Best Kind Of Paint

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Endrithius

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 7, 2006
Messages
180
So I am going to be painting the interior or my new case. Flat black. I need to know what the best kind of paint is, if I need to worry about grounding issues, and about how long I need to let it *bake* so to speak. This is going to be an interior job as I am leaving the exterior the black aluminum look. Let me know guys.
 
Well.. this has been covered dozens of times. It helps to use the search function on the forums.

But, I'll help you out.

*** This is my technique and recommendations for what works best for ME. Other's may have a different technique that works great for them as well. ***

Primer - self-etching primer or a special indoor metal bonding primer.

Paint - for interior of case, just get a cheap spraypaint such as Rustoleum or Krylon. If you want top quality paint, go to www.paintscratch.com and order your favorite color automotive paint in the 12.5oz cans. (probably will need 2)

Clearcoat - automotive clearcoat in 12.5oz spray can. This will seal the paint to help prevent scratches or flaking. It really isn't much extra work, so you might as well do it to make it look good and hold up a long time.

Sandpaper - 400-500 grit, 800-1000 grit, 1500 grit, 2000 grit.

Other - mild (not the most abrasive) 3M rubbing compound, filler wax, polishing wax. (and of course a buff pads they sell to "wax-on", then microfiber towels to "wax-off" --use new ones with each different stage of rubbing compound and wax.)

***Before you start***
Make sure you are in a well ventilated area with plenty of light to help the primer/paint/clearcloat "cure" or dry. Also use proper equipment like a filter mask. I like to have some good utility lights on it with some fans to circulate air as well. I don't paint outdoors much anymore due to too many bugs, dust, or bad weather. I set up an area in my basement and open up all the windows to let air flow. Mask off any areas you don't want overspray getting on by using newspaper or a painter's tarp. A garage would be another good bet, since it won't be smelling up your house with the paint smell. A dehumidifier should be used in the area if you have higher humidity depending on where you live. Keeping your environment moisture free will help the paint dry the fastest.

1) Dis-assemble your case so its how you want it for your specific surfaces to be painted.

2) Clean off all surfaces free of grease/oils and let dry.

3) Use your 400-500 grit sandpaper to scuff up the surfaces you will be painting. Then wipe clean with a damp rag to remove anything that will cause your primer to not stick.

4) Apply your primer in medium even coats. Apply one coat, wait 20mins, apply the next, wait 20mins. After about 2 coats, see if there are any imperfections that need wetsanding, if so, use the 800 grit to do so. After its all good, apply another coat so you have 3 coats, then wait an hour or more.. then wetsand everything pretty smooth with that 800 grit sandpaper. Wipe clean with a rag.

5) Use your paint you selected next. Apply it in thin even coats. 3 to 4 coats will be plenty if you do it correctly. Wait 20-30 mins inbetween each coat. (or follow directions on can depending on the paint) If there are any bugs or big pieces of dust that land on it, wait until you get all your coats on, then wetsand with 1000grit to remove the imperfections. Sometimes tweezers and be used carefully during the painting process if something happens, but be sure not to touch the paint. Even with removing the foreign object, it can mess up your paint. If you did happen to mess something up, after you wetsanded the area on that final coat, apply one more thin coat to mask any mess-ups. You should have a nice looking paintjob now after it dries with no imperfections. You won't want to wetsand your final paint coat.

--- You can stop here if it looks good enough for your taste. It is just the inside of the case afterall.

6) Clearcoat. Clearcoat can be kinda tricky if you've never used it. It runs easy, so THIN coats are necessary. Apply your clearcoat in thin even coats being careful of any runs or build-up. Apply a coat, wait 30 mins, apply the next, wait 30 mins. Do this until you have 3 or 4 even coats. Then, wait 2 to 3 DAYS before even touching it. It stays tacky for quite some time to where you should not touch it because of fingerprints or impressions it leaves.

7) Return to your project after everything is for sure dry. Use your 1500grit sandpaper to *gently* wetsand your clearcoat. Do not press hard with your fingers, because it will unevenly wear down the clearcoat. (They have special sanding blocks you can buy that have flat surfaces that aid in sanding evenly.) After the 1500grit, go to your 2000grit. Wetsand with that the same technique as the 1500grit. Afterwards, dry everything off and wipe it clean with a soft rag/towel. Congrats, you just got rid of that "orange peel" texture look. Now the final product will look mirror-like and prefectly smooth if you did it correctly. =)

8) Now comes the final steps. Shake up your mild formula 3M rubbing compound, then apply some dabs onto one of your buff pads. (it should be the same consistency of wax, but feels a little grittier) Rub it on your project surface the same way you would wax a car. You have to press kinda hard with it and have a faster circular motion. Go over the whole thing twice or so until it is looking pretty darn shiny. Use the microfiber towel to wipe everything clean.

