A quick guide to painting stuff by Qtip42

I had the camera with me out in the shop and since some car parts needed painting today, I decided to take pics. I'm hopefully gonna get a thorough paint guide up on the website (www.computer-choppers.com) in a few weeks using computer parts but for now, this is all you get. BTW this will take a few hours of your life, prepare!

I figured I'd help a few of you out who have access to a compressor and a paintgun. No you don't need a booth but it's nice to have. Here's my quick and dirty guide to painting.

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Getting started.

(Before you do anything, make sure you have a mask!)


Priming
I don't have pics of priming because we didn't need to do that today so I'll explain quickly. To prime a surface, you'll want to start off sanding whatever you're about to paint with at least 400grit sandpaper (wet). If it's too smooth, the paint wont stick so don't use any higher of grit. Then use a scuff pad on it when yer done. If you're starting off with a smooth surface already, take a scuff pad to it. Find a clean area to paint, put on some rubber gloves, and wipe it down with Wax and Grease Remover (picture below). Leave it for now.

Mixing The Primer
Next you'll grab some primer (no pic) and reducer. There's instructions on the side of the can showing the ratio between the two products. You can get primer and reducer by the gallon at any industrial paint store in your area. It's not always cheap but if you're a business, you typically get a good discount. Anyway, pour the correct amount of each into a cup and stir. Put a filter (you'll see one on the gun I use below) on your paint gun and pour the primer in. Put the lid on your gun and you're ready to paint.

Note: It's best to use three different guns during the entire process of painting. One for priming only, one for basecoat only, and one for clearcoat only. But if you're broke, a $50 HVLP gun from Harbor Freight will do the job

Grab a tack cloth and wipe down your part to be painted one more time. Ok now you can hook your gun up to the compressor and put it at the recommended PSI and paint. Primer is pretty simple to paint, spray about 8" or so from the object. Don't spray it on too thick. You first coat should be light as hell. Wait 10 minutes and then put on a heavier coat. Wait another 10 and put on another coat. 3-4 coats of primer is good. Once you're done, clean out your gun with some lacquer thinner. Wait a few hours for it to fully dry.

Now it's time to sand your primed surface. Get out your 400grit sandpaper again and a water sprayer. Wet sand the primed surface till it's smooth again. When you're done, dry it off, then scuff the surface with a scuff pad.

Done with priming.

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Basecoat

Before you do anything, mask off the areas you don't want painted or if you're doing this in a garage, cover everything else in plastic. This goes for the part you're painting too, if you don't want paint on the underside, mask it off with tape and newspaper.


Lets begin. Prep your surface. Grab your Wax and Grease Remover and wipe down your surface then go over it with a paper towel to dry it off.


Ok now use your tackcloth over the surface.


Time to paint. Whip out your paint gun.


This is not a required step....
If you want to make sure everything sticks properly, do a quick spray of adhesion promoter 1-2 coats is fine. This is especially good if you're using plastics. Though it isn't pictured, a plastic grille was also sprayed at the same time this hood was:


This is not a required step....
If you want a sweet paint job, use a primer sealer.


Mix it properly with reducer and use a filter when pouring (read instructions on can for ratios, etc)



Spray evenly one line at a time. Left to right, right to left. 1-2 coats, 10 minutes in between coats.


Clean out your gun with lacquer thinner then move on to the next step..

Mixing your basecoat....

To get the basecoat color you want, you'll have to supply the paint store with a color code. The codes are for cars. Find the color code you want on the internet by googling something like "1995 Impala SS Color Codes". To get colors that not your average color, you might try mixing different basecoat colors. There's also a million and one candy colors available but this guide is for noobs so don't bother with that till you're experienced. Paint store people are often times assholes. Tell them you want either PPG or OMNI brand (basecoat/clearcoat/reducer). Try not to mix brands but if you have to you have to.. If you don't know what you're talking about some of these paint stores will just tell you to screw off. They're also not technically supposed to sell to the public but I've been doing it for years without trouble. Ok enough of that, back to painting

We've added a white tint to this blue basecoat to make it lighter.

