first time spray painting advice on what tools and paint i need

[OFF T4P]

I have a few panel and bonnets at home and have decide to have a go at spray painting and if i am any good after a bit of practice i might respray my engine bay and door jams and all the other smaller bits on my car ( main panels will be done by a pro.

Anyways what i am after is what compressor should i buy , how big , how many hp. i was thinking of spending around 600 on one would this get me something that will do the job.

What gun should i get around $400 to spend. i dont want to spend to much just in case i am no good lol.

What paint should i use its a white vk calais

do i need to use a primer if i am respraying the same coulor if so what primer should i get


I am just going to read a few how to paint write ups and have a crack at it any tips and tricks you guys got would be great cheers.

heres my build thread http://forums.justcommodores.com.au/vb-vc-vh-vk/163237-vk-355-a-2.html

 

[Gurner]

When buying a compressor for spraying you want a pretty big tank so the air pressure stays the same while you are spraying, if it changes you wont get the same finish on the paint. Dont really know how big or what hp because havent really done many jobs out of work.

A Devilbiss GTI spray gun should do the trick for what your after, I think they are about $300 now, they have GTI pros and stuff out now but standard GTI is good, I only just upgraded my gun to the pro after using my GTI for about 5 years which I paid over $600 for.

If you are repairing any scratches or dents and bogging them up or rubbing through to the bare metal I would suggest using a 2 pak sandable primer. If not repairing anything and surfaces to be painted are ok, just scuff them up with a grey scotch brite pad so the paint doesnt flake off, or some fine sandpaper (800 grit wet is good) and make sure you get in the edges / corners good because this is where the paint will start to flake off from.

For painting a solid white car you will need to get some 2 pak paint that you will need to mix thinners and hardener with. Glasurit, Sikkens, Spies & Hecker, PPG are all good brands, Glas + Sikkens pretty user friendly, stay away from Metalux and other cheap brands, you get what you pay for with paint, as like most things.

Hope this helps

 

[OFF T4P]

cheers mate that helps me heaps . is 2 pak harder to use then acrylic. What if the car is already painted in acrylic can i use 2pak straight over the top (not sure if it is just checking). if i prime some panles to fix inperfections will i need to prime the whole car because of the different coulor between the primer and orignal paint. Would the white be just a soild colour or would it be clear over base. I really have no idea about paints lol. Very keen to learn and have a go but .

 

[ari666]

gun: i bought one of these
DEVILBISS SGK 600 1.4 Gravity Spray Gun HVLP paint shop | eBay

220 bucks and has sprayed out some beautiful finishes.

such an easy gun to use. i went from a supercheap auto gun to this and the difference was a million% totally worth the 220 buck price tag. but when i bought it i knew i was going to do a few jobs, so could justify it. its up to you if you wanna get a 80 dollar supercheap auto gun kit. they still work, just harder to get an even finish. these were all done with the SCA gun:

as far as the compressor goes, im gonna clear this up right now... the first pic of the dark green engine bay was done with a 2.5HP compressor that sabbath bought from ALDI for about 200 bucks. the last pics were done on my 2.5HP work compressor that i bought for 300 bucks about 10 years ago and the VS commo and silver bits are done on my 90 liter 4HP 13CFM compressor. there is about 400 bucks price difference between all 3 and as you can see there is ZERO difference in quality.

as long as you are only spraying small areas, even a tyre inflator will work. its just a bit more tricky to get it even. stick a regulator on your gun which stops the air at approx 30psi and itll mean you can spray for ages on a crappy compressor.

as far as paints go, i wont ever use acrylic again. i used it on the matte for the impala thinking it was an easy paint to use and i was horribly wrong. its a prick. if the car is acrylic then you really need to get rid of it. how you do that is up to you, but with the impala we are sanding everything back to metal. 2k has a tendancy to fry up the acrylic paint. thats where the acrylic lifts under the 2k thinner.

primer: i would say prime the whole car anyway. hi fill is such brilliant stuff and can make or break the finished result. LAYER hi-fill on thick as hell then wait a couple of days for it to dry fully, then speed file it down with 240 grit. itll take maybe 3 or 4 hours to block each panel back properley but you will be glad you did cos' itll come out flat as a die and the finished result will look brilliant.


paint: my local paint guys sell this: Paintmobile

which made my VK look like this:

and im totally happy. it comes out of the gun really peely though. nothing you can do to stop it that i could find. tried extra thinner, then extra hardner. nothing really worked, so just layer it on, layer after layer anfter layer, then when its dry block it all back with 2000 and buff. it looks sensational. and for the price, who can complain?.

hope that helps

 

[OFF T4P]

ari your a champ. All the info i needed to know.Tommorow i m going shopping for a gun and compressor and all the other **** i need. I will first practice on a old bonnet i got here and see how i go. How do i tell if my paint is acrylic or 2 pak. i think it has been resprayed befor so i dare say there will be a fair amount of paint on there to rub back:-( I think i might just get the hole car soda blasted if i need to take it back to metal.

 

[acarmody]

A few guys that I have talked to think the Blackridge compressors from Supercheap Auto are all right for occasional use. They have a 200L/min compressor for $229, Blackridge Air Compressor - Direct Drive, 2.5HP - Supercheap Auto Australia , too bad you missed their 20% off sale last weekend.

 

[DAKSTER]

I have a 20l blackridge compressor that has sprayed quite a few cars just fine, never missed a beat.
I also use an air chisel though, for home renovations, and that needed a bigger compressor so I got a 40l blackridge compressor. It blew up in a week, so I took it back and exchanged it. The second one lasted 2 weeks. I think its just a matter of luck with the cheaper stuff.

I use a supercheap gun and acrylic to spray cars with, never had any complaints with the results, but there is no doubt that better equipment is easier to use. Have you considered the use of a pressure pot? Absolute joy to use, no interruptions refilling paint, no paintpot to carry around or drip all over your bonnet, and you can paint up, down or sideways all equally easily. SCA had one, with a basic gun, on special a month or two ago for $189 so they aren't expensive.

+1 on pump the primer on heavy over the whole car first. Lots of hi-fill primer can make the difference between 'nice' and 'hell yeah!!'

The other thing to remember is that preparation is everything. The more time you spend making sure everything is perfect before you spray, the better the result will be. 1200 grit and Prepsol are your friends, be sure to keep them close by lol.

 

[acarmody]

Online Catalogue, SA - Supercheap Auto Australia

Front page, the 200L compressor, 3 different spray guns, air hose and pressure regulator all for $200, friggin bargain, $250 saving. Only thing missing is a water trap, get a good one for spray painting.

DAKSTER: Do you mean this thing, http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/on...hon-Feed-10-Litre.aspx?pid=156470#Description , on sale for $100.

 

[DAKSTER]

yep one of those that seems too cheap though maybe a better quality one.. the gun will probably not be real good with that one..

Even a crap one of these will be easier to use than a gun with a litre of paint hanging off it though... especially for more awkward spots like in engine bays, under skirts, and over the roof and bonnet.

10L tank means once you have everything flowing right, its an uninterrupted process applying a coat to the whole car, without having to stop and fill pots again, risking messing the mix up each time you do it. It means you don't risk the paint leaking from the paint pot or breather hole and dripping all over your nice newly painted bonnet on the last stroke..

They run well at low pressure too, which gives you less overspray and helps get that 'permanently wet' look happening.

 

[ari666]

ah yeah, dont foget to buy a wizzy too. (orbital sander). best damn thing ever. dont get an electric one, get an air powered one they last forever. mine is from supercheap auto 80 bucks i think and has done at least 300 hours of work and still crankin'.