painting tips and favorite tricks

7/24/2019 Painting Tips and Favorite Tricks

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Painting tips and your favorite tricks

When painting the horizontal surfaces of the car, throw your air hose

over your shoulder so there's no chance of dragging the hose against

the car.

Don't use sheye eliminator. Buy a better brand of paint, clean yourgun out, clean your surfaces...leave the sheye eliminator for the next

guy to experiment with.

ever lay a roll of tape !at down on a sanded surface that you are

going to paint. "ou don't #now where it$s been or what could be

smeared all over the sides of it.

%f you ta#e paint out o& a can, when nished replace the lid and

carefully turn the can upside down brie!y. his action creates a seal

and prevents solvent evaporation, with striping enamels stops s#in

from forming.

(fter nishing always tear down the gun and clean using gun

cleaner)lac*uer thinner and the right brushes.

Buy a cheap mas#ing machine but don't cheap on tape. +tay away

from walmart.

-se blue %/0%/ tape for striping.

(lways use an air lter at the gun.

(fter you are nished mas#ing the whole car...or panel wipe down one

last time with W12 3emover for sure and tac#.

Wet the !oor before shooting top coats. (nd tac# rag your hose from

the couple to 4 ft bac#. +pray edges and lips of the panel rst then proceed. When you spray

the edges it lessens the chance of dry spray on your large area of the

panel. %f % am spraying a hood on the wor# stand % spray the edges rst

then proceed.

0et your rst coat of clear !ash good from minimum hand slic# to

preferably not stringy to touch.

hrow the paint cup lter in the gun away.

(lways strain your material into the cup.

Buy mixer)pour spouts for your primers li#e on the mixing rac# at your

5obber. ip on getting a chun# of trash that falls into clear as you are spraying.

tear o& a small strip of 66)78 or 9):8 tape, ma#e a u shape out of it

where the stic#y side would be facing the panel and gently dab onto

the trash until the adhesive of the tape pic#s up the trash. /asier than

a trash pic or tooth pic...*uic#er also. % always have a roll of tape on the

table in the booth.


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or homemade booths, use paint booth lters. hey're inexpensive,

and a lot more e;cient than duct lters for removing dust and

overspray.

(lways pour paint out of your gun and bac# into your can of paint inbetween coats of pearl or met. base. these are polished roc#s, and will

settle to the bottom, so stirring the paint in between coats will help

#eep the color consistent.

he other thing % learned painting in the garage is lighting. "ou //D a

good light showing your spray laying down on your surface. %f you

actually see the texture of the paint or clear you are applying it ma#es

a huge di&erence on the outcome.

eed a tric#y body line or curve sanded< =ut some ller and hardener

in a ziploc# bag and mix it well and press it against a perfect part of

the curve and when it dries you have molded your own sanding bloc#

(0W("+ do a wal# through as if you were painting before you shoot.

"ou never #now what might get in the way. % failed to do this once and

was doing a fender. Blended out the door and when % went to clear % hit

the mirror with my hand on my rst pass and got a run.

>leaning clear coat spray o& my gun is a chore and % hate ta#ing a long

time to do it. 3ecently % too# coo#ing saran wrap that has a tac#y side

and wrapped my gun. +tarting at the cap and wor#ing bac#wards.

a#es me 6 minute to prep my gun and %$ve saved 6? minutes clean up

time. -se draw string trash bags for disposable wheel covers.

Bac# tape for priming, put your paper on so it covers repair area then

pull outward over tape to get a 8soft edge@ his techni*ue can be used

in many mas#ing situations.

%f painting to a windshield or other glass... it$s to be removed...when

the glass can$t be removed you can often ta#e a 64gauge wire A %

believe and stu& it under the rubber holding the rubber o& the panel

you are painting...then you 5ust tape the edge of the suspended

rubber...after paint remove wire and tape and your clear will be under

the edge of your windshield rubber...this helps with the ris# of clear

peeling at the rubbers edge...and gives a cleaner loo#...if done

properly you cannot tell the windshield wasn$t removed

=inholes are the devil...but when priming and you see one...you can

ta#e a corner of a paper towel and dip it in your primer and ll your

pinhole after your rst coat...then continue with 7nd )9rd coat of primer


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( simple formula to remember is orange peel is !uid ad5ustment and

run control is an air pressure ad5ustment. %f you$re getting a few runs

try upping the air pressure ?6C pounds more.

9 spray gun settings 697C 6E full out)opening of air 9E 9turns out)opening for !uid 7CE psi at the gun

When pouring from a full container, roll it on its side and pour with the

spout toward the top of the can. hat way the !uid won$t pour until the

can pitches well over.

o put it simply, don$t swing the gun in an arc. =ainting rewards

consistencyE consistent pressure, consistent mixture, and, not the least

of which, consistent spray distance. 3educing the spray distance

concentrates the sprayed paint in a smaller, denser areaF increasing

spray distance distributes the paint over a larger, thinner area. Well,

swinging a gun in an arc increases the distance at the ends and

reduces it through the middle.

