Question for Cooperman
Discussion
Now then mate, D day is almost upon me and after long hours of prep work the mini is due to be sprayed this saturday (weather dependant) at home in the garage. I've got all the stuff you suggested for the spray and will stick to your instructions as I spray away in celly.
One last question though......
What size compressor should I get? what psi or hp should I be able to spray with. I know you siad about not spraying with too much pressure but am a little unsure as to what I can get away with.
Please advise oh oracle of knowledge.
Kev
One last question though......
What size compressor should I get? what psi or hp should I be able to spray with. I know you siad about not spraying with too much pressure but am a little unsure as to what I can get away with.
Please advise oh oracle of knowledge.
Kev
First of all, make sure you are spraying in a clean, dry and warm atmosphere. AS SD says, any dampness will cause 'blooming' with celulose.
As regards pressure, what you need is a good and stable volume of air at medium pressure. Too high a pressure and the paint will bounce of and give a lousy finish. My advice is to get as big a compressor as you can, with a water trap (most important) and have a practice on a spare piece of metal. You may be surprised at how low the pressure seems. Of course, some of it depends on the gun, the paint mix ratio, the type of paint being sprayed, so it's a question of practice.
One thing I must stress is to keep the gun clean, and I mean really clean, at all times. Make sure you set a broad 'fan' from the gun by adjusting the nozzle and clean it out frequently. By 'clean it out, I mean wash itm out with cheap thinners,mthen spray thinners out of the gun until it is absolutely clear I can't overstress this.
Have lots of mutton cloth ready for clean up of gun and wipe down of panels. Make sure you wipe each panel down with 'panel wipe' before spraying any coat and between primer & top coat once the paint is dry.
If it 'reticulates at all, stop at once and wait a couple of days for it to dry out. Then spray with 'Bar Coat' sealer, 2 coats and no rub-down, then spray a high-build primer, 2 coats, then only lightly rub down before applying top coat. Whatever you do don't rub through the hi-build primer or it may reticulate again.
I hope all this helps. Contact me if you need any more help.
I bloody hate spraying!!!
As regards pressure, what you need is a good and stable volume of air at medium pressure. Too high a pressure and the paint will bounce of and give a lousy finish. My advice is to get as big a compressor as you can, with a water trap (most important) and have a practice on a spare piece of metal. You may be surprised at how low the pressure seems. Of course, some of it depends on the gun, the paint mix ratio, the type of paint being sprayed, so it's a question of practice.
One thing I must stress is to keep the gun clean, and I mean really clean, at all times. Make sure you set a broad 'fan' from the gun by adjusting the nozzle and clean it out frequently. By 'clean it out, I mean wash itm out with cheap thinners,mthen spray thinners out of the gun until it is absolutely clear I can't overstress this.
Have lots of mutton cloth ready for clean up of gun and wipe down of panels. Make sure you wipe each panel down with 'panel wipe' before spraying any coat and between primer & top coat once the paint is dry.
If it 'reticulates at all, stop at once and wait a couple of days for it to dry out. Then spray with 'Bar Coat' sealer, 2 coats and no rub-down, then spray a high-build primer, 2 coats, then only lightly rub down before applying top coat. Whatever you do don't rub through the hi-build primer or it may reticulate again.
I hope all this helps. Contact me if you need any more help.
I bloody hate spraying!!!
Cheers Peter,
I've got your list and have got all the stuff ready to go. The car has had alot of prep time and should reflect it when sprayed. I have your instructions at hand and will follow them to the bone. Saturday is down as sunny and warm so fingers crossed it goes well. You've been a brilliant help........I'll let you know how it goes.
Kev
I've got your list and have got all the stuff ready to go. The car has had alot of prep time and should reflect it when sprayed. I have your instructions at hand and will follow them to the bone. Saturday is down as sunny and warm so fingers crossed it goes well. You've been a brilliant help........I'll let you know how it goes.