Mix the basecoat with reducer (use the ratio's on the cans)




Spray the basecoat evenly line by line, same as the stuff you did previously. 3-4 coats is fine. 15 minutes between each coat. Shake your paint gun up a bit after letting sit so everything stays mixed.



Clean your paint gun out with lacquer thinner then move on to the next step.
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Clearcoat

If applying the basecoat wore you out, stop now and let it dry. Then start again at this point tomorrow.

Mix clearcoat + hardener (see ratios on can!!!). Pour it in your paint gun with a filter.


Spray a light layer on your part to start off. Evenly, left to right, right to left. You'll notice it looks like little dots all over your paint. No worries. Wait 10-20 minutes. Now go paint a heavier layer on your part again (layer #2). Don't get any runs or drips in the paint, that means you're putting it on too thick and you're making it tougher on yourself later. Wait another 10-20 minutes. Right now your surface may look like it's orange peeling. If you don't know what orange peel is, imagine what an orange's surface looks like. Well if that's what is happening to your surface, it could be from the weather.

If it's cold outside, take a small amount of reducer (maybe a cap full...it all depends on the amount of paint you have in your gun) and put it in your paintgun. This will thin out what's in the gun and give you a smoother coat. Don't apply it yet, read ahead....

If it's warm where you are, chances are the above orange peeling isn't from weather, it's from your shitty painting skills. You can either 1.) do the same thing with the reducer as above OR you can put your coats on a little thicker. Just be careful not to get any runs or drips. If you're doing the line by line method while painting, try going left to right and right to left on the SAME line. Paint about 8-10" from the surface.

If you decide to put reducer in, you're gonna make any future coats really thin so you've gotta be very careful not to get any runs, sags, drips or otherwise. So spray lightly..you'll notice it smoothes out a lot quicker over your previous coats of clear.

You're gonna need at least 4-5 coats of clear in total. 10-20 minutes in between. On your last coat, be sure to look over your surface to see if anything is orange peeling. If you see some orange peel, you may consider doing one more coat (adding a tiny bit of reducer like I said before). Don't mind the little pieces of dirt in the paint, shit happens, it can be fixed. Get the big shit out though, like hairs. That's why it's good to wair a painter's suit.



Let that shit dry undisturbed for the next day or two........then move on to the next step which isn't really required but it's a good way to fix any fuckups you did on the clearcoat. If you're happy with what ya got, let it dry for another week then go do what you want with it.


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Fixing blemishes, runs, sags, and other shit

Ok nobody's perfect, you've gotten dirt, some orange peel, and a couple of runs in the paint. Hey, I even get that stuff sometimes, just not a lot of it. Now's your chance to clean it all up. I don't have pics of this process so just deal with it and read ahead. You'll need:

- a buffer/polisher (not the walmart bullshit ones). Get a nice one that you can put different pads on.


- Buffing Pad


- 3M Finesse-It 2 compound


- 3M Foam Polishing Pad Glaze (for DARK paint only!!! .....especially black)


- 3M Foam Polishing Pad (it is needed on both light and dark colors)


-1500 or 2000 grit sandpaper,
- a rectangular razorblade

It's been about 1-2 days since the time you clearcoated your piece. You should be able to touch the paint just fine now. Scan it over and find all the imperfections. If you're a noob, there will probably be a lot so make a mental note of where they are.

You're gonna need 1500 or 2000grit sandpaper and some water for the next step. You're now going to wetsand your surface. YES you're gonna dull it down. Use a lot of water and just wetsand away at any orange peel, dirt, fisheyes, or blemishes. If you're a beginner, use 2000grit because you don't want to make the mistake of sanding through your clearcoat. You can either wetsand the entire surface or just wetsand the spots that need to be touched up.

