choosing paint

I am planning to repaint my Series 3. I have a compressor and spray gun so that is the way I intend to go.

Choosing the paint has me confused. Tractol 'single pack enamel' costs £30 fo 5 litres here whereas 5L. of 'synthetic coach and machinery enamel' from these people costs £120. It seems to be the same stuff so why so much more expensive - what am I missing? And the Paintman firm which I have seen recommended on this forum charges £100 for 5L. of traditional single part Synthetic Coach Enamel paint.

Normally I find if I buy a cheap tool I soon find out why it was cheap. So I wonder whether anybody can tell me whether I would regret going for the Tractol enamel?

By cheap and you'll buy twice! Go for 2 pack and do it properly... Once!

don't you need a separate air line for a breathing mask with 2 pack and isn't it a bit deadly for spraying at home?

That's what I thought as well. A mate of mine restores bikes and he uses 2 pack but he doesn't use a separate air line for fresh air, he does get quite a lot of migraines though hmmm

iirc it contains isocyanate, if I were your mate I would start using an air line

Isocyanate is derived from cyanide and created by the Germans during the second world war .As has been said use an air Fed respirator. Its poisonous AND can cause severe asthma attacks to non suffers. Be careful out there

chris7 said:

Be careful out there

Click to expand...

I've read all the stuff on the merits of 2 pack, and the dangers, and as I'm going to be doing this with my son had decided on traditional enamel.
My question is really about whether there are differences of quality among the trad enamles that people have practical experience of so that I don't fall into the "buy twice" trap?

I sprayed mine at the beginning of this year, I used enamel from Paddocks, they sell HGM brand paint, it produced a great finish. Cost is about £12 a litre, but add to that thinners and primer / etch prime and your looking at around £300 to spray a complete 88" Landy, if memory serves me right I used 3L of etch prime, and 4L of Marine Blue. I went back to bare metal, then etch primed, then top coat, 2 to 3 cotes of primer then 400 wet flat back, then 4 + coats of top. However while the primer is fast drying the top coat is not, being enamel you have to leave it at minimum 3 hours to set before applying a second coat otherwise the new layer will pull on the previous one and make it go wrinkly.

Etch primer:


Top cote:


I have a 14 CFM compressor with 150L tank and a HVLP gravity fed gun with 1.8 nozzle for primer and 1.4 for top coat, then in the air line I have two water traps both at the low points of the air line and a pressure regulator set to about 40psi. Top coat was mixed to about the consistency of water which was about 2/3 paint, 1/3 thinners. Lots of light dusting layers for the top coat and the covering grows a bit with each layer, after about 3 coats the gloss starts to come.

It doesn't really matter what paint you buy, the devil is in the prep, expect minimum of 2 weeks prep to bare metal prep a Landy, and a couple days spraying.

My materials list was:
Marine Blue ~4L
Etch Prime ~4L
Thinners ~ 6L (Doubles as gun cleaner)
Panel wipe ~ 2L
Dairy wipe ~ 2 rolls (giant bog roll for cows(lives in Somerset))
400 paper ~ 20 sheets

If your bare metalling it, then add:
Paint stripper ~ 4L of the B&Q organic stuff
Wirebrush wheel for angle grinder

Looks good murtle

thanks Murtle - that is really helpful info
I'm impressed that you managed to get back to bare metal with B&Q paint stripper!
the Marine Blue looks good