Ok, I got this fiberglass cowl hood and thought I sanded all the scratches out but obviously I wasn't even close. After painting it, it looks like crap. Kinda orange peely. Is paint suppose to go on smooth or do you have to sand it down to get it shiny? Since I screwed the paint up, I'm going to have to take it all off. Most fun. Was wondering if sandblasting the paint off would work or am I gonna have to suffer for my laziness and sand it all off and start over? The spray gun I bought is a Central Pneumatic Professional from Harbor Freight. It has a 1.4mm nozzle.
The model number for the gun is 43430. Is this a decent gun or a POS? I paid $65 for it. But being a novice painter I really have no clue. Thanks for any help anyone can provide.

Brad...



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Hiyas Brad,

Im no expert and Im sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like you will have to use a finer sandpaper. also you might have to shoot a few layers of primer to fill in the scratches. As far as removing the glitch, a chemical remover might work but I think it will melt the glass, Im not sure.

Good luck and don't get discouraged m8

Don
Cascade Crew

 

I work at maaco, and first id try to do some good wetsanding to... then maybe some rubbing compound, and after all that maybe put another coat of clearcoat on it to give it a real deep shine! Hopefully this helps.

 

Thanks. Hey Don hows it goin. So sandblasting is out of the question. Guess I'll be buying some sandpaper tomorrow. What about my gun. Is it the right one? It seems I have to be kinda close with it. About 4-6 inches away. Isn't that a bit close?

[This message has been edited by bhaas (edited June 27, 2001).]

 

bhaas,,, if you have to be that close,, either you didn't reduce the paint enough (wich will cause bad flow & orange peeling effect),, don't have enough CFM from the air compressor to support the gun (usually all air equip papers tell air consumption), you don't have the feed set to let enough penough paint come out of the gun, you could be using a reducer that is to fast for the temp you are painting in

Many things effect the overall finish. what kind of paint did you use?,, did you mix brands (PPG, Dupont, etc)?

As far as the scratches,,, do as the other suggested,, color sand. Use 400-600 grit for a faster cutting action,, if necissary,,, shoot another color coat. If you are clear coating,,, don't worry about what the base color looks like(base color is flat anyways),,, the clear brings out the color in the end

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I used PPG Midnight Black MAE Acrylic Enamel with MR186 reducer and MH101 hardener and mixed it 8:1:1
I have a 60 gal. 6.5hp air compressor with 11.7 and 10.3 cfm so that should be plenty.

 

Orange peel will come out by wetsanding and buffing. Visible sand scratches won't.

I've never used a cheap gun, and although it would have nothing to do with scratches, it can have a lot to do with how well the paint flows. A good HVLP gun can run you near $500.

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Wet sanding with what grit? Thanks.

 

Usually spoilers, hoods, even kit cars give you the impression they are either ready to paint or just sand and paint but they are a little rougher than that. The correct steps for a pro job (simplified) would be.

1. Block Sand ~ 320/400 ~ for deep scratches.
2. Prime to fill minor scratches wetsand 400/600.
3. Spray sealer to prevent bleedthrough ~ this is the step most non-bodyshop people leave out.
4. Basecoat ~ 2 coats.
5. Clearcoat ~ 3 coats.
6. Wetsand at 1200 to level clearcoat.
7. Buff ~ 3M Perfect It Rubbing Compound @ 2000 ~ 3000 RPM with lambs wool pad.
8. Buff ~ 3M Perfect It Machine Glaze with foam pad at 1800 RPM.
9. Finish with hand glaze or thin wax.

For this reason you might consider taking the piece to a bodyshop and get a quote. We do a lot of small components because it actually cost less to get a pro job than it does to do it yourself.

Why?

Just yesterday a paint shop tried to sell us a quart of paint whereas we only needed a pint to finish the job. We know that, most do-it-yourselfers don't.

With sandpaper/primer/sealer/basecoat/clearcoat, and by the time the paintstore "oversells" you just a little bit, you could easily wind up with $200.00 in professional supplies.

