hmmm it does sound like acrylic is the way to go for spraying at home
i have heaps of time to ub back and dont mind the work i guess if it all fails terribly someone else can do it lol

between coats you cut back or just wait for it to dry a little and spray again

Depends on how many coats or paint you intend to use, probably etch prime then undercoat 2-3 coats allowing flash of time between, rub that down and then 2-3 coats of topcoat again allow flash off time between coats let dry and rub back and remove any runs or faults and then probably a couple more coats of topcoat, flatten and cut with 1200 and buff after a week or so, should just about do it except to polish the car after buffing for final finish with a decent polish

Jon

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Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van

All right guys,
My learning curve is very steep right now.
A couple more questions.

What is meant by "flash off time"?
What is meant by "wet coating"?

Thanks in anticipation
RonR

I have one of them......i must be a body shop

Flash off time is the time after you finish putting one coat on and starting the next coat, the paint stops being runny and becomes tacky, not dry but tacky, a slight skin starting to form on top

Wet coats are exactly what it says, they are coats that are put on a bit heavier, very close to running and are glossy to look at and give almost a final finish look, wet on wet is where you dont allow flash time, very tricky as its really easy to get runs, the first few coats can be what they call dry coats where you almost have the paint dry before it hits the job, you hold the gun a bit further away from the job and tend to move a bit faster with your strokes, not really a good idea but as long as you get your final coats as wet coats it does sort of work

Its really a good idea to try and apply all your coats the same and depending on what colour you use dont be surprised if it takes a few coats to get a good cover, its not that unusual to be able to see through the paint for the firstcouple of coats, don't try and cover the base with the first coat, check after the first coat and see if you are getting a good overlap, just make sure you are getting a good even coverage, make sure your fan width from the gun is even, not heavy in the middle of the fan and nothing on the edges

Take your time and play with the gun setup on the first few coats, get it right and you will surprise yourself how easy it is to paint get it wrong and you curse a lot

_________________
Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van

My experience is based on spraying a number of cars.

Spraying at home use the acrylic paint, yes it needs more work, yes it is easier to repair incluiding stone chips, yes you can get a fantastic finish in fact sometimes even better than a 2 pac finish. Next time you go to a car show ask around and you will be amazed at how many cars are painted in acrylic.

Paying for a paint job, pending your budget you will end up getting a 2 pac paint job as that is what most spray painters are used to doing.

My 2c worth.

Dan

Thats true but how many SHOW cars are painted in acrylic. We all go to car shows and ask ourselves the question why do the owners enter their cars when they arent exactly a very high standard.

before everyone shoots me down i know theyre proud of what they've acheived and so they should, it doesnt make them top notch.

Go a two pack finish, there isnt too many painters or even "gifted amateurs" willing to put the effort into a show quality acrylic finish. You shouldn't be dissappointed in a quality 2K finish.

but doesnt 2pac mess you up if you breath it in and i thought for a home jobby acrylic was the only way legally and all that

i think if i get a pro to do it then 2k
if at home then acrylic by yourself

Yeah 2 pak is dangerous stuff and a good quality filter mask but those funny paper like disposable overalls should be worn but you should take the same precautions using acrylic to as its only a little less toxic. As for spraying at home well actually your not supposed to do it with either unless you have an approved spray booth and you won't have one of those in a residental area

_________________
Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van

hmmmm interesting what are there any masks that are better or known to be better i know you need the ones with filters that cost a bit but the way i figure it spraying two or three cars in your lifetime isnt going to kill me ...... hopefully

Thanks feralsprint,

As they say one question begets another.
What type of gun is best for spraying acrylic and what size tip/needle do you need.
Been looking at spray guns but as soon as HVLP is mentioned people seem to go a bit funny. Roll their eyes and stuff and try and talk you out of them. What's the go here?

RonR

Ron

HVLP systems were really made for painting industrial coatings and to get one that is suitable will cost a fair bit few $$$$, a good suction or gravity feed gun is a cheaper solution even if you have to by a pressure regulator, tip sizes really depend on what you are going to spray, if its only a straight colour you can use a 1.4-1.6 tip but if you are considering metalics maybe a 2.0, personally I use a 2.0 for everything and just play with pressure and fan width to get the what I like, goes on a bit wetter but I like the finish

_________________
Roundies and Clubbies(except vans) are both ugly that is why I have Midas and a van
1293 Mini Midas Bronze,1275 Clubman van

Feralsprint,
Thanks again.
I was looking at HVLP guns because I didn't want to paint everything else in the garage at the same time. Most of the paint ends up on the job rather than only half as with HP guns. A Devillbis HVLP gun was quoted at around $600 at one place so I rapidly lost interest. It may well have it's own internal pressure regulator, but at $600, not for me.
Anyone used any of the cheaper HVLP guns? Most seem to come from darkest China or Taiwan.

RonR

Miniron
I have the S980 Pro Series Gun
from this site
http://www.ppc.au.com/spray.htm
I am no sprayer but it is a great gun and even i can get a smooth finish with it...

Cheers

Aaron

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I have a cheaper gravity fed HVLP gun (NZ$160 from memory). I'm still on the footslopes of the painting learning curve, but it feels nice and I can spray fairly well with it - it seems to put a nice even coat. I am having a few teething issues with orange peel - not bad, and a bit of experimentation with technique will have it sorted. DeVilbis is the name in spray guns and the choice of professionals. I went cheaper and I don't think I'll regret it.