I guess its too late on the gun, but I was going to recommend just buying it at your local paint supplier even if it does cost you a few extra bucks. All of the places I go to have atleast a couple of guys who spray on a regular basis.. You tell em what you want to do and they will help you pick something out. Just like Chevy vs Ford, everyone has their preferences. But atleast my local supplier balances personal preference, customer experience, etc. Anyone who is pitching a 800$ gun to a first timer is just looking to make money. A first timer will spray just almost as good or bad with a clean fresh gun from Harbor Freight in the 50 dollar range as they will with a lower price point pro gun(3-450).. Difference between the HF gun and a pro gun is the the beginner will soon find value in a nice gun.. However it will take years and years to get to where you will see the benefits of going from a 400$ gun to a 900$ gun....
On a DA, I have a Hutchins 3500.
http://www.hutchinsmfg.com/View-Product.aspx?group_id=4328
They run about 300$. I got it in a bulk trade about 13 years ago. At the time I would have never paid that much for a DA... After owning it, if it died tomorrow I wouldn't even look at anything else, I would buy another in a heartbeat.. Ergonomics are a 10.. It is light weight and perfectly balanced. It is counterweighted so when it runs you get absolutley no vibrations.. I have used it for hours and hours at a time and didnt feel beat up. A freind of mine who is notoriously cheap has a REAL DA(most modern sanders we call DA's are really orbitals) he got at a yard sale he bought for 5 bucks... But he always hand sands everything(and the job usually turns out like crap because he runs out of energy) and I keep asking why he doesn't use a DA.. He said he didnt see the value in it.. So one day I took the Hutchins over and he's buying one
bomccorkle;40439 said:
I run an Ingersoll type 30 with a true 5 HP motor and its at its tipping point, I have a second one running in tandem that does kick in now and again during long sprays.
Holy smokes! How many people you have running in your shop at the same time?? I have either a T30(maybe a T20 if there is such a thing).. All I know is its big and heavy for a 80 gal, rated at 5hp, big twin piston compressor head with big coiled copper lines between the head and tank to make a lousy cooler, and has to be fired off this fancy GE breaker box/contactor setup. Mine kicks on about 120 psi and off at 150 or 160?
Thing is, I can't think of a tool that runs long enough that the compressor can't actually work through to a point of shutting back off in less than a minute, and then cycle back on several minutes later. The worst would be the DA and the airfile, but the compressor exceeds their usage needs.
If you had a Home Depot or Harbor Freight special, I wouldn't be suprised. But I am suprised with you having a real IR.
PUNISHER VETTE;40546 said:
How much universal clear will it take to do a corvette and the engine bay? I guess I can buy just enough to do the engine bay for now as clear for the other areas is a while away.
Get 2 gallons(1 gal of clear and the 1 gal of activators). It should be more than enough, depending on how many things have to be redone.
Base question: If I go to colours(only place local) and get some PPG paint mixed up. I saw you should mix ALL the paint for a metallic job at once.
How long will it last if I use only a little on the engine bay and need the rest for next spring or late winter? OR. should I just get a little for the engine bay... then when i'm ready get some for the car?
Dont worry about shelf life. I have base coat that's from the 90s. it holds up remarkably well. Also keep in mind that by the time you buy 2.5 qts it almost costs as much as a gallon. So just go and buy the gallon.
Bob Heine;40554 said:
Shine's method is to have enough base mixed up to do the whole car (usually at least a gallon) and once it is thoroughly stirred (not just shaken), split the batch into quarts. Home Depot and lots of other places sell empty quart paint cans for around $3 each. This is a great idea, especially if you have a quart left over -- never know when you'll need a perfect match for a repair.
That is a good idea... However I take a slightly different approach.
After buying several gallons of base, and you guys know how its filled ALL the way to the top like 1/16" from the lid, I got frustrated spilling the first pint on the bench trying to get it into the first quart mix cup. At $500/gallon thats what $50 bux wasted?
One day while buying base, I asked the guy at the paint store, "Ok, how do YOU keep from slopping the first couple of pours out of these super full cans??" His response? "Good aim and fast"...
Screw that.
After one more time of making a mess, I started buying my gallons but telling them to give it to me in two danged cans! IE, I get two gallon cans that are only half full. They don't charge me extra. With the can only half full I can pour out of a gallon can into a 8oz mix cup without making a mess, after a few Bud Lights.. If you are worried about slight color differences just pour them between the two cans...
I agree with bo, that you're ambitious to be determined to pull off a metallic as your first job, but it can be done. I painted a couple cars in the 90s, and a fender here and there prior to 2012. In summer '12 I did my first all over in ages. It came out ok... It gets compliments but I am not happy with it.. Lots of dry spots, some orange peel. Thats a long story.. i learned alot about my particular shop on that job too.. One of them don't spray at sundown with the evening sun coming straight in the door.
But a few months later I had to do a car for a relative. A silver metallic.. That car came out AWESOME.
Before:
After:
Tips:
Use GOOD basecoat... If your dealer is PPG, do NOT use Shopline(or Omni depending on their standing with PPG). Use DBC. Coverage is better on DBC which is important on a metallic, the micas they use in DBC is better, and the color match is better. Figure about $500(+-100) for a gallon of base...
Prime or seal the entire vehicle in the same color, so before you paint its one certain color(probably grey or black for that color, likely black). But if you have different color primers at the time of spraying, or you have areas with no primer you can get color differences that show up in the sun.
Finally.. Heres the big thing for doing a metallic.. Do 2-3 coats(probably 3) to get the coverage. Once you have what looks like good coverage, open your fan up as far as it will go and back the gun away from the car like 16". Go over the entire car in a totally random pattern. Figure 8's combined with waving your arms around. This will eliminate the tiger stripes that Bo is referring to. 10 years ago I sprayed my bass boat viper blue as if it was a solid and once it was clear you could see each pass of the gun. It looked like the lawn after I cut it, or the floor after running the vacuum. Thats what tiger stripes are. If you don't do the final step of that random coat, you will have them.
Then before you clear, tack rag the entire car as soon as the paint flashes(dry to the touch). In general, the metallics some of them will stand up, but the last step of opening up the fan and randomly fogging the car leaves alot of particles on the car that land dry.