If you've got a sag, drip, or run in the paint this is where you get rid of it. Take a rectangular razor blade (no not those trapazoid ones, those wont work here). Loosely hold it against the paint surfface and scrape back and forth on any sag lines, drips, runs, etc. You want to scrape till the run is gone. You can scrape off a lot here so be careful not to go through the clear coat. Once you've got the surface flat again. Wetsand everything with 2000 grit till all the razor scratches are gone. This shouldn't be hard because you aren't going very deep with the razor. Once you're done wetsanding and all is dull, move on to the next step.

Buffing. Yay, lets get the paint back to how it should look. Take your buffer with a buffing pad, apply a line of 3M Finesse-It 2 (the white shit) to your part's surface. Use the buffing pad to smear it all over the surface. Then turn the buffer on to about medium speed and start buffing your surface. You want to do this till you can't see scratches in the surface (in the reflection too). Use a cotton towel to wipe off the stuff after you've buffed an area. If you did a good job, you'll see a gloss. If not, keep buffing. If you're satisified with the look of your part, stop now. If you've got DARK colors, you're gonna see hazing. For this we move on to the next step.

Take off the buffing pad and put the 3M foam pad on. Dab a line of the 3M Foam Polishing Pad glaze on your part. Now polish the same way you did the buffing above. Wipe off the area with a cotton towel when you're done to see how the surface looks. On a dark surface, this will improve the look 100% and you won't have anymore hazing.

Clean everything off, and let your part sit for a few more days. Dont wax your paint for at least 30 days so it can cure.


THE END.

I know this isn't the final word on painting and I probably didn't mention some things but it's all I could think of for now. If you find any errors, tell me and I'll edit it. If you have better advice, post it.

beautiful! now, if you only you did this to a case... thanks a lot for this guide - i have painted my own fair share of cases, but extra info is always helpful. bookmarked!

I have that mask! It does not put a hurt on your wallet for replacement filters either. Nice write up, gravity guns rule.

Hmm, cool. I just got a free paint sprayer from Porter Cable for a air compressor settlement. I believe it holds 2 quarts but is not the gravity feed type. I was going to try it on something soon, maybe my thermaltake case will get a makeover. The only problem is I dont have a dustless/filtered/clean environment to do this in. I know there is lots of overspyay whith these types of guns. Maybe I can build some type of mini-booth from plywood and hepa filters

Dark Fog, just cover everything up around you with plastic (buy a large roll of it at a hardare store for 10-15 bucks). The non-gravity feed sprayers are good for painting primer because you can leave the primer/reducer mix in there for as long as you want and it doesn't go bad. That applies to primer only really.

That way you can grab the gun and just plug it in and spray. Errr thats how I've got it setup at least.



edit: FOG!

Heh I always find it amusing how people always type my name. I dont know if you guys do it diliberatly or just dont pay attention (my user name also used to be Frogman too ).
Anyhow, back on topic, thats alot of stuff to cover up in my garage. I suppose the next best thing is outside, but then you are risking getting pollen and possible bird crap on your newly painted surface. Im eager to try it out, seeing this is my first time with one of these.

Oh and one more thing, how do automotive painters get the surface on cars so scratch resistant and hard. Is it a hardener they spray on top or is it the type of paint?
Ideas?

What brand paint is the best to use in these guns, no more spray cans for me
Ive heard DupliColor is the best, are there any others?

I only use omni or ppg brands. Sometimes I'm forced to use other brands but those two are the ones i stick to most often. Don't bother painting outside, it's gonna get way too dirty.



fog

Do you use any clear coat or hardener on top?

Lol so people are oblivious about my name spelling! Thanks for the correction

in the clearcoat stage...........all you are doing is mixing clearcoat + hardener (and possibly a little reducer to smooth things out if it's cold outside).

It will cure hard as hell in a few weeks. There is no "hardener only" layer

Qtip42 said:

Don't bother painting outside, it's gonna get way too dirty.
fog

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bah....

<Jeff Foxworthy's voice>

you aint a redneck until you've spray painted your pick'em up truck in your back yard.

until then, you aint a redneck.

