This is a question for all you that know how to paint. My grandad used to paint his own vehicles along with doing all the other work. Unfortunately he passed away long before I was even thinking of my drivers license however I do have access to his guns if I ever go get them. I don't know if there is a air compressor or not.

Now if I go get his guns what do I need to look at if I want to teach myself how to paint? I know I need the guns and air compressor, paint too. Any suggestions on a cheaper paint to learn with? What else would be needed to start learning? I plan on teaching myself painting and fiberglassing both this summer as I don't have anything else to do on my days off. Eventually I'd like to be able to paint the the stripes on my car myself and if I end up with a TA this summer I'd like to be able to paint that myself (after lots of body work most likely).

 

Hi Garrett,
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I began doing my own paint work about 3 or 4 years ago. I picked up a cheapo gun kit for $50 at Lowes (had a big gun, a smaller touchup gun, and an airbrush)- and I bought a book from the book store on how to paint your own car.

When I went to paint my first piece (rear trunk panel), I just went to the local paint supply shop, and asked for their advice. I wanted the most inexpensive paint that would still be able to look like factory (ended up with some dupont stuff, I can't remember the details now). Since my surface was already smooth, all I needed was a thin primer to give me a uniform layer to stick to (not a thick, surfacer for sanding on).

I'd say all in all, I was under $300 to be able to paint my first part (including clear, base, primer, the guns, and the book- plus tack cloth, thinner, mixing cups- etc). It would obviously be more expensive if you had to get your own compressor.

My first paint job came out almost perfect (I put the last coat of clear on a pinch too wet, and had a run- so I wetsanded the whole thing smooth since I had 3 layers of clear anyways)- but after sanding, it looked just like factory. For the various paints, I simply followed the exact process laid out on the cans (for mixing ratios and such).

My only advice other than what I've seen in the books: (they fairly well cover the actual painting process)

-If the air hose you're using is questionable, just buy a new one. If there was any chance it has ever had oil run through it or anything- just pick up a new hose.

-Buy a combination regulator/water trap, and keep and make sure to drain the water when it fills.

-Drain your compressor tank's water (if any is sitting in there) before you begin.

-I bought one of those 'last chance' filters that screws into the back of the gun. I'm not sure how much it helped- but it was cheap- so I see no reason not to use one.

-Don't paint something important first, most paint guns have at least 2 or 3 adjustment *****. I painted some newspaper taped to the wall to get all my settings right before I even thought about spraying an actual part.


I don't claim to be any sort of professional body guy, but I did paint my rear panel, fiberglass door panels, and my front and rear bumpers using the same cheapo guns- and they have all come out pretty darn good for cheaper paint, cheap guns, and no experience.

 

Believe it or not, Harbor Freight is a good place to pick up some cheap tools if you want to teach yourself to paint. Im not sure if they have guns but I know they have the air supplies you need like the drier for the air line, air nipples, blow guns, cheap DAs for sanding and other supplies. If you dont want to have to mix your own paint, NAPA auto parts has the Martin Senor brand paint system and they can mix your paint, match the variants if necessary and you can also get some painting supplies there like the paper, the prep solvent, gloves, respirators, ect. If you can find yourself some cheap paint guns, thats the way to go because you dont need a 300 dollar paint gun to learn to paint on. If you use an HVLP gun remember it means HIGH VOLUME low pressure, so just because you dont need alot of pressure doesnt mean a little 5 gallon air compressor is going to do the job. To set the gun up you will want somewhere between 30-40psi going to the gun. With basecoat you will want closer to the 40 psi and with clear you will want closer to 30. With an HVLP gun you will only be using about 10 psi at the air cap. They make gauges that you screw on in place of the air cap that measures the pressure. Primer is a little different, you will want lower pressure for primer because you dont need as much atomization. For sealer you will spray it with the same air pressure you use for clear and with surfacer you dont need much pressure at all as long as it comes out of the gun and doesnt glob on the panel. For surfacer I usually set the wall at 30psi and use the pressure adjustment on the gun to turn the pressure down until Im happy with how the primer comes out of the gun. For the fan, it all depends on the material you are spraying, how large of an area you are spraying and how much overspray you want. For base I usually adjust the fan to 6-8 inches wide and hold the gun about 6-8 inches from the panel. For clear I usually adjust the fan to 5-6 inches and hold the gun about 6 inches from the panel. Primer varies when it comes to fan width but 6 inches is a good distance to hold the gun away from the panel. You will have to practice to get a feel for travel speed for each material and after a while you will find yourself tweaking the other adjustments to your personal preference. The instructions about are a good starting point tho.

