I was thinking about painting my car. Yes I am going to stay with the same color but I was going to throw some metalic or pearl into it. The color of my car is black. If i dont have to sand down to bare metal what do i have to do to complete this process?
alright, u are going to get flames, beware. I can honestly say, im 16 years old and i HAVE painted cars before, my dad owns a 80x50 shop, and he is very mechanically inclined, he has taught me everything i know, so i DO know how the paint process works. number 1, u dont know how to paint, it isnt something you can pick up and do it well the first time, trust me, the first car i painted on my own with no teaching from my dad, granted i DID know a little more about it than u will obviously, i knew the steps and everything, but my friend let me paint his buick bright blaze orange, it was a @!#$ty @!#$ty paintjob, the primer had quite a few runs in it, so that is when my dad came out and we sanded the runs off and he showed me the correct way to handle the gun, it didnt turn out all taht bad, but u WILL not beable to paint, and make it look nice, especially on ur good car. number 2, if u dont know taht u have to sand it down to paint it, then, im not even gonna comment. but now since this is a place where people come to get answers, i will help you out. But please, dont paint this car on ur own, let a body shop do it, unless it is a piece of @!#$ and it is going into a demolition derby, but i havent heard of too many cavys in a demo so i doubt it. but anyway, u HAVE to sand it down or the paint will chip off in a couple months, if it lasts that long. u have to sand it down to take the shine out of the paint, u dont need to go to bare metal, trust me, i have done this before, it takes forever, and that was even with 2 DA sanders going. Just take off the first couple coats to get a dull look. Make sure u mask EVERYTHING that you dont want painted, because trust me, i dont care if it is around 30 corners, and it is pitch black where the spot is, paint will still find its way in there, it gets everywhere. and i hope you are priming it first. it goes, sand, mask(covering), wipe whole car with paint thinner, primer, sand, first coat, sand, 2nd coat, sand, blah blah blah, then clear clear and sand again(very very very fine tho), and perferably wet sand, but that is jsut the basics, and if u dont believe me how hard it is spray without runs, trust me, i garuntee within the first 45 seconds u have runs that u wont even begin to try and fix without a whole redue. Im sry if i offend you, but i was once liek you, and all i wanted to do is paint, and i had no clue the amount of work, time, and skill it takes to pull it off nicely, maybe ill go see my friend and see if he has any pics of his blaze orange buick, it was kick ass, untill he totaled it by hitting a caddy(old lady)
Well you do have some good advise, however i have worked in a body shop before. I guess what i was asking origonally do i have to sand the car down to bare metal to give it the best look? I know I can paint over the current color, I wasnt to sure of the order of the sanding priming and spraying process though (it has been a while).
you don't have to sand it down to bare metal... sand the clear coat off and get it to either primer or base coat. then shoot your primer and go from there.
at least that's from what i've read.
correct^^^^ u just dont want to shoot it over the top or clear layers, sanding off the top few layers to get a dull colored color is fine to spray primer on, then make sure u sand it after that, and it will be good as new, but really, i have painted equiptment for my dad(he owns a large excavating buisness), trailors, other cars that people have trusted me with(obviously not good cars), and i would NEVER paint my own good car. Let a body shop do it, unless you feel like spending HUGE i mean HUGE amounts of time on it and making it look as good as possible. I mean, a body shop can do it in such less time, and do a nice job, and if u worked in a body shop b4, just take it down there, shouldnt they do it for cost for you?, atleast a discount?
ok, heres a real simple answer to a real simple question.
No, you dont need to sand down to bare metal, assuming your car is nice and straight with little to no dings you can just rough it up with somethin mild 180 or 220 will probably do the trick and be alittle faster if you want to be real careful and take your time get 320 you'll need it after primer anyway, get a good high grade primer dont crimp on supplies you'll regret it later. if youve been in a body shop you know the process, the look your going for is a consistent dulled look to the paint, DO NOT USE A DA OR A GRINDER ON YOUR HOOD, hoods are thin pressed metal they will buckle and warp like crazy if you get ANY HEAT AT ALL IN THEM SO DO NOT USE A DA it'll have more ripples than a tin roof, use a high grade stripper or a sanding block and be careful dont use pressure or its gonna be bad.
Now if you've used a paint gun before your a step ahead if you havent then find a peice of wood or old metal and practice a bit, your gun needs a regulator on the line, you should also have a rather large capacity otherwise your gonna be makin lots of refill trips, set your regulator to whatever your paint recommends from what i've seen its usually around 40 or 45 psi, put your pinky on the surface your going to paint now spread your fingers as wide apart as you can get them and set the spray nozzle on the gun against your out stretched thumb, this should be about 8 to 10 inches which is just about perfect, keep your gun level and spray long lines with the nozzle always facing the surface at a straight on shot.
