Im a rookie and I have a basic idea about how to paint. I just need to get a cheap gun capable of a half-way decent gun. What specifications should I look for, as in, CFM, features, etc etc.

My father has a 30' garage that I can use as a spray booth, I can tarp it off, and hes got filters (from woodworking, using vacuums and furnace filters) and such. Hose it down, turn on the filters and such, and paint away....Im pretty sure I can handle it. I just need to know what Im looking for....fine mist, adjustable spray, top feed low volume? None of this stuff makes sense to me, so I could use a guide. Also I need to know about paint. Im interested in going flat black with the car.....and was gonna use spray paint, but if I can get a decent air gun, it'd be a whole lot easier with that and the 10 gallon compressor he's got.

Anyway, aside from sanding down the car with (what grit sandpaper), should I re-prime it? Any good books to read? Any input is greatly appreciated, and if it comes out poor, I have a fund ready to go to let a pro do it.

 

If you have never painted , doint think you can just open up a paint store and start painting . But if you want too try haveing the right stuff will make it all that much easyery , A good HVLP ( High voulmune Low pressure ) gun from Sata Or binks will do the job , Most guns have a 1.3 filud tip which is good for Base coat /clear coats, Primer guns have any where from 1.7-2.2 mm tips it gets that filler primer out of the gun . Haveing a good paint work bench just for your painting needs , doint mix paint on that nice MAC tool box . Have a area just for that , You will need some wash thinner to clean the gun and grease & wax remover too wipe the car down or the small jobs that you are doing .

As far as sandpaper get a lot from 80 -2000
80 for the body filler
180 to feather things for reprime
400-600 water sand for the paint work
1200 -2000 color sand ,

I have been paint for years now and it such a art to get the job done right, so take your time and have fun .

 

Cleanevo, im cocky but not THAT cocky. Really, I am going to assimilate as much information as I can about the subject, and give it a shot. I like what SCC Magazine did with their STi, the flat black spray paint job, but I think I can do better with a nice spray gun, even a cheap one is better than a can of spray paint, and I want to learn mostly about the process of filling/sanding/prepping and finishing. The painting part, the actual spraying I think would be the easy (easier) part of it, no? Filling, priming, and the most confusing part to me is the buffing/polishing.

So all in all if you've got time to explain any of the aforementioned questions I'd appreciate it, and to recap one unanswered question, are there any solid books that are referred to, or online references that I can check out? Thanks a lot, pleasure talking to you.

 

all i can say is practice makes perfect , I have been painting cars for 12 years now and i stii make small mistakes , its the drive too doo your best and get the job done

 

First wash your car very well. Then pick up some wax and grease remover (I use PPG DX330).
Scuff all the paint so there are no shiny spots left (w/320) then run over the whole car again with 600.
Mask what ever you don't want overspray on. Wax and grease remover again. Use a tack rag on the whole car and you should be ready to spray. But you still need to know how to setup the gun and booth. Not to metion what about your jambs? If you really are serious about this I will give you more info if needed.

 

Bling, I am serious. I really would like to get all the equipment and be able to do a job myself. I have the unfortunate circumstance that whenever I get something nice and shiny, I scratch it, bash it, smash it or break it, not to mention if I am succesful, I have quite a few friends who are serious motorcycle enthusiasts, broke and crazy, which makes it a profitable thing for me to learn how to do, but first and formost, I really dont want to pay someone 3K for something I really can learn how to do myself. The only forseeable problem I can think of is just not knowing some crucial part of process and screwing it up royally, instead of just a small mistake or something.

 

I have been painting for a 20 years, and still learning it takes forever.

 

Damn 20 yrs and still learning . you should be a Pro by now .