Paint question

[454Man]

[firefighter]

I really don't want to spend alt on a paint gum i'm only going to use once.thanks for your insight:-)

I totally know what you mean friend.
I had a Binks gun for years and when I thought I wasn't going to paint anymore, I sold it on Craigslist. Two years later I needed one again.   
I think I spent about $160 on my kit and I felt way more comfortable with how it worked and adjusted.
You'll get it figured out. This is an exciting part of vehicle restoring.
Good luck !!

[jwlmls1]

   Hello all, if i could chime in... not that i know anything usefull but here is my experience.  $35 pepdudes gun, $26/gal napa fleet paint, prep well, primer complete truck, more prep, spray with paint, wait a week lightly polish with meguires.  Fantastic shine, no orange peel, paint will outlast regular auto paint 2 to 1..

[454Man]

  Hello all, if i could chime in... not that i know anything usefull but here is my experience.  $35 pepdudes gun, $26/gal napa fleet paint, prep well, primer complete truck, more prep, spray with paint, wait a week lightly polish with meguires.  Fantastic shine, no orange peel, paint will outlast regular auto paint 2 to 1..

Ok totally digg the post.... But can you please post some clear and close up photos?

[454Man]

I really don't want to spend alt on a paint gum i'm only going to use once.thanks for your insight:-)

I totally know what you mean friend.
I had a Binks gun for years and when I thought I wasn't going to paint anymore, I sold it on Craigslist. Two years later I needed one again.   
I think I spent about $160 on my kit and I felt way more comfortable with how it worked and adjusted.
You'll get it figured out. This is an exciting part of vehicle restoring.
Good luck !!

I'm thinking I do have another project in the garage that will need paint later. I've sprayed  rustoleum flat black thinned out on my other project with no issues so  I figured maybe I can use a better quality paint abs have the same results.

[Edahall]

You might want to invest in one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-66222.html
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/professional-automotive-hvlp-spray-gun-kit-94572.html

[454Man]

You might want to invest in one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-66222.html
or
http://www.harborfreight.com/professional-automotive-hvlp-spray-gun-kit-94572.html

Will do. Think the first low pressure gun would work with my compressor.

[Edahall]

You might want to invest in one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-66222.html

Will do. Think the first low pressure gun would work with my compressor.

What are the specifications of your air compressor?

Keep in mind that this air gun takes 12 SCFM @ 45 PSI.  For comparison, one the best guns out there called the Iwata LPH400-LV is rated at 9.5 CFM@ 16psi.  It takes a lot less air at lower pressure so yeah, you pay for what you get.

[454Man]

Ah I see... Let me check when I get back home

[Edahall]

this is very interesting! What would you say you spent on materials? That paint looks awesome!

I spent a total of about $400.  But keep in mind, the truck was stripped down to metal so there was extra expense for the Epoxy primer.  I also sprayed the clear on thick so I can later wet sand it.

[scottiebell]

  Hello all, if i could chime in... not that i know anything usefull but here is my experience.  $35 pepdudes gun, $26/gal napa fleet paint, prep well, primer complete truck, more prep, spray with paint, wait a week lightly polish with meguires.  Fantastic shine, no orange peel, paint will outlast regular auto paint 2 to 1..

Exactly what this fine gentleman has said. I used the purple harbor freight gun, went to napa and got a gallon of their single stage signal green industrial paint after rattle can priming my scout 2. I had never painted before, nor had i done body work before. I swear by that cheap napa paint. if i had 200.00 in my paintjob, i would be shocked. Never even buffed it out, and was super durable. This is how my scout turned out on my first paint job.


And this is 1 year later...

[HAULIN IT]

All this talk about single stage and BC/CC paints and what's the best manufacturer of paints ect..... and you're talking about using a Harbor Freight paint gun?

