Painting your Cobra at home....

[GUMBALL]

Hi Guys,

Reading the other post "Paint Job" has prompted the following thoughts....

If spraying your Cobra at home, I will assume that you would use cellulose paint, so assuming that, here are some questions....

1, Russ, you state that you should NOT USE ETCH PRIMER because it will break down the Gel Coat. My paint supplier told me to use etch primer because it would help the paint stick. I have had problems with the paint finish (sinking and reactions in the surface), and hopefully, if the etch primer was the problem, then I now know what to do when I respray (maybe this winter). Russ - are you to be my saviour??

2, Should you use a sealer - my paint supplier said it wasn't necessary, but I have my doubts.

3, What stages and in what order should you go through them. I.E. Following rubbing down of body what should be applied first, then second, then third etc. etc.

I have sprayed a few cars at home before (all in cellulose) and had some very good results, usually better than some pro jobs but only on steel bodied cars. But, spraying fibreglass-bodied cars is something altogether different, and getting advice is not easy, not to mention the difference of opinions you get from people.

What procedures should be followed???

GUMBALL

PS I know it doesn't save much (if any) money in the long run, but I like to do thing myself - so I can stand back and be proud that I did it myself (you also only have yourself to blame when it goes wrong).

:tu :tu :tu :tu x(

[Andy Butler]

I'm in no way any expert, but we used to spray a lot of models as part of my product design course at uni, and a lot of people used to find crazing when spraying wanting a gloss / glass like finish...turns out when watching A car is re born when the guy was spraying wats his face's e type, that the final rub down was done dry, as the paint absorbs the water otherwise, and it's this that causes the crazing... hope this is of some help cheers

[Bigblock]

Me again chaps,
If you do decide to go the "celly" route at home that's fine but it will need work to keep the finish up. Celly will dull over time, we all remember good old T-Cut, well T-Cut is ammonia based and this helps to bring the gloss out in a celly finish ( I wont go into the chemical reaction that takes place). If you do go celly remember it dries by evaporation of solvents, so if you paint it in the winter it could take weeks and even months in a damp cold condition to fully set. Also celly will absorb moisture, this will give you the "blooming" effect, that sort of milky dullness that appears. It cuts out with T-Cut but will reappear. Celly is also a low solids component, where as 2K, Twin Pack etc is MS based, medium solids. You will need to build up many coats of celly to achieive the same condition as 2K. Crazing is the top finish either reacting with what's underneath or a poorly preped surface. Etch primer is ok on grp, the racing cars we painted wanted as little paint as possible because of weight, so a quick flash of etch primer to get the top coat to stick and then one coat of colour was all they wanted. And finally celly is a bugger for sinking into filler because of the high solvent content, you can end up with sink marks weeks after the finish is completed, and the buggers come back time and time again. The last celly job I did was on an old pre war MG, just because the owner wanted an orignal finish, despite the fact it was most probably painted in an air drying enamel. Have a go though its all good fun.

[BenBaron]

Hi Gumball,

bit off topic but did ya get my check? Ive been having trouble emailing you... stupid computers..........:tu

cheers

Ben

[GUMBALL]

Bigblock,

Thanks for the reply,

It's interesting that you say that Etch is OK on Fibreglass, but Russ says not to use it - is it best to avoid it??

What about a sealer - I have been advised to use a sealer by some people - should it be used before or after primer?? and will this help prevent some sinking effect??

Heat and dampness is not a problem in my garage it is very dry and can be effectively heated (although not to baking temperatures).

Is it worth hiring a professional type heatlamp (or buying?) to help speed up curing??

Thanks for the help so far guys :tu

GUMBALL

[GUMBALL]

Ben,

Yes got your cheque - package should be with you Wednesday/Thursday.

