Rep Power: 291

I bought a decent gravity feed spray gun that i am using to paint some metal cabinets for the garage. i've gotten pretty good with it and i'm able to get a good, even coat with no runs. i'd like to be able to use it to paint small stuff for my car like lip kits, wheels, or other trim.

i want to get factory match paint though. where can i get that besides from Honda? i imagine it's cheaper from somewhere else.

what else do i need to get besides primer (and what kind)?

i assume i'd want to get a clear coat too. what kind/type do i need to look for? what other info do i need to know to make this successful? mixing methods, etc?

TIA

 
Rep Power: 0

Well I'm no professional, I have done a lot of painting on the jets here for the navy, so as far as some basic stuff I may be able to help.

I looked into getting some factory matched paint a little while back for painting my emblems. Honda (here in VA) believe it or not, does not sell paint... just small touch up bottles. I found a local place that made factory matched paint...all I needed was the color code from the door jam. They had two different ways in which they made their paint. I don't want to say what they were just because it was a while ago that they told me so I wouldn't want to give you false info. I believe they were already mixed though. Best bet here would to be look on the net/yellow pages to find a local shop that mixes paint.

I'm used to having a catalyst that has to be put into the paint itself. If you buy a kit like that, mixing ratios should be on the can or on something that comes with it. If you do have to mix anything together, do it in a figure eight motion. Most people go in circles like they're stirring themselves a glass of chocolate milk... that's fine and dandy for just that. You'll want to use the figure eight motion to ensure it is mixed well.

I wish I could tell you about primer and clear coat, but again, I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

I never painted car parts, but I have heard from people who have, and feel like I could do it being I have a pretty extensive background with painting. They all stressed wet sanding between coats, naturally to get the smoothest surface possible. Something that I always stress to people, that most other people don't about painting, is to make sure you clean your surface before painting. Painting is 90% preparation. If you have a dirty, dusty, or whatever else surface, your paint may stick now, but it will chip and peel in the near future.

Give enough time between coats to prevent runs and/or "orange peeling". Nobody ever enjoys double work. Don't paint in temperature that is too cold, your paint will not cure correctly.

If I gave too much info and made you feel like you were completely ignorant, that wasn't my intentions. Too much info is better than not enough IMO. Any more questions, just ask and I'll tell you everything I know.

::Edit:: I forget the name of the company's name here, but I'd be more than happy to research and find them for you if you have trouble finding a place by you or if you want some info on what primer/clear coat is good to use.

 
Rep Power: 291

navy jets... cool. i'm maintenance (electrical and environmental) on F-16's in SC. thanks for the info too.

 
Rep Power: 0

Yeah I only did the painting for about a year and a half... went TAD to corrosion control... back in my shop now. I'm a structural mechanic... hydraulics, landing gear, flight controls, etc.

No problem, hope it helped some

 
Rep Power: 287

I also, am not a professional, I just know a little bit.
List of materials applied to the item in this order:
Primer
Sealer *Optional* (see note)
base coat (Consists of paint and reducer.)
Clear coat (most clears are just clear paint and activator, some use reducer.)

As for obtaining exact paint, you can get it a couple different ways. You can go to any body shop and request them to mix you some, if they are a reputable shop, they should have all the codes to mix it. You could probably get it off of the internet as well, you could probably search for auto paint. Im pretty lucky, I found a place in north hollywood that carries every paint imaginable, which is nice. If you live in the Los angeles area, I'll give you the number for them.

*note* The sealer is only necessary when you are painting metal items usually. Or when you are painting large areas. this is to seal the surface of any sandpaper marks or anything that would show up through the paint. Usually you can get away with only primer, as long as you sand with a high grit sandpaper at the end.

 
Rep Power: 284

if you buy paint, make sure you buy enough to get your job done. the second mix will not be the same. and every mix after that will be different. I guarentee it

 
Rep Power: 291

for wetsanding, is there any specific type of sandpaper for this or just standard paper? what grit do you recommend?

 
Rep Power: 0

Just standard paper. I'd use nothing less than 1000. Usually paper that fine in grit will say "wet or dry" right on it.

 
Rep Power: 284

depends on what you are painting. if it is already painted or just he black plastic color then all you need to do is scratch the surface so the paint can stick. use maybe some 800 or 1000 for that. then if you have an drips in the clear, which you will, just wet sand it out with some 1500 or so. then repeat until its gone or you wear through the flat spot lol

 
Rep Power: 291

i've been looking at some cheap OEM spoilers on ebay, but the reason they're cheap is they're a color that's not popular. so i was thinking of getting one to try my painting skills on. then if that goes well, maybe putting a body kit on my car myself. i like projects like this which is why i'd like to do it myself rather than pay someone. i know it's a lot of work, but i'm interested in learning.