When working with bare metal, remember these steps, corrosion protection, surfacer, sealer, base, clear. You will probably want a good etch primer to start with, then a 2k sandable surfacer primer, then a primer sealer then your base and clear. The paint distributor you get your materials from will help you will what exact products you need for the specific job. They can also help out when it comes to questions about mixing ratios, flash times and dry times as well as how to prep for each coat and how many coats of each product to apply. As a general application method, apply 1 light covering coat of etch primer, wait 20 minutes and then apply 2-3 thicker coats of surfacer. Wait the appropriate dry time for the surfacer. Wetsand the surfacer smooth with 400 grit (you can then use 600-800 grit if you dont intend on applying a sealer). Apply 1 medium covering coat of sealer, wait 20-30 minutes then apply base coat. Wait 20-30 minutes and then apply 2 medium-wet coats of clear.

You obviously will need to mask of parts of the vehicle you dont want to paint. Substrate preparation varies for each project so I wont go into detail. Anyone, feel free to PM me with details and I will try to help you out in that area. You will of coarse need to clean the panel with some prep solvent appropriate to the main substrate. Generally, solvent based over steel and water based over plastics. Also, dont use the same masking paper for undercoats and topcoats. Remove the paper and tape after you are finished laying undercoats (etch and surfacer) and re-apply it before spraying top coats (sealer, base, clear).

The above obviously is a rough outline of the painting process. The only way to determine the exact setup and procedure is to test it out on a scrap piece of similar substrate to the piece you will actually be doing the painting on. Good luck with your project. Hope it works out well and is a good learning experience.

 

 

that is LOT of great info guys. makes me want to go paint something!!

 

Does anyone of you guys want to come over and touch up my 05 - it needs the hood and front bumper repainted due to lots of rock chips. We have a air compressor and lots of light.

 

yup awesome info, mrl390 yo've obviously painted a few cars in your day, my first hint was your usage of the 2k. i've been painting and prepping cars for 12 years now so ill try and elborate.

first a few lil tidbits to remember:
-A good paint job is all in the prepping!
-if you can feel it.. you will see it (meaninng use your hands to see when prepping, if you feel something , you'll see it in your paint)
-what's on bottom effects whats on top (how well you apply your sealers, basefade, basecoats etc will effect how nice the clear coats lays down.)
-don't forget the edges. (doesnt matter how nice you put your paint on, if the edges of your bodypanels are chipped and/or unsanded, the job will look like crap and unfinished)

now on to the rest....



painting metal and plastic each have their own steps, even whenprepping. just to make it easier let's say were painting the front bumper on your monte. its got some major road rash (rock chips).

what i would do is take some 150 grit and an orbital sander and have at it. sanding it down to get the bulk of the chips out. i'd then swap sandpaper to a 350 and go over the entire bumper. going down to the bare plastic if necessary. if i did hit bare plastic, id wetsand it with some 400 grit to remove the furryness, that will help when your primeing

time to prime it: blow it off and wipe it down with some non-static pre-cleaner ( no mr clean or dish soap lol). use a coat of adhesion permoter first, just a thin coat tho and let it air dry. i usually mix up my primer while its flashing off..

dont forget to add flex agent when painting or priming/sealing plastic parts.. this helps with spider web cracking and even absorb some chips.


ok ill be back to finish.. 24 is on and gotta go watch lol

 

For the cheap paint to use, I used duplicolor on my trunk. Theyre really small cans forl ike $22 and work perfect for small parts.

 

Thats something I forgot to add that is extremely important- those fumes are really bad for you, and it should be considered a required thing to paint.