( panel may loo# shiny when viewed headon but it won$t tell you

s*uat about the surface condition. %nstead, loo# at it from an obli*ue

angle. What re!ects in the painted surface will tell you volumes about

the *uality and consistency of your wor#.

Gutton advises prepping surfaces for solventbased paint with :CC grit

paper.

he solution to cure a tac# cloth from leaving a trail of its own

contaminants is simpleE unfurl the new cloth, sha#e it out, refold it, andcontinue. ore than eliminate the potentially !a#y residue, the

refolded cloth will often better conform to complex shapes.

( mechanical bond doesn$t re*uire very muchHin fact too much of a

good thing can harm a recently applied nish. Gutton maintains that an

extrane gray abrasive pad creates a su;cient opportunity for a

mechanical bond.

When you are painting, you often can$t plan what the weather is going

to be li#e. +ummers can be hot and humid and ruin a paint 5ob, even

with the best set up and techni*ue. -se the time of day to your

advantage. ypically mornings are the coolest, least humid, and most

bug free time of day. 2et all your set up done the night before and

wa#e up with the sun to shoot rst thing in the (.

( common mista#e people ma#e is in being lazy, or reaching too far

ahead of themselves, and not #eeping the spray gun perfectly

perpendicular to the surface being painted. When the spray nozzle is


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not held IC degrees from the surface, the spray pattern causes one

end to get too much paint, and one end to get too little.

(nother mista#e people ma#e when they start painting is standing in

one spot and 5ust swinging their arm across the panel. his results in acurved arc of paint, not a straight line. +tanding with your feet slightly

apart, hold your arm straight, and move side to side at the hips, so the

gun follows a straight line across the panel

Jpen up the !uid control valve on the gun all the way and spray an

example. %f the spray pattern is not roughly football shaped, ad5ust the

fan pattern control until it is.

ew spray guns are not ready to paint. ypically they are coated inside

and out with an anticorrosion chemical that needs to be cleaned o& in

order to get the best results. +ince you don$t #now exactly what they

use, its best to 5ust clean the gun li#e you would after using it. %f you

don$t clean it you can have problems ranging from dirt in the paint, to

chemical incompatibility.

"ou may not realize this, but it is important to start painting the car in

the proper place, and wor# around it in the right order for best results.

he order Kevin li#es to use, which he calls L0eap frogging@ or the

pushpull method, is thisE start at the edge of the roof and wor# toward

the middle, from the other side start at the middle and wor# toward the

edge, down the sailpanel, other sail panel, across the rear dec#lid and

trun#, *uarter panel, bac# to the other side *uarter panel, door, otherside door, fender, other side fender, hood, front of the car and done.

his method means the edge of the paint is as wet as possible when

you overlap it.

With gun a Lhand span@ away from painting surface the size of the

spray pattern should also be a Lhand span@.

-se a larger 6.: !uid tip, especially with metallic colors. his gives your

atomized droplets a larger size, and allows the micas and metallics to

Lselforient@ and lay in a natural and consistent pattern. -se a

distribution coat on the last coat. Drop your pressure in half, and

double the gun distance to the surface. +pray the distribution coat

immediately after your last coat while the base is still wet. his allows

the base color to settle into the underlying coat and the larger droplets

will, again, help the metallic particles, and distribution. +olid colors

don$t need a distribution coat.

% found that using a 6.9 !uid tip wor#s well with this clear. GJW/M/3, %

found that it tended to dry *uic#ly and die bac#, losing some of the


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gloss. % xed this with /astwood -rethane 3educer +low and adding an

extra halfpart, ma#ing it a 766)7 mix. 7 parts clear, one part catalyst,

and one half part reducer. his allowed great !owout, and solved the

problem of dulling. y sanding recipe is as followsE

o 6CCC grit to start. level the surface, completely dulling it

o 6?CC to eliminate the 6CCC grit scratches

o 7CCC to eliminate the 6?CC grit

o 9CCC to provide a very nice surface to bu& to full gloss, which

happens very *uic#ly

3emember if you are spraying up and down on a surface you can

change the nozzle at the front of the gun IC deg. so the fan is

horizontal.

