Well, I hope to have the body work and such done within a couple months, and am thinking of different options of how to spray the paint. What I need to know is, are there any requirements for an air compressor to get a decent paint job? If I could get away with a 5 or 7 gal tank, with 1hp motor, that would be great. I'm sure it can be done with any size tank compressor, but just thought I'd ask.
Paint spraying options
- Thread starter IhaveNoPantsOn
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A small tank and compressor like that won't be able to keep up.
You'll end up either having to stop and wait, which could lead to dry spots as you overlap inbetween waiting periods, or your pressure will be inconsistant, which could lead to an uneven finish.
You'll end up either having to stop and wait, which could lead to dry spots as you overlap inbetween waiting periods, or your pressure will be inconsistant, which could lead to an uneven finish.
That's what I figured. Another route I was thinking of going was using Wagner power painter, or something similar. I've read of a couple guys on here using them to paint a car, but don't remember how it came out. That would be the cheapest way to go. I've got plenty of time to decide though.
The Wagner is not a good idea. It is designed for spraying house paint and will put out too much volume for a car. For cheap, you could get a cheap gun from Harbor Freight ($20 or less) and rent a paint booth with air in it. That would probably set you back $50-100 for the booth rental, and a booth is advisable for automotive paint. Another option may be either enrolling in an adult education class that teaches body work, or letting one use your car to teach painting. Yet another possibility would be finding a shop that is slow and paying them to shoot it for you.
As for minimum requirements for a compressor, I would say 25 gallon tank and 5 hp. Even then, it will be good for little more than spraying paint and will not be able to keep up with an air file, jitterbug or a good D/A.
As for minimum requirements for a compressor, I would say 25 gallon tank and 5 hp. Even then, it will be good for little more than spraying paint and will not be able to keep up with an air file, jitterbug or a good D/A.
Damn, 85CB, you crushed my spirits about the Wagner. 
My next ideas were buying a cheap gun, and renting a booth; and then seeing about bringing it to an auto body school, and seeing if they would paint it for free or cheap, as a practice job. It's like you're inside my head! Well, thanks for the advice. I will look into prices for both options. My goal is to have body work complete, and have it painted and lowered by my birthday. (Oct. 15) It should be doable. [/b][/code]
My next ideas were buying a cheap gun, and renting a booth; and then seeing about bringing it to an auto body school, and seeing if they would paint it for free or cheap, as a practice job. It's like you're inside my head! Well, thanks for the advice. I will look into prices for both options. My goal is to have body work complete, and have it painted and lowered by my birthday. (Oct. 15) It should be doable. [/b][/code]
Only problem i see with having a school do it, is around here there is a loooong wait to get it in.
Well you could buy a gun and use your compressor now. Then go rent a booth for the real job so you don't get little hairs or bugs in the paint. The purpose of painting some before the real job is to get use to your gun, get the feel for the stroke and setting the correct pressure. I suggest painting your floor panels/interior, trunk/trunk lid, door jams, etc. Anything that will give you practice with the paint gun that isn't contributing to the finished product
Well, the problem is, I don't have a compressor, or gun, or anything now. I was just wondering if it would be worth it, and would it yield decent results to use like a 15 or 20 gal. compressor from Sears or something, and a decent $40 or $50 gun. This is likely the only paint job I would be using it for, so I don't want to spend a ton of money on something I may never really use.
Looking online, I couldn't find booth rentals anywhere near me, and having an auto body school do it would probably leave me without a car for longer than I would like. Looks like I may be resorting to the cheapest, most low-tech approach...spray cans!!! I honestly just want it to all be one uniform color, be somewhat glossy and smooth, and last a few years, till I have the time and money for a really good job.
It will be staying the same color, so I don't have to worry about the door jambs, and the inside of the trunk, etc. When I 1st got my car, I repainted the trunk with Duplicolor, and it matches pretty well. If I do the whole car, I think it will come out pretty good. A little bit of wet sanding, and a few coats of clear, and it could turn out pretty good.
Also, with not much time to work on the car, it would be much easier to just bust out a few cans of spray paint, mask off a section of the car, and do one panel at a time. Any of the other ways would require the whole car being done at once, which may not be possible for me to do.
OK, I'm done rambling/convincing myself what I should do.
Looking online, I couldn't find booth rentals anywhere near me, and having an auto body school do it would probably leave me without a car for longer than I would like. Looks like I may be resorting to the cheapest, most low-tech approach...spray cans!!! I honestly just want it to all be one uniform color, be somewhat glossy and smooth, and last a few years, till I have the time and money for a really good job.
It will be staying the same color, so I don't have to worry about the door jambs, and the inside of the trunk, etc. When I 1st got my car, I repainted the trunk with Duplicolor, and it matches pretty well. If I do the whole car, I think it will come out pretty good. A little bit of wet sanding, and a few coats of clear, and it could turn out pretty good.
Also, with not much time to work on the car, it would be much easier to just bust out a few cans of spray paint, mask off a section of the car, and do one panel at a time. Any of the other ways would require the whole car being done at once, which may not be possible for me to do.
OK, I'm done rambling/convincing myself what I should do.
IhaveNoPantsOn said:
If you're trying this way, I would suggest breaking it up in as many pieces as possible. I've done a few cars with spray cans (my first choice) and painted my fair shair with a gun. The problem with spray cans is they don't get every surface evenly. So if you were thinking about racing stripes or two tone, for example, then I would suggest that even more with cans.
Once you get the hand of it, you might like it. Another problem with cans is they require an insane amount of color sanding and finishing work compared to a more expensive spray gun job. ...but I've got more time than money so that decision is easy for me
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