Do you guys paint yourselves?
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Fiberglass, Fabrication, and Interiors
Forum Discription: Fiberglass Kick Panels, Subwoofer Enclosures, Plexiglas, Fabrics, Materials, Finishes, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=56659
Printed Date: April 28, 2024 at 5:56 PM
Topic: Do you guys paint yourselves?
Posted By: rabenoja
Subject: Do you guys paint yourselves?
Date Posted: May 30, 2005 at 12:53 AM
Like the topic says, do you guys paint your FG projects yourselves or do you send them out? Currently I use a 3rd party, a local body shop, to paint my projects. But, I'm interested in maybe starting to paint my own. I just wanted to know what the majority of you guys are doing out there.
Replies:
Posted By: auex
Date Posted: May 30, 2005 at 1:59 PM
If it is too be painted I send out. If it is just a plain color that can be added to the resin I tint the resin, much more work then paint prep.
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Posted By: jeffmor
Date Posted: May 30, 2005 at 3:03 PM
i paint all my fiberglass work its really not that bad once you get the hang of it
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Posted By: rabenoja
Date Posted: May 30, 2005 at 5:45 PM
jeffmor wrote:
i paint all my fiberglass work its really not that bad once you get the hang of it
Yeah I'm sure all I need is another spray gun. I have one that I use for glue but, I won't be using that for paint. How do you mix the paint or do you buy it already mixxed? Do you have a special paint booth or do you just spray in a designated area? I'm really starting to do a lot of FG jobs lately so, I was just wondering how involved, as far as painting, I should get.
Posted By: oonikfraleyoo
Date Posted: May 30, 2005 at 10:53 PM
I wouldn't get a paint booth for doing enclousers. I do freelance type work and one of the shops that I work with alot has a $100,000+ booth. Computer controled everything, water under the floor for dust, all the do-dads, real nice. It's cool to have but unless your painting cars (they do) it's not worth the money. You could however make a small booth. 10 x 10 ft area, white walls, plenty of light, some sort of exaust fan. I'd spend the most money on the gun. ------------- Nik
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Posted By: jeffmor
Date Posted: May 30, 2005 at 11:04 PM
yeah i agree with nik you really need a good gun i suggest a hvlp gun some of the best guns are by devilbiss or sata but thats your choice also dont forget to get an inline water filter to keep that water out of your paint
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MECP cetified installer
Owner of Audio Visions
Posted By: rabenoja
Date Posted: June 01, 2005 at 11:59 PM
cool thanks guys, I think I might build a small paint room or at least designate an area for it. I'll invest in a good paint gun and try it out. Thanks for all the info!!! If you guys can suggest anything else besides a good paint gun, let me know.
Posted By: Dyson
Date Posted: June 02, 2005 at 6:23 AM
one thing you definately need if you use a HVLP gun is a decent compressor. Something with at least 14cfm. WHich is the pressure most HVLP guns work at. Also Safety first. Some 2 pack Clears contain Isocyanates, which with enough exposure to them , can kill you. you will be best to invest in a positive pressure air fed respirator. Worth every penny. Ive been painting for a few years, we have a seperate small booth which we constructed ourselves. Makesure you vaccum the floors and walls before you start, and use a dust control spray, using lots of water on the floor is messy and can bring moisture into the spray, which you dont want. Also a decent exhaust or fan is needed to take out the excess overspray.
Posted By: rabenoja
Date Posted: June 06, 2005 at 9:04 PM
Thanks, I've got a pretty decent size compressor and it will definitely be enough for the HVLP gun. I appreciate the tips!
Posted By: abovestock
Date Posted: June 10, 2005 at 3:09 AM
Use the best HVLP gun you can afford, use the best materials you can find like PPG and house of kolors, and pratice lots before you paint a real project. And oh yea... patients, lots of time between coats, thin coats at that. Good luck!
Posted By: audiomechanic
Date Posted: June 12, 2005 at 11:36 AM
I do the majority of the paint for the R&D and show vehicles. I started painting with the cheap guns from the Mac tool guy or the hardware store. but have since moved up to better equiptment. I have 5 guns, all used for different things. poly-primer, primer, base(color), clear and touch up. if you are just starting out, the best gun for the money is a Finex gun. they are imported by sharpe and work really well. also Astro makes a good inexpensive gun. I highly recommend having at least 2 guns. primer and base/clear. I use the finex guns for primer and clear. a devilbiss for base, and have older matco guns for touch up and polyprimer. all work great.
as far as paint goes, I found that dupont makes good paint and is easier to learn with as opposed to PPG. PPG can be a little trickier than some of the others. If you dont want to spent a mint on paint, all of the major paint companies have a lower line that will work for you. omni(PPG), nason(dupont), Dimensions(sherwin williams) and so on. There are also a lot of companies that make clears and primers and even chemicals to use with ppg, dupont and SW primers, clears, and colors to save a little bit of money.
painting custom car audio projects are different than painitng cars, I have found painters that wont even touch or will charge extra for some of my projects because of the curves or material/combination of materials used. they just arent familiar with it.
polyester primer is your best friend. use at least a 1.8mm tip(2.0mm recommended) use poly primer as a base layer of primer to fill in sanding scratches and help with that last little bit of leveling ot low spots. use a sealer on top of the poly primer then color then clear.
I can get into more specifics if you want, or give you more details if you need, just lemme know.
Trevor
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Posted By: rabenoja
Date Posted: June 13, 2005 at 10:52 PM
Hey thanks for that info! I'm sure this will get me in the right direction. I checked out your webpage and your projects look real good! Like most others here, I'm a learn by experience kinda guy so, I'm just gonna have to jump in and try to swim! :D I'm sure that your tips will help me with my learning curve though...again thanks and I appreciate any more tips that you can think of.
Posted By: chump
Date Posted: June 20, 2005 at 8:55 PM
I don't mean to discourage you, but a compressor that delivers 14CFM is going to cost you a huge amount of money. Most I've seen deliver around 5CFM and they cost around 500$. I have seen some HVLP guns that require 5CFM @ 90psi. I don't know how good those guns are though.
Posted By: audiomechanic
Date Posted: June 20, 2005 at 10:10 PM
for painting, you are only going to be running the compressor at about 40 PSI so it is easier to achieve the higher CFM in a lower cost compressor. just make sure it is large enough to use sanders/DAs or the other air tools you are going to be using.
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Posted By: chump
Date Posted: July 02, 2005 at 9:56 AM
I have seen a lot of HVLP paint guns that require about 5CFM @ 40 PSI. This can be achieved with a lower cost compressor. I don't know how they compare to the top of the line paint guns, however it is still HVLP.
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