Spray painting.

[2ltrT]

Just b4 christmas, i hurt me vecci, most of damage been absorbed by the rear door bump strip.

anyway after getting a few quotes for repair, i've decided to have ago myself.

so i've got a new door bump strip already primed.

I am looking for some tips on spraying, i've sprayed things in the past like my mudflaps, with excellent results, however it seems to take alot of time/effort.. and feel I'm doing things the hard way/wrong.

i have a small 2hp comprssor with a high pressure suction feed gun & 1.2 nozzle..
now basically i'm not sure how to setup the gun for best results... so hopefully someone can help.

i need to know how much apint to lay down, do i lay it wet, or thin layers? (with thin layers in the past its often felt rough once dry) do i rub down before laquer? do i put laquer on wet?
'
anyway as you can see i'm clueless, with the strip being so high up and next to factory paintwork, it need to be 100%. so any help would be much appreciated.

attatched my car with mudflaps .. i'm so proud

[Andy]

unless you know what your doing, i wouldnt touch a spray gun. Ive seen my pro mate painting before and he messes for ages adjusting different nozels and twiddly bits on his big compresser. This is not even mentioning messing around with 2 pack paint and laquers, hardeners etc etc.... theres a reason they go to college to learn to paint lol.

My dad also had a small compressor like yours and re-sprayed his works van with it. Never seen something so orange peely in my life. I dont think they are anywhere near enough powerful to get near factory finish.

The best bit of advic emy mate gave me when i was trying to paint with aerosols is to spray it 'dry'. By this, he means quite far from the item so the paint dries in the air slightly and wont 'react' as much if youve not prepared it 100% perfect. Give it lots of light coats. Leave at least 4 hours, then apply a very ligh coat of laquer. Then build up coats of laquar over time. It will be orange peely but dont worry. You then need to leave it 24 hours to dry properly, then flat it with 1500 grit wet and dry before polishing it with a cutting compound to make it shiny and smooth

[Doug-SRidirect]

Don't bother with a paint booth or any of that nonsense. You can always do like Paul and spray it on the kitchen floor! He's in B I G trouble!!!
Doug

[Bainie]

I used to spray my bikes myself with great results, don`t get too hung up about it, make sure your garage is warm, sounds like you were spraying just a bit too lightly to get the grainy effect. Remember to use a plastic primer though or you could get a reaction, and a light rub down before laquer ...

And with mettalic paint remember only to spray in 1 direction to keep the flakes the same way ...

[Ian]

I've had some cracking results with cans - like Andy says wouldn't touch a compressor as the low hp ones dont atomise the paint properly.

just take your time with good even coats not to much at a time. build it up slowly. Every pro i speak to in regard to anything is preperation is key.