Practicing spray painting…?

[The Z'eer]

would you not agree that its not really for practice /learning...as in you wouldnt spray some paper then take it outside and admire what a great finish it is and that you can now paint ? more for confirming 'yes the gun sprays well'

i think he needs to practice on actual stuff not a sheet of paper

o.p do you have heat....remember its panel temp thats more important than air temp....can take forever to warm a panel on a cold day

I don’t have heat I’m afraid and yes, perhaps not the ideal time of year to be doing this. The booth will be drawing in filtered but not dehumidified air.

I could leave the panels indoors overnight before painting, an ambient temperature of 20 celcius

 

[ajlelectronics]

I don’t have heat I’m afraid and yes, perhaps not the ideal time of year to be doing this. The booth will be drawing in filtered but not dehumidified air.

It will give you a valuable lesson about microblistering at least. :-)

 

[The Z'eer]

It will give you a valuable lesson about microblistering at least. :-)

I’m not so sure I’m that keen on the idea of this. What might be the cause of this micro blistering?

 

[ajlelectronics]

I’m not so sure I’m that keen on the idea of this. What might be the cause of this micro blistering?

Moisture. In the airlines and in the air that condenses onto cooler surfaces, like your panels.

 

[The Z'eer]

Moisture. In the airlines and in the air that condenses onto cooler surfaces, like your panels.

They’re won’t be any moisture in the air lines, several meters of dog legged copper pipe and two inline filters prevent that.

it’s the outside non dehumidified air that’s being drawn into the booth that I’ve no control over.

 

[ajlelectronics]

They’re won’t be any moisture in the air lines, several meters of dog legged copper pipe and two inline filters prevent that.

it’s the outside non dehumidified air that’s being drawn into the booth that I’ve no control over.

As I said, you have some valuable learning coming up. ;-)

 

[tougerunner]

On the side of heating one of the little 230v heaters they use for drying plaster out would help to heat the room, the fans ant very strong so blowing dust around isnt much of a issue and won’t coat the element in paint
May find it could help to shut your extraction off once the fumes clear to allow the room to warm back up and help the panels flash off before applying the next coat.

 

[MetalMonkey]

Personally I would only spray on some paper to just check the fan pattern is even and adjusted correctly. Getting the right coverage is as much about feel as it is about gun settings.
I'd say it is an art more than it is a science - you could mix two identical batches of paint on different days and they will spray differently, there are so many factors in play you need to be able to adjust on the fly.

Practicing on scrap panels isn't a bad idea if you have never sprayed, but I found when I was starting out I'd either not really be putting 100% in to it because I knew it was just a scrap panel, or I'd make a lovely job on a test piece and then proceed to make a hash of the actual panel.
Another option is to find some things around the workshop you may want painted (cabinets, tool chests etc) and have a bash at those where the finish doesn't have to be perfect but at least you end up with something.
Perhaps there are some small brackets or components you want body coloured but aren't really seen. That would also be a good option.

In the end there is really no substitute for actually painting on a finished project and messing it up. And you will. Many times. It happens to everybody.
Part of that learning process is knowing how to deal with it and how to fix it.

So for that reason my two pence would be that, once you have practised and are feeling relatively confident and you are ready to spray on the proper job - choose an easy panel to start with, something fairly flat and one that you can easily sand back down.
That way should you make a mistake you won't have to spend a huge amount of time correcting it.

To start with I would say just concentrate on being consistent in your speed of travel, distance from the work and overlap, if you can get that down right the rest will follow.

 

[The Z'eer]

Personally I would only spray on some paper to just check the fan pattern is even and adjusted correctly. Getting the right coverage is as much about feel as it is about gun settings.
I'd say it is an art more than it is a science - you could mix two identical batches of paint on different days and they will spray differently, there are so many factors in play you need to be able to adjust on the fly.

Practicing on scrap panels isn't a bad idea if you have never sprayed, but I found when I was starting out I'd either not really be putting 100% in to it because I knew it was just a scrap panel, or I'd make a lovely job on a test piece and then proceed to make a hash of the actual panel.
Another option is to find some things around the workshop you may want painted (cabinets, tool chests etc) and have a bash at those where the finish doesn't have to be perfect but at least you end up with something.
Perhaps there are some small brackets or components you want body coloured but aren't really seen. That would also be a good option.

