Painting Booth

[bkaul]

Eh, engines are easy. You don't have to sand engines.

[dburdyshaw]

Ummm yeah ... I'm thinkin' I'll be happy if I just get the body done.

[reapers85cat]

Eh, engines are easy. You don't have to sand engines.

Sometimes you have to hone cylinder walls which is basically the same thing though!

[SilentInsomnia]

Hey.. um, I don't know if ya'll remember, but I did a post a couple weeks ago about my recent adventrure with do-it-yourself painting. I used two stages with base and clear, from a spray can. Yes.. it can be done.

Ventilation. Problem.. no way. Get yourself one of the large industrial strength shop fans from Home Depot, the $100 one is fine (that's what I have.) They are tough. Set it up just outside your garage. Cover everything inside your garage that you don't want to have to clean later! Turn the fan on high mode and lower your garage door some, about 2/3 - 3/4 closed is good. This will create a "venturI" or small area for the air to be pulled out by the fan. Paint when humidity is low. I think morning is bad because of poss. dew/moisture contamination, depending on season, temp, etc. I like to start painting around 12-1pm and go with three coats base. Dry for a week, wet-sand, maybe 3 more coats base, wet-sand again, then clean, then on and on..

But seriously... no matter what, get yourself one of the masks they sell for painting. They're like $20-$30 and last for quite a while if you have real good ventilation. Wear a long sleeve shirt, and pants, and old shoes, and a headlight (mine is named Nancy), and a hat. This is why you can't paint when it's hot, because with all that crap on you won't get paint on you but you'll sure get sweat on your paint!!

SI

[dburdyshaw]

This is excellent information SI. I remember the post, but now I can't find it. Can you point me to it, please?

I'm probably not going to even attempt this until spring. Too cold otherwise.



To everyone else, re-read the last paragraph from SI's post (start to finish) aloud. See if you can get through it without at least a healthy smirk, if not an outright spit-take onto your monitor screen. I've tried. I can't.

Now I one more thing on my "Painting Booth To-Do List." I have to name my headlight.

[Shadow 1]

I'll think I'll name mine Lucille...no, wait...that's my tape measure...ummm.....how about Betty? Betty's a nice name for a headlight, it's got curves and it's bright but not too bright.


And for the record prep work is a pain in the rear, I'm still working on fenders and it's a task.

[SilentInsomnia]

This is excellent information SI. I remember the post, but now I can't find it. Can you point me to it, please?

Sure, be glad to... (I only got one page of airtime afterall...lol)

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthread.php?t=86099

SI

[dburdyshaw]

Firstly, thank you.

How did I miss this thread.

Since summer, I visit FEP daily.

I generally visit (daily):
-- Body Shop and Interior
-- Restoration Related
-- Car Show and Tell
-- General
-- Cars for sale
-- FYI cars for sale

And then I visit Parts for sale and the Supporter sections once or twice a week.

I dont know how I missed your thread. I'll go back and read it thoroughly.

Because of temperatures, it'll probably be April or May before I start even starting to paint -- but (if I do) it'll take me 'til then to do the research.

[85GT-79FJ40]

Painting at home may be fine for someone with an detached garage, or no family to complain about the smell. Or very tolerant people who realize the smell will eventually go away. See where i'm going with this... My shop is under my regular 2 car garage, which is partially under my house and connected to my basement. Even though I have sealed off the walls with silicone, and always paint with the door open and fans in the doorway it stinks up the house pretty bad. Since my daughter was born I've done some spot repairs on the Mustang that didn't stink the place up too badly or for too long but all the complete repaints i've done (3-4 in this garage) have stunk the place up pretty bad for about a week. Fortunately my brother in law just bought a house with a detached oversized 2 car garage and he wants me to paint his MR2. So I think after that's done I may eventually repaint the Mustang at his place. And Chris' Capri looks great, especially considering I believe him saying it was his first paint job. Heck of a lot better than the first few I did. The photo below is my Landcruiser, and this was a complete frame off done in my current shop, paint and all. I actually won a best paint award with it at one of those 4 wheel nationals truck shows a few years back. Which I thought was pretty funny considering it has several imperfections in it.

