The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop First time painter

I want to do my own truck. I'll probably never paint another vehicle.
What is the easiest, friendliest paint?
I did a search and found a discussion of the Duplicolor Paint Shop system. Some like it, some do not.

I'd like something that looks good at about 10 feet, not perfection.

I'll have a decent compressor and a decent gun, but I will not have a paint booth. I'll be hanging plastic in the garage to make a painting area.

Any suggestions?

I will also be watching this topic as I plan to paint my 52 myself. Im interested in what people have to say about the duplicolor paint shop as that is what im planning to use. I just purchased a can of their primer, black paint and clear for painting the engine compartment and other hidden areas, so I will decide weather to use their color coat depending on how well everything turns out. From what i heard/read it sounds like a good choice. Now I know besides a good quality paint, accurately prepping the surface for paint is what really determines how well the job turns out. I pickup up a hvlp gun from harbor frieght that came with a pressure regulator for the gun for $40. Once again depending on how well this gun works will determine if i will use it for color. My air compresser should be fine for how I plan to paint everything (1 part or section at a time off the truck), I just have to pick up a filter/air and water seperator to go on my compressor before i start shooting. As Jim Bow stated, my truck will also be for driving/cruising so if it looks good from a 5-10ft, but a few minor flaws up close, i will be fine with that.

Jim Bow,

I don't think you can beat acrylic enamel in a 2k system. It's easy to apply, looks and lasts great and you can sand the flies and cockroaches out of the paint in a day or two.

What's going on anyway! I thought you were doing woodworking..now it's bodywork and painting. Do the Milwaukie city fathers know about this monkey business!

Stuart

Stuart, what's a "2k" system? I don't want to get into mixing special chemicals to correct for humidity etc. Maybe I should stop watching the hot rod shows. They're always talking about "reducers" and "thinners" and filtering etc.
The duplicolor advertises something like Open Can - Shoot Paint.

Jim Bow,

A '2k' system means 'two parts'..the paint itself is one part and the second is a catalyst which chemically hardens the paint very quickly.

You buy a can of paint, a little container of catalyst and some 'reducer' which is another name for thinner!

You mix some catalyst with the paint, thin it to the proper spraying consistency, dump it through a strainer into your gun and spray-away.

To further confuse the issue, while this is a 2k, or two part system, it is only a 'single stage' paint. With this one, you mix and spray and you're done.

With a base coat/clear coat system, which is a two stage procedure, you spray the color on then cover it with a couple of coats of clear.

The acrylic enamel I mentioned can be a 'open can - shoot paint' kind of deal if you want it to be...you don't have to add the hardener (catalyst). It takes longer to dry and you can't sand the June bugs out as fast.

I don't know about the Duplicolor. I would find a automotive paint store and go pick some brains. Those guys love to talk and you might find one that can make it more clear than I can.

If you are going to expend the energy to do this, you need to prep the body so the primer will stick. You need the proper primer so the paint will stick and you want the finished paint to look acceptable and last for at least a week or two.

Don't blow the brand new garage up. The paint/reducer cocktail is an explosion waiting to happen when the fumes hit the water heater in the corner.

I'll close with "I am not a professional painter, so this might be all bum info".

Stuart

Preparation, preparation,preparation. Ain't nothin' you can do that is more important than getting it ready and clean. Even if this is your second attempt at painting(your first and your last)with a little patience and some attention to the lil' stuff, you can have a paint job you'll be proud of that will last for a long time. Stay with the basic single color paints, and if anything should(it will)happen down the road, you can pretty well match it up to make minor repairs. With the warmer weather coming along, it's a good time to get this project done in about every garage across the country. I'm about ready to squirt my 64' before long and I'll send some pix of how it turns out. All I need to do is quit taking it out and playing now that the weather is turning nice. Guess if I''d get the wheels off it and up on stands with some tape and paper in place, it would be easier to keep it in the garage long enough to get it finished. Good luck with yours.

Jim, Stick with a single stage paint,they're easy enough. Mix per the instructions with the correct temp reducer and spray.
I find the easiest temp to spray is around 75, it's not cool and not to warm,using med temp reducer.
I've sprayed at all different temps but the ball game gets a little harder at the extremes in the temp ranges unless you have a lot of experience.
One more thing I would do is get a fender, a door, something to practice on to test out your ability to paint,unless you feel you are a born painter.
I say that cause I've seen guys grab a rattle can and not be able to spray a small tool box and get it looking good.
Good luck
Dan

Again, I'm not a pro painter so this is hobby BS. Your reducers are usually available in a fast, medium and slow formulation.

This tells you how volatile they are and how quick they will evaporate out of the paint...how fast they will dry.

A fast reducer on a hot day won't let the paint flow properly and it would tend to orange peel, it dried too fast.

Your paint store folks will have suggestions based on local weather conditions. You wouldn't use a fast reducer at the "Hells Kitchen Body shop" and you wouldn't use a slow reducer at the "Nome Collision Repair Center"...make sense.

Stuart

I've painted 3 vehicles in my life without a spray booth, and the one that turned out the best was a BC/CC with Valspar's inexpensive clearcoat and a BASF base coat. With the single stage paint, it has to lay down smooth, be evenly sprayed, have no runs, and be shiny all in the same coat, and if any bugs and dust lands in it you have to sand it out. A base/clear system has the color in the base and the shine in the clear. Defects in the base hardly show up in the clear, and clearcoat flows out a lot better than any single stage paint I've ever used. If you get a run in the clear coat, it is either really hard to see or possible to sand out without affecting the base coat. You have more chances to correct things with a base/clear system, so I recommend that to even first time painters.

Many say there is no dumb question. I will try.

4ontheFloor. The Valspar you speak of. They sell this at the big box stores (Lowes is what I was thinking of). Is this the inexpensive Valspar clearcoat that you speak of?

Thank you.

Dennis,

The Valspar they sell in Lowes is house paint. Not the best choice for painting a vehicle.

The Valspar 4ontheFloor is referring to is automotive paint. It is sold under the DeBeer and House of Kolor names as well as Valspar.

Here is a link to their web page:

http://www.valsparrefinish.com/refinish/index.jsp

Valspar also makes the BPS brand sold as tractor and implement paint sold at farm stores and Tractor Supply.
Dan

I'll see if I still have the can of valspar clear coat that I used, it was from a local automotive paint shop but I don't remember which line it was out of. It was $25 a quart when I bought it 3 years ago. I really liked the way it sprayed, I plan to use it again if it is still available. I'm getting ready to redo my truck but I need to get it torn down and prepped first, probably won't be ready to paint until next year.

Don't forget lighting. You need a lot of light to see how the paint is going on, especially clear coats. Overhead lights and lights on the walls.

Talking acrilic enamel, No one has said anything about fish-eye eliminator. It is a must and will help the paint flow better. But, I have to agree on the Base/clear paint. I was afraid of it for years. Now that I tried it, I love it. May be more expensive, but the results are fantastic.
My two cents worth and I'll give change.

Truck Tinker

I somehow erased my reply, so I'll do it again. No one mentioned fish-eye eliminator. It's a must and will help the paint flow. But, as others have stated, Base/Clear is the way to go. I was afraid of it for years, but now I have tried it, I love it and the results are fantastic.

Truck Tinker