Spray painting
Discussion
How easy to spray paint car parts?
Im wanting to do a few things gloss black, mirror caps being the first thing.
Do i sand first to remove the lacquer and then spray a few coats of paint letting it dry each time and then spray lacquer?
What sandpaper do i use and will i be able to do this outside as i dont have a garage to work in.
Cheers.
Im wanting to do a few things gloss black, mirror caps being the first thing.
Do i sand first to remove the lacquer and then spray a few coats of paint letting it dry each time and then spray lacquer?
What sandpaper do i use and will i be able to do this outside as i dont have a garage to work in.
Cheers.
As a rank amateur, I would observe the following:
1. You don't use sandpaper
2. You don't do it on a day with high humidity (like we seem to have now)
3. Gloss black is possibly one of the most difficult things to get right.
4. If you do it outside, expect a dust storm to blow in just after you've finished.
Good luck!
1. You don't use sandpaper
2. You don't do it on a day with high humidity (like we seem to have now)
3. Gloss black is possibly one of the most difficult things to get right.
4. If you do it outside, expect a dust storm to blow in just after you've finished.
Good luck!
As someone who owns a bodyshop as one of their enterprises, I would give you the following advice:
Don't do it yourself.
Any reputable bodyshop will charge about £35 per mirror cap/casing.
Is it really worth making an arse of it to save £5 (by the time you've spent £30 or so on paint and materials from Halfords).
Also, consumer grade aerosol paints and lacquers are utter crap in my opinion.
If you insist on repainting your mirror cap yourself, then follow this carefully:
You must sand off all areas of loose of flaking paint, until virtually no edges or inperfextions can be felt, using 240 grit sandpaper (or similar).
Then you must rough up the entire mirror cap using Scotchbrite.
Then, prime the cap using light coats in a warm and dry room, put 2-3 coats on and wait a few minutes between coats, drying very gently with a hairdryer or similar.
Leave the primed cap for several hours in a warm place until it is 100% dry and hard.
Sand it all smooth using 800 paper and water.
Dry it throughly.
Apply 2-3 light coats of your black base coat paint, again in a warm dry room. Allowing a few minutes of flash-off between coats.
Then apply the lacquer in light coats until you have achieved a suitably glossy look that you are happy with.
Leave the cap to dry somewhere warm for at least a day or so. Most people make the mistake of thinking something is dry, and then fitting it to the car where it will go all damp and cloudy looking if it isn't totally dry and hardened.
Don't do it yourself.
Any reputable bodyshop will charge about £35 per mirror cap/casing.
Is it really worth making an arse of it to save £5 (by the time you've spent £30 or so on paint and materials from Halfords).
Also, consumer grade aerosol paints and lacquers are utter crap in my opinion.
If you insist on repainting your mirror cap yourself, then follow this carefully:
You must sand off all areas of loose of flaking paint, until virtually no edges or inperfextions can be felt, using 240 grit sandpaper (or similar).
Then you must rough up the entire mirror cap using Scotchbrite.
Then, prime the cap using light coats in a warm and dry room, put 2-3 coats on and wait a few minutes between coats, drying very gently with a hairdryer or similar.
Leave the primed cap for several hours in a warm place until it is 100% dry and hard.
Sand it all smooth using 800 paper and water.
Dry it throughly.
Apply 2-3 light coats of your black base coat paint, again in a warm dry room. Allowing a few minutes of flash-off between coats.
Then apply the lacquer in light coats until you have achieved a suitably glossy look that you are happy with.
Leave the cap to dry somewhere warm for at least a day or so. Most people make the mistake of thinking something is dry, and then fitting it to the car where it will go all damp and cloudy looking if it isn't totally dry and hardened.
Further to previous replies.
The aerosol touch-up kits use cellulose products and possibly acrylic lacquer. As such, they can never be as hard/tough as 'proper' car paints.
Bodyshops largely use two-pack (2K) paints. Think coloured liquid Araldite, complete with hardener. This stuff is very toxic.
You can save money at the bodyshop by prepping the parts yourself, provided you do it right. Rubbing down
is best accomplished using wet & dry paper. You use this with water and it's permissible to use a little
washing up liquid. Rinse well afterwards.
Never rub down in a circular pattern - it'll show. A block will stop tramlines (finger troughs).
600 grit W&D is fine for a primer-ready result, though you can go to 800.
Rule of thumb: if you can feel it, it'll be visible.
Have fun, good luck!
The aerosol touch-up kits use cellulose products and possibly acrylic lacquer. As such, they can never be as hard/tough as 'proper' car paints.
Bodyshops largely use two-pack (2K) paints. Think coloured liquid Araldite, complete with hardener. This stuff is very toxic.
You can save money at the bodyshop by prepping the parts yourself, provided you do it right. Rubbing down
is best accomplished using wet & dry paper. You use this with water and it's permissible to use a little
washing up liquid. Rinse well afterwards.
Never rub down in a circular pattern - it'll show. A block will stop tramlines (finger troughs).
600 grit W&D is fine for a primer-ready result, though you can go to 800.
Rule of thumb: if you can feel it, it'll be visible.
Have fun, good luck!
Lord Marylebone said:
As someone who owns a bodyshop as one of their enterprises, I would give you the following advice:
Don't do it yourself.
Seconded by someone who doesn't own a bodyshop and has attempted something similar on just one occasion. Albeit luckily for me it was only spray painting a towing eye cover on an old Focus so as long as it ended up black I wasn't too bothered by the quality of the finish.Don't do it yourself.
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