| Masking & PreparationTo begin this venture we | | | | whole idea with sanding is to make the primer |
| need to clean the metal on the car. After we | | | | look the way that you want the paint to look, |
| clean the metal, make sure it's dry before we | | | | I sand my primer until it has a smooth shiny |
| begin to mask the car, also do a last minute | | | | finish on it, as if it were the paint on the |
| check to be sure it's free of all dirt grease | | | | car.You need to have a vision of how you want |
| and other contaminants.Now it's time to mask | | | | it to look, the one thing that you need to |
| the car, and be sure to mask all that you | | | | know is, the better you want it to look, the |
| don't want painted leaving no masking hanging | | | | more you will pay for materials. Just a word |
| of the car, that would get in the way of a | | | | of caution cheap paint materials are just |
| nice paint job. The main idea of the whole | | | | exactly that cheap!!!!! and don't use them if |
| thing is to produce the best quality paint | | | | you want a nice paint job.You might save some |
| possible with the given surroundings, it is | | | | money but you will not save the agony of a |
| preferred that you have a paint booth, but if | | | | crappy looking paint job. Think about this |
| not, make sure that the area that you use to | | | | before you go and buy cheap primers and |
| perform the work is ultra clean and dust | | | | paints, do I love my car or is it just some |
| free.After the car has been masked it's time | | | | turd to push me to work and the old ladies |
| to get ready to spray the primer, once again | | | | and back, if you love your car then don't put |
| make sure that you have cleaned your | | | | cheap crap on it.Now that I'm through with my |
| surroundings, it's best to have some water on | | | | little lecture on low quality products, it's |
| the floor to keep the dust down, once you are | | | | time to move on to the next sanding step. |
| confident that the area is clean then you can | | | | From 400 grit I usually move up to 600 grit |
| begin checking the spray guns to be sure that | | | | wet paper, this is where I usually stop |
| they are clean. This is a very important step | | | | unless requested to go one more step, this is |
| especially if they're not your guns, dirty | | | | really as far as you need to go with the |
| guns will make an ugly paint job there for | | | | sanding. After you finish with the 600 grit |
| wasting all of your time.Now that you have | | | | do one final inspection of the work before |
| determined that the paint guns are clean, | | | | cleaning it.Well now it's time to clean the |
| make sure that your respirator is in good | | | | car, for this just use soap and water, just |
| working order. Now be sure that you have all | | | | like washing a car normally. You should blow |
| the products that you need to perform the | | | | it dry though, this being the main difference |
| primer job on the car. You will need primer, | | | | between this and a regular wash job, be sure |
| reducer and catalyst, you will also need | | | | to blow all the water out of the little |
| strainers, stir sticks and a measuring | | | | cracks in the car, like the cowl area, under |
| device.It's best not to have to leave the | | | | the hood, between the doors and in the trunk |
| paint booth during the time that your priming | | | | lid. Believe me this will blow water on your |
| the car. Reducer comes in different | | | | paint during the actual painting of the car, |
| temperatures and you need to know what temp | | | | so be very through about this step.If you |
| is best for your working conditions.The temps | | | | miss some and it happens to get in your paint |
| are as follows, their is a high temp that is | | | | during the spraying process it will bubble |
| designed to dry slower when it's hot in the | | | | the paint, the paint will look horrible so be |
| area where your working, high temp is good | | | | sure to get all of the water out of the car |
| for 80 degrees and up, theirs also a mid | | | | first.Now it's to mask for the actual paint, |
| temp, this probably the most popular temp | | | | for this refer back to the top of this page. |
| used this is best used from 55 to 80 degrees | | | | Masking right is an art and you better take |
| and is designed to dry faster to make up for | | | | this part very serious if you want a good |
| the colder temp, due to the fact primer will | | | | job.Now that you've masked your car it's time |
| run easier in the cold weather. Now we have | | | | to put it in the paint booth, hopefully this |
