Spraying a car on the drive?

[Tom_M]

Hello everyone

Well I got my fiesta wing fitted and sprayed. Not a bad job apart from a little mismatch in the paint colour. Anyway, now I've got a taste for bigger things. So when I take the Astra off the road next month, I'd like to do it up as it's a very reliable and sturdy motor. The problem is that the only space I have to spray a full car is a driveway. Now I do have a lot of tubing which I intend to build a portable booth, covering it with polythene sheet. Obviously I wouldn't be using 2k, as I'm scared stiff of the stuff, plus I don't have the correct equipment to use it. The paint I'll use will be from Halfords, which i believe is acrylic? What do you think, is it possible to spray a car on a driveway, and is the paint from Halfords OK for the job? Any advice would be much appreciated.

Regards,
Tom

 

[the snooper]

do you intend to use a compressor if not it will be very expensive

 

[Justme]

The cold might be a problem too.

 

[steveo3002]

you wont do much of a job with aerosols

look into renting a decent compressor and gun , and get a couple of litres of decent paint

you will also need to wait until the warmer weather

 

[the snooper]

last time i used an acrylic aerosol from halfords to spray a sufolk punch petrol tank years ago the petrol ruined the paint dont know if its still the same

 

[Fazed]

last time i used an acrylic aerosol from halfords to spray a sufolk punch petrol tank years ago the petrol ruined the paint dont know if its still the same

It will do. It's not petrol resistant.
Halfords do petrol resistant lacquer specifically for fuel tanks

 

[jaykay]

to cold this time of year. find a proper paint supplier,will work out cheaper in the end.
and they know whay they are talking about.so can advise you.

 

[Tom_M]

Thanks everyone for your replys.

do you intend to use a compressor if not it will be very expensive

Yes, I have compressor, but it's only 25 litre's

The cold might be a problem too.

I'm hopping to do it in the summer, all being well.

you wont do much of a job with aerosols
look into renting a decent compressor and gun , and get a couple of litres of decent paint
you will also need to wait until the warmer weather

I was thinking that it might take a couple of litres

last time i used an acrylic aerosol from halfords to spray a sufolk punch petrol tank years ago the petrol ruined the paint dont know if its still the same

That doesn't sound very promising. Maybe I'll have to think again which paint to use.

It will do. It's not petrol resistant.
Halfords do petrol resistant lacquer specifically for fuel tanks

I did the wing on the fiesta with it, but I did give it a coat of clear lacquer (it's metalic), so hopefully that'll protect it?

to cold this time of year. find a proper paint supplier,will work out cheaper in the end.
and they know what they are talking about.so can advise you.

Yes, I think it might be better looking on the internet for paint.

What I'd like to do is build a canopy that would cover the whole car and cover it with either canvas or polythene sheet. Apart from spraying it would also serve to work on the car when the weather is bad. It's a right pain not having a garage, but there's not enough room to build one, and the misses refuses to move . The thing is, I just like messing with cars, so doing the Astra up would give me something to do. The fiesta is in good nick now so if I get rid of the Astra I'll have nothing to keep me occupied .

Thanks again everyone for your valuable advice,
Tom

 

[steveo3002]

while a small compressor isnt ideal , its still way nicer than a rattle can

you could do a couple of panels and wait for it and so on....would still be easier and better than cans

or rent a decent one for the weekend once its ready

 

[Tom_M]

Thanks for the reply

Actually I have two small compressors. One is only 12 litre and the other 24 - both 1.5hp. Now it does say that my spray gun - Clarke PGF14 spray gun needs a 3hp or higher. I guess it could be possible to use these compressors in parallel, to get the 3hp, or doesn't it work that way?

Regards,
Tom

 

[Chipper]

Important thing is the air requirements of the gun, spec says it wants 11cfm (which makes it borderline HVLP). Unfortunately no way will those comps give that much air, and the tiny tanks are no help either. I would guess around 7cfm when the operating bands between cutout/in pressures coincide.

If you linked them you might get enough to run a conventional gun with the right air needs, but the weeny tanks will empty pdq. More chance with a mini gun, but you'd prob want a panel at a time approach.

 

[tigler]

Basically a spray gun is just a big controlled air leak !! The more air you have the better. If the compressor is marginal the pressure will constantly fluctuate from the cut off to the cut in so the gun will never see optimum pressure. This means the consistency of the paint applied will also constantly vary.
Another problem application is sandblasting. A friend asked me to advise about and find a compressor for a media blasting cabinet he wanted to install in his restoration business.
After looking at his gun setup I said to provide continuous blasting without the compressor having to overwork he needed 150 CFM FAD. That is a big compressor !!
OK he said , so off I went to find a good used unit. Found a beauty of a screw unit , older Broomwade but well looked after and recently had an air end overhaul , new motor bearings , filters , etc etc. Told him the price and also the power consumption of the motor , 30KW !! The response was stuff that , the elec bills will be stupid !!
I told him that going smaller would mean the compressor couldnt keep up and the operator would keep having to wait for pressure to build , he said I was being to theoretical !!
So , he gave me a budget to look for another unit. Found an Atlas Copco , V Twin , 50 CFM that needed a bit of attention , motor was still 11KW though !!

Told him it wasn't big enough , it would be working flat out and the pressure would fall to the point that blasting would not be possible for so many mins per hour. It will be fine he said , get it. I did but told him it was his decision not mine !!
Helped him install it , with comments like , "this is massive , it will easily cope "
Well , it didn't and he still moaned about the running costs , he just didn't get the thing that to do a certain job with air you HAVE to have the correctly sized compressor !!

 

[Tom_M]

Thanks for the replies

Well it looks like I'll have to get a bigger compressor . One option I thought of is to convert a large propane bottle and buy a 3hp pump, with a motor. There's a gas depot near to where I live that seems to have a lot of bottles lying about. Maybe I could persuade them to sell me one if I slip them a few quid? Other that that, it looks like I'll have to save up for one.

Regards,
Tom

 

[tigler]

The receiver doesn't increase the air delivery of a compressor , once the pressure falls it's upto the pump itself.

 

[danelectro]

You need to know what the CFM is of the compressors really. The size of tank is irrelevant, it's the output of the pump thats important.

What compressors have you got (product names or numbers?)

 

[phasesonix]

You need to know what the CFM is of the compressors really. The size of tank is irrelevant, it's the output of the pump thats important.

What compressors have you got (product names or numbers?)

sealey make a small 50 litre 3Hp V twin compressor which will do nicely-they sell for about £75-£150 used.

the mixed paint halford sell in pots is nitro cellulose(not sure what their aerosols are)
Halfords prices for mixed paints are very high compared to other paint suppliers-type mixed paint in ebay and see what you get.

 

[Tom_M]

Thanks for all your reply's.

I'll have to save up and get a decent machine I guess.

Regards,
Tom

 

[Chipper]

You can always buy s/h and punt it on after for the same cost. Unless you plan doing more after. But it's a nice chunky cost saving, DIY painting a car, so you'll not lose anyway up...

 

[tigler]

Secondhand is the way to go. Get an older compressor , they are much better quality and will last forever on hobby use.

 

[pedrobedro]

The gun manual says it requires 11cfm but it also says between 20 and 50psi which a small compressor should manage in short bursts. You will have to stop and let it catch up every so often but if your thinners are not too fast it should be alright. Do a panel at a time and take your time.