My tip is, spray closer than you think you should. I have had bad coverage by holding too far away. 50% overlap. Dont go heavy on the edges. The clear is what you need to feel out. Every kind lays and falls it’s own way
Learning to paint....
- Thread starter Cuda416
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sireland67
Well-Known Member
The cheap purple HF gun, might have trouble spraying primer, the tip is small for BB/CC.
HF does have a siphon gun with a 1.7 tip which will spray primer fine, its like $20.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
I tried to see if it has a 1.4 tip, but it doesn't say.....or I'm Ray Charles'n it! SPI is very adamant that you use a 1.4 to spray their Universal clear. I have followed their instructions to the letter, and it has always turned out great. Looks like a decent gun, and appears similar to the Devilbiss Tekna Pro Lite that I bought. The Tekna makes me look like a much better hobbyist painter than I feel like I am! LOL
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I started off by going to a local vocational school. My family owns a decent size body shop and my intentions were to work there after tech school. I was 18 when I started. I would go to school during the day and then to the body shop in the afternoon and evenings to work. One day I came in and they said there was a car in the booth ready to spray. It was an old Ltd complete paint job. All the guys left and they said paint it. So after about 4 hours it was done. The next day they came in and said they only took 2 nibs out of it.... well thats probably why it took me 4 hours to spray it! After that I started painting daily for the entire shop. I sprayed for about 6 body guys. Since then I've worked in 18 shops... I like to move around. And I have sprayed anything and everything including water borne. Last year I stepped out of the paint booth to an office roll but still do dome stuff at home. I painted close to 600 cars a year for a long period of time. Can't imagine how many cars I've actually painted. At 40 years old I still miss it but the body was saying enough.
sireland67
Well-Known Member
I too painted almost every day in a production shop.
I can tell you one thing, even wearing respirator and taking all precautions, it took me 6 months to start feeling like a new man, after spraying paint.
Best career move I ever made, was to get out of the fumes.
I was lucky enough to have supplied air most of the time. In my final years I used this.
I love seeing some of the "patina" cars but....unfortunately, I can cut out rust, fab some panels, weld, grind, sandblock, , spray and do some filler, and then I find I can not stand NOT to get rid of the darn patina!! LOL
Cuda416
Well-Known Member
Lot's of great info and examples/advice. Thanks everyone.
What is a good setup for managing paint supplies and the process overall in a home shop. That is, how to you setup your "paint center/mixing area".
What is a good setup for managing paint supplies and the process overall in a home shop. That is, how to you setup your "paint center/mixing area".
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Just piddling on my own stuff...I just use my work bench, which is outside of the room I spray stuff in. There's a half dozen different colors dabbed onto the bench where I will lean a stir stick up between coats...lol. I keep a spare one gallon paint can to pour scraps in, and also pile my strainers and paper towels I use to clean spray guns in there. I seal it back up until it gets full, and then use the contents on a brush pile that gets burnt. Then start the process all over again. I keep a 5 gallon can of lacquer thinner under the bench, and have a hand pump to get out what I need. I also have a good pair of chemical gloves I wear while fooling with the thinner during cleanup, etc. If you get that stuff on your skin, it soaks up and gets in your bloodstream in a matter of seconds! It's kinda hard on organs, so be smart about using it! I also have a spray gun stand for a gravity fed gun that makes pouring paint in the cup, and cleanup a lot easier. It came with an el cheapo primer gun that I bought at Northern Tool. Get a good respirator, and put it on when you start mixing paint, and never walk into the spray booth without it! I put a coffee filter over each filter, and hold it in place with a rubber band. That keeps the real filters from stopping up so quick with overspray. I usually change both of those coffee filters between coats, and you will be surprised at how much paint gets stuck to them while you're breathing thru the respirator. Hope some of this rambling helps...lol. 
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
I forgot to add, that I bought an old timey paint shaker at an estate sale. It's a Red Devil brand, and will do gallons and quarts. It is made to do 2 gallon cans at a time, but the clamp on 1 side is missing. It's so old, that I can't find replacement parts....but it will shake the hell outta some paint! Sure beats doing it by hand. Keep an eye on Craigslist, and you will spot one every now and then.
I keep a jelly jar with top with clean up thinner to soak the needed gun parts.
Always have plenty of mixing cups I wipe them out with thinner and reuse. (I am cheap)
Never run low on clean up thinner.
Paper towels.
Tack rags.
Never run out of the oil/wax remover.
Have reducers for different temps maybe.
