I have a 26 gallon chraftsman 2HP compressor, and i want to do a DIY pait job on my civic..
I dont want to do a poor quality job,

Ive been reading about the diffrant paint guns.... seems like Sata, Iwata and devilbiss are the ones ive narrowed it down to.

i need help picking one that will work the BEST with my compressor size

Its gonna be a metallic paint

 

Well your compressor is fairly small in power (~6 CFM @ 40 psi) while most HVLP spray guns are going to require 10-15 CFM @ 30 psi. You might be able to get by, but your compressor is going to be running 100% duty cycle and its going to be tough to keep up with any gun. If you can get the car all preped and ready, you may consider renting a nicer large compressor (5-7.5 hp). You will also want to have a moisture and oil separator for helping you remove contaminates that can ruin paint jobs and painting equipment. If you've got the money for a $500 gun, I think I would rather spend $400 towards a nicer compressor and get a decent $100 gun like a Sharpe Finex FX300 or Devilbiss Finishline.

A gun can only do so much, i'd say 80% of a professional looking paint job is in the preparation and polishing of the clear. Its fairly easy to lay the paint down, and your not going to see a huge gain by using a $400+ gun compared to a $100. This is all my opinion, i'm sure others may argue.

http://www.eastwoodco.com/

 

so how big of a compressor would you recomend for painting a car
how many gallon?
what brand?




Modified by K20A_EH at 12:40 PM 5/7/2007

 

once you have the gun tuned to spray correctly, a pressure drop will result in orange peel.
Since your compressor can't deliver the CFM the gun requires, then it will be kicking on very often. Most likely, the pressure will drop while you are spraying, causing orange peel and the job to come out shitty. Also, the more the compressor is on, the more water is likely to get into the tank....painting really requires a decent sized compressor

but why isn't this in the paint and body section?

 

The only real way to use a small compressor (120v) to spray is to get a HUGE tank, and fill that up. Drain it of water, then spray. Just remember that you'll have to watch your pressure VERY closely, once it drops a few psi, you will start to have finish problems.

What I'd do is rent a bigger compressor and wire it into 220v.

 

ok i have a new idea

i want to do a black base coat with a satin clear over top (like skunk2's race car)

my compressor is
8 CFM @ 40psi
6 CFM @ 90psi

im going to do a satin black paint job for the summer and then paint it the color i really want at the end of the summer...im going to sell my current compressor and buy a more decent compressor and gun

so whats a good gun for my size compressor ( 8 cfm @ 40psi )

 

Bump, curious as well.

 

i think if i got a good gun and a good compressor and the cost of paint i think it will still be cheaper then a high end paint job

i was thinking if i really took my time i could put out a good paint job... or is it more to it then that

 

There are big factors in paint jobs, the painter and the gun. If you got a cheap gun and a really good painter the paint will be alright. But if the painter sucks and has a really nice gun, you might and might not get a good paint job. With metallics the guns really matter, but since you want that flat black look it's alright to have a cheaper gun. I would suggest staying away from the Finex they tend to splatter alot and are really sensitive to being clean. You could get a Devilbiss Finishline for around the same price. But if you want to spray metallics and pearls you will need a gun that atomizes the best. I find Iwatas to lay down more material than a Sata with the same sized fluid tip. With Satas all you need to do is switch to a bigger tip and learn how to spray faster. Sanding the clear will get you a shiny top coat, but you will see the imperfections in the color coat using a cheap gun through the clear. Also pick the materials you shoot with the thought of ,how long you want it to last, what conditions it's gonna be. I shoot DuPont line of paint. I usually use the cheaper guns for just primer and sealer. Because this can be sanding to perfection.

 

ive changed my mind on the satin paint job (it was going to be a temp. job)
I have decided to just go for the color i want.......I want it to look REALLY good and last for a really long time (starting with a stripped car)
Like a MOB works job...

the color i want to paint is "Phantom Grey Pearl"

But i want it to look better then it came from the factory

 

whats the most durable primer to start out with?

should i sand it down to bare metal

 

what do you guys think about this
http://www.tptools.com/p/2307,....html



this air (turbine) but add a good spray gun

i thought it was interesting

 

Turbines are good for side jobs. But this is where you get your money back from money well spent. At school we use Transtar primers, it's a second grade primer but good enough to lay down a base. If you sand down to metal you will need to buy an epoxy primer too. Spraying the pearl the way you want will require an expensive gun. So either you spend money on an Iwata or Sata, or have a shop spray it. You might even need the gun in the future or do side jobs to make up for it. Remember to sand the primer to avoid visible sand scratches, because pearls and metallics make them pop out more. If you don't have access to a spray booth too, find a shop that will rent it by the hour. Try not to bake it and just let it dry naturally, this will make the finish more durable.