 
Rep Power: 0

If you get something that is already painted, you will have to use something with more grit to get past the paint. 600 may do it, but you'll go through them real quick due to the fact of how fine they are. I'd personally go a little lower... probably 400 and then work my way up to about 1500.

On the other hand, you could just start out with 800 and scuff the paint a little, and work your way up to 1500. But IMO, getting a little deeper than a scuff will result in better adhesion.

 
Rep Power: 284

this isn't always true. my dad repainted my entire car and we sanded it down good, but the clear was the cheaper one and its starting to peel in certain areas. but i sanded my grille with a brillo pad and it just scuffed it, and its solid as a rock

 
Rep Power: 291

how do i know what is the good kind?

 
Rep Power: 291

How big is your compressor?

 
Rep Power: 291

right now i've got a cheap 10 gallon thats 5.1 @ 90psi. it struggles a little if i'm spraying a lot, but i have a fan blowing on it and i give it a break and let it cool. i'm building a new house now and at the new one, i want a 30+ gallon with somewhere closer to 10.0 @ 90psi. oh yeah, i do have a water trap and filter on it from when i used to airbrush.

 
Rep Power: 335

I would definately not use anything less than 2000 Grit for wetsanding.

If you are painting plastic pieces, start with 300-600 grit paper to smooth off any rough spots, then clean the entire surface off with some rubbing alcohol or plastic cleaner. (Rubbing alcohol works just fine.) Make sure to pick up some paint adhesive (forgot what it's called, but it makes paint stick to plastic.) Then spray on some automotive primer, and let that cure up, then sand it down with 600 Grit paper after it is dry. Then tackle it again with the alcohol or at least wipe it down really well. Then start off with your base coats, USE VERY LIGHT COATS AND TAKE YOUR TIME!!! Nothing worse than having run spots and having to start all over again. After you are satisfied with your base coat coverage (4-5 Light coats) let that cure about 12-24 Hours (depending on temperature) and hit it up with some clear coat. Any automotive type will work. About 2-3 Light cotas should be fine. After you let that dry for a couple hours, start wetsanding. I use a spray bottle filled with water and spray a good amount on the surface I will be sanding, and then hit it up with some 2000 grit. The surface will look kind of hazy after doing this step so you will want to finish it off with some non-wax polish. I use scratch remover in a bottle and it works just fine. DON'T wax it for a couple of weeks to let it cure completely, washing it is fine however.

All I have to say is TAKE YOUR TIME, DON'T RUSH!

Work in an open air environment with low wind/ airborne particles.

Secure all painting surfaces down (You don't want to knock anything over).

And have fun, and be proud of your work.

 
Rep Power: 284

talk to someone at a paint store or wherever you get your paint. the brands we chose from is Nasons (cheapeast), then a lower Dupont, and then the best Dupont. the middle one works good, and it only gets better from there.

we painted two cars at around 40psi for the paint and i wanna say 35psi for the clear

 
Rep Power: 388

2,000 is pretty high up, sand paper basicaly ends at 3,000 and then after that, you use polishes with different cuts to do the rest of the work beyond that. 3,000 grit sandpaper feels nothing like sandpaper. I like to start lower and end higher. I usually start with 1000 and then use a 1500 right after for the first few layers. Then I move to 1500 and 2000 for the middle layers, then 2000 and 2500, and 3000 for the top layers. Always go from low to high, the higher the grit, the finer the cut. If you start off with 2000 or 3000 your going to be there all day on your first few layers that will be pretty damn rough if you sanded with 800 to being with.

Also, I dont use water when wetsanding- pick up a quick detailer and use that. I got though lots of it, as you will when wetsanding, so head over to baxters if you have one and pick up their gallon (i think its a gallon) sized "quick detailer" its pink... stuff is amazing. I think its ~20 bucks. Fill it up in a fine spray bottle and get to work, always keep the surface wet.

Also, head to the library and check in the automotive section about painting- I was looking into this over the summer- theres a lot of info there on how to do the job right.

 
Rep Power: 291

i've got a plastic refinishing kit that has 2400, 3600, 4800, 6000, 8000, and 12000 grit micromesh cloths. they use the same stuff to repair scratches in the combining glass (acrylic) on the F-16 HUD (heads up display.) the 12000 feels like smooth rubber.

at any rate, i'll be starting a project soon as i just got some rims that need refinishing.

 
Rep Power: 352

^good luck with ya bro