The Spray Painting Thread

["Z" UTE]

Joel, that 2pak should not require a clear coat.

[TurboRA28]

I'm going to the vgauto paint free half day course this Saturday to hopefully pickup some tips..

Basically where I am at currently is around half way through rust repairs.. Each repair i've put 1k etch primer on. I've also removed some bog from surrounding areas of the repair with a flapper disk.

So do I have this right..

1. Finish all my rust repairs and etch them all.
2. Sand over the whole thing with an orbital sander, 320 dry..
3. Etch prime any areas that may sand back to metal, eg my repairs.
? 3. Hi fill prime the whole thing (the proteck primer I have suggests different amount of thinning and it can be both hifill and normal depending on the mix). So was going to use this with hifill mix. How many coats of hifill?
4. Nikki all repairs/dints
5. Dust coat guide coat
6. Sand/shape nikki using 80 - 240
7. Sand over the whole thing using a big sanding board with 600?
8. Apply primer with normal mix of thinner not for hifill. How many coats of normal?
9. Sand again?
10. Start applying paint

I get real mixed up with the order of events and painting.. as per my previous posts

Also I want to do a 2 tone, so there will be a different colour maybe the bottom 50cm or so of the bus, or maybe more a really thick stripe along the middle of it. It is a darker colour than the rest. So was thinking of getting the colour down over the whole thing and then doing the other colour after?

[o_man_ra23]

Yeah, solid colour Protek iso-free does not require clear. Outdoors isn't the best place to be painting 2pak, hope your hardener isn't slow. If there are areas you can create a distinct break in the colour without it looking dodge, then you can paint sections at a time. Stick on pinstripes won't work too well, as they really need you to paint clear over them for them to be effective. They come off pretty easy otherwise (at least that is what I have found).

[TurboRA28]

Sorry the pin stripe is also 2pak paint..

[TurboRA28]

So i'm going to struggle painting this shitta outside? really don't know where i am going to fit a 5+ meter bus indoors.

["Z" UTE]

I'm going to the vgauto paint free half day course this Saturday to hopefully pickup some tips..

Basically where I am at currently is around half way through rust repairs.. Each repair i've put 1k etch primer on. I've also removed some bog from surrounding areas of the repair with a flapper disk.

So do I have this right..

1. Finish all my rust repairs and etch them all.
2. Sand over the whole thing with an orbital sander, 320 dry..
3. Etch prime any areas that may sand back to metal, eg my repairs.
? 3. Hi fill prime the whole thing (the proteck primer I have suggests different amount of thinning and it can be both hifill and normal depending on the mix). So was going to use this with hifill mix. How many coats of hifill?
4. Nikki all repairs/dints
5. Dust coat guide coat
6. Sand/shape nikki using 80 - 240yeah you can switch this around a bit but you have the right idea7. Sand over the whole thing using a big sanding board with 600?
8. Apply primer with normal mix of thinner not for hifill. How many coats of normal? One good coat should do
9. Sand again? If you are happy with the result off the gun, go ahead with the colour coat. Or you might like to apply another guide coat and really find out how good you are.
10. Start applying paint

I get real mixed up with the order of events and painting.. as per my previous posts

Also I want to do a 2 tone, so there will be a different colour maybe the bottom 50cm or so of the bus, or maybe more a really thick stripe along the middle of it. It is a darker colour than the rest. So was thinking of getting the colour down over the whole thing and then doing the other colour after?

The only way to get a good join on 2 tone, is by double masking. You mask of the area you want light, and paint the dark. you then mask off the dark colour and paint the light colour. Use blue lining tape, as with other tapes you WILL get bleed through under the tape and your line becomes fuzzy. Pinstriping will cover that, but will mean another contrasting colour on the bus.

To establish the line use 2" tape, this does not get as wavey as 3/4" or 1" tape. Lay the 2'' tape down, then use that as the guide edge to put your lining tape against. Remove the 2" tape and start masking.


At the end of the day, if you end up with a step at the join, lightly sand the join areas and apply some clear coat.

cheers Chuck.

