one of to the wall.

By the way, this is the hot rod I built between 98 and 01 that has yet to see paint. Less to paint, but way more complicated! Maybe next year.

Frank

Nice Rod!!!!!! sweet. Would love to cruz that thing around here. you would get all kinds of looks. As for the spray booth Look good as far as size and room to move around but move any thing and every thing you dont want over spray on, move it. It will get it on it.....

As Lesely Nealson said in the movie Airplane "Good Luck, We're all counting on you"

Thanks Heather. Out in it most of the afternoon around Albany, NY. I needed a break.

Anything I don't move in the garage will get covered. My drill press, table saw and some other large tools will crowd into my basement shop. We moved a lot of crap today. I figure I'll seal the electric boxes real well, and then tarp the shelves. Soon I will start getting an idea of how I'm going to do the plastic wall. If I have airflow going through there, it needs to be anchored on the floor too right?

Thanks for the help.

Frank

How come I can't get the vidio to come up?. I have tried everyday sense it was posted.
Mike aka pathfinderz1

Not sure. Just go to youtube com and put a forward slash spookeay infront of youtube com and that should take you directly to my channel on.

Got the rest of that garage space cleaned out today Heather. Ran to Lowes early to get bolts to attach the trim to my motor first thing and couldn't get all of what I needed, so I came home and moved stuff. I like it!

Frank

So Heather, thin primer the same drip.....drip......drip way?

Frank

Hey Heather, what was the name of the hardener that you use in the video? Where can I get some? I think that painting the bottom of my boat should be faster with my gun rather the roll and tip. Plus rustoleum is still super cheap!

It's Axis synthetic enamel hardener, and I couldn't find it on google, but got a number of hits. This was the first one:

www.autobodybrands.com/activators/synthetic.html

Frank

Just a few things to think about. We paint frequently, and in general do not use lower pressure guns. We find the finish is superior with suction feed guns such as the devilbiss 77 or the binks model 7. If you do not have sufficient air, look at the lower pressure guns here: www.spraygunworld.com/Information2/OldSchool.htm
next, IF we are going to use primer (we try not to) we will use a high density 2 part primer such as an epoxy primer. Why? because water finds its way into the tiniest pores. If it is going into the water, you want no pores, and most primers have pores. It will last a while, but not the many years a high density non-porous primer will. Next, for color coat, we like PPG deltron acrylic Urethane. It adheres extremely well, is super hard, does not degrade in sunlight like epoxies, is tack hard in just minutes but flows out for a superior finish. Follow PPGs mixing instructions, maybe add a touch more reducer. let stand for 20-30 minutes to start the chemical reaction, then spray. The waiting is a critical part, as it starts the cross linking process and makes it quite hard to get a run. Start to spray - use dripless cups, have a buddy mixing for you, and shoot wet double coats, usually at least two are needed. the finish should be superior with no orange peel whatsoever.
If you are looking for the ultimate finish, let the color coats cure for several days, resand and shoot gloss top color coats using 25% more thinner - one wet double coat (horizontal, then vertical one after another). The finish will outlast any other finish hands down.
If you have a large boat, and we paint them often, you may want to use a pressure feed pot, but I recommend this only for skilled painters. When working a 30 foot powerboat or a 45 foot sailboat you need to spray lots of paint and you must move.
The use of a high pressure gun will eliminate most of the orange peel. We often are forced to paint outside and the PPG Deltron fast tack lets us get a beautiful high gloss coat without dust and bugs. Large production shops are not permitted such luxuries, but as a small custom jobber you can usually spray open air. Wear the finest filters that you can buy - urethanes are toxic.
This combination will have enough give in the technique to allow a new painter the flexibility for a few small mistakes and they will not show. But whatever you do, remember NOT to use a 1 part primer. Your paint will start to peel eventually if you do.
Hope this helps.

Made out like a bandit today. Got home to my spray gun on the front deck, stopped at NAPA for a few things and got 4 large mixing cups (like in your video), 10 small ones, and about 2 dozen mixing sticks and a similar amount of strainers. All the stuff from NAPA was free. Woo hoo!

Won't be long now folks!

Frank

Frank, be sure to practice, practice, practice before spraying paint. If you've never painted before and are starting out with a gravity feed gun it may be a little trickier than than starting out with a siphon feed. They spray a little different. Then again, if you've never used a siphon feed that may be to your advantage since you are not used to spraying a certain way.

I'll be painting my father in law's Honda Oddessy this weekend. When I walked away from the body shop business in '93 I swore I'd never paint a car again. It was 5 years before I even went in the shop, and that was to rebuild a boat. So, after 17 years I'm finally painting my first vehicle.. and it's a damn mini van! lol

Thanks for the advice Doug! Only spray paining I've done is with rattle cans buddy, so this is all new to me. I was "air" painting after I unwrapped everything. One of the things I liked about this gun's reviews was it's ease of cleaning, so we'll see.

I'm a long ways away from spraying the deck, but I'll be back maybe with some practice stuff.

Lucky you Doug, a minvan! Woo hoo!

