paint questions

[84TAVeRT]

i got a compressor and paint gun for christmas...

 

so now i need to get some practice painting...

 

i was considering trying the duplicolor laquer... it will be fairly cheap to learn with...

 

it has a primer, base coat and clear...

 

now for the questions:

 

does anyone have experience with the duplicoler paintshop paints and are they worth shooting...

 

i am planning to strip a fender to bare metal tomorrow... and primer it with self-etching primer...

 

i have read that i need to use a high build primer on top of the etching primer...

 

can i strip the fender with aircraft paint remover and spray the etching primer and high build all in the same day?

 

thanks,

Chris

[Figbuck]

When I went to paint my 620 recently, I went to the library to get books on automotive refinishing and realized when I went to my auto paint supplier, that all the products had changed because of the clean air standards and VOC compliance. Maybe a dozen books were all full of obsolete and useless info.

 

It is really expensive to paint yourself. In the long run it might be better to do all your body work, strip the parts that you have to, apply a quality epoxy primer and then use 2 to 4 coats of high build primer, block sanding between coats. Then the body is water proof and ready for what ever top coats you want to use whenever you get around to it.

 

I would do all the masking, then take it to a shop with a booth and let them apply the top coats. I ended up painting my truck in a cold, small, dimly lit garage and it turned out OK, until you look at it up close or in the direct sun. I kind of wasted my time and money. But if you have the the space and right tools, you can do it though. I rented a self storage space one time and covered it with visqueen, then hung a bunch of halogens and two fans, then shot a urethane. Urethanes take a long time to dry to tack and to re coat but if you have the time and space it can be a durable finish.

 

Base/Clear systems are great because they almost force you to paint fast, with the limits on re coat times. The dry times are so fast that if you make a mistake or have bugs or horendous dust nibs you can fix them easily. Not so with urethanes. There are so many trade offs in the different paint systems. Do your homework. One difference is that Base/Clear systems are usually way more expensive for the material, as opposed to two part urethanes.

 

I used PPG Deltron line. It is very expensive but all the pro painters that I talked to use it for nice cars. My paint salesman told me to try PPGs Omni brand of paints and I used them for the bed, inside of the cab and engine bay. I was really impressed with the Omni epoxy primers and top coats for half the price. Ratsun quality for sure.

 

I could go on an on here. There is a lot to know and decide upon. Factors like, what kind of paint job are you looking for? Show quality, clean and serviceable daily driver, don't care what it looks like just that it is cheap and protects against rust?? How much time and space do you have to let the project sit.

 

I spent a lot of time trying to get info and I learned a lot by getting to know a couple of salesman at the automotive paint store. I did many searches on the web for DYI car painting info and read lots of books.

 

There was one particular thread that I found right as I was about to buy my materials. It was from a group of Ford GT40 owners that spent a few hundred bucks to go to professional paint course at PPG industries and paint these expensive cars. It pretty much listed all the things that I had figured out, so I had a good feeling that I was on the right track.

 

I also got a great book by a guy named Tom Brownell used for $12 called How to Restore Your Collector Car 1999.

 

The next day I was in Baxter's/Shucks auto store and found the hot-set-up book in my opinion. $18.00 It is by Tom Brownell, DO-IT-YOURSELF GUIDE TO CUSTOM PAINTING, 2000. It has all the modern materials and methods described and has good photos too.

 

Here is a link to the forum. I think I got this list from here, but here it is too;

 

http://www.nodents.com/autobody_repair_forum/

 

I just got back from a two-day paint training session that I helped organize. The class was held at PPG's South Windsor, Connecticut training facility and was attended by 8 car nuts, including three GT40 builders and the owner of an ERA GT. It was two full days which included a fair amount of hands-on spray application time with a number of different products. The $100/day course fee even included donuts and coffee in the morning, a nice lunch, and sodas/drinks. It was, by far, the best $200 I've spent on my GT40 to date.

 

Our instructor, Jeff Sommers, was very knowledgeable and, of course, he was a car nut himself. This course was customized to our needs, many questions were asked and answered, many stories were told, many discussions went off on tangents, but we all enjoyed it immensely. The course was a variant of PPG's Certification 21 training, with lots of emphasis on both fiberglass prep and paint as well as steel-bodied muscle-car restoration and finishing, while auto-body-technician stuff like blending and paint matching was de-emphasized. We were provided with the opportunity to use PPG metal prep products, self-etching primers, surfacers, sealers, single-stage acrylic urethane, basecoat, and clearcoat. Jeff also demonstrated a wide array of other products, from nifty sanding blocks to UV-activated primer that dries in two minutes. I brought in two nostril panels from my GT40 that I thought were ready for priming and Jeff laid a sanding block to them and showed me how wrong I was - we got a lesson in figerglass prep right then and there.

