First paint job

A 12"aluminum ruler works great for ratios example: 4:1:1 = 4" :1" :1"= 6"  stir your paint with it and wipe it off so you can reuse it later, you can find them everywhere for a 1.00(posted by deadbodyman)also...save your old reducer gallon cans and qt size hardner cans...I keep a pair of tin snips at my paint bench to cut the tops off(at the bead)and I use them for mixing paint with my ruler...but run some tape around the edge so you dont cut yourself

===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.

Try to keep your gun straight not angled to far up or too far down. Keep the gun about 5 to 6 inches from the surface the whole time or you will have heavy painted surfaces and lightly painted surfaces. Practice spray technique on an old fender to determine proper gun adjustment, pass speed, and pass overlap.

===Building a temporary paint booth===

See: [[Building a 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 buy large plastic drop cloths from you local hardware or home improvement store. They are a cheap and effective way to protect your tool boxes and "toys" (Atv's, 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 and placing additional fans will help ventilation. Box fans may work, but at a minimum you should ensure that these fans are the brushless type to reduce the amount of sparking the exhaust stream will "see". Remember, the fewer sparks the paint vapor "sees" the less likely you are to cause an explosion. An even better solution to box fans would be to use squirrel cage blowers, commonly found in HVAC and exhaust vent systems. Try to get the type where the motor is outside of the squirrel cage to reduce heating the exhaust stream. Place the squirrel cage blower motor outside of your "paint booth" and run ducting into (or out of) your paint booth. A good rule of thumb for blower sizing is to try to change the air TWICE every minute. Hence, if you have a 10'x10'x10' paint booth (1000 cubic feet) you want a 2000 cfm blower (2000 cubic feet per minute).    

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 before they become part of your paint job.

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.

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 painter or paint store counter person for the correct 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.).

 

 

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 OXYGEN OR ACETYLENE 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 respirator 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. Tyvek suits are available at many hardware sotrkes for around $10. The next thing is a pair of gloves, latex style; I have found that the nitrile gloves hold up better to the chemicals. Additionally, nitrile gloves will block the toxic isocyanates found in the activators of many 2k paints; latex will not block these chemicals. Do not use a set of rubber gloves as 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.