Kev
Just to add, Kev, that cellulose is very forgiving as a finish and if you do get a few small 'runs' (and you probably will- I always do) don't worry too much about rubbing them out between coats, just continue spraying, allowing time to dry between coats, then finally 'nib down' with very fine 'wet&dry'and a little soap and polish at the end once the paint has had a few days to harden off fully. When polished it will look just great. Hand polishing is fine and you can use a medium cutting compound , like Ferecla, then a 'hand glaze' polish before finally polishing with Autoglym. Your paint supplier will recommend his best fine rubbing compound, but don't use too much of it and go through the paint, which is easy to do, just let the paint harden fully before polishing.
Peter
Peter
Cooperman said:
Just to add, Kev, that cellulose is very forgiving as a finish and if you do get a few small 'runs' (and you probably will- I always do) don't worry too much about rubbing them out between coats, just continue spraying, allowing time to dry between coats, then finally 'nib down' with very fine 'wet&dry'and a little soap and polish at the end
Peter
Years ago (and far far away....) I tried, upon recommendation of a rallying friend, plant enamel, rather than celly, but tried to use it the same way.
Result: a Lancia Fulvia with more runs than London Marathon. Tried to flat them out and they would not go away. Still it ws a cheap car and looked better (from a distance) in red than doom blue1
The only time I use a synthetic paint is when I paint engines when I use the original BMC green in a synthetic brushing mix, or I spray it before starting an engine build.
The colour I have a problem with on engines is the later Rover red as on 1990 cars.
As you may know I build a lot of Mini engines, it's to be my retirement hobby-job, and this is the colour I can't seem to match. Not only is it a peculiar red, it's not a gloss paint either. I need a BS paint code for this if anyone can help. I used a tartan red synthetic on my 1991 rally engine and it looks great, but not original.
The colour I have a problem with on engines is the later Rover red as on 1990 cars.
As you may know I build a lot of Mini engines, it's to be my retirement hobby-job, and this is the colour I can't seem to match. Not only is it a peculiar red, it's not a gloss paint either. I need a BS paint code for this if anyone can help. I used a tartan red synthetic on my 1991 rally engine and it looks great, but not original.
Cooperman said:
So, how did the painting go? Is it all nice and shiny now?
S'funny, I was wonderingthat today too, whilst pedalling around on me postbike in the wind & rain.
ps, please dont ask me what's happening with mine, Carol King got the words of her song wrong......
"It might as well rain right through September"
ps the paint started reacting again too....
Aaarrrggggghhhhhh!
never mind, got me seats and wheels and new bonnet so it's like Christmas around here!
After partaking in the painting I now whole heartledly agree with you Pete - I BLOODY HATE SPRAYING.
I got up bright and breezy and full of expectation. Had all the things you told me to get all set out nicely and made sure everything was clean. Water trap at the ready and was absolutely revved up for it. It started off well and the first coat of Hi build went on no probs. After an hour I went to check it and it was fine. Then the second coat of Hi build went on and....the chuffing paint reticulated. Now I couldn't understand this because I'd already got a coat on but I followed your instructions and ran down to the local auto paint and sprayed the bar coat on. That sorted it out. I put two coats of 50/50 on then progressively got lower mixes and then finished with a 80/20 mix. The roof paint went on no probs and was easy and looks good. I still haven't buffed it back yet and compound and waxed it. That'll be tonight but looking at the car I reckon it should come up well (fingers crossed). As a first try I reckon I did a good job but am forever in your debt Peter, for all the info and help you've given me. If I hadn't had your lists I'd have got stuck so I owe you a big thank you.
Only problem I can see is the bonnet. It reticulated really badly and I rubbed it back and bar coated. The paint doesn't seem to have taken well to it at all. Its well covered but for some reason looks as if its been sprayed without prepping it. It a bit bumpy in spots but I'll have to make do.
I went through a roller coaster of emotions
Thanks again to everyone who chucked their two penneth in. I'll post a pic when I've waxed it and have it looking spangly.....