Frank

jim bart,i used to work at a body shop many years ago and have painted quite a few cars since ,when i started out ,you had 2 choices,straight enamel,and laquer,they used to sell orange peel additive,and i think when i painted my other truck with basecoat/clearcoat i used it then too,but my memory is bad,lol,ask at your local paint shop if they still make it,it came in very tiny tubes and you used only a few drops in a quart,it does make a difference,john.ps i also used to do airbrush scenes on cars too,but usualy motorcycles.

Are you refering to a fish eye eliminator? From oil or water in the supply line from bleeding into the paint/ onto the finish?
That is different from orange peel, which refers to the way the paint lays out on the surface mottled all over, not mirror smooth.

Hey Frank. I got your E-mail. No I am not dead. LOL Just Bizzy as a bee. this thing has got to be done by 31'st... No much more to go now.

Good for you Heather. Boy that boat is looking sparkly great!
Wish I could get mine done, but back is causing me trouble tonight, gotta lay low.

Frank

Aaaa take some rest Frank..... It's spring all spring long. Plenty of time to shoot it later.

Way too cold here anyways Heather. I got other boat stuff to do too, but not tonight. We'll see.

Keep up the great work.

Frank

jim_bart wrote:

Enjoyed the painting guide, too.

Couple of questions. I've done a few projects, and have difficulty adjusting the gun to spray smooth. Surface mottling, commonly called orange peel, seems a problem, no matter how I adjust. I spend more time on the practice wall than I do on the project.

Specifically, I have an Eastwood DeVilBiss HVLP gravity feed starter kit, with 3 nozzles. [the Chinese one, not the top of the line, this is supposed to be ideal for occasional use] Using a 2 part, single stage urethane, no matter what pressure at the gun, amount of paint flow, no matter how thin or thick I mix the paint, I can not achieve the glassy surface I want. I know some types of finishes are meant to be rubbed out, but these paints are not supposed to need that.

Any advice for me?

Go back to your data sheet and make sure you are mixing your paint right. USE THE MIXING CUP! do it exactly! I also use a scale and measure everything by weight and compare it to volume.

Second get a quality proven gun. No Chinese junk you will get what you pay for in this business. "TRUST ME! in 30 years of painting I re-invented the wheel too many times."

I like the Sata-Jet90 because it's been in use for years and is a bulletproof gun. Go to most any body shop and you will find all the big name brands but you will always find that old tried and true German standby, The Sata-Jet-90 right there on the shelf in a pinch. I also am a big fan of Sharpe Guns but they don't last long 5 to 7 jobs and I star to see problems, they start having air flow and tip issues.. but at $100 to $150 A pop, you make your money off them. I have done Airbrush work with a Sharpe. Good Luck.
Heather....

classicfins wrote:

......I'll be painting my father in law's Honda Oddessy this weekend. When I walked away from the body shop business in '93 I swore I'd never paint a car again. It was 5 years before I even went in the shop, and that was to rebuild a boat. So, after 17 years I'm finally painting my first vehicle.. and it's a damn mini van! lol

Well, the mini van is painted. On a Monday, AND a full moon! It came out nice, just needs a little 2000 grit here and there to take care of a little dust and then polish her up.

WOW sweet!

When your good,,, Your good...

hi heather,great thread!i see you have used sharp airbrushes,i have done a few cars and alot of motorcycles with airbrushes ,i wish i had taken better pics with a good camera,but alas it was along time ago,and the pics of my airbrush work and art work didnt come out good.
i used to use paasche airbrushes when i started ,it was all i could afford,but it did the job ,but then i got together about 100.00 bucks back then and bought a badger crescendo 174,duel action siphon feed ,wow what a difference,i have had it over ten years and used it heavy,i still have it and am getting back into my artwork,custom painting,oil painting ,mirror and glass engraving,and hand carved furniture.
i just wanted to mention the badger because its a good brush and still about 100.00 bucks,plus its usa made.i dont have a pic of my airbrush work ,but here is a pic of one of the cars that i hand engraved the rear side glass in,it was mercury couger,john also a pic of just a small part of a mirror im working on

sorry heather and frank i just reread what i posted and it looks like i tried to hijack your thread,what i want to say is you do fantastic work heather,and this is very helpful to all of us,im very impressed by your work and work ethics,ive been following your posts ever since you posted about the houseboat,by the way how is that going?
and frank im also impressed by the way you tackled this project,you have inspired me to get back to working on and painting the sunray,thanks to you both,john

Well John, I am going to spray paint my deck, first Interlux Pre-Kote, then Interlux's single stage Brightsides. We'll see how it works out. I've screwed up on this once already brushing it, and just feel a different approach can't hurt. Also, I am dealing with physical limitations and believe this may be a better approach.

Best of luck to you with the Sunray!

Frank

john, the cougar head is pristine.(i don't use that word very often) ron

Having the ability to build a paint booth at home is really neat. But what bothers me about the picture of his future booth is that the electrical panel box is in there as well. Better cover up that puppy real well too.

Yep, already got that covered! Thanks for pointing it out though, could safety point.

Frank

I know this is an older thread but thought I would point out two good resources. First if the finish is not glassy like hoped you probably have to much paint and not enough air. This could mean you could try thinning paint a bit more or try a smaller fluid nozzle (if already a bit over recommended maximum i wouldn't thin but try the smaller nozzle) you can also try to turn up the air. While this this article and video are for a paint pressure pot the adjusting principals will be similar