THEN:
Buffer ~ 200.00 (if you buy one)
Lambwool Pad ~ 22.00
Foam Pad ~ 24.00 (pack of two)
Backing Pad ~ 32.00
Compound ~ 14.00
Machine Glaze ~ 20.00
Cleanup Thinner ~ 5.00

See what's happening here? Also you shouldn't shoot your primer/sealer and basecoat/clearcoat with the same gun. AND you use a different nozzle for primer sealer and basecoat clearcoat. So there you could wrap up much more in doing it right and having two guns. I'm thinking (I have to check) that you are using a primer nozzle. You should be shooting at a distance of 10~12 inches.

When someone takes a part like this to our bodyshop we are going to:

1. Buy the exact amount of paint supplies.
2. Use a couple of pieces of sandpaper in stock ~ no charge.
3. Have the right guns ~ high quality.
4. Have the buffer.
5. Use a few squirts of compound and glaze.
6. Have the pads.
7. Guarantee that the job matches and is done right for far less money than you could pull it off yourself for.

If you have an upcoming car painting project or two it is worth it to buy your own semi-pro equipment and take the time to do it yourself. A show quality paint job can run $2500.00 to $4000.00 the chemicals and supplies alone can run $500.00 to $800.00 for the "good stuff". So if you have a car project or two that need a "complete" you can pay for your equipment by doing it yourself.

Sorry for the long post but maybe it will help you and others know what's "really" involved. It will surprise you.....I know it did me.

best,

 

I agree with you, but if he does it right in the first few tries (he has enough paint to) he will have teh EXPERIENCE of how to paint something..... After he paints a few things he will also have saved up a lot of tools that you need and this will drastically reduce the cost to paint stuff thus getting his stuff painted for a drastically cheaper price!

 

Well, I am planning to paint my car. I can see painting isn't something you can just breeze through. I have created many more hours of work for myself. But if I don't learn the hard way, how else am I gonna learn? Sure takes a long time to sand new paint down to the scratches. I know the tools are expensive and so is paint. I just bought an air compressor so I better make good use out of it. And you can't have too many tools.
I'm new at this, but I ain't gonna give up. I was a bit dicouraged/pissed after I painted it, but oh well. Thanks for all the suggestions. Keep them comming.

Brad...

 

Well...that's a great attitude to keep.

Save up some bucks and get you an extra HVLP gun. I will get the nozzle sizes for you. You need one for primer/sealer and one for basecoat/clearcoat.

Also in the very near future I will be posting some down home basics on how to get a good paint job for the do-it-yourselfer.

Watch for it here under the tips section:

http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/

When you paint your car yourself you WILL take better care of the paint......LOL and it will give you a skill no one can take away and who knows you might even wind up painting some of your buddies cars and recoup your tool cost.

 

For all the things I've collected so far for doing paint jobs, all I need is a paint booth LOL. Got a primer gun, 400 dollar HVLP, DA sander, blocks, grinder, buffer and some other little bits and pieces. It's a good thing a guy just down the road rents his booth out

"When you paint your car yourself you WILL take better care of the paint......LOL and it will give you a skill no one can take away and who knows you might even wind up painting some of your buddies cars and recoup your tool cost."

So true, the HVLP gun was paid for on the first job I used it on.

 

Well I made another mistake. I took back my POS HVLP gun and got another POS gun that isn't HVLP with a .83 nozzle. Damn it. I hate returning ****. Well I got it ready to paint again. Gonna do it in the morning.

 

That new gun I bought works great. Much better than the HVLP and doesn't fill my garage with fumes like the HVLP gun.
I love this gun. Paints great. And for $29. Can't beat it. I have less **** floating in the air than useing spray cans.

 

ImportsRSloths, you work at maaco? How much would they charge me to sand and respray my two bumpers on my Firebird? The front is flaking and the rear is cracked.

I'd want them to paint it a few times (as not to show through) and a clearcoat or two. What would be the total?

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