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Paint newbie questions

Thanks Terry.....what $200 gun are you using?

For this first round, I felt safe trusting the experts at the paint shop. Now I guess I move on to another.
 
Use the cheap gun for primer and sealer. Good gun for BC/CC. Also, go to autobodystore.com and read.
 
kb3 said:
The base coat laid nice and flat. The problem came when I went to spray the clear. I am using the product as directed by the paint shop. Yes, it did not seem to flow at all. I can't remember the tip size off hand, but basically the same setup as the base. When I tested the pattern on a board all looked good. The shop told me to use between 27-30 psi, so it was in that range. Two tries with the same result, not sure I want to take a third shot at it until I get a better understanding.
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I would try raising the air pressure another 5 or 10 psi and adding reducer some reducer (5 or 10%). I often shoot two coats of clear with the prescribed mix, then follow up with a third coat of "reduced" clear which really helps to flow out the clear for a smoother finish.

Its easy enough to play with the air pressure to spray some test panel, if you don't get good results with the air pressure changes, then add reducer and try again.

By the way, if the material is too thick, chances are material is building up in the tip and causing the orange peel. One tell tale sign is if the flow / surface looked good at the start and progressively got worse. In that case, a little reducer usually won't hurt.
 
kb3 said:
Ok.....next dumb question of the day. This gun shows different listings for solvent, water bourne, etc. Are they really different guns? I assume I would be shooting water bourne here in California?
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Wish I could help, but I’ve never sprayed water base.


Mark
 
stangg said:
I would try raising the air pressure another 5 or 10 psi and adding reducer some reducer (5 or 10%). I often shoot two coats of clear with the prescribed mix, then follow up with a third coat of "reduced" clear which really helps to flow out the clear for a smoother finish.

Its easy enough to play with the air pressure to spray some test panel, if you don't get good results with the air pressure changes, then add reducer and try again.

By the way, if the material is too thick, chances are material is building up in the tip and causing the orange peel. One tell tale sign is if the flow / surface looked good at the start and progressively got worse. In that case, a little reducer usually won't hurt.
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Thanks for the input. I will give those suggestions a try. How long do you wait between coats of clear?

I don't think it got any worse, all three pieces show similar orange peel effects. Now to figure out what reducer to use!
 
Ken, I'll check on the gun when I get home later. I can't recall top of my head even the brand.

Couple things to understand about using the gun. You need to dial in your fan pattern via the knobs and by adjusting the air pressure to the gun. Typical distance from the surface when spraying is the spread of your hand pinky tip to thumb tip (8-10") but this is just a general guide. Getting too close can introduce too much air pressure to the panel surface and cause issues. Too far away and you risk spraying "dry" which is just as bad. The goal is a nice fairly broad but even fan of spray that lays wet onto the surface. While all material can spray a bit differently you can still practice with another paint while learning how the adjustments affect various aspects of the process. Get some inexpensive base coat paint (or even more of the same clear as it wasn't expensive) and practice on a mock panel/board. Good news is painting is WAY easier to get the hang of than say welding. At least BC/CC application.

I'm betting with some reducer in the mix you can complete this job with the gun you have. You'll end up wet sanding an buffing no matter what so get a bit smoother finish and you're good to go!
 
kb3 said:
Thanks for the input. I will give those suggestions a try. How long do you wait between coats of clear?

I don't think it got any worse, all three pieces show similar orange peel effects. Now to figure out what reducer to use!
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The paint instructions should give you a flash time. It’ll vary with temps, but will give you an idea where to start. It’s a feel you get after spraying for awhile.


Mark
 
There's nothing wrong with a Harbor freight gun for someone who doesn't plan on making a living painting cars. For what its worth I own a $500 iwata spray gun but painted this car using a $26 harbor freight purple gun, because I really like it. Kinda like playing crap golf with $1000 golf clubs, its not the spray gun, it's the person using it that makes the difference. My gut says a guy who paints crappy with a cheap gun, will paint crappy with an expensive one too.
Mustang side.jpg
 
Lightning, much of what you say is absolutely true. Caution though on dismissing the better guns too easily. Primers and even base coats or single stage jobs I have had success with basic guns. When it comes to stuff like clears a good gun is pretty much a must. Too easy to screw it up and a good clear is not cheap.
I used multiple guns in shooting my car and a Harbor Freight did some primer work very well. I think the better the painter the lesser the gun he might require, to a point. For a novice, I would not recommend a $26 gun simply because they do not handle the air as well and adjustment can be trickier. Better to have a mid-range gun and let it make up for some of the painters inexperience. At least that's my feeling.
 
I wasn't dismissing the the better guns at all just basically saying don't point a guy who wants to do a few small jobs to a spray gun that costs a chunk of change. I will say there's more to a gun than a name, and alot of those who have little or no experience have no idea that often you need to buy on the higher end of the brand. For example I bought a Devilbiss FLG-4 and it in my opinion is a horrible spraying air hog and does not atomize as well as the cheap harbor freight, I now use that Devilbiss with a 1.8 tip to spray high build polyester primer and latex house paint. However a Devilbiss Tekna I feel is quite a nice piece!

The mustang above was painted with PPG DBC base and SPI clear. Using the cheap gun with a 1.4 tip, fan adjustment just shy of wide open, 3 turns out on the fluid knob and about 26-28 psi at the gun with the trigger pulled.
 
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