Lets talk Paint!

[InfiniteGSX]

Information on the web is sketchy at best. Hell I've even tried talking to someone I know works at a paint and body place and still cannot get good answers or advice. We've all read up on the 50 dollar paint job and its intriguing but people that have done it have also moved up a step to buying a gun or two painting the proper way. As far as the search is on DSMTuners, there isn't a real compiled and detailed thread involving painting. I'm pretty damn good with a rattle can. Unlike most I know that easily screw up painting with a rattle can I seem to be very professional about it. But this isn't a rattle can! And this isn't a small part that you can just redo. This is your cars physical appearance. My girl recently got in a small wreck with her 2000 Black Integra Type R, Yes a real Type R! Bent the frame a little. It was repaired and repainted by a ghetto shop. They did a pretty good job minus some small details us picky people pointed out to her. Like Over spray, Cheap Parts, stuff that landed in the paint. And something I know but most paint places don't tell their customers, Buffing!

What I attempt to gain and my question is to everyone with experiences and tips or tricks is to come in here, and take a few minutes to type it down in a clean format for everyone to read. Maybe inspire someone like me! I'm about to receive my brand new front bumper for my Eclipse and after I shave the fog light holes I'm going to attempt a real paint on it using the stock color paint. I'm hoping to get a little confidence before I purchase the paint.

Please explain Painting Methods, Gun Distance and speed and motion. Please Explain Sanding, wet sanding, color sanding. I never understood color sanding, I read up without it, you get orange peal. Explain Orange Peal! I asked someone and he tried showing me but I didn't see anything but an amazing paint job.

Please don't be shy or look at this and shrug it off. This could be a very informative thread and I guarentee you can inspire at least one person! ME!

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[Jeff99GS]

Well first things first...the prep work is 80% of a good paint job. If you are shaving the fog light holes you have to make sure you make them 100% smooth or you will see the waves through the paint...Especially on a black car. Also you should sand the WHOLE bumper with 400 grit sand paper. This will give the paint something to stick to.

After all that you can spray on a coat of Epoxy primer....DO NOT try to use rattle can primer, it will bubble up if you try to use urethane paint over that rattle can primer.

Once the primer is fully cured you should use some 400 or 600 grit wet sand paper to smooth out any imperfections. You will see the imperfections better in the primer. I like t o use a 3m rubber sanding block to make sure everything is FLAT. If you use your hand to sand stuff, it will be wavy.

As far as painting goes, you will need to get some mixing cups and make sure your mixture of paint and base maker is perfect. You can add some reducer to thin the mixture. This sometimes will make it easier to spray depending on the type of gun you have and what size tip it has.

I like to use an HVLP gun. (HIGH VOLUME LOW PRESSURE) usually 10-15 psi is plenty on an HVLP gun.

I like to spray about 12 inches from the car...BUT the key is you have to stay 12 inches at all times...like around turns and corners. Some people tend to FADE away from corners. You DON'T want to do that. You have to almost be like a robot and make perfect passes at the same distance every time.

Before you start to paint you should get something (like the old bumper) and do some test sprays...to adjust the gun and get it spraying how you like it.

A general rule of thumb is 2 dry coats and 1 wet coat. The first coat will NOT cover...You need to just barley MIST the bumper....then wait 10 MIN flash time. Then spray another light coat(dry coat) then wait 10 min. The you can apply a heavier WET coat. After the base coat is dry...then you need to clear coat. This is where you well get ORANGE peel and maybe some RUNS/DRIPS.

Orange peel is just a texture that the spray gun leaves on the clear coat. If you are spraying the clear TOO heavy you will get orange peel worse.

After the clear coat is fully cured..you can then use some 1500 grit wet sand and a spray bottle with water to wet the bumper and gently sand it...till it looks smooth and hazy. After that you will BUFF the bumper with 3m rubbing compound...them I recommend 3m swirl mark remover and some 3m Glaze...then just wax it by hand...It will look BEAUTIFUL!

PM me if you have some questions about anything I left out.

Jeff

Some people like to use a SEALER over the primer before you put the actual paint on.

Also the last step with the wet sanding and buffing is optional. If you like the way it looks when the clear coat dries , then just leave it alone. Wet sanding is only necessary if you want to smooth out the orange peel.

and BTW wet sanding and color sanding is the same thing basically.

In the old days they called it color sanding cause OLD SKOOL paint didnt have clear coat over it. So when you wet sanded it...some of the COLOR would come off...hence the name color sanding.

These 2 pics are of paint jobs that have ORANGE peel...it looks like the surface of an orange.

 

[yepes281]

^^^ i think that about covered everything i was gunna say, or everything period haha

 

[InfiniteGSX]

Holy Crap Jeff! You know when I was typing up the first post, I was thinking "I'd like to hear from Jeff since I know he has painted some good shit before!"

I don't think I have any questions really. I've done body work in the past but never gone into real paint. I just picked up a can of Nighthawk Black Pearl paint from a Honda Buddy. OEM 2001 Integra Type R paint. So when I get the bumper today I'm gonna start on the body work. The car itself has like no dents in it at all except one in the pass fender, seems all cars get it there. So I'm gonna work on getting that out before painting the car itself.