[dburdyshaw]

Looks purdy.

Seriously.

Plus, I've always like those Land Cruisers.

[Shadow 1]

That looks really good. I like the landcruisers too. If I ever got a 4x4 project going to would be that or the original bronco.

[JTurbo]

I've painted 2 cars in my attached garage. I've had no problems with fumes inside the house. Ventilation is the key. I have a very large fan mounted to the back wall of the garage. I use the front window as the air source. Cheap HVAC filters keep the air coming in the garage clean and another on the fan inlet keeps the paint dust from getting out of the garage. The fan moves so much air (not sure of the actual CFM), I can take one of those disposable filters and just throw it up towards the fan and the suction from the fan holds it there.

Also, I run the fan for several hours (like 8-12) after the paint job is finished while the paint continues to dry (and give off fumes).....

My garage is small, here is a picture of my old 84 Vert that I painted:


And here is when I shot the 84 RS Turbo:


After the first of the year, I'll be painting engine bay of my SVO...

[dburdyshaw]

Excellent post JTurbo. Thank you.

What type of equipment ---- compression, gun, other ---- do you have?

Also, were these paintjobs (above) single-stage or basecoat / clearcoat?

[JTurbo]

Excellent post JTurbo. Thank you.

What type of equipment ---- compression, gun, other ---- do you have?

Also, were these paintjobs (above) single-stage or basecoat / clearcoat?

1) Professional Mask - most important tool in the kit... I also have a white plastic suit that I throw on over my work clothes (keeps dust down)
2) I have a Craftsman single stage compressor (not huge, but adequate for home use). A simple water trap after about 20' of line. Then I used some disposable air filters at the paint gun inlet.
3) I bought a set of 3 gravity fed guns from Eastwood. I've used traditional guns in the past, but the gravity guns use way less material. Pic of one of the guns:

4) the red was Rustoleum The RS was done in 2 stage Urethane (Dupont Chroma Base). That was my first foray into 2 stage The clear was a bit too thick and ended up with orange peel. But after numerous hours of wet sanding and buffing, it turned out pretty good.

The engine bay of the SVO will be shot with Dupont Centari (single stage Enamel).

[JTurbo]

Here is the roof of the RS after wet sanding / buffing:

[dburdyshaw]

Excellent work.

Looks great.

It'll take me a while, but I may have a PM coming to you when I figure out what I need to ask.

Feel free to post anything else that you think I'll need to know.

[1982 niGhTmare]

How much did it cost for the urethane? Along with trying to figure out what color to paint the 82, I've been trying to figure out if I want to spray enamel or urethane. I want to do urethane, but worried about it blowing my budget out of proportion.

[JTurbo]

How much did it cost for the urethane? Along with trying to figure out what color to paint the 82, I've been trying to figure out if I want to spray enamel or urethane. I want to do urethane, but worried about it blowing my budget out of proportion.

Paint supplies for the RS came in right arount $500. That didn't include any of the normal supplies for body work / prep (sand paper, primers, lacquer thinner, etc.).

[1982 niGhTmare]

That's not so bad really. Much less than I thought. Still have stuff left over from Dad's Mustang, but that's only the cheap stuff.

Urethane uses any regular lacquer thinner?

[JTurbo]

Excellent work.

Looks great.

It'll take me a while, but I may have a PM coming to you when I figure out what I need to ask.

Feel free to post anything else that you think I'll need to know.

Thanks for the compliments. I've got a lot of work already lined up (SVO odds and ends, re-paint of my newly acquired 86 Vert, and the rust bucket 82GT project). Not to mention some other projects for friends.....

Something that I didn't previously mention - always use sealer after the final wet sanding of primer and before the actual paint job begins. I shot a coat of Velvaseal (also from Dupont).