I got up bright and breezy and full of expectation. Had all the things you told me to get all set out nicely and made sure everything was clean. Water trap at the ready and was absolutely revved up for it. It started off well and the first coat of Hi build went on no probs. After an hour I went to check it and it was fine. Then the second coat of Hi build went on and....the chuffing paint reticulated. Now I couldn't understand this because I'd already got a coat on but I followed your instructions and ran down to the local auto paint and sprayed the bar coat on. That sorted it out. I put two coats of 50/50 on then progressively got lower mixes and then finished with a 80/20 mix. The roof paint went on no probs and was easy and looks good. I still haven't buffed it back yet and compound and waxed it. That'll be tonight but looking at the car I reckon it should come up well (fingers crossed). As a first try I reckon I did a good job but am forever in your debt Peter, for all the info and help you've given me. If I hadn't had your lists I'd have got stuck so I owe you a big thank you.
Only problem I can see is the bonnet. It reticulated really badly and I rubbed it back and bar coated. The paint doesn't seem to have taken well to it at all. Its well covered but for some reason looks as if its been sprayed without prepping it. It a bit bumpy in spots but I'll have to make do.
I went through a roller coaster of emotions
Thanks again to everyone who chucked their two penneth in. I'll post a pic when I've waxed it and have it looking spangly.....
I'm sure it'll look great when it's finished and polished properly. Remember, whatever you do don't buff through the topcoat. I did just that on a Mini Pick-Up I painted a few years ago and had to re-prep and re-paint one entire wing. it was my own fault, I just buffed too much, possibly before the paint had fully hardened.
Use hand soap, the sort that comes in the bottles with a push to squirt thingy on top, not washing-up liquid, with the 180 wet & dry.All you want to do is smooth out any little blemishes or mino runs. Any bigger runs use coarser w & d very carefully just on the runs, then finish with the 1800 grit and soap.
Use a fine polishing compound, your paint supplier will recommend a good one. Whatever you do don't use a coarse or highly abrasive rubbing compound. If you do you'll probably go right through the paint in at least one place. I prefer doing it manually rather than use a buffing wheel, but that's just a personal thing and others use power polishers very effectively.
Then a good quality wax, Autoglym or similar, to really bring up the gloss. Maybe leave it a week or so before final polishing, unless you need the car in a hurry.
I'm so glad it seems to have come good for you. Pity about the reticulation, but that happens often on older cars where the paint types are sometimes a bit strange.
Peter
Use a fine polishing compound, your paint supplier will recommend a good one. Whatever you do don't use a coarse or highly abrasive rubbing compound. If you do you'll probably go right through the paint in at least one place. I prefer doing it manually rather than use a buffing wheel, but that's just a personal thing and others use power polishers very effectively.
Then a good quality wax, Autoglym or similar, to really bring up the gloss. Maybe leave it a week or so before final polishing, unless you need the car in a hurry.
I'm so glad it seems to have come good for you. Pity about the reticulation, but that happens often on older cars where the paint types are sometimes a bit strange.
Peter
Maybe the only way to entirely eliminate reticulation is to strip it right back to bare metal with 'Nitromors', have the body sand-blasted, chrome-etch prime it, then finish it with normal hi-build primer and top-coat. However, even doing that I have seen a bit of reticulation deep in the body seam areas where the stripper/sand-blasting didn't get absolutely all of the old paint out. You only need to bar coat those specific areas then and can be sure that you won't have a problem.
I hate b****y spraying!
I hate b****y spraying!
Pesonally I like slightly warm water with some hand soap added. I don't use a sanding block for this, just light hand pressure so that I can 'feel' what's happening. The final 'nibbing down' is really just a light touch to remove any dust specs or minor irregularities before you polish.
Let's see a piccie of the finished result on here if you can,
Peter
Let's see a piccie of the finished result on here if you can,
Peter
Yes!!!
It's got a coat of paint.
It is not the best job I have ever done but at least it can progress.
Peter, when you say polishing compound, would you say T-Cut was too severe? Got a bit of "dry" paint on the roof and there are few marks under the paint which I failed to get out, after all the problems I had with old paint but it was a dry day and I took advantage. It's raining again now.....
Tony H
It's got a coat of paint.
It is not the best job I have ever done but at least it can progress.
Peter, when you say polishing compound, would you say T-Cut was too severe? Got a bit of "dry" paint on the roof and there are few marks under the paint which I failed to get out, after all the problems I had with old paint but it was a dry day and I took advantage. It's raining again now.....
Tony H
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