So, You're Ready To Paint!
If you followed the preparation steps I have outlined and you feel you are just about ready for paint, you need to make a decision as to who is going to apply it and where. We have had many customers with little or no paint experience that have successfully painted their own vehicles with great results.
If you are doing a custom color, we strongly recommend you get an instructional video (like the videos from House Of Kolor) as they go through the entire process (even very experienced painters buy these as the procedure is very different from conventional colors).
As most street rods are composed of a variety of painted parts and a main shell, you can learn on the smaller parts before tackling the big areas (or you can have the big areas done by a pro). Painting is a learned skilled - not a natural gift, and with patience and attention to detail you too can create an awesome paint job that will last and last. When I started out, lacquers and enamels were prevalent and you could literally paint your car in your garage, unfortunately today's materials are dangerous and will not work well without proper air flow (a spray booth) although you could do some of the small parts and inside areas in a garage.
Sourcing a booth can be challenge. In some areas, there are "Do It Yourself" booths you can rent by the hour. Some are good, some are not. I prefer to find a small shop that does not do a lot of production type work whereyou can make a deal with the owner for a Saturday or evenings when it is not going to interfere. This is usually a better booth and you can take your time, as other cars are not booked.There are two basic types of booths, cross flow and downdraft (or versions of). Cross flow have filters in the doors and the exhaust at the other end and (usually) draw on shop air. Downdrafts (usually) have a roof mounted air make up system that draws out side air, heats it, and exhausts through a grate in the floor. The air is slightly pressurized so that it does not draw any air from the shop and they usually have a built in bake cycle. Obviously, the downdraft is the booth of choice if you can access one.
It is important to know where you are going to be painting before you buy your materials. Generally, in downdrafts, you use slower reducers and hardeners than in cross flows as they have more airflow and heat. Cross flow booths are affected by the weather in the months when the heat is off and the shops doors are open. The day you paint will determine what reducers/hardeners you use (cold days - fast, hot days - slow etc). When I was working as a demonstrator, I would be sent all over the countryside to paint cars to show our products, I always carried a variety of reducers and hardeners so I had good results.
Ask the painter of the shop what he normally uses (fast, medium, slow) and follow as a guide. I generally would put the first coat on with something on the fast side and see how it went on. If it was all right - going on smooth and melting in, I would continue. If it was drying too fast I would mix subsequent coats with slower solvents. If you start out too slow you may get runs right off the bat and you're done before your finished.
Buy your material the week you are going to apply it so you don't get caught in a heat wave or cold spell. Tip: All major paint manufacturers produce tech manuals/sheets on their products, they are available free - read them thoroughly on the products you are going to use.
If you are going to hire a "gun" to apply the paint, look at his recent work, as talk is cheap. Many painters prefer to supply their own paint or use the brand their familiar with. If you are using a custom color this may not be possible. A real painter can apply any thing. So if he tries to talk you out of it, find someone else, he is the wrong guy.
If you are getting it done through the shop owner, make sure you meet the painter (and slip him a few bucks) as he is doing the work. If you are planning on having some artwork done (such as striping, flames, graphics etc.) and you want them under clear I strongly recommend you do not try and do it all in one shot. Paint the vehicle with clear coat and let it cure for a few days then fine sand the panels that are having artwork (P1000 wet) and do your magic. Any areas that have overspray, smudges etc. can be safely cleaned up with out damaging the base colour and re cleared. This will give you clean, professional results with out reactions or adhesion problems.
The next few articles I will be addressing the methodology of doing it yourself with some hard-earned tips on application and equipment.
John