Most other posters in this thread hit the highlights/tricks (like wetting the floor before hand, etc).

Feel free to ask. I worked in a body shop right out of HS for about a year. And I've been doing various sorts of body work off and on for >15 years as my hobby. I love seeing the before/after and the satisfaction with doing it myself....

[JTurbo]

That's not so bad really. Much less than I thought. Still have stuff left over from Dad's Mustang, but that's only the cheap stuff.

Urethane uses any regular lacquer thinner?

$500 bought 3 quarts of grey, 1 pint of silver, gallon of clear, and all the associated reducers.

Lacquer thinner is for just about everything except the paint. Need to clean up the paint gun - lacquer thinner. Spraying on gray primer (laquer based), yup lacquer thinner. Need to clean up the bondo spreaders, yup, wipe or soak in a can of lacquer thinner....

[1982 niGhTmare]

Ahhhhhh, that makes more sense, I thought you meant the lacquer thinner was for the urethane, that's why I was curious.

The next question though is, you used a lacquer based primer underneath urethane? I think I have a bit of lacquer primer left over so that would save money, but I didn't think lacquer and urethane was compatible, and was wondering..... urethane is flexible, lacquer is not. So if something was to flex, the primer underneath won't crack?

[Shadow 1]

Thanks for the compliments. I've got a lot of work already lined up (SVO odds and ends, re-paint of my newly acquired 86 Vert, and the rust bucket 82GT project). Not to mention some other projects for friends.....

Something that I didn't previously metion - always use sealer after the final wet sanding of primer and before the actual paint job begins. I shot a coat of Velvaseal (also from Dupont).

Most other posters in this thread hit the highlights/tricks (like wetting the floor before hand, etc).

Feel free to ask. I worked in a body shop right out of HS for about a year. And I've been doing various sorts of body work off and on for >15 years as my hobby. I love seeing the before/after and the satisfaction with doing it myself....

This is probably a stupid question but you were saying after the final sand you spray a sealer, does that get sanded too before the paint gets applied?

[JTurbo]

Ahhhhhh, that makes more sense, I thought you meant the lacquer thinner was for the urethane, that's why I was curious.

The next question though is, you used a lacquer based primer underneath urethane? I think I have a bit of lacquer primer left over so that would save money, but I didn't think lacquer and urethane was compatible, and was wondering..... urethane is flexible, lacquer is not. So if something was to flex, the primer underneath won't crack?

Lacquer based primer is real easy to use. If you have concerns, you can go with a urethane based primer (ie 2k). However, that is the main reason why I use a coat of sealer once all the body/prep work is completed. It isolates the prep work from the final paint stage.

You mentioned flexing - only issue is on the bumper covers. If the metal is "flexing" then you have other issues I used very little primer if any at all on these parts. I stripped them down of all the original paint with wet sanding (PITA), but this gets back to the original flex primer that was installed when produced new....

[JTurbo]

This is probably a stupid question but you were saying after the final sand you spray a sealer, does that get sanded too before the paint gets applied?

If the sealer is applied correctly, then no it doesn't need to be wet sanded. This assumes that the sealer is applied just prior to the paint. You can't spray the sealer one weekend and then expect to paint the top coat the next weekend.....

However, there's always an exception. In the case of my RS, I had a few drips of sealer (from the air hole on the top of my spray gun) on the driver side rear quarter . So I waited for the sealer to setup, wetsanded it smooth and then re-applied one final coat of sealer on that panel prior to paint. If I didn't FUBAR that panel, I would have went straight from sealer to base color coat.

That's one thing you have to sort of expect if you do this as a hobby (ie not as a professional). There will always be issues, mistakes, etc. Take your time, deal with them as they come and it will all work out in the end

The other thing I recommend is to practice. Go get a used fender, etc and practice the full process of prep, paint, etc before tackling an entire car. It's easier and less costly if you make a mistake.