Now i will warn you, metal flakes and pearls are a pain in the A#$ to spray properly, find a good painter and let them spray your final color if you choose to use these unless you have experience with these kinds of paints, its more an art than a science to spraying a metallic color as the flakes can and will bunch up and tiger stripe very easily, or they will all clump together in weird patterns if you dont spray it all right.
Now as for runs, runs are not something to fear, there are several tricks you can use to get rid of a run, first depending on the run, you can use a peice of maskin tape, rip a peice of tape long enough that you can get both hands on it and drop the middle on the run without touching the paint, the tape pulls the run off the panel, next spray back over it till the mark is gone, also if its an edge you can paint the run off, this one takes some talent and practice, when you get a big run or a sag in your paint spray right below it and over it nice big heavy passes this will create a layer that the run will go thru and will fall right off the panel leaving a perfectly smooth panel behind. now before i get any that wont work comments, save it i know a pro body guy down here i've seen it all done before and more, i've also used these tricks myself so i know they work
good luck with the car and post pics man.
J~
ok here is my advice from a BODY FENDER TECH
first step would be to tear the whole car apart everything all moldings door handels bumpers lights so on and so on
if you have any dents chips scratches fix all body work
then i would D.A. the whole car with 180 then 320 or you can wet sand with 400 then 600 then go over the car with a red scuff pad to get any shinny spots you might have missed
now you seal the spots that you broke through sanding i highly recommend sealing the whole car only because the base coat will stickbetter with sealer
there is no need to sand sealer sealer is made not to sand it`s made to promote adheshion to metal and prevent rust
when you have the base on if you see any imperections then go ahead and sand out the inperfections re-base the car tack off the base coat between coats
we all have our own way of painting
wash the whole car with soapy water blow it off then mask it off
DO NOT USE LAQUER THINNER OVER THE WHOLE CAR
only small spots so tape will stick
i have done cars with black base coat and put purple pearl on top of it and it gives a violet look pearl metallic is easy to spray custom paint is a gift and a talent that can be taught but if ya don`t got the talent it will take that much onger to learn
hope that helped
can i haz bondo
^^^^^^ He is right just make sure u fix all ur dent first and make sure u pop them out as much as u can. Try to use a little body filler because if u have dings on ur door and u fill them and some one dings u again man ur car gonna look ugly. and u should go with a blue pearl that would look nice with a little mettallic.
big daddy wrote:ok here is my advice from a BODY FENDER TECH
first step would be to tear the whole car apart everything all moldings door handels bumpers lights so on and so on
if you have any dents chips scratches fix all body work
then i would D.A. the whole car with 180 then 320 or you can wet sand with 400 then 600 then go over the car with a red scuff pad to get any shinny spots you might have missed
now you seal the spots that you broke through sanding i highly recommend sealing the whole car only because the base coat will stickbetter with sealer
there is no need to sand sealer sealer is made not to sand it`s made to promote adheshion to metal and prevent rust
when you have the base on if you see any imperections then go ahead and sand out the inperfections re-base the car tack off the base coat between coats
we all have our own way of painting
wash the whole car with soapy water blow it off then mask it off
DO NOT USE LAQUER THINNER OVER THE WHOLE CAR
only small spots so tape will stick
i have done cars with black base coat and put purple pearl on top of it and it gives a violet look pearl metallic is easy to spray custom paint is a gift and a talent that can be taught but if ya don`t got the talent it will take that much onger to learn
hope that helped
^^^^^^ Listen to this guy
ya i gotta say that big daddy sumed that up pretty good. As i tell anyone that has an issue with the info or punctual skills presented in my posts. 1 its my opinion based to the best of my knowledge offered as free advice for you to do what you want with, 2 blame public education and bitter old washed up teachers.
J~
Just an FYI though... you do NOT need to prime everytime you paint a car. Primer is used as a scratch filler primarily... the next step after body filler, or bare metal or plastic. It is not necessary if you're just painting over a color.
However, if you ever plan on painting you car again in the future, I'd recommend taking it down as close to bare metal as possible. The thicker your paint builds up, the better chance you have of cracks in the paint and "spider webs". Any paint thickness over 7 microns, the thicker you get the better chance you have of the above happening.
We need an edit button...