Always have plenty of mixing cups I wipe them out with thinner and reuse. (I am cheap)
Never run low on clean up thinner.
Paper towels.
Tack rags.
Never run out of the oil/wax remover.
Have reducers for different temps maybe.
Kendog 170
Let the boy go !
90's Dodge truck Bonzai Blue
Cuda416
Well-Known Member
Thanks for all the tips, pointers and opinions. I pulled the trigger (pun intended) on the DeVillbiss FLG4. I'll use the cheapo HF unit (after cleaning and drilling out the nozzle ) epoxy primer etc until I get a feel for the process. Went and watched a really good SEMA show Kevin T did on gun usage/handling etc. Good stuff and I'll be watching more for sure.
I'm 66 now and started when I was 18 when I fixed my first dent on a Valiant station wagon fender and painted it with Dupli color. It turned out good for a hack job. I bought my Swinger and painted it Hemi Orange in a local Tech school 1975. They showed me the ropes and helped me. After that I was hooked. This same car was restored and painted in 2009. I re cleared it today in my home made booth at home shop. Always use good equipment and materials. Dont scrimp, it never saves money. I try my best to stay away from Chinese junk. This spray today was with my new Sagola spray gun made in Spain. Blended a qtr panel and cleared the whole car with Sherwin Williams glamour clear. Talk to people to see if there is a tech school in your area and dont be afraid. You will probably be able to befriend some guys at local shows and hang outs that can help you. I met one of my best friends that way. Good luck and ask questions on this forum.
Cuda416
Well-Known Member
Sure, I used 1.5" PVC with the joint screwed and 1.5 mil poly. Better yet I have a drawing I made I can send you in instant message and I'll take some pics later this morning and get back with you.
empty now
What type system did you use to pull out the fumes??
Sorry still trying to get my phone to download.
I love Bob Ross and this is a great one. Thanks
sscuda
The best there is, the best there ever will be.
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Cuda416
Start small and work your way up. Read a lot. Take a night school course if you can. Find a mentor willing to take you on. Practice, practice, practice and practice some more. Learn bodywork too because they go hand in hand, I've taught many painters in my time and the one's with desire to paint are the ones who excel at automotive spray painting. Refinish paint reps are a good source of reliable info too. The experience will come if you make it happen.
I started in the trade when I was 13 years old, going to school I passed a body/paint shop on the way to and from public and high school. One day I stopped in and asked if they needed a kid to clean up and wash cars, etc. I worked there some days after school, on Saturdays, civic holidays and summer holidays. When I went to university I only worked for them during the summer holidays. In my off-time at home I must have painted everything I could get my hands on. At the the bump shop they had me paining everything from a new football helmets, appliances , house shutters, steel railings to the insides of a milk trucks. I did a **** ton of prep work before they let me paint a used car. My own first car I think I painted it at least 6 times. I read every custom painting magazine I could find. My mentor was probably the best painter around, or at least I thought so (RIP Keith). One day during summer vacation time their painter didn't show up for work (he was a drunk) so the manager threw me into paint a used pick up truck. I had only painted a few cars including my own. The truck turned out pretty good. I painted a bunch more cars that day and the manager (Keith) loved them. Their regular painter got the boot and I painted cars the rest of the summer. My record for a day painting cars was 9 completes and 3 partials.
When I asked the manager of the paint shop if I could apprentice for my automotive spray painter's license he said you already have the hours and education, you just need to write the exam. He filled out the paperwork, I wrote and aced the test, got my diploma May 1973.
After I graduated from university I didn't land an engineering job for about 6-8 months so I worked at the bump shop until such time as an engineering job came around. Even working as an automotive mechanical engineer my heart was still in the paint booth. After 3 years working in an non paint related engineering role I landed a paint manufacturing engineering job at Ford and worked for them for 3+ long years, then got offered a technical service manager job for the world's largest OEM paint manufacturer and after 12 years worked my way up to director level. Seeing the opportunities I then went into OEM Paint Process Consulting to the OEM's and have loved it. I'm semi-retired now and pick and choose my clients. This career has also afforded me the opportunity to build and own my dream cars and pay for 3 kids to attend university.
My suggestion is; grab yourself a book or books on automotive refinishing. Learn the basics and build from there.
FYI - To this day I still get pumped when I'm about to apply color to a car or motorcycle parts.
I've made the same offer to a few others on this site. I'm on this site every so often and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me at any time. I will help you an way I can.
One last thing; in the auto spray painting industry you are working with very harmful chemicals, please protect yourself, use every precaution when working in that environment. You will thank me when you are retired.
sscuda
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