While I agree there is a noticeable difference between a Harbor Freight special & a top of the line gun like a Sata, DeVilbiss, ect., but a properly working gun...one that sprays when the trigger is pulled, stops when the trigger is let go, doesn't drip & can be made to have some sort of reasonable spray pattern is all a person needs to do a "beginner paint job". Now if the gun isn't able to perform as mentioned above then a different one is needed, but it doesn't matter who made it. If a $600 gun isn't cleaned properly after the first use (which is likely for a beginner), the second time it's used...it can produce any/all of the above flaws.
 I truly believe that one of the biggest flaws in Autobody (& mechanics, also) is the importance placed on "being judged" on how much money has been spent & how big of a toolbox a person has.
Sure quality tools have their place, but a beginner is going to make mistakes & have flaws based on lack of experience painting his first vehicle even if handed a brand new, properly "tuned" $850 Sata.

Case in point, I recently was asked to be a judge at a SkillsUSA contest for high schools Vo-tech program. Kids came from 8 different Vo-tech schools...rolling, carrying toolboxes with every this & that in it (they were sent to look good by their home school), not a one could fix a 3"x1" dent, most couldn't mix the primer correctly per the P-sheet, ect. ect. The tools didn't "make" them any better.
A good bodyman could make more out of a bent fender with a claw hammer, a nail & a piece of 2x4 standing in the middle of a Wal-mart parking lot. Practice & repetition makes a person reduce flaws, asking questions, watching & research goes a long way also.

I feel the same way about materials...The "best" materials are likely just a waste of money for almost every person who has only painted One or Two vehicles. The prep work is likely to be sub-par and the finish is really only going to be "nice" for a year or Two anyway.

A beginner should spend some time painting trash cans, an old washer/dryer, the junk panels from your truck ect. to try to learn the basics before going for your pride & joy.
The local paint store will have "bad" mixes that the color isn't correct on. Get some of this (it's cheap) & will make a person familiar with how the paint will spray, flow ect.

I agree with Mike...You want to use a base/clear system. There are so many advantages that it makes the extra cost worth it. Just buy the "middle of the road" Omni, Kirker, ect. & go at it.

As far as painting in pieces (my favorite way) it can lead to trouble for a beginner when done with a high metallic/pearl color, however I do think it's best to do in some sections at least. Maybe the outsides of the bed, the tailgate & the hood at separate times. The cab, doors & fenders in place? This way you have less to concentrate on at one time, don't have to worry about a start/stop point overlap, less spraying time for the compressor to peter out, less overspray to get rid of ect. ect.

I'm always glad to spend time with guys to make their paint project go well as possible...Any questions, just let me know. Lorne

Here's some Tri-tone (tinted clear) flames I did on a friend's car with a $16 Harbor Freight detail gun, you know the Purplish colored one. Each pint of color was over $60 bucks, didn't concern me much. He won the YoungGuy award in Columbus, Oh in 2005 @ the GoodGuys show...the judges didn't seem to notice!
 
 


 

   

[VileZambonie]

Be VERY careful with that purple harbor freigh gun. They work good for a few minutes then boom, they start leaking and dripping... oh what a nightmare! You want a decent cheap gun get the one autozone sells. I buy the cheap guns to use as primer guns since someone stole my devilbiss I had to use the purple one on the last panel I painted. It looked great until the gun spit then dripped! 

[bake74]

" I truly believe that one of the biggest flaws in Autobody (& mechanics, also) is the importance placed on "being judged" on how much money has been spent & how big of a toolbox a person has. "
Quoted from HAULIN IT.

     This should be taught first.  Now on some things the right, expensive, tool is the only way to do the job right and get professional results.  But those are fewer than the everyday jobs.
     Over the years of being a mechanic, service manager, training tech's, I have learned one universal truth, the amount of money one spends on their equipment does not make them a professional.
     One thing about paint jobs, there is a difference between experience and semi-experienced, and beginners.  Some have the nack for it while others are ok at it and some just suck at it.  But hey, isn't that the way life is.