<end of Jeff Foxworthy's voice>

a couple things that should probably be noted.

Automotive primers, and clearcoats almost always contain isocyanates. The mask shown (I have had many) is a disposable one that's good for 2 months max. It's also useless for filtering isocyanates, which can cause breathing problems in some people in 1 exposure.

I personally weezed like I had severe asthma in my sleep for over a year because i sprayed automotive clears with that respirator regularly. It literally took over a year of not painting anything to stop.

So, for all the kiddies out there who wanna play with the big boys, stick to clear from a can, or get a good fresh air system.

And just a note. I used almost exclusively the omni AU clear. It's supose to suck for UV protection, but my mailbox has been outside for 3 years in direct sunlight without fading. When I finish my booth I will be using it again. I've got that stuff down to a science. 3 good coats, sand to 2000 grit, 1 more light coat thinned out to almost water. Glasslike, and no orangepeel.

The only thing I hate about catalyst paints is that the catalyst doesn't stay once you open it. Made the mistake of using a can that had been oened a couple months before. It didn't dry. I had to spray a super hot coat over it to get fresh cat on the already sprayed clear.

Great job on the painting guide. I second the 3M compounds, they really add a great touch to the surface quality.

For those that want your own paint room, but don't have the garage space to do it:

You can build an easy tear down-put up paint tent of your own. There are two methods. One being the envovled and the other being the super easy.

Super easy is buying a tent and using that in conjunction with a box fan for exhaust.

The enovolved one is using PVC pipe, clear plastic sheets, and industrial strength velco. And a box fan for exhaust.

I have done both. The super easy way when I was living at home, and the other easy way when I got into my apartment.

Stupid people notice: These are both for outdoor use.

As nitro mentioned about the masks, The types of filters used to keep you safe from isocyanates "load up" as they are exposed to the air, and that means any air, clean or otherwise. You must store your mask in an airtight container to keep the filters in good shape. You really should replace the filters every 2-3 months no matter what or replace them each time you spray clear if you don't do it often. Isocyanates can also enter your body through skin and your eyes so wearing coveralls and good form fitting goggles is a good idea. Keep the catalyst from coming into direct contact with skin. Every paint maker is required to offer a M.aterial D.ata S.heet with thier products, ask for it and read about all the nasty stuff that can happen if you do not use proper safety equipment. PPG clearcoats are good I have used them. I also like House of Color paint products. There are a wide range of clearcoats on the market, choose a high solids clear that requires fewer coats to achieve the thickness you need rather than saving 5$ on a cheaper clear that needs more coats. Better quality clearcoats also have better shine and gloss after applied.

painting smainting let's se the Impala

PS you did good, curious if the paint matched perfectly with the car however since its fresh paint and the rest of the car has some paint fade to it even if its only a few years old. I tried color matching a hood once when it went flying off the car going down the track, some dumb kid took my hood pins off "as a joke" He walked home from the track that day and I won't tell you why.

Zero_Distortion said:

He walked home from the track that day and I won't tell you why.

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He should be wheeling around for the rest of his life.

Great info qtip, and everyone else who posted. For now I'm probably going to stick to shaker cans, as I am on a limited (college w/ no job) budget and do not have any painting equipment. Will definitely be keeping this info for later use though...

The impala isn't mine but I do have plans on the website for starting an impala case (pretty soon here). The paint matches perfectly with the car though.

Zero_Distortion said:

painting smainting let's se the Impala

PS you did good, curious if the paint matched perfectly with the car however since its fresh paint and the rest of the car has some paint fade to it even if its only a few years old. I tried color matching a hood once when it went flying off the car going down the track, some dumb kid took my hood pins off "as a joke" He walked home from the track that day and I won't tell you why.

Click to expand...

Tiny said:

He should be wheeling around for the rest of his life.

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He is just lucky it hit the fencing because if it would have went over into the stands it would have decapitated someone, the hood was sanded down so much to reduce every extra ounce it was razor sharp on the sides and back, only the front was deburred.

cute fact Impala's weren't available in the middle east because its a derogitory term or means something bad, instead they have the Caprice ? SS

Bump so this isn't a complete waste of time.