| low temp reducer this will dry extremely slow | | | | is a temperature controlled booth, in any |
| therefore for giving the primer a better | | | | case when you roll that car in the booth all |
| chance to run. I tell you all this in an | | | | you should have to do is clean and spray, |
| effort to help you better understand the | | | | again before you put your car in the booth |
| products that you are working with, the more | | | | make sure that it's ultra clean in there and |
| you know the better armed you are for | | | | ready to go.Now make sure that you have |
| problems when they happen.Now it's time to | | | | everything you need in there to paint the car |
| enter the paint booth, and as you do pay | | | | I.E. paint, reducer, catalyst, stir sticks, |
| attention to the booth filters and be sure | | | | strainers and stir sticks and a measuring |
| that they sure clean also. Now get your can | | | | stick. Once again check your respirator and |
| of primer and read the instructions on the | | | | be sure that it's working properly, tie your |
| side, usually the mix is 4:1 or 4 parts | | | | hair back and if you have a beard cover your |
| primer to one part reducer and a cap or two | | | | face.Follow all instructions on the back of |
| of catalyst and for the best results follow | | | | the paint can to the letter or it could cause |
| these instructions. After you spray the first | | | | problems with the out come of your paint.Now |
| coat of primer, you will need to wait 15 to | | | | that you have the car in the booth, be sure |
| 20 minute before you can spray the next and | | | | to double check the masking on it, what you |
| so on, the way I like to do this is to give | | | | are looking for here is perfection and |
| the body work areas a coat or two first to | | | | nothing less.This means everything that if |
| build them up. The whole reason we use primer | | | | you don't want it painted it must be masked |
| is is to give the paint a smooth surface to | | | | for sure, their is no room for error here. |
| stick to and give the metal some protection | | | | Now you need to take a look at the supplies |
| from the elements, it's usually a good idea | | | | that you have to do the job with, and |
| to get 4 or 5 good coats on the car.If you | | | | inventory them to be sure that you have |
| are really serious about the way that you | | | | everything you need to complete the job, the |
| want it to look the you might want to take | | | | last thing you need is to find that you don't |
| the primer one step farther and use an | | | | have something right in the middle of |
| etching primer before you spray the urethane | | | | painting the car. Here's a list of what you |
| or epoxy primer, an etching primer will give | | | | will need for the job.Supply List1) Paint |
| the top coat just a little more to stick to. | | | | |
| Etching primer has no building qualities | | | | 2) sealer |
| there for it's not used for smoothing out | | | | |
| waves in your work, but it will make the | | | | 3) reducer |
| primer stick allot better.I do suggest that | | | | |
| you always use a urethane primer,and not | | | | 4) Catalyst |
| lacquer type,as lacquer can and will shrink | | | | |
| urethane or epoxy is recommended for best | | | | 5) Tack Cloths, preferably designed for |
| results. Epoxy is a very hard primer to sand | | | | clear coat |
| but it's extremely tough, and urethane is I | | | | |
| think probably your best choice,because it's | | | | 6) Measuring Cups |
| high building and easy sanding, their are a | | | | |
| lot of brands to choose from, I use DuPont | | | | 7) Stir Sticks |
| euro myself but it's all up to you to choose | | | | |
| that.Now that your card is primed, it's time | | | | 8) Measuring Stick |
| to remove the masking, and I like to do this | | | | |
| while it's still a little wet for the sake of | | | | 9) Strainers |
| ease, just be very careful about how you do | | | | |
| it, you don't want to screw up all that nice | | | | 10) Respirator in working orderNow I will |
| work, so just take it slow and easy while | | | | give you a few things to think about, if your |
| pulling the masking off your | | | | painting with metallic paints then you must |
| car.(Sanding)Well now the hard part is here, | | | | pay allot attention to the settings on your |
| before you start to sand the car you'll want | | | | paint gun. Metallic paints will tend to get |
| to be sure that it's been guide coated, this | | | | lighter if the pressure goes up and darker if |
| will make it easier for you to get an ultra | | | | it goes down, your fluid flow and fan on your |
