better spraying

[wes292]

hello all,
well to make a long story short i have been a full and part time body man and car restorer for over 18 years now.i like new technology and understand alot,and always open minded.that said,for the past year i have been getting more serious and i mean serious about my sprayng abilities on all types of paints.i mostly spray ppg and sherwin williams due to availabilities.were i am going with this is i cannot get any good sprayers to teach me advanced spraying techniques and i would like to shoot as even and as flat and clean as them.and no matter what i do if spraying a hole car or truck peal and dirt is always an issue.i know there is answers cause these guys do it.any good input anyone.
sincerely,wes

[Phil V]

What brand and model of spray gun do you use. What gun inlet air pressure do you shoot at ? Single stage or BC/CC ? Got more questions but that should get you started.

[wes292]

well i mostley shoot with my devilbiss finishline 1.3.about 18 psi inlet pressure on single stage and high solids clears.about 13-15 psi on basecoats.i have an older sharpe platinum 1.4 but i am having troubles mechanically with it.for my priming i use a transtar 1.4 and it works great.

[Len]

hello all,
well to make a long story short i have been a full and part time body man and car restorer for over 18 years now.i like new technology and understand alot,and always open minded.that said,for the past year i have been getting more serious and i mean serious about my sprayng abilities on all types of paints.i mostly spray ppg and sherwin williams due to availabilities.were i am going with this is i cannot get any good sprayers to teach me advanced spraying techniques and i would like to shoot as even and as flat and clean as them.and no matter what i do if spraying a hole car or truck peal and dirt is always an issue.i know there is answers cause these guys do it.any good input anyone.
sincerely,wes

While orange peel can be attributed to tools and technique the quality of your finish can also be effected by your prep work. Most dust nibs come from not cleaning the vehicle properly. While many people think there's some secrets to this process it's usually good prep work that will control many variables in the process of spraying.

Your question is so broad that it's quite difficult to answer but you may want to pick up a copy of the Spray Painting 101 Video in order to learn some of the basics. Once you have a good (educational) foundation in this process you can build on it to tweak your work. Just because you've been spraying cars doesn't mean much if they aren't coming out the way you want and the 101 video will pay for itself in the first job you do if you only learn one or two things from this two hour video.

As for dirt in the job you'll need to clean the car several times between the time the job is started and the time it's painted. The first cleaning (proper washing) should be done as the first step in the prep work and the last cleaning (tack cloth) is done just before you pick up the gun and start spraying. You also need to know how and when to use a blow gun, sponge and water or tack cloth.


http://www.autobodystore.com/images/101diskj.jpg
Spray Painting 101 Video Link (http://autobodystore.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=4VDO)

[Len]

well i mostley shoot with my devilbiss finishline 1.3.about 18 psi inlet pressure on single stage and high solids clears.about 13-15 psi on basecoats.i have an older sharpe platinum 1.4 but i am having troubles mechanically with it.for my priming i use a transtar 1.4 and it works great.

With the trigger pulled you should be reading about 23 to 30 PSI inlet pressure when using the Finishline 3 HVLP gun.

[wes292]

yes sir,
with all due respect i do wash,clean ,degrease and tack.this is what i am saying.and that is right i am being too broad here.welcome to obsessive compulsions.the inlet pressure is great news cause i have been told wrong.i do have a clean crossdraft booth i have built and used for the past year.(so you know what you are dealing with here.)what the myth of grounding?it doesn't seem practical but who knows.also i will look into the video.i don't have credit cards so i feel at a big disadvantage in that aspect of buying online.your opinions and experience is appreciated.

[Len]

How are you moving the air through the booth? How is the incoming air filtered? While your answers are important (I repeat) most dust will most likely come from the car itself because of the prep and not from the environment.

Important steps are....
Blowing out cracks after the body work is finished.
Solvent cleaning before you start the prep and before you tack the surface.
Tacking in one direction with a properly held cloth.
Prepping your paint suit before you start.
Wetting the floor without generating puddles.
Blowing off walls and work surfaces before the car is pulled in for painting.

I find that my work gets dirty when I'm in a hurry so I recommend that you slow down during the prep work and pay attention to little details like cleaning moldings, jambs, masking paper, etc., anywhere that will get hit with the blast of air from your gun and could have particles of dust hiding. Be sure that you use a "good" solvent cleaner/grease and wax remover, don't use lacquer thinner or enamel reducer. Spray on your solvent cleaner out of a pump sprayer (not a spray gun) then wipe it off with a CLEAN paper towel and only do 3 or 4 square feet at a time so the liquid won't evaporate before you wipe. Don't use the paper towels until they are wet, use them once then change to a new one, if you use an entire roll to do a car it's still cheap.

Scrub everything you can before you even start, old dirt clings to everything. Just because you may not be painting the jambs (or whatever) doesn't mean you can ignore them


28

[mr.kenny]

A lot of painters I know totally forget to tack off the masking paper; It just one of those things that is easy to overlook.
Also look at yourself as a lint & dust producer; & that filthy air hose that is getting dragged all over the place. Wheel wells & those tire covers also are usually filthy.
Just look at absolutely everything in the whole paint booth. A guy I learned from wanted his paint booth to be a clean sterile laboratory.

[Dennis N. Schmidt]

The air pressures you're using seem very low to me. The lowest gun pressure I've ever used is with my Iwata LPH-400Lv and this gun has the lowest pressure requirements of any that I'm aware of and this shoots clear at 20 PSIG with the trigger pulled. My SATA's and DeVilbiss guns use at least 30 PSIG. So, if you want the clear to lay out you're going to have to step up the air pressure somewhat.

[wes292]

wow guys now this is very pleasing to see and overwhelming at the same time.thankyou len you are a good man!and that goes for all of you.i have built a cross draft booth that seems to have a little down draft essence to it.the air in is filtered by of course furnace filters.i am not sure of the cfm's i am pulling hense i do not have a meter to gage it but could probably borrow one if you feel it necessary.the gun pressure issue is another matter and i cannot wait to try it at higher pressures to see what i can get out of this gun.i do not feel i need a high dollar one cause i don't do the volume i think it takes to justify spending i mean investing into a great gun.i do like the lvlp idea though.i hear iwatas are the stuff.any ways thankyou again i have alot to digest here.
wes