Im just curious what people use for a paint guy. I just started collision repair and refinishing and purchased an Iwata Spray Gun at the recomendation of my teachers and other auto body guru's, just curious what else everyone uses. I'd also like recomendations on what other auto body products you use, i know we use the PPG Deltron 2000 paint system, but curious what everyone else prefers.

 

Like everything else I do/have, my paint guns can be called "old school".
They are all DeVilbiss guns. At least 20 years old!

The one in the front, is my primer gun,
then the guns in the back, from right to left are my, solid color gun, metallic color gun, and the clear gun.

They are all Model JGA-502s, except the clear gun, which is a Type- MBC.

I learned years ago, that it is a safe bet to have a gun for every different type of paint, JUST in case, the guns aren't as clean as you think they are

I've seen where a guy tried to clear a solid red GTA, with a gun he just got done shooting a metallic base coat with! Needlessly to say, but the GTA got an added "sparkle", and had to be reshot!

Leon.

 

i do at the moment have a primer gun and paint gun, but cant afford any more.

 

all of my guns are sata- klc, jet 90, rp. i have used an iwata before.lph400 i think. nice gun with a good pattern.

 

i believe thats the Iwata i got. havnt had a chance to use it yet, havnt done nothing but sit in the class room doing absolutly nothing.

 

as far as paint goes, all ive really sprayed is ppg. never had a problem with the old deltron 2000. dp epoxy primer is good, the k36 primer surfacer is too. color match is decent, some colors are transparent though. the last car i did i used the dbc basecoat and cheap dcb 100 blending clear. its like the old dcu2001 ppg used to make, before high solid clears that are used now

 

I don't get much chance to spray anymore...pushing paperwork and scheduling jobs, writing estimates. Doing the management thang.
When I started, The JGA 502 was THE GUN. props, TIN.
I moved into the 21st century as the times changed with base clear. My gun of choice was called the GEO FX 92. Smokin' patern, actually billed as an LVLP. You could get a factory finish with little to no effort at all.
Then moved to the all plastic Devilbiss OMX... dial-able from a .8 to 1.8 tip. Excellent gun, VERY high maintainance, always had to be spot on clean or else.
I lost touch when I got into management, but my guys all have been using SATA for quite a while. THEN comes this new kid, IWATA, I am very impressed. You have yourself an excellent gun. HUGE pattern, even and consistent all the way through. My brother-in-law bought one with a 1.3 tip that atomizes like no other. I had the pleasure of spraying with it on his motor home I helped him re-do.
Paint-wise I was trained PPG, (silver certified) and it's ok for the general populace and will hold up very well. But for my money and my committment to make each customers' job top notch quality, nothin' beats a european finish. They invented base clear and have been twenty steps ahead of us ever since. I've sprayed Akzo, ICI, (which was bought out by PPG), Dupont, PPG, Diamont, Acme, and many cheaper money saving brands. We use Standox, the colors are more brilliant, (closer to factory) and the clear is "water white". Pour a few ounces of any eruopean brand into a mix cup, (Standox, Akzo, Spies...), and next to that, pour a couple ounces of Deltron. You'll see the difference.
Good luck in your endeavors, It's a tough road, and a dying business, in which many young people stay away from. There are many rewards but few recognize what we do as a specialized field.