Also... I highly recommend when adding pearls or metallics to paint, that you add them in the base color and not add them in the clear, unless you're thoroughly trained to do so.
actually over black, pearl should be added in very small quantitiys in a midcoat binder/clear depending on the paint system...
depending on the body work needed spot prime those ares with a hugh build surfacer primer, then wetsand the whole car (grit will depend on the paint system) and then seal the whole car with a primer sealer, or if your black base is in good enough shape just spot in the color.. . thats a big BIG IF...
shoot your pearl midcoat, and clear...
but as the others said... if you havent done this before... its not something you just learn in a day...
i had three years of voc school for body work, i do side work at a shop when the guy needs help, and i worked for an automotive paint supplier for almost three years and i still dont know everything....
NOTE.. i did not by any means give you every step on how yo paint your car, things like wax and grease removers, spray guns, sandidn teq. etc etc.. would take days to type..
i would say pick up a book but there mostly outdated
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The reason I said to add it in the base is for people with very little to no painting experience. It does take YEARS of training for auto body/repair... and it's a field that changes almost constantly so you're always learning things. Heck my old boss who taught me everything knows still learns new things and he's been doing this for over 30 years!!!
The inexperienced people should stick to doing things the simpler way until they really get some experience under their belts or go to school and take some serious classes. (By serious I mean A LOT)
Not disagreeing Andy, just explaining why I said that
screw that don`t waste your money goin to school i never went to a school to learn body work
i went to college to get ase certified but that`s about it
i was taught by a old grumpy guy that at the time i was lucky enough to have caught him in a teaching mood
you will learn this trade faster with hands on experience in a body shop not in a school
painting he told me here is how you mix it put his gun on the table and said paint the car
all the custom work again lucky enough to have had him as a teacher
you will not pick up all the little in`s and out`s of this trade in a school you want to learn my trade so bad take your ass to a body shop that is willing to take you in and push a broom and wash cars for a year or 2
and maybe you might get lucky enough to be taught this dyin trade
can i haz bondo
Not many places do that though... most people have to go to school for it. It's not all bookwork... they do TONS Of hands on after SOME bookwork...
If you're not lucky enough to be able to have someoen teach you like you or I... then you must go to school to learn..
what would it cost roughly to get the car repainted at a decent shop? I have a gold car and i would repaint it gold. I was thinking of adding a gold flake or something in it to make it metalic and shiny... I could probably do some of the prep work, i dont know about fixing dings though.
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98' Pontiac Sunfire SE
Fst Cavy wrote:alright, u are going to get flames, beware. I can honestly say, im 16 years old and i HAVE painted cars before, my dad owns a 80x50 shop, and he is very mechanically inclined, he has taught me everything i know, so i DO know how the paint process works. number 1, u dont know how to paint, it isnt something you can pick up and do it well the first time, trust me, the first car i painted on my own with no teaching from my dad, granted i DID know a little more about it than u will obviously, i knew the steps and everything, but my friend let me paint his buick bright blaze orange, it was a @!#$ty @!#$ty paintjob, the primer had quite a few runs in it, so that is when my dad came out and we sanded the runs off and he showed me the correct way to handle the gun, it didnt turn out all taht bad, but u WILL not beable to paint, and make it look nice, especially on ur good car. number 2, if u dont know taht u have to sand it down to paint it, then, im not even gonna comment. but now since this is a place where people come to get answers, i will help you out. But please, dont paint this car on ur own, let a body shop do it, unless it is a piece of @!#$ and it is going into a demolition derby, but i havent heard of too many cavys in a demo so i doubt it. but anyway, u HAVE to sand it down or the paint will chip off in a couple months, if it lasts that long. u have to sand it down to take the shine out of the paint, u dont need to go to bare metal, trust me, i have done this before, it takes forever, and that was even with 2 DA sanders going. Just take off the first couple coats to get a dull look. Make sure u mask EVERYTHING that you dont want painted, because trust me, i dont care if it is around 30 corners, and it is pitch black where the spot is, paint will still find its way in there, it gets everywhere. and i hope you are priming it first. it goes, sand, mask(covering), wipe whole car with paint thinner, primer, sand, first coat, sand, 2nd coat, sand, blah blah blah, then clear clear and sand again(very very very fine tho), and perferably wet sand, but that is jsut the basics, and if u dont believe me how hard it is spray without runs, trust me, i garuntee within the first 45 seconds u have runs that u wont even begin to try and fix without a whole redue. Im sry if i offend you, but i was once liek you, and all i wanted to do is paint, and i had no clue the amount of work, time, and skill it takes to pull it off nicely, maybe ill go see my friend and see if he has any pics of his blaze orange buick, it was kick ass, untill he totaled it by hitting a caddy(old lady)
Why you gotta be an arse about it! He wasn't stating he knows what to do, he wanted to know WHAT to do! He's not gonna get flamed! You could of worded it a little different!
this is coming from BIG MOMMA SPRAY TECH -
yeh between fallenangel and big daddy.. woot woot... i like to get you two to just come do my car so i can kick back and laugh about ya'lls conversations..