In the end there is really no substitute for actually painting on a finished project and messing it up. And you will. Many times. It happens to everybody.
Part of that learning process is knowing how to deal with it and how to fix it.

So for that reason my two pence would be that, once you have practised and are feeling relatively confident and you are ready to spray on the proper job - choose an easy panel to start with, something fairly flat and one that you can easily sand back down.
That way should you make a mistake you won't have to spend a huge amount of time correcting it.

To start with I would say just concentrate on being consistent in your speed of travel, distance from the work and overlap, if you can get that down right the rest will follow.

That’s some very valuable information there, appreciated Unfortunately there’s nothing such as cabinets, containers or other units in the workshop that I’m looking to paint. Admittedly there are some items such as suspension components and other underbody items but most of the practice is gonna come from painting body panels.

im anticipating a fair amount of mistakes and hopefully they’ll appear in the initial stages and not plague me forever more. I’m trying to gather as much knowledge via YouTube and here.

 

[Myles1970]

How about starting with areas that won't be as prominent when the car's finished? The underside, engine bay, interior & door shuts..... underneath the boot/bonnet (oh, it's a Camaro? Trunk/hood).... There's plenty that needs painting that would give you some experience before tackling the bonnet & roof

 

[Ali]

Camaro…

Have I missed a thread? If not…some pics?

 

[stuvy]

That’s some very valuable information there, appreciated Unfortunately there’s nothing such as cabinets, containers or other units in the workshop that I’m looking to paint. Admittedly there are some items such as suspension components and other underbody items but most of the practice is gonna come from painting body panels.

im anticipating a fair amount of mistakes and hopefully they’ll appear in the initial stages and not plague me forever more. I’m trying to gather as much knowledge via YouTube and here.

look for chassis black

paint all your suspension parts with your gun and if you can do all the hard shapes with no runs your really getting there

 

[Edward Teach]

Find your local Auto Body Paint Supply shop/store/outlet
They will be able to advise and supply what you need.
You don't always need 3M or all the top brands,
And a side note concerning masking tape, don't leave it on too long, more than a day can cause it to be a pain to remove, it leaves the glue behind.

 

[steveo3002]

I don’t have heat I’m afraid and yes, perhaps not the ideal time of year to be doing this. The booth will be drawing in filtered but not dehumidified air.

I could leave the panels indoors overnight before painting, an ambient temperature of 20 celcius

invest in some form of heating then , would be mad trying to paint in these cool damp temps

 

[steveo3002]

are you needing to fix dents and rust too or just a straight up paint job ?

if you mess it up it all sands off anyway

 

[The Z'eer]

Have I missed a thread? If not…some pics?

I don’t think she’d like any pictures of geese right now in the naked and desheveled she’s in. It’s an ‘81 Z28

 

[The Z'eer]

look for chassis black

paint all your suspension parts with your gun and if you can do all the hard shapes with no runs your really getting there

Ok, I guess that’s a sort of test to see how the skills are developing

 

[The Z'eer]

invest in some form of heating then , would be mad trying to paint in these cool damp temps

What about rapid hardener/accelerator ? Perhaps an idea to use this in these conditions?

I can warm/dehumidify the area the panels where they cure.

 

[The Z'eer]

are you needing to fix dents and rust too or just a straight up paint job ?

if you mess it up it all sands off anyway

Hmmm, who knows how much filler/corrosion I’ll find when address the actual body panels. There are some imperfections that require addressing, the odd dent which I appreciate requires more knowledge for an amateur to rectify on top of learning to paint.

 

[steveo3002]

What about rapid hardener/accelerator ? Perhaps an idea to use this in these conditions?

I can warm/dehumidify the area the panels where they cure.

yes you need the correct hardener for the conditions

tech sheet will say required air and panel temps , as long as you can meet those requirements it should be okay..might cool down rapidly once you have the fans on ?