First post! - What do you recommend for painting?

[randhurrle]

Hey all - I'm Rand.

I was hoping you guys had some advice. I am moderately skilled at repairing my own vehicles, and a novice when it comes to painting.
I need a cheap paint gun to paint the hood of a Saturn Sedan I plan to sell used. Gonna sand off the old coat (peeling) lay down some primer, and then a few coats of gloss white.

However, I don't know a decent tool for this job - My father lent me an electric Homeright paint sprayer - but I don't know how feasible this is for auto painting.

If not, what do you recommend? I'm trying to stay frugal here, since this will be a rare use item for me - Walmart, gravity sprayer, with compressor? 2 gallon compressor, 5? What's your guys's take, please?

[MagicRat]

I have moved this from "Completely Off Topic" to a more appropriate forum. COT is intended for non-automotive discussions.

[fredjacksonsan]

I was going to move it also....Welcome, Rand! Hope you enjoy AF. I don't know squat about painting, but someone that is knowledgeable will be along shortly.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by fredjacksonsan

someone that is knowledgeable will be along shortly.

Wha? Hey, is that my cue?

Painting using automotive paints is tricky and can be dangerous.

Do not use an electric gun with automotive-type paints. These paints and their thinners are flammable and pose a dangerous fire/explosion hazard with an electric gun.

You can use a non-flammable paint and thinner, like Rustoleum and varsol, but the job would look pretty poor. The electric sprayers will do the job but tend to leave marks, such as runs or orange peel in the finish. They are very limited in their adjustibilty of spray pattern, paint volume etc. to compensate for the viscocity and volatility of the paint.

You can rent a compressor and spray gun for an afternoon to paint your hood.
Or else you can buy a kit, where you get a basic air compressor, basic paint gun and some tools.... impact gun, air ratchet, air chisel, blow gun, air drill etc. For about $300 - 400 you can be completely equipped, not only for painting but also for many other future repairs.

If you can't get a kit, match the compressor flow rate in CFM (cubic feet per minute) at a specific pressure, to the demands of the paint gun
The compressor must flow more air than the gun requires. The actual capacity of the compressor tank is not as important, but, the bigger, the better, within reason.

Get a book or look on-line on how to sand and do basic body work and prep. Try to get the instructions that come with the auto paint you plan to use. Quite often, the paint comes with complete directions or the manufacturers website can help.

Also, get more paint than you actually will need. Get some metal panels, such as old metal appliances (refrigerators etc) that someone is throwing out. experiment with sanding and painting these units. Experiment with different nozzles, pressures, spray patterns etc and work on getting a smooth, blemish-free panel before painting your car.

Also, you MUST get the proper ventilation and respirator/mask. Modern paints frequently are deadly poisionous. The auto parts place that sells the paint should be able to get you the right equipment.

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

Wha? Hey, is that my cue?

Yes. Well done. With painting, I'm like this:

[jdmccright]

Gravity fed guns are less expensive and for smaller jobs like a hood or body panel, they hold enough for one maybe two coats with little waste afterwards. Easier to clean, too. $25-$40.

Whichever compressor you use, make sure it has a pressure regulator, water/oil filter, and can supply the gun's CFM rating continuously for a good finish. $90-$120.

You'll get better results in an area that isn't subject to air currents, but as reminded before, proper protection from the paint fumes is essential. Paper masks won't cut it. Good-fitting masks run $30 and up, $10-$20 for replacement cartridges.

Depending on the extent of the paint loss/flaking, you probably don't have to strip the entire hood of old paint. Just sand down to good adherent paint, smooth it out, and then shoot it. If you have to fix any dents (or are the Saturn hoods plastic too?), sanding down to the substrate in that area is best so the filler has the best chance of adhesion.

There's some initial expense in the equipment and supplies, but as said before, you can use the compressor for alot more than just a sprayer. Hope this helps!

[shorod]

I've found that, if you have a large enough reserve capacity compressor, it's best to turn off the compressor once it's full and prior to spraying. I had problems with a surge when the compressor would kick in that would cause a spurt of paint. This caused issues primarily if spraying a metallic paint. After you've done a coat, then turn the compressor on to fill up again.

The High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) guns work well for reducing overspray and waste. Even the inexpensive ones should work well enough for what you're trying to achieve.

Also, like has been suggested above, you'll want to get pretty much all the way through the original basecoat if the hood already has adhesion problems. Even if you got it smooth to the touch, you'd probably have issues with the old paint lifting at the edges when the new basecoat was applied.

As for the base material of the hood, the early Saturns (and as far as I know the current ones as well) had metal hoods, roofs, and trunk lids. I found it interesting that the panels most prone to hail damage were metal. Lately around here hail is a bigger concern than door dings.

-Rod