quiet this weekend

[BillKat]

The wagon looks very tidy. The ivory is very classy too. Did you paint the Fiat? Looks great. I haven't done a full car yet, done several bike pieces, strangely I find sanding quite therapeutic...

Gerry, only thing I'd say and without claiming to be an expert, is practice on a big bit, spare wing or something from the scrappy. Big stuff is different, 'cos you'll want to block, cut and buff. And depending on the paint, laying it down on a big area is different to smaller bits e.g. metallics, pearls etc. Just a 2p thought.

cheers chaps
Bill

[48pop]

That is a very classy wagon ! I love wagons of all descriptions, proportions always look so much better, anyone remember this ...



Re painting

I've sprayed the inside of the 500 front end before welding it on, (no easy access after) I used 2-pack with a cheap HVLP unit, (and an air fed mask). Got a good shiny finish and a lot of orange peel.....


not too bothered under the bonnet, but I hope I can do better on the top! I'll be throwing the car on its side this weekend to finish off the underside welding and when done, I'll be spraying topcoat, more practice

Cheers
Gerry

[BillKat]

Peel is usually too much air pressure, or maybe too fast a thinners, so the paint can't flow out. With the cheaper guns the fan isn't so good which doesn't help either, my cheapie has one or two settings which work and only then with just the right distance & angle etc. Fixed up a cheap JGA and it's the absolute dogs though. I'm on trad here, HVLP needs such a lot of air but plans are afoot to bung another 150 tank in the loft : )

[Gordon Hunter]

Thanks Bill,

I know what you mean about the sanding. I use a fanatical approach to preparation that would make a surgeons table look dirty. Its the only way and saves time in the long run. I quite enjoy the preparation too.

The Fiat was my first go at a metallic. It had some pearl in there as well. I ended up doing two passes as the first was a bit ropey.
The car had been keyed by a vandal just about all over. In reality It would have been quicker to repaint the whole car, but I wanted to learn the art of blending so I did the bonnet, front bumper, roof, half the boot lid & tops of the rear wings.
It was a nightmare as a previous cosmetic job had used too much thinners (probably trying to save paint) and was a lighter shade. My guess is that the thinner paint had allowed some of the pearl particles to separate out and float to the top.

I used an HVLP gun on a second compressor running from the house supply, whilst powering the air fed mask from my main compressor on the workshop supply.
I was set on buying a DeVilbiss gun, but someone told me not to and that it was just a name you were paying for. I use a much cheaper Deltalyo gun from France and It gives great results every time. I'll need to wait and see how long it lasts though.

Gerry, I second what Bill says about mix / air pressure. I always use a brand new purpose made plastic measuring cup for mixing every time. They give exact measurements on a level surface. They're only about 30p a pop from your paint supplier and I've never had any orange peel yet.
Let me know how you get on with the rest of the 500.

All the best,

Gordon

[BillKat]

It looks very good in the pic. I didn't manage to blend pearls, gave up & re-did whole panels. P'raps there's a way, with more experience, but I suppose the mix, and the strokes & layers would need to be the same: a chap who's a painter said to do metallics & pearl in layers: the first all in one direction, the next the opposite, so you criss-cross. Then what he called a 'drop coat', from further away. Makes the flakes stand up/stand out, this I found from doing rattle can jobs. But too high and it's like dust.
Another thing might be the base colour, like the tot rod is gold over white and quite translucent. So gold-over-gold repairs would look different anyway I guess.

Apparently some water-based paints can take a squirt right in the middle and not show. Saw a gold panel in a mag, they painted a big X in the middle, and it was totally invisible...

My cheapie is a £35 gold Sealey (appears under other names too). It's nowhere near as good as the JGA; that's got a real quality about it, 'feel' in the adjustments, and you feel really connected when spraying, like a physical connection as with a paintbrush. The fan's much better too, faultless at any air or material setting. A pain to clean though... The Sealey is great for primers and parts are v.cheap so I have 3 setups for it.
The JGA was £40 s/h. Cleaned it out and found some service parts at an ex-MOD web shop. A new full setup (needle, nozzle & cap) would be £100-£140+ but I got a selection of parts to handle 2k or 1k for £17 by hunting & waiting. Well pleased (and relieved)...
I've got a cheapo spot repair gun which is excellent, and another Devilbiss like a half-size JGA, a fiver s/h, but redundant now as the cheapie spot one is very good.

On the general theme, it'd be great to see some Amazon/PV/1800 build-up diaries or albums like Gerry's one.

cheers Gordon,
Bill

[48pop]

Well.......I have a no-name gravity gun which does not too bad a job, I found that my compressor has a hard time keeping up with it. I bought one of those £90 HVLP things that Practical Classics reviewed, (like a wee vacuum cleaner...) Its not too bad !

Guy in the paint suppliers said, lay it on thick and cut it back.....I'm sure thats just soooo much more work but at least it gives me a chance of loosing the orange peel

I'd love to have the proper kit but I don't think I can justify it.....Though I do think a wee touch up gun will be handy for the (hopefully) localised repairs on the Amazon.

Thanks for the advice, keep it coming !

Cheers
Gerry

[BillKat]

Apollo? I was seriously thinking of one o'those. Justified my kit against the cost of a pro paint job though, and bought & sold a Mini which paid for it.

I do think a good gun is er... 'good' LOL. Really is a big difference.

But maybe try turning down the pressure, or get one of those at-the-gun adjustables (also gives good readings without losses from the hose).
Maybe a slow thinner and/or slow hardener so it has a chance to flow (but more prone to runs, so tack coat & thin coats very much needed). Or mebbe 15% instead of 10% reducer.
Just done some with fast thinner+hardener, pretty good for clearcoat as there's less chance to sag on vertical sides. It dries pdq and flashes really fast... Will jelly up in the gun before long. But a big help for run-free clearcoat

If the peel's not too moonscape-like, the final sand + cut and buff can help loads. I had some on one side of the tot rod just now due to using the cheap gun (being lazy, easier to clean). The 1200-1500-2000, compound & polish has seen it off though : )

cheers,
Bill