Spray Painting Sub-Forum


when you say alot of info contradicts itself, its more down to pretty much ever bodyshop/panel beater/painter has their own technique/process so prep and paint parts/vehicles

i've been a panel beater/painter for around 10 years, and every bodyshop i have worked in prepped vehicles in a different way than the others and then again myself i have a different process
Agreed 100%. There are a lot of ways to get a result. I don`t believe that there is a right and wrong way, depending on the situation we adapt accordingly.
thats why we need a sub forum.. nice bit of info there!!

id like to see

types of paint - i still dont know why we have water based/cfc based spray
prep work - techniques, what tools work best, and what not to do
priming - what primers work best for what material
spraying - i find this easy but some may not, spraying tips and tricks??
preserving - what laquers to use and how much etc etc
fibreglassing - how to use it, i found it really easy its just getting the mixtures of resin/catalyst right so it doesnt go hard in 2minits (she said)
bodywork - preping, tools to use etc

just a idea
I can answer you the above.
Types of paint: environmental legislation obligates paint companies to create environment friendly products. Most car factories use water based paints since 1995 and back.

prep work: all techniques have the same basis:sanding before anything else. then the sand paper grades varies mainly. there aren`t tools that work better, but what suits each individual.

primers more or less are the same. There are some categories though. filler, epoxy, surfacer. epoxy primers are not commonly used in body shops, since they are to be used on naked metal, before any other primer.

fibreglass: there is a huge variety out there, depending on the quality of your materials you get easier to manipulate mixture.

as for bodywork these are very deep waters for an amateur. Experience can`t be passed on through a pc screen. Sure i can tell you how to prep the surface, apply the putty, sand it, but there is a lot more to it. Make it flat, keep it small and don`t expand it etc.

Today i took some shots at work repairing a bumper. this lady came in, in a hurry cause she f**cked up her husbands car and wanted it done within the next two hours without him knowing anything. following is the procedure:

Took the sander and using a p240 roughened the area. Cleaned the surface with a high pressure air gun and then applied the putty using two 12cm spatulas. to speed up the hardening i used a thermal pistol. Again with the sander and the p240 sanded down the patty until it was level with the rest of the bumper. I use my palm and fingers stroking from side to side of the repair looking for either bumps or dents and continue accordingly. When i`m satisfied with the result, (always with my sander) take a p320 to smoothen the surface more and remove the deeper p240 lines. Again clean the surface of dust. mask the and started priming with a can primer. Now remember, i had to make it fast. so spray is the fastest way, because 90% is thinner which evaporates rapidly, opposite to 2K primers that hardener is used as well, plus the hustle of mixing and using a spray gun. If i did that i`d have to use IR lamps to bake it (15-20 minutes delay). 3-4 coats and using a thermal gun again, reduces my flash off times to half a minute approx. Let the whole thing cool down for 3-4 minutes, then using a p800 or p1000 wet i sand down the primed area. clean it well with a wettex , blow away water remains, mask and into the booth we go.
 
nice one. had to laugh at that woman and her hubbys car :))
 
This would b a great idea for people wanting to learn im wanting to learn a few things thi coild help me out alot if i ever wanted to do anythink my self good shout bud
 
Pateras, did you have to use any special primer for the bumper to allow it to flex?

The problem we face with flexibility is not reflected on the primer but on the putty used for the repair. That is why there is putty especially for plastic parts application. In situations where the plastic surface is stressed ie bumping while parking, the clear coat and primer have been designed to have properties that allow them to obtain their original state after the hit, but conventional putty will crack immediately, and that`s what is most common in a repaired plastic part. Plastic putty is flexible and has good mechanical properties. If you`re concerned about your bumpers, i say use a good scratch resistant clear coat. there is also an doubtful method often used by some, adding plastoflex or similar plastic adhesion 1K primers while mixing your clear coat.
 
