prof paintjob on fg

man, i am struggling trying to find some good professional information on how to get that professional paint job of a fiberglass box.  what namebrands should i look at.. (2) versions....what type of spraycans can i use OR what type of paint i should get...... and what type of primer... and if i get highbuild primer would i need to bondo over the fiberglass...wont that be making it twice as hard of a sandjob???

-------------
Biznisman2u

i use sherwin williams paint.......the ultra 7000 stuff.

it works good. the p30a grey primer has a flex additive in it already so it is good gor plastic and fiberglass stuff.

-------------

okay. i got down some of the paint i see people use. but i need to know about the sand job... after i use fiberglass and sand it and its not smooth. do i use body filler(bondo) or i can just get this highbuild primer (is this sandable)? PLEASE HELP

-------------
Biznisman2u

You bondo and sand up to about a 350 grit on the bondo and fiberglass. Make sure every pinehole and whatnot is filled and sanded. You wil then want to spray primer on. I dont use highbuild but i have heard of it being better to hide some imperfections. Then you will want to WETsand your primer with 320 400 600 grit. On your last coat of primer u should sand up to about 1000 grit wetsand. With the paint i used TESTORS model paint then a TESTORS clear coat. It looks professional. A store asked me who i got to do it so you might want to look into that. Hope that helps.


-------------
dream it, build it, fiberglass it

what i reccomend you you do is this.

once your mold fabric is resined and cured, strengthen it from the inside (this creates less sanding on the outside) then sand the high spots and if there are any really low spots, fill those. then use a high build primer. the best one i have found is duratec grey sanding primer. it is a polyester primer for making molds. then sand that once it is dried with 120 up to 400. if there are any pinholes or other imperfections, fix those. then depending on how your piece is looking, you can use a regular 2K primer, or if it is looking good, a surfacer primer. sand that with 400 and at least 600 grit. some people go all the way to 2000, but it isnt always necessary. then paint it then clear it. sand the clear with 1200 and 1500 and 2000 then buff it.


it will look better than most new cars do.




-------------

So what do yall use to do all this sanding? and to(audiomechanic) what type of paint do you recommend using?.... and can you use the same tool to Wetsand ?

-------------
Biznisman2u

i use a DA for as much of the sanding as i can. i will use it up to 400 grit usually. most of the parts that i end up making tho do require a good amount of hand sanding with a block. as for wet sanding you can use a DA with the velcro pad and the hook and loop paper. but i recommend to do it by hand.

the paint i am using now is the sherwin williams ultra 7000 automotive paint. i prefer dupont, but i am located in a small town and have to drive an hour to get anything other than the sherwin williams. either is easy to use and will give you great results. but each has some different atributes that make them different.

-------------

To apply the paint do use a brush or a spray paint? Or do yuo guys use actual automative paint out of an air gun hooked up to a compressor?

Thats why i suggested using testors paint because i didnt think u would have an air gun and compressor.

-------------
dream it, build it, fiberglass it

oh. i have a friend with a compressor i just need to buy and holes and a airgun... how much for a good paint airgun?  Also how much do a DA sander cost and can you give me some more brands that may cost cheaper that will get the job done.

-------------
Biznisman2u

a good gun will be about 200 and up. if you just want to practice, or give painting a shot, you can get a porter cable gun or one from harbor freight that will do ok for abot 50-100 dollars.
as far as paint, most of the big paint companies have entry level lines that are a bit cheaper. sherwin has mar-hyde and refinishers select, and dimension. they are all pretty much interchangable. i know ppg and dupont have the same kind of thing with their pain lines.

-------------