I took autobody repair/refinishing nearly 10 years ago in school. I've been researching the net for info but am finding that the industry has gone way beyond what I remember. The basics are still there, but there seems to be so much more air gun technology now. Can anyone that's successfully painted their car in a garage help me out? Jenni wants a Buddy Club 2 kit on the Spyder, but we can't afford to have it professionally sprayed. She's been trying to talk me into painting it myself, but I've been leary of doing it in our garage for the sake of dirt/dust particles getting into the paint. What have you guys used to get a nice paint job accomplished? I'm not looking for a show winner, just something that looks as good as it does now. As in no fish eyes and crap. We're thinking about wrapping the garage interior with plastic after the body work is complete. Is there some sort of home/garage air filter that works good at getting the air contaminants out? I want to get a HVLP gravity feed gun for the base and clear coats, and just a suction feed gun for any primer or sealer that may be needed. Is Devilbiss still the #1 choice or are there any other better/cheaper options for the DIYer. We have a decent, but cheap, air compressor from Harbour Freight. I'm not too concerned about it getting the job done, but we've got a buddy nearby with a much better compressor if needed. If there are any other tips please let us know, we're looking for as much info as possible.
#1752, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 0
A good compressor is needed with a HVLP, they require alot of CFM but low pressure. As far as garage prep, clean it the best you can. Anything you do not want to get nasty cover it up. Wet the floor before painting the car to keep the dust down. After doing body work, clean the garage and blow it out VERY good. Fish eye is caused by contaminants in the surface of what you paint. As long as you prep the car correctly it should not have fish eye at all. Anything like grease/oil, wax, etc can cause it. I use a cheapy knock-off gravity feed gun that is non-HVLP and have had awesome results. If you have the $$$ SATA makes some of the best guns out there. But for what you are doing it would be a waste of money. You can be the best painter out there and if the car is not prepped right it won't matter. A decent fan with some in/out ventilation is good. I use a filter in one window and a fan in the other. My father has an actual high CFM exhaust fan in his garage that really makes a difference in the amount of dust and particles in the air.
#1761, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 1
Originally posted by DSBLK93GT Fish eye is caused by contaminants in the surface of what you paint. As long as you prep the car correctly it should not have fish eye at all. Anything like grease/oil, wax, etc can cause it.
Yeah, I'm mostly worried about the silicone that might still be in the air from all the detailing stuff. All of that sits in a cabinet and the cars are washed in the driveway, but it can still be in the air and ruin a paint job. I know this firsthand from working in a bodyshop way back when, it sucked. I guess I'll plan it out to not polish/wax the cars, shine the tires, etc for a couple weeks before painting. BTW, that's a sweet Stang in your sig! I used to have an '89 LX 5.0 hatch and am severley missing that car. Had a few mods, nothing too major. I hope to get another black 94-95 GT or 96-98 Cobra, or even a 99-04 GT someday. I've looked at Fox's recently online and they are expensive now! I also don't see many on the road anymore either, man they used to be a dime a dozen 10 years ago.
#1767, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 2
This is what my old neighbor told me to do when I painted my car:
Put up drop cloths or plastic sheets so that the dust particles are attracted to that and not the car, and slowly run water on the ground (even after you swept the floor) to keep whatever dust is there down on the ground).
I used a Devilbliss for primer, but I forgot what I used for base/clear.
#1774, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 3
If you're going to be painting a car indoors, please use the required breathing apparatus for your own safety. Todays automotive paint is pretty nasty stuff. As for ventilation filters, go to a paint supply store and ask for "paint booth exhaust filters". As far as paint guns go, I've gotten nearly the same result from my $35 ebay HVLP as I did from my expensive snap-on gun. If you are going to invest in a gun, get an HVLP: because they only run on about 10 psi, there is hardly any overspray and more of paint is used on the car rather than the booth.
#1777, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 4
Originally posted by eclpsmoneypit95 If you're going to be painting a car indoors, please use the required breathing apparatus for your own safety. Todays automotive paint is pretty nasty stuff.
^^^ YES!!! My neighbor was going to get me a full face mask/breathing apparatus for when I painted my car. He forgot, I was high and coughing up red for a week. Most of these paints still use lead, and you don't want that in you do you?
And with what I was saying before, you just need to have the floor wet to keep debris down and it will also catch some of the overspray.
Take your time and wait for the perfect day to paint! I didn't and the clear didn't lay down flat so I had to go through and wet sand the whole car afterward.
#1825, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 6 Jan-25-06 10:04 AM by 95_ESi_Person
Originally posted by Keith2172 Shouldn't you wet sand the final coat anyways? I thought that was what gave it that deep look.
Sometimes if you get the clear to lay down flat, you won't have to. I wasn't going for the "show car" looking paint, I was looking for stock look-alike because of damage repair. But since the paint didn't lay right, I was forced to wet sand.
Mine looked horrible because of the humidity and temperature outside, this wasn't your typical orange peel.
As for the "deep look" that's the reducer, it's all in the chemicals. If the paint supply place gave me the reducer that I ASKED for, you'd be able to use my car as a red mirror. The wet-sanding also helps with that and gives it the wet/glossy look.
#1827, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 7 Jan-25-06 11:51 AM by ashaleenicole
Whatever you do just make sure its heavily ventilated. We painted my car in the garage and it went into the house and everywhere, everything we ate tasted like paint fumes, and I was sick as hell.
Watch out if you're in a residential neighborhood too, my friend was painting his car in a garage and they called the cops on him because the fumes could pollute the environment and seep through the grass or something?
#1829, "RE: Help me out with auto painting supplies" In response to Reply # 8 Jan-25-06 12:33 PM by 95_ESi_Person
Originally posted by ashaleenicole Watch out if you're in a residential neighborhood too, my friend was painting his car in a garage and they called the cops on him because the fumes could pollute the environment and seep through the grass or something?
If that happens take a crow bar and beat them upside the head while calling them tree-hugging pieces of shit... Then hit them again, then calmly tell them that you need to get back to your car before the paint flashes.
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