0oo# at what your painting and the way the paint is going on the surface right behind the gun and ad5ust from there

3emember you need a high air pressure A+et as the spec sheet calls

for so that you get proper atomization and so you can turn the volume

up. he higher pressure will actually mean fewer runs since the

atomization is better. his is not so critical with the primers, but you

really need it with the sealer, base, and clear coats so you get good

coverage without runs and with little orange peel

+pray 2un controls

o he Lan@ control #nob Asmaller blue #nob at the top rear of gun

is opened by turning in a countercloc#wise direction. his

controls the size of the spray pattern or Lfan@ and the droplet

size. Jut with the #nob N larger pattern)larger droplet size, in N

smaller pattern)smaller droplet size.o he Lluid eedle@ control #nob Alarger blue #nob, below the fan

control is opened by turning in a countercloc#wise direction.

his controls the amount of paint !ow to the nozzle. Jut with the

#nob N more paint, less atomization, in N less paint.o he L(ir Malve@ control #nob Asmall blue #nob at the bottom of

the gun near the air inlet is opened by turning in a countercloc#wise direction. his is a Lne tuning@ for air !ow in the gun.

"ou generally want to start out fully open and decrease air as

needed.

Basically you want the smallest !uid tip that will still allow you to paint

the particular part you are painting, #eeping the entire thing wet and in

a fair amount of time. %n other words, a 6.C tip would be beautiful for


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clearing one fender, but would be lousy to paint a complete. he

application would be way too slow, and the rst panel would be way

too !ashed by the time you got bac# around to it. +o you need to

compromise a 6.9 is a great allaround tip, while a 6.?, thoughgetting a little big, can get you by. %f you read the tech sheet on the

particular product you are shooting, it will have a recommendation for

!uid tip size.

"ou need to 8tune8 your gun /M/3" %/ you use it, 5ust as you would

tune a guitar before you perform. his is done with a very basic

sprayout pattern test. his very basic test tells you how your gun is

atomizing and you ad5ust it to achieve the best atomization you can.o Set the fan width as needed (you don't want to change it after you have "tuned"

the gun).

o Turn out the material knob about 2 12 turns. This is the "mi!ture" adustment#

kind of like the idle screw on a carburetor. The farther in it is screwed the lower

the fluid to air ratio is and the smaller the dro$lets will be. The farther out it is# the

higher the fluid to air ratio is and the larger the dro$lets.

o Set the air $ressure at the inlet to the gun to the manufacturer's s$ecs. %n an

& gun# this s$ec is usually found on the gun# and is the ma!imum S* it can

have while still maintaining the ma!imum 1+ lb at the ca$ for legal &

transfer efficiency (,- ).

o /ou are now ready to do a test s$rayout. Ta$e a $iece of masking $a$er on the

wall for the test. &old the gun at a right angle to the wall# ust as if you were

going to $aint the wall. &old the gun at a s$read out hands distance (about -

inches# or 22 centimeters). ull the trigger to com$letely o$en for a s$lit second

and then close it. /ou want an %0% wide o$encom$letely closed in %03

movement. /ou should have a cigar sha$ed $attern with com$lete coverage in the

center with fading coverage going away from the full coverage cigar sha$e in the

center. The center should be fully covered without any runs. *f you have runs#

either you are holding the trigger too long# you are too close# or the gun is sim$ly

a$$lying too much material4 in which case you need to screw in the material knob

or turn the air $ressure down. 5ut most likely if you have turned the material knob

out the 2 12 turns and the air is set at the factory s$ecs# you are ust too close orholding the trigger o$en too long.

o The dro$lets you see trailing off the center are what you will use to "tune" your

gun. Turn in the material knob to make the dro$lets smaller (and or raise the air

$ressure). The balance you need to attain is the smallest dro$let si6e $ossible

before you lose the coverage desired. *n other words# if you turn in the material

knob too far# not enough material will be coming out to cover the $anel7


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Tet6 video basically says to run the 8oncourse gun wide o$en on fluid and fan controls

9lways go with 2 gallons of color and remember when you do get the 2 gallons ust mi!

them both together so you have one consistent all the way through the $aint ob. lus it

gives you some e!tra to $ractice with# get your e:ui$ment dialed in and your techni:ueust right.

;emember with that clear (5lack ?1?1 ratio with urethane reducer. So you're going to get more coverage

($er say) with that ratio. Same thing with the basecoat guys like to shot it a >?1? u$ to 1

ratio with the urethane reducer. @uys like to shot the bascoat then wait overnight then

come back in the early morning and shot the clear. Aust remember you have an 1- hour

window to to$coat that basecoat

Bight want to use a slightly smaller fan width for clear coat as com$ared to base coat

since you want the clear to go on a little thicker. or fluid flow * o$en the fluid

adustment all the way# then while holding the trigger full o$en# * turn it in until * feel

resistance then turn it in around C turns as my initial setting for clear# then fine tune. or

base coat * give it a cou$le of more turns from the initial C turn setting# then fine tune.

aint like a robot. 5e consistent in distance and s$eed. Dee$ gun $er$endicular to

surface (follow the curves of the car).

