Painting Supplies FAQ?

[FACTORYBOOST]

Hey guys, I noticed a lack of threads in here and was hoping someone could help out with making a thread to help some people new to painting (such as myself). I'm just looking for information on simple stuff to get started, and seeing as how this was the first place I thought to look and search in, I feel like we should have a sticky or something to help any newcomers that are interested in learning about painting and body work.

Info on guns. it seems the HVLP guns are really popular for a lot of guys.

Info on paints. I know for the most part this preference, but maybe pictures of finished work.

Wet Sanding/Buffing info. Seems 3M and Meguiar's are pretty popular. Also, the different ways; some do 1000>1500>2000 then polish; some 1500>3000 then polish...

Just in general any tips you have for anyone looking into this or even getting ready to start their project.

Thanks in advance guys and I know there is a lot of useful info out there, it would just be nice to have it all in a single place.

[Mishimoto]

Info on guns. it seems the HVLP guns are really popular for a lot of guys.

HVLP is the practical way to go, have a difference between siphon feed and gravity feed. A siphon feed uses a paint cup on the bottom while a gravity will have a cup on the top. The hot thing with gravity guns is they make plastic paint cups with plastic liners, which means you don't have to worry about trying to get every speck of old paint out of a metal cup, which most older or cheaper guns have.

You need to make sure you have clean air going into the gun, and have an air compressor that can meet the demands too. Each gun has a different PSI they cover the best at, generally range between 20-40psi. A gauge mounted to the bottom of the gun is helpful to find a more true reading, though some guns have gauges built into them.

There are a bunch of different brands, so picking one depends on your budget.

Info on paints. I know for the most part this preference, but maybe pictures of finished work.

All paint has a "P-Sheet", you may need to ask for it though while at a paint store. It will give details about how long to wait between coats, how you should reduce the paint, tips for applying the product, and other important information.

Before you lay a topcoat, you should figure out if you need a primer, like an etching primer for bare metal spots, epoxy primer to go over body filler. Or maybe you just need a sealer, it all varies depending on your project. The big thing to realize is that epoxy primers and sealers come in different shades (variances) and they will play a big role in how your topcoat comes out.

Topcoat paint can be single stage, two stage or tri-stage. Single stage is popular with at home painters because it's almost like clear coat and base coat mixed together. It means that you'll have glossy paint after one coat if you stop there, or two coats, or three coats. It combines some UV protection with color. A more expensive job would be two stage. This would be base coats being applied to cover over primer/sealer or existing color. The number of base coats you need to apply varies by project. After you're sure the base looks good, you start applying clear. The applications of clear you put on too varies by project.

Lots of different paint companies out there, depends on what you want to pay and what you're expectations are. You can get urethane based or water based basecoat, though someone at home would want to stick with urethane based.

Wet Sanding/Buffing info. Seems 3M and Meguiar's are pretty popular. Also, the different ways; some do 1000>1500>2000 then polish; some 1500>3000 then polish...

Depends on how bad a section is. If you have dirt that you want to "de-nib" you might wet sand it with 1500 or 2000. After you de-nib, wet sand with some 3000 trizact on a DA, keep wetting the area with water.

Buffing, a variable speed buffer is nice if it's in your budget. Foam pads, a white or yellow one for #1 compound, black for #2 and finish off with a blue for #3. Foam pads with holes in them help cooling which is good for first time buffers. I'm referring to the number system 3M uses, that's the only stuff we ever used at shops. Make sure to clean the pads, before using with the buffer on and use a stiff nylon bristle brush. Gets any dried compound/dirt off them. Make sure you're absolutely done with #1 compound before moving on to the next steps, use a detail cloth to clean off an area for inspection if you're not sure.

Just in general any tips you have for anyone looking into this or even getting ready to start their project.

