Editing First paint job

== Introduction ==

You finally get that project all welded, filled in, and primered, now you want to get a nice beautiful coat of paint on it to complete it. You say, "I havn't ever painted anything before with a REAL spray gun and paint!" You ask yourself, "How am I going to do this?", but you will find out in this article how to do it all yourself. You will learn basic techniques and how to use different paints and equipment.


==Cheapo paint job==
Paint is expensive, and learning how to paint your car takes practice, patience, and several screw-ups before you get it right.

Faced with the financial obstacle and the learning curve, many hotrodders are tempted to opt for a "cheapo" paint job. The two biggest temptations in the "cheapo paint job" realm seem to be an inexpensive (and questionably professional) paint shop (ie: Maaco), or a cheaper, easier, and ostensibly more forgiving product line (ie: DupliColor).

If you've put any amount of effort or money into building the mechanical aspects of your hot rod, you will most likely want to complete the project with a proper paint job. "Cheapo" solutions work fine for beaters and work trucks, but they aren't appropriate for non-Cheapo vehicles.

As with most other aspects of constructing your car, when it comes to paint, you get what you pay for. Cheapo paint shops do low-quality work. Cheapo, "easy-to-use" products will never provide a quality, long-lasting finish of which you can be proud.

Nevertheless, many newcomers are still tempted to opt for the cheapo route, a path against which body shop professionals frequently advise.

For a full explanation of why, in most cases, a cheapo paint job is a bad idea (and, suggestions for when it's '''not''' a bad idea), see [[Cheapo paint job]].

== General Tips, Tricks, and Techniques ==


 '''Temperature, Temperature, Temperature...'''

Warm and dry conditions are ideal for spray painting. The ambient temperature range for spraying most modern paints is about 65-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Be sure to choose the hardeners and reducers for the temperature range you'll be working in. Aerosols don't always work best in the damp and colder temperatures, which can hinder drying time, although it can be done. If it's not warm and dry outside, work in a well-ventilated garage, but set it up for painting.

 '''How to make your own temporary paint booth''' 

Painting in a garage lessens the chance of bugs or dust ending up lodged in your paint while it is still in its curing stage.
 
One way to turn your garage into a temporary paint booth is to get huge plastic dropcloths from you local hardware store or home improvement store. They are cheap and effective for protecting your tool boxes, "toys" (Atv's, bicycles, Motorcycles, etc.) from overspray. 
Open up your garage door about 1/8 to a 1/4 way up, this will help with ventilation, since solvents sink to the floor. Place a fan near the opening, facing outside, to help even more with airflow. Opening any side doors and roof vents helps lots too, Place another fan around here. (old box fans work best) Box fans can be found cheaply at second-hand stores and rummage sales.
    

Something that will help keep dust and bugs from coming into your garage is to buy a furnace filter the same size as the window 
(or build a frame for the filters to go over your door)that you have open. This will collect the dirt and bugs that want to invade what you're doing. 
If there are strict rules in your area, something that will help is to place a filter before your fan so that it filters the air as it is leaving your shop.
 
 '''Basic mixing techniques'''

Paint and related finishing products can be mixed in glass measuring cups, medicine cups, soup cans, or shot glasses. However, EZ Mix cups are generally preferred for ease of use. Containers with measurements marked on the side are generally most useful. Paper cups are cautioned against because some may have a wax coating. Similarly, plastic cups or containers (medicine cups, yogurt containers, cleaned bottle caps, etc.) are also cautioned against. There are many different kinds of plastic, some of which are inappropriate for storing certain types of finishing products.
When mixing double portions of paint or primer, mix one portion at a time. For example,''''' 8:2:1''''' is easier to keep track of than '''''16:4:2'''''. Most, if not all, automotive paint has the correct ratio for the paint/thinner/hardener printed on the label. If not, consult your favorite body man for the best ratio to use on your paint. 

