first paint job evar in progress

**madmaxin22** · 10-16-2006, 09:46 PM

well after buying all my neighbors tools at a moving sale i talked a buddy into letting me redo his paint on his 84 VW Scirrocco. It was majorly just ugly but the body was straight.. was original paint and soft to the touch..

just got done w/ the first primer on all the metal showing and any worked areas from da'ing all the paint off for the most part... got about 35 hours into it so far and figure another 10 until im ready to paint and then who knows how many more..... he knows it wont be perfect and so do I but i am taking my time for maybe making $5/HOUR on it

1st two pics are from last weekend when i was still sanding my butt off, and the last 3 are from just minutes ago

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

1st two pics are from last weekend when i was still sanding my butt off, and the last 3 are from just minutes ago

Ahhhh, yes, the DA is your friend!

**Killercanary** · 10-17-2006, 09:43 AM

Congrats fro taking on such a project. Most people are too afraid to even attempt painting. I'd love to get the equipment to try it myself someday.

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 10:16 AM

Ya its definately a bit intimidating when you start seeing what all needs done... i've done small touch ups before and been involved in the painting process back when i was a kid.... i'll post up some pics when it gets sprayed

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

i've done small touch ups before and been involved in the painting process back when i was a kid....

Just remember that the paint technology has greatly changed over the past few years. Make sure that you have the correct size gun tips for spraying the primer/sealer, base coat and clear coat. They each have their own size that should be used.

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 10:27 AM

yeah im by no means an expert or even close to it.. have a newer hvlp gun, spraying a 1stage acrylic urethane right after the sealer. gonna mess w/ the pattern on some cardboard and see if i can get it to spray decent

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

yeah im by no means an expert or even close to it.. have a newer hvlp gun, spraying a 1stage acrylic urethane right after the sealer. gonna mess w/ the pattern on some cardboard and see if i can get it to spray decent

What size tip do you have? I recomend a 1.8 for the primer/sealer and a 1.5 for the 1stage.

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by i1arunit

What size tip do you have? I recomend a 1.8 for the primer/sealer and a 1.5 for the 1stage.

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

Do you know what make the gun is, or a model number for it?

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 12:33 PM

dont know,, its nothing fancy ,just a basic hvlp gun that looked like it was never used, i'll look at it when i get home

bought a rolling 10 drawer tool box, 8ft stainless covered workbench w/ vice, orbital DA, 10 rolls of assorted papers for it, 2 filtered paint masks, paint gun and regulator, and a load of other stuff for $200... i used the gun to spray the toolbox and it came out pretty good

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

dont know,, its nothing fancy ,just a basic hvlp gun that looked like it was never used, i'll look at it when i get home

bought a rolling 10 drawer tool box, 8ft stainless covered workbench w/ vice, orbital DA, 10 rolls of assorted papers for it, 2 filtered paint masks, paint gun and regulator, and a load of other stuff for $200... i used the gun to spray the toolbox and it came out pretty good

Sounds like a good deal!

Just remember to get a air filter that connects to the end of the gun in between the regulator and air hose. They help to keep moisture from the air line from mixing in with the paint. Also your regulator should be set around 35 psi at the gun.

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by i1arunit

Sounds like a good deal!

Just remember to get a air filter that connects to the end of the gun in between the regulator and air hose. They help to keep moisture from the air line from mixing in with the paint. Also your regulator should be set around 35 psi at the gun.

yeah i got the little orange filters...i was reading the paint and it said to have 8-10psi at the cap... wtf does that mean... i thought that meant to have that figure at the regulator?? 35 seems like alot since its supposed to be low pressure?? but as i said this is my first full paint experience so any help/advice is appreciated

**fork5o** · 10-17-2006, 12:52 PM

thats a fun project. ive done it 5 times plus some body parts. i just got scared clear coating so i had my pops do it until the last time i painted my truck. definatly something youll like and after a couple of times you can really get the hang of it.

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

35 seems like alot since its supposed to be low pressure?? but as i said this is my first full paint experience so any help/advice is appreciated

35 is low pressure. The older guns used to use more than twice that. You will have very little overspray using the HVLP gun.

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by fork5o

thats a fun project. ive done it 5 times plus some body parts. i just got scared clear coating so i had my pops do it until the last time i painted my truck. definatly something youll like and after a couple of times you can really get the hang of it.

it is neat, but being someone elses car think i have about 75 hours in the last 2 weeks between real work and working on this in the evening and weekends. If i had a car that needed paint i would have done it and mainly wanted to get the experience and see if its something i want to continue doing and maybe try making some $ on the side fixing up cars

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by i1arunit

35 is low pressure. The older guns used to use more than twice that. You will have very little overspray using the HVLP gun.

i guess i'll give it a try there and shoot some cardboard and see what happens, you must know more than I do on the subject.... is the nozzle thing a big deal??

**fork5o** · 10-17-2006, 01:05 PM

yep my pops used to fix and paint cars on the side. he just didnt have the time to do it anymore. its fun with your own cars, reciently ive been playin around with airbrush and flames before puttin on the clear. like i said its just a lot of fun to start gettin into. good luck with this job, dont forget the pics

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

i guess i'll give it a try there and shoot some cardboard and see what happens, you must know more than I do on the subject.... is the nozzle thing a big deal??

My Dad has painted cars for over 25 years and I've tried to learn a few things from him. With a single stage as long as you are somewhere in the 1.5 to 1.8 range you should be ok. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure you can use any size noxxel to do the job, it's just using the right one makes for a much easier time of applying the product and less chance of errors such as runs and wasted material. Tips are usually fairly cheap ($20 or less) as long as your gun doesn't require some "Special" tip. Hope this helps.

Here is a general "Rule of Thumb" for certain nozzel sizes:

2.2 - Used for Heavy Resins & Heavy Primers
1.8 - Used for Automotive Primers / Sealers
1.5 - Used for Automotive Basecoats
1.3 - Used for Automotive Clearcoats

**madmaxin22** · 10-17-2006, 03:20 PM

the color is flash silver and it does have metallic in it... not sure if that matters.... any way to check what size nozzle i have on the gun??? the gun is a gravity feed not a suction... i see they make both kind in hvlp

**Viper_ed** · 10-17-2006, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by madmaxin22

the color is flash silver and it does have metallic in it... not sure if that matters.... any way to check what size nozzle i have on the gun??? the gun is a gravity feed not a suction... i see they make both kind in hvlp

The tip should have it engraved in it somewhere. BTW, Silver is one of the hardest colors to paint. If you put it on too heavy it will "Sag" really bad on you, especially with the meatlflake. All I can say is GOOD LUCK and don't be afraid of putting on VERY LIGHT COATS!!! Also be sure to change the directions that you are applying coats so that you have good overlaping coverages and not getting any dark spots.