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Painting car
watsonpj - 25/10/07 at 10:08 PM

I'm thinking I'd like to spray the car as it never was great (to eager to get it on the road) from the start and its only gone down hill over the years.

So I need lots of advice as I've only every done small repairs (halfrauds spray tins) before.

It looks like I can still get cellulose at the moment , as theres a few places selling it on ebay, but is this the best thing to use?

Do I need a compressor and gun or can I get away with one of> these<???

What do I need to spray the whole car, and what is the sequence of prep etc. to get the job done.

I'm going to spray the car the same colour as the fibreglass colour (or as close as I can get).

Does anyone recommend anywhere to get the nescessary paints,sanding materials panel wipes etc.


any advice useful or comical greatfully received
cheers Pete

RK - 25/10/07 at 10:14 PM

No.

But seriously - insert "boom, tish" here... I think cellulose is not good for you and there are other sorts that are a better bet. Personally, I am sending my panels, grp etc out for paint by people who know this stuff. It won't be expensive because there is so little to cover. I was told to sand the alu with 220 grit with an orbital sander (my hand is what I actually used - context people, context!) first and they will do the rest.

watsonpj - 25/10/07 at 10:25 PM

Should have said I'd like to do it myself as I've done everything else so why not the paint also.

Pete

Peteff - 25/10/07 at 11:33 PM

The HVLP units are good and simple to use. I painted an Escort with one years ago and it was a perfect finish. You might have to thin your paint a bit more than the spec sheet recommends but go for it and don't put it on too slow or too thick. If you cock it up you can wipe it off with thinners if you're quick enough.

Bluemoon - 26/10/07 at 08:51 AM

Not sure RK is correct, cellulose is considered a low health risk paint (you still need to be careful read the instructions).

It might be an idea to look at other paint systems that you can DIY, no idea of what other paints are suitable for home spraying... Some 2 pack pains are very toxic, so I guess these our out...

Dan

02GF74 - 26/10/07 at 09:20 AM

quote:
Originally posted by watsonpj

It looks like I can still get cellulose at the moment , as theres a few places selling it on ebay, but is this the best thing to use?



I asked MR Paint about this, place that sells paints and he said ther is no issue regarding selling cellulose to bods like me or you, the ban only affects commercial users.

Delinquent - 26/10/07 at 09:47 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Bluemoon
Not sure RK is correct, cellulose is considered a low health risk paint (you still need to be careful read the instructions).

It might be an idea to look at other paint systems that you can DIY, no idea of what other paints are suitable for home spraying... Some 2 pack pains are very toxic, so I guess these our out...

Dan


I wouldn't exactly describe it as a "low" health risk, but certainly one of the lower - your body can absorb and get cellulose out of your system - compared to some of the 2 packs which can be literally lethal without positive pressure air masks due to their cyanide content.

JonBowden - 26/10/07 at 09:56 AM

Ok, so what paint can us amateurs use other than cellulose?

I painted a whole car a few years ago using cellulose. It worked quite well but was never as hard (ie scratch resistant) as I'd have liked

Delinquent - 26/10/07 at 11:00 AM

quote:
Originally posted by JonBowden
Ok, so what paint can us amateurs use other than cellulose?


Some 2 packs can be had that don't contain isocyanate's, have a chat with your local paint store to see if they do something, I've not really investigated it. Just to re-iterate though, standard 2 pack is akin to loading your gun with liquid cyanide and letting loose with it - it can kill you very easily, and if it doesn't kill you it can severely damage your immune system without you even realising it.

Acrylic Lacquer is supposed to be very good, glass like finish and tougher than cellulose. Very fast drying too. Never used it on cars as all mine have been cellulose sprayed, so couldn't really say much about it, but with the small applications I have tried with it, seemed quite nice to work with.

ETA: with regards to cellulose and it not being very hard - after you've finished spraying and it's all set nicely, hire a space frame heater, stick it in your garage with the car and let it rip - aim to get the garage well above the "normal" temperature, something around 60 deg. I was told to do this, only tried it on one car but it did seem to toughen it up - I have no scientific proof of that whatsoever, and may be wishful thinking on my part to justify the cost of hiring the machine

[Edited on 26/10/07 by Delinquent]

twybrow - 26/10/07 at 12:28 PM

Why not get more of the gelcoat, and spray gelcoat rather than paint?

watsonpj - 26/10/07 at 10:07 PM

Thanks for your help everyone I'm looking into the fibrelass alternative before i decide

thanks again Pete

iank - 26/10/07 at 10:24 PM

quote:
Originally posted by twybrow
Why not get more of the gelcoat, and spray gelcoat rather than paint?


Gelcoat doesn't set in air, you need to add wax at which point it's called flowcoat - too thick to spray.

See http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/methods_flowcoating.html


[Edited on 26/10/07 by iank]

Alex B - 27/10/07 at 05:54 PM

Most stuff is too thick to spray until you thin it.

Alex

watsonpj - 27/10/07 at 09:12 PM

Someone on here pointed me in the direction of Deauville cars who have a fibreglass painting system that you roller on (see hear) so I thought I'd take a look.

regards Pete

sebastiaan - 28/10/07 at 08:54 AM

Don't know if it'll work on fibreglass, but have a look:

here

and

here

and

here

for inspiation. Haven't tried it myself though....

Peteff - 28/10/07 at 10:16 AM

I once brush painted a Transit pickup which I ran for a couple of years when we were doing the house. I used enamel paint thinned 3 paint to 1 white spirit and the finish was so good no one believed it was brushed. It was done in an old shed with minimum preparation and masking and took two days to set. I've used acrylics and synthetics and not found the paint any tougher than cellulose and also noticed that they fade over a long period.