How do these guys prevent dust in their paint jobs? :(

I just don't understand it. They spray right there in their workshop and sometimes leave the parts to dry on their desk but none of the parts have dust particles in them. How?!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqct0IvFNMM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iJscVCN_DA

Wolvy

Easy.

Simply put, by never spraying a 'wet' coat. Body color is sprayed on in many light applications, and never allowed to be really wet on the surface. Spray a light coat of paint, and set it aside to dry for an hour or two. Come back and inspect it. If you find dust/debris/flaws, gently rub them out where necessary, and spray another light application of paint. Don't ever use more paint then you have to. You want just an even, opaque film of color on top of the primer- and nothing more. Think thin. The shine comes from the clearcoat, not the paint. And if you spray the clearcoat in many light applications (instead of a few heavy ones), you can control dust in the same way.

Thanks MPWR :)

but I have another question, in the videos, the guy is spraying quite a bit of color on the parts. Is that considered a thin coat? Cause that looks pretty wet to me :P

If I'm not doing a base/clear I do this. After misting 2-3 times I do a final wet coat on the last pass because I don't feel like sanding off all that paint to get down to a flat surface - and, yes, I get some dust.

I suspect the OP is trying to end with a glossy surface without doing any color sanding/polishing? The fine dust that settles on the paint before the surface hardens is removed with the final polishing. Instead of trying to build an industrial clean room just buy some Micromesh and fine polishing compound. Tamiya has some that comes in a tube like toothpaste. (It also helps if you spray paints that dry fast and avoid white paint jobs!)

tamiya spray cans and light coats, you wont ever get dust. i paint all my kits in my basement and never have dust problems oplus tamiya paints dry to the touch in like 5 min.
also just a random tip, if you mist the air with water before you paint it will keep down the dust and over spray particles. same theory for havign a hose on blast when tearing down a house

I suspect the OP is trying to end with a glossy surface without doing any color sanding/polishing?
no not at all :) I simply wondered how the hell these guys keep the dust off.

Spraying the area with water is good for keeping the dust down before painting.
I paint outside, and I almost never have dust problem.

In my past experiences I've found that most of the dust "in the paint finish" was dust "on the car" before I ever started painting. I have a paint booth in my model room which has a carpeted floor but rarely have dust in my paint as long as I clean the parts well with an anti-static dust brush or tack cloth before painting them.

It is almost impossible to eliminate dust from your spraying area. But there are easy ways to eliminate the bad results.

I second thenotoriousLUD on Tamiya spray cans.

The reason is simple: Tamiya TS-series synthetic lacquer dries in minutes, allowing very little time for dust specks to land on your model. And for some reason, dust seems to float on Tam TS, instead of sinking into the paint. Usually you can just brush it off the surface in ten minutes or so. Worst case: you need to hit it lightly with 1500 or 2000 grit paper before applying the next coat or sanding and polishing.

To control wet vs. dry coats, nozzle speed and distance is the key. After spraying two thin, dry coats (holding the nozzle at least a foot away from the model), I usually apply a wetter coat as my final. For that one, I hold the can closer and move the nozzle really fast across the model. By "wetter," I don't mean a thick coat; I mean that the paint hits the model before it even THINKS about drying. That produces less orange peel, so little or no sanding before polishing. (This takes practice, by the way. If you move too slow, you'll get drips and sags.)

It's not necessary to clear-coat Tamiya TS series paints to get a great gloss. Of course, clear-coating gives a deeper gloss, but too much makes the car look like it's been dipped in syrup. So go easy!

There are lots of good ways to polish paint, but I personally prefer light sanding with 1500 or 2000, then rubbing out with the Tamiya compound series: Coarse, Fine and Finish.

i spray outside on nice days, last paintjob i did didnt have dust in it. i make sure its not really windy or by a active road where cars drive by

After I spray, I usually place a cover on top to prevent dust from settling in, if there are dust around.

Couple of things to add:

What everybody said about painting on a clean surface is true. Fast brushing causes static build-up and makes things worse, but a slow wipe with a low-lint cloth helps. There are also anti-static brushes that will keep the surface from becoming a magnet for dust. Good camera stores carry them.

It's a little off topic, but I mentioned orange peel. Another thing that reduces it is to heat your paint before spraying. I'll set the can under a hot water faucet for about five minutes. Shake it a couple of times while it's heating.

I put my sprayed bodies/parts in the microwave for 10 min. :lol:

But I am wondering how the guys in the original post do it. I think the first reply might explain it the best.

I believe the pros keep the ventilation fan running all day, so the entire room is probably clean enough that they can leave the painted parts in an open area like in the video.

I turn the fan on a few minutes before the session begins, and keep it running for a few minutes after I'm done spraying, so there are almost no lint or dust near the paint booth.

Get a "tack cloth" and gently wipe the body down before painting and between coats also. I paint mine in a dirty basement but I dont have too many problems with dust in my paint jobs. More the occasional cat hair drifting in, (I have 3 cats) but if I catch it, I stop spraying til its dry and take care of it. Usually a swipe with the tack cloth will be enough to pick up any dust or cat hairs that do make it onto the surface while painting

PS My paint jobs are far from perfect, but its not due to dust ;)

I always ground/earth bodies to help eliminate static,I use a wire coat hanger to mount the body then run a wire to ground from the hanger.
Tack rags can be used carefully between coats but use a light touch.
John

Those videos are pretty low-res and you only get a glimpse at the close-up finish a couple times.

Take a look at the first video around 5:55 - 6:00 and again around 6:50 and at least to me it looks like they have lots of dust and even some orange peel showing when the light reflects in the paint.