DIY Painting Tips

[red baron]

Cause buffing sucks.

[ducpainter]

Cause buffing sucks.

shush you...

all the grown up painters do it.

[red baron]

shush you...

all the grown up painters do it.

sneaks back into hole.......................................

[Bbrent]

Ducpainter,

What gun and compressor would you recommend for a DIY first time painter looking to paint a tank and other misc. items. I've been told you need a compressor with atleast 3hp. Those are kinda expensive. Are there any other options?.......Oh, yeah, I'm poor too. Thanks.

Brian

[ducpainter]

Ducpainter,

What gun and compressor would you recommend for a DIY first time painter looking to paint a tank and other misc. items. I've been told you need a compressor with atleast 3hp. Those are kinda expensive. Are there any other options?.......Oh, yeah, I'm poor too. Thanks.

Brian

The compressor depends on the requirements of the gun.

3 HP would be too small, I think, as most economically priced guns require 17 cfm.

No matter how you cut it it's cheaper to have someone else paint your stuff than it is to purchase all the equipment.

If you're determined to DIY let me know and I'll make some recs.

[Bbrent]

The compressor depends on the requirements of the gun.

3 HP would be too small, I think, as most economically priced guns require 17 cfm.

No matter how you cut it it's cheaper to have someone else paint your stuff than it is to purchase all the equipment.

If you're determined to DIY let me know and I'll make some recs.

Ok. One last question. I recently painted a spare tank I have with spray cans. I used all automotive paints and primer from an automotive shop and the tank turned out better than expected. Lastnight I rattle canned a coat of clear and it went on really bad. So, can I sand down the areas that are bad and take it to a paint shop for them to clearcoat. How does the sanding of the clearcoat work?

[mojo]

It could be a laquer based clear, and if it is, A body shop will probably need to strip and start over.  It is never a good idea to spray a urethane product over laquer...they don't get along very good and there is a good chance of having a bad reaction.

[ducpainter]

There is very little lacquer available in rattle cans these days.

Almost all of it is enamel and is re-coat sensitive.

What do you mean by 'went on badly'?

Did the color coat lift, or was there just a lot of texture.

Chances are you waited too long to clear if there was lifting and the base will need to be sanded off and reapplied, or you could just wash the rattle can paint off with solvent and start over.

If there was texture/orange peel...sand it flat and reapply some color, then clear.

[Bbrent]

Just alot of texture issues. Dimpling

[ducpainter]

Just alot of texture issues. Dimpling

Use 600 wet or finer.

edit...

I looked at your thread in acc & mods...

Seeing as you used solid colors I'd sand with 1000 grit wet and clear...

you can skip the reapplication of color.

Make sure you clean the surface well after sanding. Use a water based product specifically intended for paint.

[red baron]

Make sure you clean the surface well after sanding. Use a water based product specifically intended for paint.

Or locate some Sprayway Glass cleaner.

[ducpainter]

Or locate some Sprayway Glass cleaner.

That will work too.

The point being...

don't use a solvent based cleaner on rattle can products.

It would be ugly.

[mmakay]

I have some previously painted parts that I want to put a nice gloss black finish on, and I'm not sure how to proceed.  I have a good airbrush set-up (and the parts aren't huge) so I want to save some money by just getting a gallon of decent paint off flea-bay or something.  Some of it is plastic, so a complete strip job is impractical, but it needs to be primed and sanded anyway.  I hope rattle can primer is good enough.

1) Does that seam reasonable, or am I wasting my time and money?

2) Are rattle-can primers compatible with single-stage urethane's? 

[ducpainter]

I have some previously painted parts that I want to put a nice gloss black finish on, and I'm not sure how to proceed.  I have a good airbrush set-up (and the parts aren't huge) so I want to save some money by just getting a gallon of decent paint off flea-bay or something.  Some of it is plastic, so a complete strip job is impractical, but it needs to be primed and sanded anyway.  I hope rattle can primer is good enough.

1) Does that seam reasonable, or am I wasting my time and money?

2) Are rattle-can primers compatible with single-stage urethane's? 

Out of curiosity, how big are the parts?

I don't think you'll get a single stage out of an airbrush and get good results. Air brushes spray dry because of the small nozzle and all urethanes require a wet edge.

The rattle can primer won't bother the paint, but it in itself is a compromise.

[mmakay]

Out of curiosity, how big are the parts?

I don't think you'll get a single stage out of an airbrush and get good results. Air brushes spray dry because of the small nozzle and all urethanes require a wet edge.

The rattle can primer won't bother the paint, but it in itself is a compromise.

The largest is a seat cowl.  The rest is bits a pieces like clip-on mounts, etc.

Would a another paint type be a better choice?   Or, I could just pick up a detail gun at Harbor Freight or Sears.  I already have a 30gal compressor....

As for compromise ... well, I'm cheap, and I already have the cowl sitting here.  If I really wanted to do it right, I'd just get a factory finished black cowl!    Realistically, the rest could be rattle-canned with acceptable results.