paint,how much to get?

[stinky60]

Hi, it's been a long time since I have posted, alot of time working, every spare minute in the garage.I have a 60BT7,that is ready for paint, I'm going the way of base coat clearcoat application,my question is how much of base color should I have mixed up to do the super structure and the body and all the misc. parts.I am ready for this exciting step.Thanks from stinky :banana:

 

[Cottontop]

Le Stinque

When I painted my Healey in the driveway, I used Deltron Base Color & Clear Coat.

I ONLY did the outside sheet metal and used 3 quarts of color and 1 gallon of clear coat chemicals.

I sprayed 2 color coats and 3 clear coats ABSOLUTELY waiting 30 minuted between coats. The new color and clear paint mixes do NOT dry... Since they are polyurethanes, they cure. If you do NOT wait for partial cure (20 mins) between coats, <span style="font-weight: bold">they WILL run</span>.

I have now painted a big Healey and two 66 Mustangs. If you want/need some tips, I'd be gald to share my experiences with you.

Tim - timm (at) healey.org

 

[stinky60]

Thanks ,Cottontop, Now I have a better idea of how much to get, my son in law is thinking up to 2 gals and I know that ain't right, of base coat.He is also supposed to be abody man. :thumbsup:

 

[zblu]

Well if cottontop used 3 qts on the outside, then it will be another 3 qts to the inside of the sheetmetal plus more for the superstructure, methinks your SOL isnt too far off, mind you inna shed will probably be more economical than the driveway!

 

[stinky60]

yea, after I got to thinking about it he is right. I'm always trying figure ways to save money. In this case no way.

 

[davidb]

You might also want to specify the type of gun that you are using to the paint supplier - An HVLP (high volume low pressure) system is much more efficient, using less paint than a standard spray gun, and requires less air push from your compressor. Your son in law is no doubt familiar with this. The final clearcoat can be wet sanded with 1500 grit sandpaper and then buffed back to a pristine finish. I've done it on bike tanks. Use a good quality high build primer, lots of tack cloths, followed by 2-3 basecoats and 3 coats of the clear (I've used Dupont products and had good results with small HVLP guns, accompanied by inline water separators/filters on the compressor air line)

 

[Mark Jones]

I bought a gallon to paint my Spitfire with. I didn't paint the inside of the car, other than both sides of the bonnet, which took quite a bit of paint. I still have around a quart left. I used a HVLP paint gun; very little overspray.

 

[jgoss]

what size of compressor have you used with the HLVP gun?
What gun do you recommend?

I am coming out of winter hibernation and am tackling painting my neglected sprite.

 

[Cottontop]

Stinky,

While I am not an expert painter (and I don't play one on TV), I have painted my 59 Healey and 3 1965/66 Mustangs, all from bare metal.

I have a Crafstman 5 HP, 20 gal, compressor. It delivers 11.3 CFM @ 40 PSI and 9.3 CFM @ 90 PSI.

My gravity feed HVLP paint gun is a Devilbiss GFHV-901 which requires a constant 100 PSI and internally meters the airflow to provide 10 PSI out of the paint nozzle.

My Crafstsman will not quite maintain 100 PSI, but will hold over 90. It does a good job.

My point is, rather than ask what compressor is good, First identify what paint gun you want to use, THEN buy/rent a compressor that will support the gun.

ALSO, if you intend to use air tools to do some of the bosy work (is there any other way) BE SURE to identify what the air requirements for those tools are. MOST air tools demand an ENORMOUS anount of airflow. A DA or sanding board will suck the life out of most compressors.

I would NOT buy or rent any compressor that will not support your needs. You WILL regret it.

As an aside, a couple of years ago, I was given a 3 HP (120VAC) compressor. By combining the outputs of the two compressors, I can now stay well ahead of my paint gun.

Here are a couple of small suggestions that yeild BIG results:

1) ALWAYS use a NEW air hose for painting. Nearly all compressors impart some oil into the airflow. Don't trust an old air hose to deliver clean air to your paint gun and the items you are painting. $10-$15 for a new hose is cheep insurance and a small part of the $750-$1000 that you are going to spend to get a good paint job. Depending on how clean & dry your air is, you may be able to use the same hose for several painting jobs.

Also always use an in-line filter between your compressor and the paint air hose. I also use a water separator/filter at the gun.

2) You MUST have DRY air. ALL compressors impart water into the airflow. You MUST remove the water before the airflow picks up the paint to apply to the panel. Use a good water separator and/or frequently change your in-line filters.

I used to lay 2 - 50' lengths of airhose running down, then up, my driveway. These hoses would allow the hot compressed air to cool and condense the moisture to be drained before use.

I now flow the compressed air through 50' of copper tubing in the bottom of my garage refrigerator. I still use the 2 - 50 footers, but now they warm the air before it gets to the gun.

Good Luck. Remember, 95% of a good paint job is in the body and paint prep work. Waving the gun around is the EASY part ! Important, but much easier than the prep work.

Tim

 

[stinky60]

cottontop, thank you for the tip on setting the air hoses on the driveway to warm up, I did however painted the bottom last Sat. I did have new air hoses, also filter at the compresser and a separater at he end of the line it is very tru water condenses in the air line like crazy. Ididn't have any problem keeping up with the air. the more air you have the better your off. i have a5hp 60 gallon tank it proved very adequet for my needs, also sanders da's ,grinders will suck the air right out, I'm getting more happier.

 

[Mark Jones]

I have a 5 HP, 20 gal, compressor, which delievers approx 9 CFM @ 40 PSI and 6 CFM @ 90 PSI. The HVLP gun wants about 10 cfm @ 40 psi and less than 20 psi at the gun itself. I've never had a problem with air supply. My compressor keeps up to my painting speed.

 

[Britishautobody]

Good question! Spray guns,type of paint and brand of paint all make a difference on what amount to purchase for a project. I always buy a gallon of basecoat for each British restoration project for the exterior alone. If I am doing a interior and underside and engine bay I may use a couple of quarts or more just for these areas. Each color and mix will cover differently, some colors cover better then others.Try to use a sealer that is as close to the final color as possible that way you will use less color. For a med to dark color use a black sealer, for light to white colors use a grey to white sealer. Having left over paint from the exterior spray is important for future repairing. It will allow you to panel paint panels instead of blending into other panels for a color match etc.

Hope this helps!

Vern
www.Britishautobody.com