The color I'm going with:

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So unless the paint runs or doesn't come out soft, I wont need to sand down the base? Just do a couple light mists and then a heavier coat.... How long should I wait to clear? I know you said for the base to dry but I have a phobia of touching paint before its actual cure time.

Also does the actual paint itself need to be prepped? People have spoken about thinning it out and this and that. Say its like an OEM Paint. You have the base in one gallon can, and a couple qts of clear. Is it ready to be poured into the gun or does it need to be prepped?

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

I don't mean to jack your thread or anything, but I have some pretty nasty orange peel on my spoiler. Would you recommend wet sanding it even though I don't know how how thick the clear is? Worst case scenerio is I would have to have the spoiler re-cleared, correct?

 

[turbo98eclipse]

I don't mean to jack your thread or anything, but I have some pretty nasty orange peel on my spoiler. Would you recommend wet sanding it even though I don't know how how thick the clear is? Worst case scenerio is I would have to have the spoiler re-cleared, correct?

or if you go too deep, re sprayed all together

 

[92AWDHX40]

IT takes practice im still learning my car doesnst hurt to try, i like it its fun, got other projects down the line, its not hard just takes practice, and patience. Ifyou i mess up its my car i just keep at it.

 

[InfiniteGSX]

I don't mean to jack your thread or anything,

Dude no, its fine! I want this thread to be compiled with questions and with answers. For future reference.

 

[yepes281]

I don't mean to jack your thread or anything, but I have some pretty nasty orange peel on my spoiler. Would you recommend wet sanding it even though I don't know how how thick the clear is? Worst case scenerio is I would have to have the spoiler re-cleared, correct?

It doesnt matter how thick it is, just go easy on it and and it wont go through, we used to use 2200 grit i believe. And you WILL have to buff it afterwards.

 

[Jeff99GS]

Holy Crap Jeff! You know when I was typing up the first post, I was thinking "I'd like to hear from Jeff since I know he has painted some good shit before!"

So unless the paint runs or doesn't come out soft, I wont need to sand down the base? Just do a couple light mists and then a heavier coat.... How long should I wait to clear? I know you said for the base to dry but I have a phobia of touching paint before its actual cure time.

Also does the actual paint itself need to be prepped? People have spoken about thinning it out and this and that. Say its like an OEM Paint. You have the base in one gallon can, and a couple qts of clear. Is it ready to be poured into the gun or does it need to be prepped?

Haha, I like painting so I always try to help out with paint questions!

You should NEVER have to wet sand the base coat as long as you're using what's called (BASE COAT/CLEAR COAT)
There is also single stage paints that have the Clear added right into the base. This is usually a slower drying Lacquer/acrylic paint that is sometimes called ONE STEP paint.

For matching/blending factory paints you will have to use a 2 step Base coat clear coat paint. I prefer DUPONT Chroma Base or PPG.
The Base coat has to be prepped with what is called BASE MAKER. There is 3 or 4 different Temps of base maker depending on where you are spraying. So if you are spraying the paint in a garage that is 90 degrees you need the higher temp base maker.

as for the clear coat you will need to add a HARDENER to the mix. However the base and clear do not get mixed together. They are sprayed in 2 different steps.

I usually dont have to thin out the base coat because it is already thin as water.

If you are using a single stage (one step) paint then you usually have to thin those out to get them to spray well. Those types of paint DRY in the air, and can take up to a WEEK to fully dry...where as the Urethane paint dries from a chemical reaction. Similar to BONDO or epoxy. Dupont Base coat is FULLY dry in like 15 minutes. Dupont Clear coat with Hardener is usually dry in a few hours.

If you do paint in a garage or something...Make sure to take a hose and wet down the walls /floor to eliminate any dust floating around or being stirred up.

I wet sanded my car to give it a smoother finish...I hate even the littlest bit of orange peel. Every painter gets at least a lil orange peel in the clear. Even the Factory paint has it. Here is a pic of my hood.

 

[WORPeclipse]

Jeff that is a very nice paint job.

On testing the paint you can always do it in a area that you cant see. Also you can use the back of your fingers to lightly rub across it. If it dont try to slide easy its not dry yet. The reason you use the back of your finger is your usually gentler with the back than the front side. Also it wont leave finger prints if is still tacky.

Hey Jeff do you know if the offer the fleet colors in Chroma Base? The color I'm wanting is made by Dupont and it is one of their fleet colors. I do have a paint code if you have a way to look it up. I dont have access to the body shop i used to work at since i moved.

 

[saechao04]

Hey guys, which paint type is the best, urethane, enamels or lacquers? oh yeah or water base?

 

[Project2G]

Im looking to go to college for Autobody

I took two semesters of Autobody and enjoyed it. It was nice to learn how to weld and make patches too.

This helped me when I started painting.

How to Paint a Car - Monsterguide.net