what kind of paint
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Raleigh, NC
what kind of paint
I'm planning on painting my body kit this weekend. I heard that there is some special "flex" paint. My friend told me today that if you don't get the right kind then it will more than likely crack after a short time. So before I head up to the store and freak them out by asking for "flex" paint. Does anyone know what it is really called. Speacial Paint for body kits????
Are you painting these yourself, or having them painted at a shop that want's you to supply materials?
What you need is actually an additive for the paint and primer. Mostly the primer benefits from the additive because of the buildup of material during the primer and block stage. Too much material will start to crack when fiberglass or urethane moves and flexes from temperature changes or body flexing while driving. The additive will give the paint materials enough elasticity too compensate for the movement.
If you're taking your parts to a shop for painting, they should be familiar with this since all production bumpers and composite panels require flexible paint. Also, if you're getting it painted at a shop that you have to supply materials for, find out what paint system they use for their regular work, i.e., DuPont, PPG, Sherwin Williams, etc. You'll want to buy whatever system they're familliar with and don't mix products, use the same system for the primer, base, clear, hardener, reducer, and any other additives. Just tell the counter guy what you're doing and buy what they recomend. Don't try to mix and match all the cheapest stuff, you'll pay for it in the end.
If you're painting this yourself, #1, don't buy the cheapest system they have and, #2, get all the right stuff and follow the directions to the letter. Sometimes they wont put mixing ratios on the side of the paint can so make sure you get that info from the counter guy when you buy your paint materials. Lastly, they should kick down for sticks and strainers but I've heard of people getting charged for 'em, if they don't just toss 'em in the box with your paint then ask for them after you pay the bill.
Good luck and try not to fall over when you see the price of paint.
What you need is actually an additive for the paint and primer. Mostly the primer benefits from the additive because of the buildup of material during the primer and block stage. Too much material will start to crack when fiberglass or urethane moves and flexes from temperature changes or body flexing while driving. The additive will give the paint materials enough elasticity too compensate for the movement.
If you're taking your parts to a shop for painting, they should be familiar with this since all production bumpers and composite panels require flexible paint. Also, if you're getting it painted at a shop that you have to supply materials for, find out what paint system they use for their regular work, i.e., DuPont, PPG, Sherwin Williams, etc. You'll want to buy whatever system they're familliar with and don't mix products, use the same system for the primer, base, clear, hardener, reducer, and any other additives. Just tell the counter guy what you're doing and buy what they recomend. Don't try to mix and match all the cheapest stuff, you'll pay for it in the end.
If you're painting this yourself, #1, don't buy the cheapest system they have and, #2, get all the right stuff and follow the directions to the letter. Sometimes they wont put mixing ratios on the side of the paint can so make sure you get that info from the counter guy when you buy your paint materials. Lastly, they should kick down for sticks and strainers but I've heard of people getting charged for 'em, if they don't just toss 'em in the box with your paint then ask for them after you pay the bill.
Good luck and try not to fall over when you see the price of paint.
Definately gravity, way better job with less work IMO. Lighter and more balanced than a pressured gun.
Are you using a small home compressor? I don't know your paint expierience but ya gotta watch out for those when painting. Two big issues, 1) it will run a lot and get real hot which will cause condensation in the tank that will try to escape through the airline and onto your paint, 2) if it's less than 7 hp even with an HVLP gun it will have a hard time maintaining the line pressure you need to keep a good spray fan coming from the gun. Remember, HVLP doesn't mean you can run the gun on low pressure, just that there is a lower pressure coming from the tip, you still need to keep higher pressure in the line to mantain the spray fan.
If you are running a small compressor, make sure you have a good inline filter and water trap and try to work in sections if possible. Separate off a clean area to paint your parts in where you wont get any kind of overspray on any other parts and paint one piece at a time(base each piece then set aside, then clear each piece). The reason is that if you have a small comp. that will have fluctuating line pressure, you'll want to be able to stop spraying for short periods of time to let the line pressure come back up to continue spraying. If you get too much overspray on the other pieces before you're able to spray them, the overspray will start to dry and then when you do finally spray the part, the overspray can turn into orangepeel after 5 or 6 coats of base and clear.
If you're using a good compressor that can push enough CFM to run a gun on a constant basis then you can just base and clear everything all in one shot if you can haul ***. Make sure you get a nice wide fan and spray full length strokes accross your part's surface, don't do short little back and forth strokes like rattle can painting. Start at one end of the piece and go all the way to the other, then overlap. Always start at the top and work your way down to minimize runs and sags. The clear will be the tricky one when it comes to runs so watch your overlap carefully and give it the full flash time between coats. I don't know the temperature where you're at, but if it's cold your gonna have a tougher time with runs. Get some heat lamps if you can.
Sorry this is so long, painting is not easy and even more difficult to explain. I'm assuming you're new at painting, hence the explanation. If you already know all this then just tell me to shut the hell up.
Good luck, and post if you need any more help.
Are you using a small home compressor? I don't know your paint expierience but ya gotta watch out for those when painting. Two big issues, 1) it will run a lot and get real hot which will cause condensation in the tank that will try to escape through the airline and onto your paint, 2) if it's less than 7 hp even with an HVLP gun it will have a hard time maintaining the line pressure you need to keep a good spray fan coming from the gun. Remember, HVLP doesn't mean you can run the gun on low pressure, just that there is a lower pressure coming from the tip, you still need to keep higher pressure in the line to mantain the spray fan.
If you are running a small compressor, make sure you have a good inline filter and water trap and try to work in sections if possible. Separate off a clean area to paint your parts in where you wont get any kind of overspray on any other parts and paint one piece at a time(base each piece then set aside, then clear each piece). The reason is that if you have a small comp. that will have fluctuating line pressure, you'll want to be able to stop spraying for short periods of time to let the line pressure come back up to continue spraying. If you get too much overspray on the other pieces before you're able to spray them, the overspray will start to dry and then when you do finally spray the part, the overspray can turn into orangepeel after 5 or 6 coats of base and clear.
If you're using a good compressor that can push enough CFM to run a gun on a constant basis then you can just base and clear everything all in one shot if you can haul ***. Make sure you get a nice wide fan and spray full length strokes accross your part's surface, don't do short little back and forth strokes like rattle can painting. Start at one end of the piece and go all the way to the other, then overlap. Always start at the top and work your way down to minimize runs and sags. The clear will be the tricky one when it comes to runs so watch your overlap carefully and give it the full flash time between coats. I don't know the temperature where you're at, but if it's cold your gonna have a tougher time with runs. Get some heat lamps if you can.
Sorry this is so long, painting is not easy and even more difficult to explain. I'm assuming you're new at painting, hence the explanation. If you already know all this then just tell me to shut the hell up.
Good luck, and post if you need any more help.