After mixing each individual portion, add the two portions together and mix well again. This also cuts down on wasted material if you make a mistake (too much hardener, wrong reducer, etc.). 

''TOO HELP YOU ALONG THE WAY''

GREAT TIP '''When opening a can of paint, punch a few holes in the trough where the lid sits with a hammer and nail. That way, excess paint will drain out of the trough and into the can, rather than splattering when placing the lid back on the can.'''
-Buy a set of inexpensive spatulas to use as scrapers for paint cans. 

-To preserve hardener, displace the air in the can with inert gas, such as the shield gas (CO2/argon, etc.) from a MIG welder (DO NOT USE O2 OR ACETALINE FROM A GAS WELDING UNIT). Or, use a commercial inert gas finish preservative such as Bloxygen.
 
-For easier pouring, affix a 2-inch piece of masking tape to the edge of a large gallon of paint. Pour the paint over the piece of tape. 

-Use a ladle for handling paint. 

-When purchasing new paint or other finishing products, write the date on them with a black magic marker. 

-For stirring paint, use inexpensive "jumbo sticks", tongue depressors, Popsicle sticks, wood sticks, or butter knives. 

GREAT TIP '''Paint stirring sticks with marks for different mix ratios can be useful for mixing paint.'''
 
When opening a gallon of paint that isn't all going to be used immediately, mix it very well and pour it off into quart cans. You can get empty quart cans from a local (private, not chain-store) paint shop for cheap or free.
While pouring, intermix the paint; pour a little bit into each can at a time.
 
GREAT TIP '''Leftover paint with hardener can be placed in the refrigerator. The cold temperature will slow down the hardener., you can even throw you spray gun in there if you find you need some supplies, and you are in the middle of painting!'''

==Proper Paint Clothing==
When painting it is always a good idea to wear some kind of protective clothing it not only helps keep you from contacting the toxic materials but it also will help keep unwanted materials from getting on your paint job. The first and most important is a paint mask made for '''automotive''' refinishing there are a lot of companies that sell these. Get a paint suit or use a lint free pair of coveralls. The next thing is a pair of gloves, latex style; I have found that the nitrile gloves hold up better to the chemicals. Do not use a set of rubber gloves they are too clumsy and you need the motion that you get from the latex style gloves. Get some kind of lint free head cover, this keeps your hair on your head and not on the job you are working on. They also recommend a foot cover (which I never used) but they look like a sock for your shoes.
There are many different companies that these items can be purchased, local stores and Internet. The most important item that you need is a paint mask. You can get buy with out the other items (with extra buffing when you are done) but the '''paint mask''' is the most important.

Before entering the area that you are refinishing your project in take a air nozzle and blow yourself off. This will get rid of any extra surprises that will fall into your job

== Spray gun Tech ==
With any spray gun, you get what you pay for! Its best to rent one if your not going to do several cars.

== Choosing the right type of paint ==
Depends on your own skills and experiences , because each type of paint , has got it's own benefits .
Whatever it is , you can always follow the instructions given on the paint container , or best of all is to consult with the paint seller .


''TWO MAIN TYPES OF ALL AUTOMOTIVE PAINT'' 


'''''SOLID paint'''''
The solid colors can be shot using the directions on the can. Use the hardener specific to the temp that you are going to be shooting the paint in. If you feel comfortable spraying use a hardener that is for a hotter temp, this will help the paint to flow out better. But if you are not comfortable spraying it will flow all the way to the floor. Something that I was taught was to use water and spray it on a vertical panel when you can spray the water on the panel with out running the water you are getting more comfortable (when spraying it always make sure that it is even overlapping each time so that you do not get dry spots). 

'''''METAlLIC paint'''''
Spraying metallic is a little different then spraying a solid color, they will model, and tiger strip and do all kinds of unwanted things. Remember anytime that the paint moves the metallic do as well so if they run you will get the metallic all in one spot and this does not look good. With metallic always use the suggested temp range unlike the solid colors. When finished reduce the paint that you are using 1:1 with a reducer that is specified for the paint. This helps to set the metallic so that you do not get modeling and tiger stripes.