GUMBALL :tu

[Bigblock]

GUMBALL
I can't comment on why some people don't like certain products, we all have our favorites. I have used an etch primer and surfacer without any problems, its very thin and if not applied can run oh so easy. It is what it says, it etches (correcy word?) to the surface, but if you prep the body with 80 grit or 120 grit paper you won't need an etching primer. Sealers tend to go between a previous finish or problem surface you may have had before, again they do what they say and seal the material beneath them. However becarefull when using them as they are really a cover product to a problem rather than a rectification of the problem and can cause problems in the future with sinkage etc. As for stages I could go on forever, but have a read of the article and substiute the 2K products for celly. why not have a go at spraying 2K, get yourself an air fed mask, clear everything out of the way for 10 yards (2K sticks like s**t to a blanket, even the overspray) and go for it. It is so much quicker, even in the cold damp garage it will dry over night to be ready to work on next day, can't do that with celly. One final thing, please don't buy cheap paint and materials out to the aut*Trade papers, buy the best materials you can afford once you are ready to go.
If you want any more help just ask, I'm always ready to help someone have a go. Ping me with your tele number if you want and I'll help over the phone if you want, cheers matey
:tu

[fcukruss]

well gumball.

i am an assistant manager at my work(a car body repair shop)and i will not be using etch primer on my cobra(i dont have enough fingers to count how many people have warned me not to use etch).i get up with saying"i know!"so the choice is yours.

Stage one:strip the car and remove all body fittings.

Stage 2:apply your filler to areas that need attention,ie ripples,dents,chips or pop holes.

Stage 3:rub rest of body with about a 240/320 grade paper to key surface.

Stage 4:mask vehicle and apply 4-5 coats of high build primer(2k material will adhere itself to the body with the aid of thinners).You will need to spray on a guide coat(this is a light spraying of black paint which will put small black dots all over tyhe car.

Stage 5:demask vehicle and wet flat primer with 600/800 wet and dry paper with the aid of a rubber block(available from paint suppliers).
If you think that youve finished and there are some black dots left,then you havent finished.
when you have finished this operation,its time to get the 800 w&d paper and just give the whole thing a light going over in a circular motion(this will remove any block marks).

Stage 6:clean vehicle off and dry completely.mask vehicle.

Srage 7:its now time to apply a light primer before spraying(not etch).give it time to dry,but not completely(this will eliminate any edges or ring marks you may have where you have rubbed through the primer).

Stage 8:apply base coat(2k preferably)2-3 coats allowing a flash off time in between coats(about 15-20 if spraying outside of an oven)until complete coverage have been achieved.

Stage 9:apply 3-4 coats of 2k clear laquer(this should give you enough build up to allow for flatting and polishing).leave it overnight and polish the next day with the aid of a polishing mop and g3 or other cutting product.

Stage 10:sit back and thing god im the dogs bollocks!

Stage 11:refit vehicle fittings and go indoors and await the sunshine!



this is only my professional opinion,whether you chose to take this advise is up to you.Its not an easy job by any means and bear in mind that a ceap paintjob could cost you dearly when you come to sell.

I purchased my ak for about £6-7 less than i would have paid if it was painted nicely(it was in purple gel coat).(strip down and repaint over winter,imperial blue with high pearl white stripes)


hope this helps.


cheers
russ

[roll control]

Indeed, no substitute for good quality products either! I'm soon to have a car painted in House Of Kolor products. Basically primed, sealed, base coat(s), intercoat(s) with flake, top clear coat(s) and all the faffing about in between. Materials alone for this job have cost in excess of £1000 and that is just the paints, reducers etc... The end result should be stunning.

[nikbj68]

One stage I notice missing from Russ`s(very good) guide is 'tack-ragging'. after finishing all your priming & rubbing,and washing down & drying, go over the car with TackRag(a cloth that is adhesive impregnated to remove all dust & bits that get left behind whilst drying.) I would also recommend a surgically clean,draught free garage. Wear a space suit. Enter garage 1 hour before starting to spray & don`t open the door until the last coat is dry. Do not move. Do not cough, sneeze or breathe. Ever.

If you disobey any of the above rules, you will have to flat it & refinish. again and again and again.
I know, for this is what happened during the Pearlescent paintjob on my (now long-gone) Mazda 626GT 4WS. http://www.cobraclub.com/cobragaller...hcarmodel2.jpg