the one thing i didn't agree with..
use paint thinner before you paint.. OH MY WORD.. DONT EVVVVER DO THIS or your screwed...
use a wax/grease precleaner beforehand.. always tack clothe before n after..
but the mosttttt importante thing.. if your shooting dupont imron or hok urethanes with a catalyst.. it will do you some good to read up on iso's in the catalyst.. or your fried.
i'd seen some guy spraying paint using HOK clears... on the board, he had a painter suit, face sock, half respirator.. ok if vapors/chemicals goes thru your tear ducts because they are one of the most absorbance membranes... than why the heck not wear tight sealed eye goggles to go with those repirators...
better yet if you dont protect your immune system from those chemicals.. its best just to spray w/o a dang repirator.. cause your not savin your life if you dont "FULLY" protect yourself.. im only saying this cause im on another forum.. custom painting.. theres alot of talk about iso's in cataylst and 90% dont know what the heck iso's are to begin with..
anyways i had to vent on that.... but yeh.. if you want to learn how to paint, spray a solid color, then get into the pearls/ flakes and the clears/marblizing n etc...
heres my spring project.. similar to your idea.. BUT i'd done quick a bit - painting n plenty of pinstriping freehanded--
i have a black car, i've halfway sanded mine down.. got to finish the sanding part first.. then im putting my primer for my spot repairs, then hok sealer, black.. remind you its a black black color...intercoat clear with hok ice pearls, do a mural on the back (white with cobalt candy n other colors, come back with my hok urethane clear over the whole car- cut n buff
now if you want a list of the step by steps.. go on over to layitlow.com search the paint/body forum, theres aloooot of pages to look through, but "estilo cc" has alot of step by step instructions... they are done right, i talk to this guy alot, he knows his custom stuff.. n knows what will work n what not... so go on over there n search.. u mite have to register but i think you can view w/o registering...
but if you want to learn about pearls n flakes n all of that custom stuff.. go on over there.
im also over there, myself
<img src="http://registry.gmenthusiast.com/images/its2nv4/achop.jpg">
btw im not a big momma.. heck i think half the time big momma's gets more action than us skinny chics does.. but thats not the topic,
i had my daddy part ways teach me how to paint.. mainly cause theres no schools around here that teaches about painting.. the other half.. i did my own studing and experimenting out in the shop, other times i have certain guys on the internet that i go for advice.. some are elite and some are painters in their shops, but they will fill me in on pointers and i go n try it out myself over n over until i catch on...
sometimes .. well im from the country and the only way your going to do it, is get you a gun and go shoot the thing yourself.. i mean spray the thing.. you have to teach your hand the spraying distance for different paints from primers to flake coats to etc..
theres a difference in spraying paint, than body work to prepping the car.. find which way is the best for you..
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big daddy...imstarting to get sick of your holyer than thou attitude....
i tought myself everything i know too... voed was a wayforme tomake money off my friends...
but i did learn some things, and im sure the little thingsmost people never even heard of are learned there.....
i;m really hoping you start producing some pictures of things you have done.. cause this is the third half explained "just do it" post ive seen this week...
just stfu andquit trying to talk people into things they arent ready for...
idont want them ruining there car...especialy at your risk...
fallen angel, i wasnt arguing with you, just from my experiance from the automotive paint supplier i worked for i know black will jsut turn dark shades of colors if you add the pearl into it... most people go a lil overboard with black....
and end up making dark blue instead of black with blue pearl.... (just a example)
at least the midcoat way they can see what there doing....
but then you get into mil thickness, and durability and coverage bla blabla... yeah its alota work
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AWWWWWWWWWWW to bad i am the way i am because i am good at building cars
and what i give my PROFFESIONAL advice and i have a holier than thou attitude huh???...lol......and like your posts are so imfomative right???
you see my work on my boss nova wagon that`s all i have nothing to prove to any one on here
i came on here to help and give my advice, don`t think sone becasue you work in a paint supplier store your a body man or a custom body man don`t think so
yeh between fallenangel and big daddy.. woot woot... i like to get you two to just come do my car so i can kick back and laugh about ya'lls conversations..
wtf!!?!?!?!
and it`s just like i figured out all kids and won`t listen to the voice of experience at all
so if your done i am done discussing anything more with a KID
can i haz bondo
Andy Brooks> Oh I wasn't saying you were arguing with me or nothing, I apologize if it came off that way. I was just explaining my opinion that's all!
It's all good. You do have a point in people tanding to go overboard with black though. I think it would be much easier if people took the time to learn all the ropes and do's and don'ts before taking on such a large task. Have a wonderful weekend!
