QuestionQuestion
I have a 1987 Chev Caprice and want to paint it. I feel am a pretty good handy man around the house but have never painted a car. I have a Wagner spray painter that I use alot on the int & ext of house and I feel I'm a pretty good spray painter. Can I use the Wagner? Also, could you please outline the basic steps in auto painting? And the do's and don'ts of auto painting? Where can I buy auto paint online? or What brands of auto paint are the best? Which brands should I avoid? What type of clear top-coat should I use? If I am careful, of course, do you recommend stripping fluid to take off old paint rather that sanding old paint to the metal? What kind of stripping fluid? Overall, I don't expect a professional job from myself but rather just some new paint on my old Chev. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks
Answer,
First off you cannot spray automotive paint with a wagner airless spraygun. It simply wasnt desined for it. You would be better off rolling the paint on. Get a good auto spraygun ,an air compresor,hoses, Doupont paint and clear and sealer are about the best. Do not strip the paint to the bare metal sand only. Buy the materials you need at your local auto paint supplier. For the best results
Hope this helps
Brian
MY 2 CENTS,(No offense intended),
Brian,
I think it is a credit to you that you offer all you expertise for volunteer services such as this website, it's worth a lot to the uninformed, saving them hundreds, and sometimes thousand of dollars in repair/refinish costs due to your vast knowledge and experience. However I do not mean to be critical, but I think that this question would have been better answered as such.
Brian,
In reply to your do's and don'ts question I would not suggest using a Wagner spray painter (or even the fine Spray Painter System by Wagner Spray Tech) because it was not designed for automotive refinishing materials. Although it is a HVLP (High Volume and Low Pressure) atomizing sprayer, it does not have the filters required to adequately ensure a uncontaminated paint film required in professional refinishing. Nor does it have the exacting spray pattern required for professional refinishing. Professional spray guns also saved considerably more material due to higher efficiency material transfer (HVLP 65% to 85% product transfer, low overspray).
Professional spray guns (wood refinishing or professional auto/aero refinishing) are generally identical (used in wood refinishing as well as vehicle refinishing), the only variance is needle size that regulates spray atomization and viscosity of material to be applied.
In comparison the HVLP Wagner (if sprayer you are indicating is the Fine Spray painter)will probably only come with one needle, and limited pattern/fluid/and air pressure adjustments which are vital in refinishing a vehicle. The reasoning behind this is that spraying Primer would require a larger diameter needle (1.4 to 1.9 depending on how fast you your passes are, as well as how thick of a primer film you require to cover up imperfections, this is assuming there is no filler, just bare metal).
I would suggest buying a half decent HVLP Spray Gun, as in the long run it will more than pay for itself in versatility/durability and most importantly quality. The professionals generally use Devilbliss or Sata (They are the top 2 in the industry), although they are quite costly for the average hobbyist. In your case I would suggest buying a lower end Devilbliss as it is quite a bit cheaper than the Sata counterparts and offers a comparable if not exact result. Although results are generally based on the skills level of the person applying the refinishing material. However Devilbliss generally comes with 3 Needles of varying sizes (1.2, 1.4, 1.9)which are used for spraying different materials (smaller number is generally for basecoat, while 1.4 is a more for clearcoat application, 1.9 is for highbuild material (primer). Devilbliss guns also generally include a maintenance kit also. While other companies only offer 1 needle and nothing more.
In regards to paint selection I would suggest Dupont/Sikens/PPG as they are generally the best paint systems/materials to use, although costly. If you are also choosing a primer I would suggest buying a self etching high build primer as this will say you a lot of time (generally with cheaper primers which are 1/4 of the cost or more but you have to etch all metal before application of primer for adhesion purposes, this would be very costly overall).
For preparation of the substrate (vehicle surface)I would suggest you chemical strip it if you are not that skilled at sanding with a griner/DA (Dual Action Sander)/ or RA (Random Action). Although chemical stripping is very dangerous without proper protection or ventilation.
So in your case if you are confident sand with 40 or 80 grit (if the paint film is heavy and you are sure you can control the sander so that it will not heat the metal too much as to warp it, you will know if you warped it if you cannot hold your hand on the spot for any amount of time). After doing so Sand with 180, to remove sand scratches to achieve a better finish in the primer stage. Mask/cover vehicle for primer. Now it's time to prime. Prime with a 1.4 needle as it is safer as to not get drips or runs in the primer which always show in the finish. Let the primer dry overnight or until you can scratch it with sandpaper and not have the paper clog up. Now sand with a hardblock (available at autobody supply store or NAPA) and 320 sandpaper with long strokes (use a guidecoat which is a powder that sits in scratches and imperfects, it sands off as the area becomes level, if it is still black in the area it means that that area is still not level to the rest of the area). After sanding evenly and after all the guidecoat is gone, apply guidecoat once again. Now sand with 400 grit to ensure a smooth finish, and make sure you sand the edges making sure that their is not a definite line in the finished product. Mask/cover vehicle then wipe down the vehicle with a wax and grease remover to ensure the surface is clean, as well you can look along the finished work to spot any imperfections as the was and grease remover simulates the finished product (gives the appearance of a clearcoat). Now it is time to seal the vehicle with a non sanding sealer (1 coat or two depending on how heavy and even your passes are (*Remember when making passes with the spray gun to overlap 50% of the previous pass* for optimum coverage). Allow time to flash off (wait until the surface is no longer glossy, and has a semi dull finish). Now apply your base coat (2 coats suggested), flash, then final clear coats (generally 3 coats of clear). Now wait overnight and then wet sand out and runs in the clear with a small detail block and then use 1500 grit to sand the area. And in conclusion use 2 part polishing/buffing system and polishing cloth to polish and buff the fine scraches and imperfections out to get a perfect finish.
Good Luck,
AY from Regina,
Saskatchewan, Canada.
prepper_painter@hotmail.com
AnswerIndeed you answer is a lot more in depth than mine.I am only trying to help people buy walking through the basic steps of auto repair. If they need more knowledge to help them get through ther prob. I would certainly help them through it .But kid get in the real world these people want basic info to help them, none of them are going to go to school for it. What you have just explained to me you would not have a clue about what you just wrote without schooling and would have been overwelmed by information overload. Unless you in the buisness you could care less about 1.4 or 1.7 caps lets get real. you are to stuck on information that you dont realise these are human beings trying to repair there cars on the weekends an for low cost. If you want to sit in front of your puter and answer 5 questions a night and do it better than me you can have my spot on All experts.
Sincerly,
Brian