 

There was also good car-guy stuff

[datsun 160J SSS]

As a car painter for over 24 years .the paint out to day is by far the best now then ever ,The ppg school is the way to go and with water born paints out you have to have the know how to use these paints .ppg ommi is shit paint and would take 2 gal just to complete a 620 pick up but if you did clear it with the 2010 ppg clear it would work fine .I my self dont like the ONE A DAY paint shops these paint jobs dont last and look like shit so do your self a faver go to school or work part time at a body shop and do it your self :):)

[Lozer]

all you paint pureists hate me for this but i say go with some roll on rustoleum.

 

SUPER cheap and easy and the quality all depends on how much elbo grease you want to put into it.

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/body/hrdp_0707_1962_ford_falcon_budget_paint_job/index.html

 

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and yes it has stood up to gas on the paint and weather and bugs and SOME DAMN ROCKS out of a truck yesterday.

 

It looks as good if not better then the 1200$ macco job i got on my 280z.

[Duncan]

 

does anyone have experience with the duplicoler paintshop paints and are they worth shooting...

 

I've never seen it or used it.

 

i am planning to strip a fender to bare metal tomorrow... and primer it with self-etching primer...

 

That will work. But how much paint is on there, and why do you feel you need to strip it to bare metal?

 

i have read that i need to use a high build primer on top of the etching primer...

 

If you plan on blocking it out (removing the waves in the metal by block sanding) high build primer/surfacer is the way to go. The stuff I like to use is $200 per gallon with the activator, so if the fender is straight, a regular primer will work just fine. I would also recommend getting the product sheet with each product you buy. (Or ask your paint dealer prior to purchasing) That will let you know if your self-etch primer will accept a topcoat directly. Paint products are getting very expensive these days, and studying your p-sheets beforehand can sometimes save you a lot of money.

 

can i strip the fender with aircraft paint remover and spray the etching primer and high build all in the same day?

 

Probably, depending on drying time and weather. BUT, make sure you wipe the bare metal down with lacquer thinner and get it good and clean. Lacquer thinner will neutralize the stripper so your primer won't be affected by it. I would also be careful not to get the stripper into any crevices or seams. It could seap into your paint later and cause problems down the road.

 

I would also recommend you get a water trap for your spray rig. They go between the air lines and the spray gun. Depending on the weather, a LOT of water can get in the lines and if it gets into the paint, it's bad news.

 

I actually use two small traps and a third big trap on my system here at home. In warm weather with my compressor running for an hour or more, the traps get full very quickly. Even a Harbor Freight cheapie is better than nothing. Good luck on your project.

 

If anyone is interested, I need to paint the hood on my 1200 sedan and I can shoot photos of the whole process if necessary. I'm not going to strip it, but I am going to scuff it, shoot high build primer/surfacer, (probably multiple times) block it out nicely and paint it followed by color sanding and buffing.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Duncan

[73dat]

Duncan are you coming tomorrow?Moreno Valley meet.....................:D

[84TAVeRT]

 

i am planning to strip a fender to bare metal tomorrow... and primer it with self-etching primer...

 

That will work. But how much paint is on there, and why do you feel you need to strip it to bare metal?

 

 

well i still haven't had time to strip that fender... it has had at least 3 different paint jobs... so i want to strip it all the way down... also i am going to have to have a couple of holes welded up...

 

mount holes for the reflector and sizing down the antenna hole for a power antenna...

 

thanks for the info...

 

later,

Chris

[Duncan]

Duncan are you coming tomorrow?Moreno Valley meet.....................:D

 

No, I live in OC and the Friday afternoon traffic on the 91 headed East is crazy. I have every other Friday off so if my day off lands on one of those, I'll be there.

[Scuba002]

YES I LOVE THE DUPLICOLOR!!! I USE IT ON EVERYTHING!!! It sprays really good, flashes fairly quick, very easy for beginners since you don't have to mix anything....just make sure to STIR the crap out of NOT SHAKE!!!