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Today i took some shots at work repairing a bumper. this lady came in, in a hurry cause she f**cked up her husbands car and wanted it done within the next two hours without him knowing anything. following is the procedure:

Took the sander and using a p240 roughened the area. Cleaned the surface with a high pressure air gun and then applied the putty using two 12cm spatulas. to speed up the hardening i used a thermal pistol. Again with the sander and the p240 sanded down the patty until it was level with the rest of the bumper. I use my palm and fingers stroking from side to side of the repair looking for either bumps or dents and continue accordingly. When i`m satisfied with the result, (always with my sander) take a p320 to smoothen the surface more and remove the deeper p240 lines. Again clean the surface of dust. mask the and started priming with a can primer. Now remember, i had to make it fast. so spray is the fastest way, because 90% is thinner which evaporates rapidly, opposite to 2K primers that hardener is used as well, plus the hustle of mixing and using a spray gun. If i did that i`d have to use IR lamps to bake it (15-20 minutes delay). 3-4 coats and using a thermal gun again, reduces my flash off times to half a minute approx. Let the whole thing cool down for 3-4 minutes, then using a p800 or p1000 wet i sand down the primed area. clean it well with a wettex , blow away water remains, mask and into the booth we go.
A few shots of how it actually looked like. At the picture below i have puttied (is that a real word???) small pores that 1K primers can`t fill with 2K putty and not 1K because it would cause the primer to wrinkle! remember 1k products are sensitive to thinner at all stages of their manipulation.

p1403111024.jpg

after it was sanded with 800 wet
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p140311103301.jpg

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p1403111000.jpg

p1403111005.jpg

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In the next 2 pictures i repair a smaller scratch just below the repair with 1K putty. dries up within a minute and can easily be sanded down with a p1000 or a superfine sand sponge.
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p1403111021.jpg

this is to show the proper analogy of putty/hardener
p1403111025.jpg


Ready for spray
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and finished result
p1403111347.jpg
 
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I studied car design at uni, had to learn how to prep and paint my car design models in the workshop. Came in handy when I spray painted most of my car, save a tone doing most of the prep work yourself! Never got the hang of final stage lacquering though, always end up ruining the finish. Usually just take it to a pro to do that.

One or two things id like to know though if anyone can help out:

How do you filler parts in a way that overtime they don't begin to sink inwards?
I filled in the front bumper number plate holes all great nice and smooth. It's looked great for 8 months, but now notice the filler has sank a little, can see the outline of the hole. I built it up in thin layers of plastic filler, not just one big lump load. Any way to combat this from happening?

Some paint sprayers insist on painting on the lacquer on when the colour coat is still tacky to the touch. Others leave the colour coat to dry then apply the lacquer. Does this make any difference to the final finish?

Is there such a thing as re-lacquering parts again, or do you need to start from scratch? I had a go at lacquering my grill, built it up in a few light layers, but the finish just always looked grainy. I tried wet sanding it lightly once dry with 2500+ grit paper, has worked a bit, but some areas have now less reflection than others. Polish and wax works for a while, but then goes back to being the same. Can i take it to be re-lacquered as it is or do you need sand it back down to the colour stage again?

one last question i promise!
Are some lacquer brands less reflective than others? I can stand the other side of my street and still just about see my reflection on my driver door. The driver wing however will not show any reflection if you stand more than 2 meeter's away, just gets really hazy. I used two different sprayers for these jobs, so guessing there's different lacquer been used or the wing man did a **** job?
 
some usefull info here cheers!

i had my front bumper and a wing sprayed a few months back, colors fine and the finish looks good but now im seeing what looks like little white spots but i think its where stones have hit my car? has the sprayer used a thin coat of paint or laquer?? my other panels are fine and think ther still the factory paint job!
 
@nealt2000. For the hole issue use fibre glass putty, you can re-lacquer parts as well, just sand down with 1500 and finer and re-lacquer. Also for the sand and polish, check pics at end of post. Lacquer brands are more shiny than others, but that`s not the only reason why you wing is dull. Plus, wing is a very small surface to reflect anything.

@civicx3. Layers don`t have to do anything. Nowadays there are anti-scratch lacquers on the market that prevent stone chips and scratches.

This is a vw passat. Customer had a job done and he wasn`t pleased with the orange peel on his car. So i sand it down with a p2000 wet, then used a p3000 on my sander to erase the p2000 lines and then started polishing.
This is what the whole car looked like
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started sanding down(before shots)
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ready for polishing
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trizact 3000 pad
p1403110922.jpg

polishing mesh and pad for the job
p1403110921.jpg

looking good? notice the orange peel look on the right where i haven`t sanded yet, on the lights reflection. impressive??
p140311092801.jpg

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front fender close up(after shot)
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finished with these two
p1403111813.jpg


ps: pics taken with crappy LG cookie:nono:
 
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Wow Pateras, how long have you been doing bodywork?

I just bought myself a buffer kit, can't wait to use it!
 
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