==Brian Martin's, "Moving the Dry Spot" technique==

To prevent having a drier area at each of the seams, it is advised to "move the dry spot around". This technique is especially useful for fast-drying finishes, or for paint jobs with many coats of color. However, it can also be used for primers, sealers, colors and clears, urethanes, epoxies, and enamels. For more information, see Brian Martin's article in this Hotrodders Bulletin Board forum discussion: [http://hotrodders.com/forum/tip-day-30-a-74674.html Tip of the Day #30].

== How to mix and spray Laquer ==

Lacquer has been used for many years in the hobby, 

There were and still are alot of good looking lacquer paint jobs out there.  One of the pros is that it dries extremely hard with a quick drying time.  
You WILL NEED to sand and buff the whole project to get a smooth, shinny finish. If somebody is helping you spray it, they can know that modern laquers will basically spray the same as the old laquers. If you spray laquer clear; the clear coat, (as long as it is a quality product) will be easier to control.
You will need about '''1 to 1 1/2 gallons''' of ''paint'' and about '''2 to 3 gallons''' of ''thinner'' for a car or truck.

== How to mix and spray Acrylic Enamel ==
When spraying acrylic enamel or any paint for that matter '''always read the can'''. Acrylic enamel is a strong paint that is used a lot in the fleet industry.

The start of any good paint job not including bodywork is a good sealer. They now have sealers that are color tint able in a urethane, which will take enamel topcoats if the directions are followed. The color tint able sealers help in coverage and if you do get one of those horrible rock chips they do not show nearly as bad. When starting the sealing processes it is always a good idea to use an epoxy or acid etch primer. The acid etch primer will hold out to rust a lot better then an epoxy does (i.e. I used it on the bare metal of my 70 nova did not spray the car for almost six months with only the acid etch on the car and I did not even get any facial rust, that came through, I have not had that good of an experience with epoxy sprayed it on my Buick and facial rust came through in a month).


The best thing that you can do is to '''read the back of the can''' this will tell you the times that are needed in-between coats, dry times and the maximum amount of time between coats. If these are not followed you will get solvent popping and in the long run the potential for pealing paint. If you would like even more durability they also have clear coats for enamels. For the cost enamels are a good paint but the urethanes are a better product, they are starting to get affordable urethane paints now so do not rule them out.


== How to mix and spray Urethane Enamel ==

== How to mix and spray Waterbased paints ==

== Paint Defects and Flaws ==

'''Orange Peel''' The most common paint defect,


'''Fish Eyes''' Fish eyes are a seperation of the paint normally resembling the look of a fish eye. These are areas where the paint will not adhere thus making small craters in the paint. Fish eyes are always caused by contamination. Wax, silicones, diesel fuel, and products such as Armor All can all cause the problem. The contamination is usually on the surface being painted but can also result from contaminated paint and contaminated air. Using a wax and grease remover, proper air filters and general cleanliness around the paint area should stop the occurance of fish eyes.


'''Solvent Pop''' Solvent pop is tiny pinpoint size craters in the paint surface. This defect is produced when the top surface of the paint dries before the lower portion resulting in trapped solvents. The trapped solvents escape explosively through the dry skin of the paint leaving tiny craters. Solvent pop most often occurs because the job is being rushed either with flash times or the speed of the products. Most times they can be prevented by slowing down the painting process. Adequate flash time is essential to prevention as solvents need time to escape. Slower reducers and activators can also be used to prevent solvent pop as this too allows more time for the solvents to escape. Solvent pop can also be caused by excessive air movement which causes the top surface of the paint to skin over too fast.

== How to finish off your paint job (Buffing) ==

Buffing is a whole 'nother technique which you do when painting your car, it will be discussed in detail in its own article: [[Buffing your newly-finished paint]]