[o_man_ra23]

So Chuck, lets say for example I want to paint black onto my bonnet bulge and along my rocker sills, I'll need to mask up the orange section (ie whole car virtually), using line tape (I have some 6mm thick plastic stuff for that - cost a mint for what it is) along the edge, paint the black on, wait for it to dry, put my lining tape along the black and mask up, remove the lining tape and masking that was used to get the black sorted, paint the orange, remove the lining tape and masking, then clear??

How long past the minimum flash off time would be needed before I can put tape along the black?? I am using COB 2k. I will probably need to put the white basecoat down the day before and sand before masking (I couldn't get more white primer, so need to put a white base under the orange so it doesn't look like poo)

[TurboRA28]

Another question.. With the bus basically I only have 1x driver door, rear boot lid and the bifold side door. I'd have no hope of painting the bifold door on the bus and will have to do this off the bus.
Which made me think I might just do all the removable doors (3 of them) off the bus separately..
Is this ok?

[ian]

i think if you remove the doors and paint them separate you will have a different finish than the rest of the bus
unless you paint the doors in a vertical position as 2k will flatten a bit when applied horizontally
also painting such a large unit ,see if you can get some digital scales and make sure that your mix ratio of color /hardener is exactly the same weight on each fill of your gun

["Z" UTE]

So Chuck, lets say for example I want to paint black onto my bonnet bulge and along my rocker sills, I'll need to mask up the orange section (ie whole car virtually), using line tape (I have some 6mm thick plastic stuff for that - cost a mint for what it is) along the edge, paint the black on, wait for it to dry, put my lining tape along the black and mask up, remove the lining tape and masking that was used to get the black sorted, paint the orange, remove the lining tape and masking, then clear?? Sorry Owen, I did not pick that up before, you remove the original tape and mask, and start afresh. You now have a new paint line on top of which you put the new lining tape.
Owen, the most common mistake people make with masking, is leaving the tape on too long, the paint still needs to be flexible when removing the tape. If you let the paint cure, any tears in the paint will be extemely obvious. When the paint is flexible, you can use a razor blade along the edge of the lining tape to ensure the tape separates from the paint. Other than that your method is sound. Clear would only be necessary if there is a ridge at the paint join, or you could pinstripe some paint along that line.

For my two tone paint job, I masked as you have outlined, and when both colours were done, I immediately removed the tape and shot 2 complete coats of 2pak clear.

How long past the minimum flash off time would be needed before I can put tape along the black?? I am using COB 2k. I will probably need to put the white basecoat down the day before and sand before masking (I couldn't get more white primer, so need to put a white base under the orange so it doesn't look like poo)

The tape free time is about half an hour after flash off, The can the paint came in should have this time marked on it. As always I recommend you spray a test piece on a spare door or other sheet of metal to ensure the paint has done its thing before moving on to the next step.

cheers Chuck

["Z" UTE]

Joel, ian is correct in that a horizontal panel will take a lot more paint than a vertical one. You can really get stuck into laying paint on a horizontal surface with little fear of runs. Digital scales, or purchase the proper 2k mixing pots 45cents each.

I nearly always do the inside of boots, bonnets and inside of doors off the car. I generally shoot the door jambs and boot seal area while those panels are off. Fit the panels up before spraying external colour.

cheers Chuck.

[o_man_ra23]

With that Chuck, I have been struggling to get my head around how to prevent unwanted layers showing through in the door jambs etc when spraying using this method (since I am spraying white-orange-clear). Any tips??

As for the join, my system is COB, so have to throw clear over anyway. If the tape on time is half hour after flash off, when would you say the paint is no longer flexible (ie when should the tape be removed by after spraying). Is this during the flash off period, or prior to full cure??

["Z" UTE]

Owen, there is a tape folding technique shown to me by an old painter to give a soft edge. You roll the tape to get a "P" shape, this effectively makes a tape door seal. If your 2 colours are intended to go into the door jambs, then mask as usual.

Always remove any and all masking tape whilst the painting is undergoing cure. The tearing of cured paint will result in much loss of hair from the head, and much more painting than is necessary to fix the torn paint.

[o_man_ra23]

What is defined as cured for the purposes of pulling tape?? Is it pre-flash off, or do I have a couple of hours (ie full cured time is usually in the vicinity of 8-10 hours)

[TurboRA28]

After re-reading some stuff.. Would it make more sense for nikki to go down before the hifill primer?