9) Wax your surfaces next. The first wax to apply would be a good filler wax. (I prefer "Meguiar's" or "Mothers") Use a new buff pad and rub it into the surface really well. Use a new microfiber towel after to "wax off".

10) Polish your surfaces for the final look. Find a good polishing wax like Meguiar's or Mothers. Use a new buff pad to polish the surface. Going over it one or two times with the wax-on, wax-off technique will be good for a glossy shine. Use a new microfiber towel to wax-off of course.

==== Done
 
Thanks. Man I went to look at that websight and to get the custom color I want which is an orange from the 2006-2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mits...011QQitemZ320016410134QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW ) cost $25 per 12 oz can. Are those paints usually thick or runny? Reason why I ask is I'm guess we want thicker paints that will still spray out of an aresol fair easy but wont drip/run all over the place.
 
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yes... omg, best color ever. ^_^

But the paint is just like you'd expect car paint, because thats in fact what it is --OEM car paint but in a spray can. Surprisingly, even though in a spray can, it comes out looking just as good as a showroom paintjob on a car considering you know how to paint. But, its not too thick or not too thin. It does run if you spray it on too close, but does not run if you spray a nice even coat at the proper distance. I would recommend spray painting with normal spraypaint for practice first so you know how it will behave. Its very similar to Krylon the way it sprays on, but is a little bit thinner. If you have used actual car paint before, its pretty much the same the way it applies. The nozzles they include with the spray can are great for nice coats, and they give you 4 or 5 spare nozzles so it doesn't spatter.

If you want an awesome looking paintjob on a computer and you get it done from someone like Falcon or VoodooPC, it will cost $300 to $1000. If you order your paint and clearcoat from paintscratch.com, it will cost you only about $100. Right there, thats an awesome deal considering you can choose any color paint you want, and you can call them to make you a color if they don't have it.
 
I went to Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart and Sherwin WIlliams. Along with Kmart and Ace I've found only 1 somewhat decent paint which is the blue I orginally wanted (was looking for Cobalt color) but I found Rustoleum Metallics Cobalt Blue which almost matches what I want. I got discouraged as we were leaving all these stores and saw that Mistubishi above in the Walmart parking lot. Man It looks spectacular under sunlight. I called Mitsubish and asked them about the paint but they only cary the paint pens and Gave me M03 as the paint code to have it custom mixed. My question now is can the place you recommended at $25 per can be any better than this place at $10 per can http://www.expresspaint.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idProduct=7116&idCategory=37

I mean are all auto paint mixing places equal. I'd rather spend the xtra $15 clams instead of the color being noticably off-set by a cheap retailer. I plan on doing this on the CM stacker which has aluminum sides and then painting the plastic top bezel that cobalt blue. That blue I'm using is acutally enamal.

Also I left a message with a body shop about getting a quote, the never called back. Someone on the forum told me to expect to pay no less than $300 to do it that way.
 
If you look, that Expresspaint place u linked is actually the same price as paintscratch. Where you select aerosol can, it says add $10. I've never ordered from them so I don't know how they rank. I've ordered from paintscrach plenty of times and always got perfect matching colors, and its highly recommended in the automotive world as a place to order spray cans for matching color guaranteed paints.
 
I checked it again, It's $25 per 12.5oz bottle. I think If I do this I'm going to spend the extra $15 just because of what you said of them and I see they seem to be the first hit on google too. I'm guessing 12.5 oz wouldn't be enough to paint the whole case. Do I need a primer for this type of paint? Especially if I'm going to be painted the Brushed Aluminum sides too?
 
scwam said:
I checked it again, It's $25 per 12.5oz bottle. I think If I do this I'm going to spend the extra $15 just because of what you said of them and I see they seem to be the first hit on google too. I'm guessing 12.5 oz wouldn't be enough to paint the whole case. Do I need a primer for this type of paint? Especially if I'm going to be painted the Brushed Aluminum sides too?
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yea, you will need primer along with that. Just follow my guide I layed out in post #2 of this thread. I still don't know where you are getting the "extra" $15 though. It was the same price on both paintscratch and the site you linked to..

For how much paint you will need, one spray can does cover quite a bit if you paint it correctly with even coats. I bet you will probably need 2 cans though to be on the safe side. Figure 2 cans of self etching primer, 2 cans of paint, and 2 cans of clearcoat. The price does add up, but if you want something to look good, it isn't cheap. To get decent looking results, you can just use regular spraypaint from an auto store, but it might not come in the colors you want or have that same deep gloss shine to it.
 
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