Body and paint

[wombat]

I am getting near to the primer/paint stage now and because i have never done this before i have a few questions
1-bondo/icing what is a good brand to use and can icing be applied on top of primer if imperfections are noticed after priming?
2-what is the best sanding process before painting?
3-what is a good primer that is possably sandable and self etching and compatable with most paints. I have already had a situation where primer and paint reacted to each other and wrinkled?
4-a good paint that is not too expensive and idiot proof,how many coats,what kind of sanding between coats.I see some guys on mud using ace rustoleum etc.
5- equipment-kms tools has cheap hvlp gravity guns and siphon guns which is best and how do you clean and maintain them.Is sandpaper all the same or are some brands better.
6-process-with loose pieces is it better to spray them flat on ground or hanging up and what is your best method of spraying to avoid orange peel and runs etc.
Maybe this a good spot for someone who has experiance in this to start a PAINTING 101 for all of us to use on future projects.

 

[seapotato]

wurth putty is nice stuff to work with. maxi fin I think it's called? something like that anyways. $$ but really sands out nicely.

I was too cheap to use it mind, and just went with el cheapo stuff.

paint I used was acrylic enamel. pretty cheap , but I figger it's going to get scratched, so recoats will be easy, seems to require a few coats to cover fully. Think the can says 3-4.

I have a cheapo hvlp gun I got from princess auto, seems to work quite well, for cleaning I have the dirty thinner that I run through , and then clean thinner to finish off with. Thinners last longer that way.

I usually clean it without pressure attached, just pull trigger until the stream of thinner looks free of paint, then swap for clean thinners, do the same, and then drop the tip in the pot and put the lid back on.

primer fills most sanding scratches so I wasn't too worried about that, after primer I sanded with 400 and then rubbed with a tack cloth, and squirted.

I've been using a self etching primer on bare metal, and then just a two part primer on the rest. I've been getting it all from Duncan auto, but there's a shop in nanaimo called Videl where they know there stuff too, I'm sure there's somewhere comparable in vic.



I'm no expert, and my paint job probably shows that, but for the s***ty conditions I was spraying in ( dusty cold garage with awful lighting) it turned out ok.

 

[wombat]

Is wurth putty a bondo or icing?
How much do you thin the acrylic enamal and do you add hardner?
My compressor is not the best would i use less air with a gravity feed hvlp than a siphon feed?

 

[seapotato]

wurth is a polyester fairing putty, so you can use it for anything, fillets, fairing , bigger holes, but it's probably best for doing fine skims, as it really fairs out nicely.

any more than that and it seems a waste of the $$ putty ( plus, probably means your metalwork was a bit lacking..)

We used to use it on boat paint jobs all the time, we'd go through ten cans of the stuff on a 40 footer...if ya gotta use a filler, it's nice stuff.

the acrylic does use a hardener, and a thinner...I *think* the ratio was 8-1-1...my uber scientific method was to pour a glob of paint into the sprayer pot, ad a couple glugs of hardener and a couple more of thinners, put on lid, shake the s*** out of it and spray... ( there's markings on the side of the pot to assist the accuracy of this process...if it's early in the day I pay attention to them.)

the primer is kindof the same deal, but the ratios were different...the info's on the can, and even has a pictogram for the fume addled.

Basecoat/clearcoat probably gets a better result in the end, but it was a little overkill for a 40 with a wobbly body like mine, so I didn't bother.


As for sprayers, I like the little hvlp I got at p/a. was about 30 bucks, my compressor isn't very big either, a little wheelbarrow two tank contractor job, around 6cfm I think.
Runs pretty steady when I'm spraying, but seems to keep up. the pressure is turned way down at the gun, so it's not like keeping up with a rotory air tool at 90psi. Those things are murder.

all in all it's pretty easy.

oh, and I prefer to spray odd bits lying flat, easier to hog the paint on and not get runs...

for smaller stuff I made a quick hot box. put a cube heater in a big cardboard box, jam some rods through the box to hang small parts on and you can bake the paint on and get several coats on them pretty quickly. speeds up the process this time of year.

I'll be slapping some paint on my doors in the next week or two. you can try out the sprayer I have if you want.

 

[wombat]

couple more questions--- what do you use to wash down parts before painting and what about water separator air filtration? My compressor has none other than a water drain in bottom of tank.
Went to KMS tools and they tried to sell me some fancy dancy space age thing for 170.00. Needless to say i bolted from store being almost as cheep as seapotato i figured he could build something outa a Lucky beer can and a tampax

 

[seapotato]

couple more questions--- what do you use to wash down parts before painting and what about water separator air filtration? My compressor has none other than a water drain in bottom of tank.
Went to KMS tools and they tried to sell me some fancy dancy space age thing for 170.00. Needless to say i bolted from store being almost as cheep as seapotato i figured he could build something outa a Lucky beer can and a tampax

no water separator here, I have a very long , large diameter hose ( 3/4 I think) that is coiled in long loops on the door of the shop, sorta works as a ghetto water collector.

Some folks actually build things like that with pvc on a wall, and put a drain at the bottom of the loops. think I saw something like that in the tool/shop section here on mud.

also haven't drained my compressor tanks in yeears...( it's hard to reach...I"m lazy)

I have a little filter dealy I got at p/a years ago but haven't hooked it up.

for wash down, I just dust off with clean rag and air , then use a tack cloth. sometimes I'll give it a wash down with reducer or degreaser if I think its contaminated and will fisheye, but usually just clean rag , air and tack cloth.

heh, maybe you shouldn't be taking my advice on this stuff....

 

[wombat]

I have to-- nobody else has stepped up to the mike

 

[slowandsteady BJ]

I have to-- nobody else has stepped up to the mike

If you are spraying solid colours the gun isn't as critical. For metallic and tri-colours a good gun is needed. Just get it set up correctly and play with the paint till you find a good amount of reduction.

We can chat at the meeting if you are gonna be there and Ill give you some tips.