| smooth finish. Heres where we weed the boys | | | | gun will also effect this.Now I will give you |
| form the men, if your trying to do a show | | | | a basic mixing chart, most paints will follow |
| finish on the car that your painting, you | | | | this chart.Instructions |
| will want to sand it by hand with water | | | | |
| running on it all the time.This is the hard | | | | 1) get your paint ready to pour. |
| part,and you will have lazy people that will | | | | |
| want to use a machine to do this, this is | | | | 2) make sure that your mixing cup is clean. |
| just a word to the wise, you have allot | | | | |
| better control over a hand block. The best | | | | 3) Get your strainer and sticks. |
| way to produce this type of high quality work | | | | |
| is to have the best control over it that you | | | | 4) Put a strainer in the top of the |
| can, offten a machine will go through your | | | | measuring cup. |
| primer. If your trying to produce show | | | | |
| quality work this would mean priming that | | | | 5) Now pay close attention to the level of |
| area again I.E. more time spent, this is time | | | | paint in the cup.Paint Mixing Table. Always |
| that could be spent better doing other | | | | be sure to read and follow the paint |
| things.Now I will explain a bit about what a | | | | manufactures mixing guide lines. These mixing |
| guide coat is, this is it in a nut-shell. The | | | | ratios are just a basic idea of what to do, |
| guide coat is the step right after the car | | | | things will change with different |
| has been primed, you should do this before | | | | manufactures.Recommended Air Pressure At Gun |
| you pull the masking, what this in tails is | | | | Head. Paint Mix Ratios. Paint Product. 25-40 |
| misting a light coat of black paint over the | | | | PSI Mix 4:1:1 Base Coat |
| primer so that you can see the low spots in | | | | |
| your work, and no matter how good you are, | | | | 25-40 PSI Mix 4:1:1 Sealer |
| you will have low spots. The idea behind this | | | | |
| is to sand all the guide coat off with out | | | | 25-40 PSI Mix 4:1:1 Clear Coat |
| going through to the metal on your car.Now | | | | |
| it's time to start the actual sanding of the | | | | 25-40 PSI Mix 2:1:1 Primer CoatWhen using a |
| car, you need to pay close attention to | | | | paint gun, you try to achieve a certain spray |
| detail on this part of the paint job, the | | | | pattern without any heavy or light areas, in |
| better you sand it, the better it will look. | | | | the pattern chart above you would try to |
| I usually start with 320 grit wet paper on a | | | | achieve pattern (A).Now a lesson on gun |
| medium hard block, this grit is good for | | | | angle. Their are only two angles you should |
| getting the guide coat smoothed out, their | | | | ever need to use when holding a spray gun, |
| will most likely be some small low spots that | | | | and they are 45 and 90 degrees angles to the |
| will require either spot filler or more | | | | surface of the car that you are spraying, |
| primer. This is one of those areas where you | | | | these angles will give you the best outcome |
| need to pay a little attention to detail, | | | | possible, and also you should try to keep the |
| here you will need to look at the depth of | | | | spray gun at about 6 to 8 inches from your |
| the low spot and think about it, how low is | | | | work. If you get much closer you will more |
| it will primer alone fill it, or will it take | | | | then likely cause a run in the paint and, |
| spot filler and then primer.Now that you've | | | | much more distance and you will get a dry |
| finished that part it's time to move on to | | | | look to your paint job, you also need to get |
| the next grit of paper, I usually move to 400 | | | | a feel for the speed that you need to move |
| grit on a medium- hard sanding block from | | | | the gun according to the air pressure and |
| here, you don't want to move up to far | | | | fluid flow of the gun.Click here for the full |
| because it can leave scratches form the | | | | articleI've been in the automotive business |
| previous grit of paper, so a word to the | | | | for about 20 or 25 years, I have worked in |
| wise, don't get in a hurry and move up to far | | | | all facets of the industry, from parts to |
| a once this will leave seeable scratches in | | | | restoration, all different makes and models, |
| your work. After you've sanded the whole car | | | | I just want to keep people interested in the |
| with the 400 grit wet paper then inspect it | | | | old cars because it's where my heart is. |
| for bare metal and guide coat still there.The | | | | |