DevinEs corner and $ainting ti$s videos shows both fluid and air adustments wide o$en.

*f $ossible use F+ ft of hose before you water filter.

9lcoholwater mi! (2FGF) as antistatic final wi$e down before s$raying

Bac# tape door 5ams and other openings such as hood and trun#.

-se garden tan# sprayer with a little soap added to water to spray

down !oor to control dust.

*f your s$ray $attern is like an - (heavy on ends and thin in middle) chances are your air

$ressure is too high.

9ll bare metal that is to be $rimed should have some tooth to it and the scotch $ad ty$e

discs andor the -+ grit will achieve this.

*f you are going to use auto $aints that are metallic then it is recommended that you use

dro$ coating. *t is also very im$ortant that you do both vertical and hori6ontals s$ray

$aint directions to create a cross coat a$$lication. Hhen you are ready to do the dro$

coat# you will want to $ut your s$ray gun in a $osition where it is about 1-2> inches

from the $anelEs surface and you will also want to adust the $ressure of the s$ray gun by2+ $ercent to C+ $ercent. *n a hori6ontal motion $roceed with s$raying the auto body

sho$ $aint# do this slowly to allow the metallic color to fall or dro$ onto the surface of the

$anel. *t is im$ortant that you maintain a coverage that is uniform until the s$ray $aint

$rocess is finished. *mmediately after you finish that $rocess# you will want to $ut

another coat on the $anel from the same distance# but this time around you will want to

use a vertical movement instead of a hori6ontal direction# this will ensure that the


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different coats will cross each other# which will result in an even coverage of $aint. To get

uniform metal distribution# you will need to make sure the dro$ coats crosses# which will

create the ideal surface that will be $erfect to receive the lac:uer a$$ro$riately.

Hhen s$raying a metallic color most $rofessional $ainters shake their $aint gun after theyfinish each $ass. This hel$s make sure the $articles are evenly dis$ersed so the finish will

be uniform.

To $revent $aint from dri$$ing on the $anel being $ainted# it would be wise to a$$ly ta$e

around the to$ of the cu$ to hold the lid firmly in $lace.

*f the $aint cu$ attached itself to your gun by screwing it on from the base ta$e around

where the two meet once the cu$ is screwed in tightly.

Hhen you s$ray a metallic color you'll find some $aint $roducts will tend to mottle (have

light and dark areas) where the $aint is a$$lied unevenly. 9 "dro$ coat" is a light mist

coat# on to$ of $aint that has flashed# in order to even out the color. This light# dry mist

coat is usually 0%T a good idea because it can negatively effect the bond between thecolor and the clear however# if the $aint manufacturer is recommending it# you may be ok

doing it.

Brian's experience has shown that the proper distance, what he calls

the 8sweet spot,8 is usually similar to the length of the fan when using

a properly set and operating paint gun. %n other words, a 4inch fan

shot at a distance of 4 inches from !uid tip to surface provides a proper

spray pattern. But, as with every other factor, there is no specic rule.

% have found also that when spraying metallics, to overlap your pattern

closer to P?Q vs. the standard ?CQ to help eliminate tiger

striping....Direction isn't critical as long as you are consistent in your

pattern.

+hould use 9)R %D air hose ttings.

When mixing epoxy primer mix it for ? minutes to ensure it is

completely mixed.

Wall of air test, when the sound of the air changes that is the sweet

point of the gun in terms of distance from paint surfact.

( drop coat, AJne( drop coat, AJne last light coat applied from a foot or

so away from the panel immediately after the last coat is sprayed is a

good way to set the !a#e into the proper pattern. he last coat shouldbe from about a foot away that evens the metallic out. 2ood advice.

hat fog coat is the #ey.

( common mista#e is painters trying to correct for an overly dry spray

by turning up the air pressure. hat might seem sensible, until you

compare it to the fuel)air mixture in a carburetor. %f the mixture is lean

to begin with, increasing the air will only ma#e it leaner. he same is


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true in a paint gunF turning down the air will translate into more paint

in proportion to air. he solution in that case would be to lower the air

pressure to establish the right balance.

=se different gri$s on the gun de$ending is you are $ainting sides# to$s# or bottoms

=se bondo s$reader to tuck masking ta$e into ga$s

Bist the floor with garden s$ray# mi!ture of water with a little soa$ in it

Set a timer to kee$ track of flash time

/ou can wi$e down between coats

9 good way to get water out of your lines# es$ecially if you live in a humid climate# is to

make sure the com$ressor tank is de$ressuri6ed# o$en to air and dried out before you use

it. 9 cou$le days before you $aint your car# o$en the tank drain valve on your

com$ressor and leave it o$en. *f $ossible# o$en the $um$ outlet too (you can insert a

blow gun and rubber band the trigger).

painting tips and favorite tricks

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