I hope you don't feel it is a waste. I cut pasted it and added it to my pdf collection of guides. Credit dually noted.

Thanks again.

I just figured that I would mention that you should wet down your floor to keep dust to a minimum. When you do that, it helps keep you from stirring up and dirt/dust that is there to start with, and it also 'traps' any dirt or dust that enters the area.

Please take the time to stress that the level of your results are DIRECTLY related to the preparation effort. No time spent on sanding/priming/sanding equals crap and heartache later.

Lastly, I would like to advise readers on the best way to hide their hideous mistakes (you know that you are looking at one when you hear yourself utter the words "Why the hell did I even mess with this..."). Find a place that still sells 'Krinkle' paint. I am sure that there are still cans of this stuff around. This stuff sprays on from a spray can like any other paint, but it 'krinkles' up as it dries (I can't remember if you have to heat it or not). It gives a cool looking raised finish that can hide a ton of errors and still look great. When you have a project that is FUBAR'd, just reach for the krinkle paint and save the day...

I thank you for a GREAT read.

BTW: I was an auto mechanic for about 15 years and I did a fair bit of painting in that time (spray can and spray gun). I am able to achieve a decent level of quality with a plain spray can. I do have a nice compressor (I still work on cars from time to time), but haven't ever used it to paint (I have too much "stuff" in my garage). Eventually I will have a high gloss 'Chevy Orange' case.

A old timer once told me to wet or wash the floor before painting.

Qtip: is that a good idea? I can only do can spray in a large garage with dusty shells around. My main concern is that if the moisture would affect the paint finish.

Thx.

Edit: oops, the above post kind of answer my question.

that guide is a very nice read

deadken said:

I just figured that I would mention that you should wet down your floor to keep dust to a minimum. When you do that, it helps keep you from stirring up and dirt/dust that is there to start with, and it also 'traps' any dirt or dust that enters the area.

Please take the time to stress that the level of your results are DIRECTLY related to the preparation effort. No time spent on sanding/priming/sanding equals crap and heartache later.

Lastly, I would like to advise readers on the best way to hide their hideous mistakes (you know that you are looking at one when you hear yourself utter the words "Why the hell did I even mess with this..."). Find a place that still sells 'Krinkle' paint. I am sure that there are still cans of this stuff around. This stuff sprays on from a spray can like any other paint, but it 'krinkles' up as it dries (I can't remember if you have to heat it or not). It gives a cool looking raised finish that can hide a ton of errors and still look great. When you have a project that is FUBAR'd, just reach for the krinkle paint and save the day...

I thank you for a GREAT read.

BTW: I was an auto mechanic for about 15 years and I did a fair bit of painting in that time (spray can and spray gun). I am able to achieve a decent level of quality with a plain spray can. I do have a nice compressor (I still work on cars from time to time), but haven't ever used it to paint (I have too much "stuff" in my garage). Eventually I will have a high gloss 'Chevy Orange' case.

Click to expand...

Certain brands of Krinkle paint end up being too thick, which can pose a problem with high end cases that have perfectly measured areas for mounting drives, PCI cards and the cover itself, The extra thickness of the Krinkle can interfere with the mounting of parts in those area's. And as for your next case mod, Chevy Orange sucks, use Hemi Orange, much better, FASTER drying time.

with a grip of PVC pipe, corner fittings and such, a big roll of good quality plastic, silicone caulk and the glue for the PVC pipes, and you've got yourself the makings of a cost-effective paint booth that's not to difficult to put together.

what's more, you can make it so you can take it apart for storage, if you put a little forethought into it. also, you can also get the fittings to run your hoses through the PVC itself, build some lights into the pipes for inside the booth, etc etc.

a lot of fun could be had rigging up a slick painting booth.

Still a GREAT thread... Back up to the top!

thanks for the bump but I don't think I have the time to update the pics, etc.