Cleaning up the SWB - paint here we come!

[sabby]

Kenik---Sorry to throw all that at you---I'm something of a similar personality so I understand..........Sealer---unnecessary---you have a primer surface you are happy with, stop there...Also, if your car is ready to shoot now, forget the 500G---400 will be fine.

If you are more comfortable with the 2-stage, go for it.......you are right, it is hard to tell on a solid color car. To me single stage is easier, but sure, I have done this countless times.....It's gotta be fun, so do what you feel you will be successful with.....being uneasy while you are in the middle of painting a car is not a good thing. I'm sure it will turn out beautiful!

[kenikh]

To me single stage is easier, but sure, I have done this countless times

Other than cutting out a step, why is it easier? Assuming you get a perfect, run free color coat down, I see why. If you get some runs or a little orange peel though...2 stage, you just sand it down with 600 grit and the clear makes it magically disappear. Sure you have to color sand the clear, but it is much more forgiving to reapply if you go too deep.

Am I on the money?

[sabby]

A run is a run, clear or colored.....There comes a point where all the colorsanding skill in the world won't fix it and you have to repaint the offending panel. A 2-stage is more conducive to a repair where you, say, have to repaint a door with damage close to the fender edge. You prep the door and fender, feather the color coat into both panels as necessary and clear coat both complete....easier to match the colors. With single stage the match has to be right on........

refresh my memory, did you apply primer over the whole car? Also what did you use to paint the car last time--same stuff?

[kenikh]

Car isn't primed yet. What you are looking at is body color and a little filler. There are tiny dustings of high grade PPG canned primer I used to contrast guide goat when cleaning up the filler spots, but that's it. The car hasn't been hit with solvent based primer in 12 months...

The little bit of paint I tried to use in my previous disaster was single stage PPG DAR urethane acrylic enamel, which I have pretty much sanded off.

[sabby]

Based on what you are saying and assuming you are primering the entire car there should be no reason for a sealer. The catalyzed primers have great holdout, are impervious to corrosive elements. In all my years in the business I can't remember a specific instance where a sealer was used although I'm sure we did on occasion. This would have occurred with a known or suspected incompatibility issue or likely if we had some sort of paint failure. In that case, myself, my painter and my paint rep would have brainstormed a solution which could have included some type of sealer.

Back to 2-stage vs. single: Again, do what you are comfortable with but remember, clear is basically unpigmented acrylic urethane paint. If it runs, you have the same issues as you would have with a single stage. one run can CAREFULLY be sanded out with a miniature sanding block, but if you have an area with extensive runs you really need to block it all down and reshoot---you will inevitably sand through.

Another thought on color sanding: since a shop usually deals with repainting seperate panels rather than an entire car, we had to match the surrounding, existing texture as well as color. I know a lot of people like that mirrorlike flat finish, but in my opinion a little bit of factory type LIGHT orange peel (I mean a very subtle light texture) gives the finish some "Life". I know some readers won't agree, but there is something fake and "plasticky" with a perfectly smooth surface (to my eye, but then again I don't like the super shiny restored wood steering wheels either)....

[kenikh]

my only hesitation is the result of a "dry spary" incident last time I tried to shoot this car. It was a disaster; paint would go on like sandpaper unless I laid the paint so thick that it ran. Was it due to the gun I was using? It was a 1.8 tip HVLP. Adding reducer to the paint the paint didn't seem to help, the reducer was for the right ambient temp and it was not hot outside...chilly even, but the paint was stored and mixed at indoor temps.

Does that compute?

[sabby]

Hard to say--Assuming the paint/hardener/reducer was mixed properly it would likely be a gun adjustment issue. without being there I can't diagnose but a very dry spray could be incorrect pressure ....the paint isn't atomizing properly--in other words it's not being broken up into a fine enough spray. Gun adjustment is the correct combination of pressure, material flow and fan size for the particular viscosity of the material you are using. Also the speed of your passes and distance from the surface......Only way to learn is by doing. I used to teach auto painting at El Camino College here in southern cal--- the students would practice this stuff using a scrap fender. I'd suggest the same---spend some time mixing your materials and shoot a few old doors and fenders from the junk yard. Play with the gun adjustments and gun movement---once you have it down, it's a beautiful thing! Learning this on your nicely prepped baby is not advised as you found out........

[sabby]

...Another thought/question: you say you "hermetically sealed" your workspace (makeshift spray booth)...how did you provide for airflow and what was the airflow origination and exhaust directionally?(ie: did air flow from the front of the car towards the rear?) This will dictate the sequence in which the car needs to be painted--an incorrect sequence can cause a lot of application problems.......................

[kenikh]

I have mainly painted in downdraft boots using non-HVLP guns and 2 stage; this was my first shot at a home job. Frankly, haven't painted since 1997, so I am out of practice.

There was no directional air flow, although the gun was getting consistent, dessicated and filtered air from my 60 gallon compressor. Paint was mixed right. I was shooting the car in panels, masking off unintended areas to ensure overspray wasn't an issue.

Painted several waste panels - paint was coming out rough, but thought I got it close enough. Got to the body and it was horrible. Adjusting the gun really didn't help, either. Will take it really, really slowly this time.

[sabby]

If you can, set up your "booth" as a cross draft---get a box fan at the exhaust end set it up to suck the air out. devise an opening at the intake end to allow a flow of air through the booth. start painting at the intake end and work your way to the opposite end. That way overspray does not land on previously painted areas. There are books that show the proper sequence of painting in a such a set-up. Masking and unmasking panels as you paint will really kick up dust and is not the way to do it--you have enough to think about ie: laying down the paint properly. I think if you can get to the bottom of your dry spray issue this will turn out great.

Jim