Practice spray gun technique

[Otee453]

I am a ways from paint, but am starting to prepare for practicing my paint technique.

I have read where J.Miller (Bat) recommends using a trash can with paper or poster board wrapped around it for practicing the curves. I have a pickup truck hood to practice on but its fairly flat. The thought occurred to me to find a metal pedal car to also practice shooting paint on.

Here are my options in pedal cars. What would be the best for simulating the roadster body for practicing?

OR is spending the money on a pedal car unnecessary and there is a better, cheaper option? Ive not yet found a decent quarter panel for sale that is less $$ than one of these pedal cars and with a pedal car, I could give it to a nephew or neighbor kid as a gift when Im done

150901
This one is Just over $300 and is powdercoated flat black

150902
This one is $200 and is primered

150903
This one is $200 and is primered

[rich grsc]

Take the Bat's advice, and send me the $300

[Jeff Kleiner]

Unless you just have your heart set on painting pedal cars don't waste your time and money. By the time you go around the car 3 times to put down 2 gallons of Slick Sand + 3 more times for 1.5 gallons of 2K primer/surfacer + 1 more time to lay on a coat of sealer you should have figured out a technique ;)

Jeff

[Rdone585]

Lookup local racers in your area. Many of the owners would likely jump at the chance to get a car painted. Many of these cars see damage every week so quality isn't always a priority. I know a neighbor that paints his figure 8 cars with a roller and a brush using house paint. So whatever you would do is a step above that.

[gbranham]

A high-quality gun hides a world of sins caused by an amateur. To 'learn' a technique, I simply hung large pieces of brown paper in the garage, and shot it with water in my gun. It was more important to learn how to control and dial in the gun (spray width, flow rate, etc) than it was to learn the actual 'technique' of how to lay down the product. I found that once I dialed in my gun properly, laying down product was pretty straightforward. I just ensured I moved the gun down my work at a consistent rate, overlapped by maybe 50%, and always kept my gun perpendicular to my work, running past the end of a panel, rather than stopping at it's edge. Now, I'm no expert for sure, and I know that the amount of wetsanding I did (which was a ton) was directly related to my gun skill, but my projects turned out pretty good. I liken it to mudding drywall a bit...anyone can do it, but the pros use far less product, and have a heck of a lot less to sand after it dries.

That said, pay attention to what the pros are telling you when it comes to mixing product, wait times between coats, temp and humidity, etc...that can bite you in the but and you'll have a real mess on your hands with solvent pop, etc.

Best advice I received....buy the best gun you can afford. Oh, and 2nd gun for your primers.

[Otee453]

A high-quality gun hides a world of sins caused by an amateur. To 'learn' a technique, I simply hung large pieces of brown paper in the garage, and shot it with water in my gun. It was more important to learn how to control and dial in the gun (spray width, flow rate, etc) than it was to learn the actual 'technique' of how to lay down the product. I found that once I dialed in my gun properly, laying down product was pretty straightforward. I just ensured I moved the gun down my work at a consistent rate, overlapped by maybe 50%, and always kept my gun perpendicular to my work, running past the end of a panel, rather than stopping at it's edge. Now, I'm no expert for sure, and I know that the amount of wetsanding I did (which was a ton) was directly related to my gun skill, but my projects turned out pretty good. I liken it to mudding drywall a bit...anyone can do it, but the pros use far less product, and have a heck of a lot less to sand after it dries.

That said, pay attention to what the pros are telling you when it comes to mixing product, wait times between coats, temp and humidity, etc...that can bite you in the but and you'll have a real mess on your hands with solvent pop, etc.

Best advice I received....buy the best gun you can afford. Oh, and 2nd gun for your primers.

Hey… Tonganoxie! That’s cool.

What you explained is my concern. Clear & base…. How fast, overlap, etc…. I have good guns, and will definitely practice on some paper as well as the Chevy hood I picked up from a local farmer. I don’t really want to paint a pedal car, nor does my nephew or neighbor kids need one. (Do kids even play outside with manually driven toys anymore? I’m not sure)

I watch guys spraying on YouTube and some are fast, some slow, some look like they overlap a bunch, others less. I figured as JeffK said, by the time I spray multiple coat of polyester, 2k & sealer, I will have a fair idea of what to do. Only learn by doing it I guess.

Thanks

[Pat Landymore]

My 2c jumping in from the Hot Rod Truck section….for $300 how many metal garbage cans could you purchase and practice on them?

Or what about metal 5 gallon cans for certain solvents and oils that generally get recycled or tossed…I don’t know but perhaps you could scavenge some and drive your learning costs down towards zero…?

Cheers
Pat

[CraigS]

One caveat to the primer etc giving you practice is that it makes a flat finish. So it is nowhere as critical as when you start w/ the color and want a gloss finish and perfect coverage.

[j.miller]

Shooting primer will teach you an even pattern spray session but each primer, base and clear all run a different viscosity, tip size and flow rate. Buying a "Great gun" will help only if you get it set up correctly (how do you do that if you just don't know) well, immagonnatellyahow ! Find someone who knows to give you a lesson or two or three. NOW! once you have the gun set up don't fiddle with the knobs.....figure out how to paint. If you do all these things the problem will be you and not the equipment. Get recommendations from the paint store for proper reducers and hardeners for the temps you are shooting in. Here's a biggy ! Get your supplies from the local automotive paint supply not "on line" The information you can get from them far outweighs any money you will save...da bat.......I forgot how much I know about this stuff !.....I've got more but I gotta get to work.

[Avalanche325]

If your neighborhood garbage picks up appliances, go around on "big stuff" day and look for an old washing machine or other big appliance. The front panel of a washing machine comes off easily. I laid down, primer, two different stripe colors, black and clear with cheaper "shop level" paint in test pot sizes. That gave me practice with metallic, plain, and clear and trying horizontal and vertical positions. Also tape application and removal practice. I found that I needed a little more drying time before removing tape than the instructions said. Plus I easily chose my stripe color based off of my test panel.

Here is one that got me, as far as getting your gun set up correctly. What a normal person would think when the data sheet says X psi, is that you set that on the regulator at the gun, where you have a gauge. What it REALLY means is pressure coming out of the nozzle (cap pressure). There will be a chart for your gun / air cap. I think these guys are around paint fumes waaaaay too much.


I used a nice, mid range gun for everything. DeVilbiss FLG-4. I cleaned it every single time like it was being used for brain surgery.