Practice on little things first. Be prepared to spend money if you want it to look good. Paint will show up all imperfections, so make sure everything is 100% how you want it before laying down color. Wear a respirator when shooting any type of paint, primer or sealer! Make sure that you prep the area before paint properly, sand it, scuff it with scotchbrite, wipe it all down with DX330 or a similar wax and grease remover. Blow it all down with an airgun, because a paint gun will make all the dirt come of cracks when you don't need it. Use a tack rag to wipe down everything right before painting. Good lighting makes a huge difference. Make sure the area where you're going to paint is super clean beforehand. Clean any gun thoroughly after you use it, if you ever want it to work right again. Mask off or cover everything you don't want painted, over-spray is not cool.

Hard to cover everything/every scenario, hope this gives you a good start!

[redzone98]

some really good info there, nice post !

[FACTORYBOOST]

Mishimoto thank you so much!
There was a lot of good info in there and if anyone wants to add to anything or offer their personal methods and supplies they use that would be awesome!

[turbinepowered]

I'll add my thanks, and a question.

I see it a lot, I'm sure it's referring to something specific, but what is a "DA"?

[Shamrock]

dual action sander

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-dual-...der-68152.html

if your starting out I'd suggest a random orbital electric or air... can take off too much with a dA

[turbinepowered]

dual action sander

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-dual-...der-68152.html

if your starting out I'd suggest a random orbital electric or air... can take off too much with a dA

Thanks. I thought it was something like that, but good to have confirmation.

[FACTORYBOOST]

Also, who out there has painted an entire car?
What's the rough amount of paint used?
I'm thinking about getting into painting and working my way up eventually repainting my car.
03 Jetta Sedan.
Obviously I want to buy enough paint to have a bit extra in case I need to sand down a panel and redo it, but I don't want to have like half a gallon left over. And I see stuff for sale by pints, quarts, half gallons, .75 gallon, gallon, two gallon kit...

[Mishimoto]

Also, who out there has painted an entire car?

What's the rough amount of paint used?
It depends on a few factors.
1. What kind of color transition are you making? How many coats of base coat or single stage will it take to get the color right?
2. Are you painting jambs, underside of hood and trunk, etc?
3. How big is this vehicle?
If you have a local automotive paint store, they should be able to give you guidance on how much paint you'll need. Paint mixing systems that most collision repair shops have can give a recommendation how much paint each panel will need.

I'm thinking about getting into painting and working my way up eventually repainting my car.
03 Jetta Sedan. A color change or repaint of factory color?

Obviously I want to buy enough paint to have a bit extra in case I need to sand down a panel and redo it, but I don't want to have like half a gallon left over.
Remember, anything can happen when painting. It's hard to plan for best/worse case doing stuff at home, unless you can afford to have product laying around.

And I see stuff for sale by pints, quarts, half gallons, .75 gallon, gallon, two gallon kit...

[FACTORYBOOST]

Yea, I assumed that was the answer I was going to get, and I was looking around after I posted that so I have found some information.

And I'm going to be going a different color most likely. I might just go from the 041-Black paint that's on it to a black metallic, or a dark metallic. Maybe dark sapphire metallic or dark purple metallic, not really sure.

[Mishimoto]

Yea, I assumed that was the answer I was going to get, and I was looking around after I posted that so I have found some information.
Sorry about being vague on some answers, last car I did total repaint on was a 1973 Charger, and that was a few years back. Being in the collision repair field, I was doing a lot of smaller jobs. Glad you found some better info to meet your needs

And I'm going to be going a different color most likely. I might just go from the 041-Black paint that's on it to a black metallic, or a dark metallic. Maybe dark sapphire metallic or dark purple metallic, not really sure.
If you do a color change, take the car apart. It will make life easier for you and have a better end result. Take all weatherstripping you can off and do a really good job of taping.

[FACTORYBOOST]

Sorry about being vague on some answers, last car I did total repaint on was a 1973 Charger, and that was a few years back. Being in the collision repair field, I was doing a lot of smaller jobs. Glad you found some better info to meet your needs

If you do a color change, take the car apart. It will make life easier for you and have a better end result. Take all weatherstripping you can off and do a really good job of taping.

I'm a slight perfectionist, so I would have no problem spending hours getting the tape right