Painter/Booth to Spray Car

[1fast4]

Another De-Railed thread. LOL

Wouldn't be DFWMustangs if it didn't!

On a side note, there has been some good advice thrown out there for us novice home garage body/paint guys!

[Shaggin Wagon]

Wouldn't be DFWMustangs if it didn't!

On a side note, there has been some good advice thrown out there for us novice home garage body/paint guys!

If anybody ever has questions, it looks like we have a few qualified people to answer, so have at it!

[sdun]

I sent an e-mail to mod about starting a paint forum a while back. We got a wax on, wax off instead. good idea, gay name. This thread should of been moved to the paint forum.

[Baba Ganoush]

I agree, we need a forum for body and paint. My project is coming along, but I'm always looking for sound advice. I shot 3 coats of surfacer after body work, blocked w/180, filled any low spots. Then shot 2 more coats of surfacer, blocked w/180 again. So that's where I'm at, blocked at 180 right now, and ready to shoot again.

So you guys block out your final primer coat how? 400 wet then finer? I blocked some of the last coat in 400 just to see how it would work and it looks good. It's gotten easier and easier to block, so I figure that's a good sign. I'm just unsure of what the finished surface should be, before sealer and base.

Should I just block it now w/400 and seal? Or should I shoot a new coat, block it w/400 and finer? There's only a few spots I sanded through the surfacer, and overall it's looking alot better than it did when I was pounding on it!

[sdun]

What are you blocking with? You need to be using as long of a block as you can. After you take the entire thing down w/ 180 w/ no lows/highs shoot another guide coat on it and if you are going to use a metalic paint w/ sealer you can use 500. Solid color 500 also. Use 600 for metalics and no sealer. This step is just to take the 180 scratch out, it's as straight as it is going to get if long boarded right.

Don't use news paper for wraping it up it will bleed, worse with base/clear.

Biggest mistake is blocking a car to much. When it is straight your done, don't keep priming and blocking. Just knock it down w/ the fine paper and paint it.

[sdun]

You can spot prime with a couple of lean coats on the cut throughs.

[bigshoe]

One of the biggest things I learned spraying in a garage is, when you are spraying at night or in the evening, hang a peice of 1 1/2 or 2 in tape from each of the lights to catch the bugs flying around. Then it is fun to see what you caught the next day lol.

That's a hell of an idea right there.

When I painted mine in the garage, I hung plastic around the whole place, wet the floor and used 2 box fans with ac filters zip tied to them. It turned out decent, it had very little trash in it, I just had a bunch of "solvent pop". Im not real sure how that happened, but it was my first time painting a car.

[Baba Ganoush]

What are you blocking with? You need to be using as long of a block as you can. After you take the entire thing down w/ 180 w/ no lows/highs shoot another guide coat on it and if you are going to use a metalic paint w/ sealer you can use 500. Solid color 500 also. Use 600 for metalics and no sealer. This step is just to take the 180 scratch out, it's as straight as it is going to get if long boarded right.

Don't use news paper for wraping it up it will bleed, worse with base/clear.

Biggest mistake is blocking a car to much. When it is straight your done, don't keep priming and blocking. Just knock it down w/ the fine paper and paint it.

I have an assortment of durablocks, but this one is my buddy.

I will re mask it before I spray my base and clear. I will use something better than newspaper. It was free.

Thanks for the advice, I think one more coat of surfacer, and final wet blocking are next. Is it necessary to seal? Or can i just spray base over my surfacer? I could save some surfacer and add extra reducer and shoot that for sealer. It's going to get an Oxford white base and clear, no metallics or anything special, just white bc/cc.

[Shaggin Wagon]

What are you blocking with? You need to be using as long of a block as you can. After you take the entire thing down w/ 180 w/ no lows/highs shoot another guide coat on it and if you are going to use a metalic paint w/ sealer you can use 500. Solid color 500 also. Use 600 for metalics and no sealer. This step is just to take the 180 scratch out, it's as straight as it is going to get if long boarded right.

Don't use news paper for wraping it up it will bleed, worse with base/clear.

Biggest mistake is blocking a car to much. When it is straight your done, don't keep priming and blocking. Just knock it down w/ the fine paper and paint it.

Block 400 then 600 with a home depot mixing stick. I did my 64 bird that way and that thing was show car flat. No joke.

That's a hell of an idea right there.

When I painted mine in the garage, I hung plastic around the whole place, wet the floor and used 2 box fans with ac filters zip tied to them. It turned out decent, it had very little trash in it, I just had a bunch of "solvent pop". Im not real sure how that happened, but it was my first time painting a car.

You put too much material on in a short time. Clear one coat, wait ten minutes (depending on outside or booth temperture), then come with another coat, another ten, then another clearcoat again. You'll be sanding off that third coat of clear when you wetsand to buff. This also depends on how heavy the coats are that you are putting on. Medium wet is what I go with. Never just load all the clear in one coat.

[sdun]

I quit blocking w/ 400 there is no need in it. That's how they told us to do it in school. When I quit doing that step 20 years ago my work became "Perfect". Nothing is really perfect but it's pretty damn close.

Solvent pop can be caused by several things. To much to quick like SW said or you used to fast of a clear/hardner/reducer for the temp. you were working in. Some clears are specifically made for spot and panel repair. They are very fast and like vertical surfaces. They like to pop when used on hoods, roofs, and deck lids. Even when used w/ the right reducer/hardner. Some clears like to be shot in very lean coats w/ a 1.3 gun, if you burry them they will pop.

Painting sucks for the beginner even for the novice. Even after 25 years and mutiple schools sometimes I have to stop, step back, look at it and change how I was doing something to make it right. There are tons of variables that go into making paint look right and tons of ways to get there.

An old painter once told me that "the difference in a good painter and a average painter is the good one can fix any problem on the fly and you never know he did it".

Paint 10 a day and you will become good or be fired.

[Shaggin Wagon]

An old painter once told me that "the difference in a good painter and a average painter is the good one can fix any problem on the fly and you never know he did it".

lmao! I was told the exact same thing! I actually remember when that day came, then I crowned myself, "atleast good enough to hold a job painter!"

[Baba Ganoush]

I quit blocking w/ 400 there is no need in it.

What do you mean? So you stop after 400? Or you don't even bother with 400, and use a finer grit?

As I said, my surface is flat and straight blocked to 180 with minimal bare spots. I may just touch-up shoot some spots and final block it, save the rest of my 2k urethane for a sealer. I'm so ready to spray some actual paint. I've been sanding for days.

[sdun]

I mean long board it w/ 180(no lows and very few cut throughs) then spray guide coat then 500 out the 180 scratches and paint it.

When using board and 180 use as little pressure as possible and keep sharp paper.

[Baba Ganoush]

I mean long board it w/ 180(no lows and very few cut throughs) then spray guide coat then 500 out the 180 scratches and paint it.

When using board and 180 use as little pressure as possible and keep sharp paper.

Thanks! I thought I would get better results that way, rather than trying to cut my freshly spayed primer with 400. So little pressure to cut down on scratches, then final it out with 500. Cool, got it. I appreciate it!

[sdun]

Light pressure keeps you from "rolling" the metal especially on hoods. Lay your hand on a big flat area of a hood and put a little pressure on it you can see it move. If this happens while you are blocking you can miss minor low areas.