My AH HA!!! moment and other lessons learned

[flyfishvt]

I am completely new to all this body work/painting stuff. I spent all winter doing research but nothing can really prepare you for that first squirt of the paint gun.

I read a post on here from an experienced body guy and he called painting "chasing the wet spot". A lesson he learned from an old time body guy. Today I learned exactly what he meant. As I was redoing a quarter panel I saw "the film" develop and instantly thought of "chasing the wet spot". Most of my attempts so far have resulted in lots of orange peel but its been getting better. Once I saw that film start to develop it was like a ZEN moment. The gun moved slowly and perfectly, with no runs or drips. I was left with a mirror finish unlike anything Ive produced before.

Over the last 9 months Ive read enough threads to make my eyes bleed. All the experienced body guys say they can lay base and clear like glass and it doesn't need any wet sanding...just buff and polish. I think I know what they mean now.

Other lessons? LIGHTING is the most critical piece I was missing. I moved the gun too fast. Not because I was in a hurry but because I couldn't see properly and I was afraid of getting runs if I moved it too slow or held it too close. My compressor wasn't really as big as it should have been but proper lighting would have saved me hours and hours of wet sanding and buffing. I used 4 different guns during this process and in the end I got the best results with the "el cheapo" gun. Why? Because I learned how to "Chase the Wet Spot".

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it. :)

[crawlermonkey]

congratulations. You should post picks.

I need to spray a new bumper for my m. Actually I would like to get my whole car sprayed. there is a shop where i live i toured and liked. They said they could do the whole car for around $3,500-$4,000. For that price i am half tempted to try it myself.
I have painted one car before with a friend and we did an ok job. Lots of sanding though. It was plain satin black though. I am really iffy on doing a metallic paint.

[flyfishvt]

I am in the middle of wet sanding and buffing it out. I'll post pics when its all done. $3500 is a HUGE price for a respray unless you need lots of prep to fix rust spots and dents.

I am on the fence about recommending people paint their own cars if they've never done it before. Its a huge project. Mine isn't perfect. There are a few defects if you know what to look for but the average person wouldn't see any of them.

[crawlermonkey]

How much should a respray cost?

[flyfishvt]

$1500-2500 max if all it needs is minor prep work and you don't use super expensive paint

[crawlermonkey]

Oh, i was just going to go wit the factory color. Except i have the metallic black. i will have to call around and see how much paint costs.

Glad you clued me in before I went ahead and had it painted.

[Arrows1]

You'll get what you pay for in this business. For a $1500-$2500 are you getting all of the trim removed? One thing I've learned is this "If you don't sand it, paint will not stick". It is impossible to sand well enough around door handles, lock cylinders, the depresions or body lines around side moldings or lamps, windshield moldings etc.. This will be the first place paint will start flaking. I would hope for the higher end pricing, they would do this.

Good paint systems are ungodly expensive, but worth the price for the durability and peace of mind from years of developement. However, if improperly applied, it's worthless. For an overall paint (less jambs) in base clear, expect to pay between 4-$600 just for the sprayable material. Todays systems are high solids. They require much less reduction. They don't spray out to as much material but do cover more quickly (except reds and yellows). They also require different fluid tips an nozzles for sealer/color and clears. High solids need to be atomized and at a much greater rate. Incorrect combinations are one of the reasons for orange peel, runs or overall poor sprayout. They also require more "overlap" when spraying. Overlap is how much you spray back over your first pass. 50% was the norm until high solids. 60-70% is the norm now.

Expect about 40-50hrs of labor minimum. This includes all R&I of trim, minor ding removal and refinish. At $45-50 hr, this adds up pretty quick.

I could write a book on this. However, if your ok with learning from your mistakes and spending money to do it, try it yourself. I don't recommend overalls for beginners. Start on something small like a single panel. Call your local salvage yard or Aftermarket parts supplier and get one. Practice on that. Also most auto paint suppliers have cheaper off brand systems you can use so you don't break the bank while learning and making some mistakes.

Patience will be the best tool you have that doesn't cost anything. You can rush through anything in auto repair or cut corners. Not with paint.

BTW, I teach adult education classes for collision repair and restoration. I have 12 years as a tech in all aspects of repair and 6 years of bodyshop mgmt. So I have a pretty good understanding.