 

All the questions about what compressor is big enough over and over. It isnt so much the SIZE it if the CFM it is capable of. Size does help but the CFM is the bottom line IMO. Bigger is better sure but CFM is the thing... and most shadetree/garage compressors Ive seen barely meet the requirements.

Also I have sprayed with mediocer* guns and very nice ones, Sata Rp digitals, Iwata LPH400 etc(by far my favorite for clear) I really feel that a good paint job can be had with a cheap gun as long as it is in top performing conditions(clean enough cfm) and in the hands of a competant painter.

Another thing I really like about the Iwata is it uses less CFM than any of the other full size guns I have seen. and My compressor at my house will actually keep up. The LPH400 at their recomended atomizing pressure of 14-16psi(which is about half of other HVLP guns, due to tip design) it uses 8.3-9.5 CFM

Good luck... By the sounds of it though you may be better off payin a buddy unless you plan to paint other stuff or have use for the larger compressor it might not really be an "investment" for some.

 

if i were to rent a paint booth would i most likley have use of there compressor.... or is that not how it works

 

also...im trying to decide if i want a career in auto painting

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by K20A_EH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">also...im trying to decide if i want a career in auto painting</TD></TR></TABLE>

Painting is fun, to bad it takes a few mins to spray and it's only 10% of the job. Prepping the car for paint is about 90% of the work. If prepped correctly the paint will last as long as oem or longer.

 

i started doing body work on my hood...i welded the squirter holes shut and the emblem holes
and im using evercoat rage gold

its kinda fun sanding and shaping the body

i think it will be alot more rewarding to paint my car myself....oposed to paying someone to do it for me

 

For that compressor cfm rating.

Primer Gun: Astro Pneumatic Evo 4018 (1.8mm tip)
Base/top/clear gun: Astro Pneumatic Evo 4014 (1.4mm tip) or Harbor Freight 90977 (1.4mm? cheap but it works).

 

Yea... you should be able to use the compressor outputs. As far as painting goes, that's what I'm doing at school. Auto body collision repair, being a body man would suck unless you have a passion for it. Auto body techs are in high demands, especially good painters. It's hard to do spot repairs now with all the metallics out there. Ronnyg81 is right, Iwatas do use alot less than Satas do in air. The LPH is a really nice gun because of the high material rate it lays down. But I'm biased I love the Satas for clear because of the atomization, and for harder to reach places you could adjust to a very fine spray pattern.

 

what school are you going to?
how long is it over all?

with epoxy paint do i need a special gun?

Iwata for metallic & pearl?

 

i used the EVo 4014 to try to paint my car. I used it on the metallic base and clear coat. I used an EVO4018 for the primer. All of this was on a 30gallon Kobalt compressor with about 8CFM at 40psi.

I had TONS of trouble with water accumulating and coming out the lines. You are going to need more than just a simple seperator. You need a water filter of some sort.

Aside from that, I wouldnt recommend this setup to paint an entire car. It just won't come out nice, especially with a metallic.

My advice is to find someone that has a booth and use their setup. Though it may not seem like this at first, it will save you alot of time, work, and money. I would also recommend considering having someone that can paint to spray it.

And I know where you are. I was in the same place where everyone was telling me that I needed better equipment/experience and I ignored it all. I wanted to do it myself and learn how to do it. If you do decide to ignore the warnings, you've got a long road ahead of you.

 

i have some experiance painting

the you think my comressor is good enough to lay down some primer

 

yea it'll be ok for primer. but now with the guns you listed. i would go with the Astro Pneumatic EVO 4018 (with 1.8mm tip) for that. I would also still get a good air filter like the MotorGuard.

http://www.smartshoppersinc.co....html

 

I go to a community college. We are going to be one of the first to spray water based paints in the NW. We also have one of the biggest booths that any school has. We could spray a full semi. It only takes 7 quarters for the AA, but then you could take the ASE and I-CAR certification tests so you could make more money. Head painters can make around 100,000+ a yr. Nope epoxy sprays out the same gun you use for primer. Make sure you spray in a booth, try to find a down draft. This will get rid of over spray, less dirt, and you could heat the car up so it will lay even better because of the molecules.