Right...

I have a big polythene 'greenhouse' type assembly which can act as my 'booth'.

I have a huuuuge compressor and a spray gun.

I have oil filled heaters that I can put in my 'booth'.

So... how fecking difficult is this spraying malarkey???

Assuming I put every effort into it, how good could the results be?

they can be rather terrable if you rush

I have learnt the hard way to do or check for -

1) paint compatablty, never assume it's ok, do a test

2) spray many light coats

3) spray round the edges first

4) you will die in 15 mins from fumes in your tent get fresh air flowing

5) let each coat totally dry before spraying the next one

6) wet flat the second last coat with 2000 grade w&d before spraying the final coat

7) don't polish for 6 weeks minimum or more in this weather

also I am now a huge fan of lacquer as it is very easy to spray, lets you get all the imperfections out the colour coat first, dries quickly and polishes up like glass.

[Edited on 9/2/08 by Mr Whippy]

I have a mate who re-sprayed a Nova (the entire car!!) using cans, and it don't look too bad. Sounds daft I know but he just thought he'd give a few bits of trim a try and never stopped.

Have done mine twice only problem was airborne dust particles which end up in paint, most will polish out but make Shaw to wet the floor down and check the air pressure at the gun not the compressor.

WHAT PAINT ARE YOU GOING TO USE ?

[Edited on 9/2/08 by madteg]

I think it's a bit like welding - can be very good, but first attempts are best kept as practices never to be seen by the public!

It's a 2k paint.

With 2K you put a good coat on first not wet but not dry, wait the flash time as instructions and then another good coat with 45psi at the gun with 1.5 nozzle. I brought a CD of ebay called spray painting your car, its brilliant well worth 3 quid KEV.



[Edited on 9/2/08 by madteg]

2k paint, I would not want to lay that down in a booth without a sealed mask with and outside pumped air supply !

Flip side, 2K paint goes on really well, painted my car outside without an issues wearing a big mask, as it cures really quickly you can lay down quite thick coats without it running.

In the cold weather just use faster thinners.

As mentioned on another thread, some 2k paint can kill you, or just totally destroy your immune system. Don't use it without a full air fed protective suit.

Other than that, I'd practice on something else first - it's just like anything else, a skill that few can do off the cuff, but isn't that bad to get quite accomplished at with patience.

I also fitted a 12volt fan to top of garage as an extractor worked fantastic but watch the over spay outside the garage as i painted the outside wall and it was a pig to get off.

Thats why spray booths have filters! beware some (at least) 2 pack paints are cyanide based

2k when mixed releases isocyanide ( probably spelt wrong) which is a serious problem for health, hence the use of an air fed mask by body shops. Don't use it without proper facilities. As for finish, most people with a little patience will be able to produce a reasonable finish, however, the skill in painting is knowing what to do when it goes wrong. That's what seperates the men form the boy's so to speak. The tips whippy gave are generally right.

been spraying cars since i was 14
my advise is to get the best finish in any paint you neeed to do really good prep work.

modern 2k can cause real health problems so i would advice an air feed mask. feed from a filtered system.

I can paint with 2K paint no problem, I have access to £280,000 of booth, rotary compressor and a dozen pro guns to choose from. I have a spray suit and an air fed mask, gloves and special boots.

But I cannot paint with 2K as it is now considered too dangerous, and damaging to the environment, despite the equipment. I now use water bourne paint with a reduced cyanate clearcoat.

Don't use 2K even if you can get hold of it, your supplier will be breaching regulations selling it. Use polyester bases with a 1K clear, almost as good, and dead easy to use, and you will live to tell your grand kids that you built your own car.

Every christmas I visit the children of a dead paint sprayer who was a friend and collegue, they are of an age now to be embittered that we knew no different about the dangers of 2K although they were infants when he died at the age of 32, a sad situation.

On a lighter note, Mr Whippy was correct on numbers 3 and 4 but way off on the rest!
Rescued attachment IMG_8787.jpg

Mark,

Saw the thread, read a bit and hoped you'd come along and set everyone straight!

ATB

Simon

Along the same lines, but not exactly...

Can you powdercoat a whole car at once? It seems it's less dangerous to your health, and I do know it needs to be baked after applying it.

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=36402 is the thread where Mark gives advice on what paint to use. Worth reading the warning too.

Can you brush paint 2k primer safely?
I was talking to someone who works in fibreglass, and they brush paint 2K primer.
It then can be sanded down for the next layers.

Darren

Mark, im not going against what you've said, more trying to get clarification from anyone who knows.

When buying my 2 pac paint at the end of last year i was advised by the paint company that yes it was dangerous, but that the affects were accumulative. They advised it was fairly safe if you used a particulate filter mask and couldnt smell the paint when applying it, and as long as it was only 1 or 2 jobs per year. (Im guessing the smell bit is important as if you can smell the paint then particulates must be penetrating the mask and hence carying the isocyanides to your blood stream)

Beyond this and for frequent use they said a forced fed air mask was definately required.

Im guessing this is because the toxin buildup / clearout from your system must be sufficient for 1-2 times a year v's 4 to 5 times a week (for a proffesional).

Does anyone know if this is right?

Im interested as i dont fancy poisoning myself relying on my particulate mask if its not good enough even for a 1 off spray or 2. Ive sprayed 1 car at the end of last year with no ill effects following the above (my mask looks like a gas mask with 2 nacells not a crappy paper one)

Jono, The answer about how much 2K can you take is impossible to answer, peoples tollerance varies - but you have to assume nil.

You must wear an air fed mask running off a screw compresser not a piston one as these produce oil droplets which also stops your lungs working. You can absorb iso through your skin so a spray suit and gloves are necessary. The dried paint residue (overspray dust) is also lethal so that brings up another problem.

Darren, You can brush 2k primer but again full safety gear, you get better results with a gloss roller though.

I would be VERY cautious using any open flame heater in a paint booth. The fumes at particulates have the makings of a large bomb.