First time spray painting!!! Hints PLEASE

So I’m getting my balls out and giving spraying a go.... never done it before!

ive bought a decent 100litre compressor and a big tin of synthetic black.

first question is prep.... sand flat then key it in?

Got some decent primer. How many coats?

Then synthetic paint.... don’t know much about it...been told I can’t clear coat it though, so should I give it a few coats? How long should it dry before second/third coats?

any help would be gratefully appreciated

cheers!

Yep find a big wall to practice on, there are so many variables from temperature to thinners ratio and everything in between

Can I bring this thread to your attention

https://www.landyzone.co.uk/land-rover/do-not-post-questions-please-read-before-posting.271449/

Moved

badfluffy said:

Yep find a big wall to practice on, there are so many variables from temperature to thinners ratio and everything in between

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Ok! That’s a good start- perhaps you could expand a little?

100 litre compressor won’t keep up

It's not really the right weather unless you've got decent, dry and warm space inside with suitable extractors

100 litres just refers to the tank size. What HP is the compressor?
Go back to the paint suppliers & ask them for the Technical Data Sheets for that particular paint. Will tell you everything you need to know about how to prep the surface, how to apply, how to thin, what pressure to spray at, spray gun fluid tip size, how many coats, time between coats, temperature etc.
Also ask the suppliers to recommend a suitable primer - & get the TDS for that too.

freelance said:

100 litre compressor won’t keep up

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Will be fine for a home sprayer, will run the compressor most of the time but I sprayed my 110 with a 50 litre, panel at a time.....outside...2k

It’s a bit like asking how to draw a banana.

I would only recommend you buy an extra litre or two and have a practice before going in fresh on your pride and joy. If you ain’t got a flat surface to practice on get a smooth bonnet from the scrappers and hang it somewhere to get a feel of laying down an even coat by adjusting the gun and paint viscosity. Corners and fittings will be a challenge for you but nothing a sprayer can’t handle after a few years training.
Other than that, get lots of wet n dry. Your probably going to need it.

Most of all, have fun with it.

Bobsticle said:

Corners and fittings will be a challenge for you but nothing a sprayer can’t handle after a few years training.
Other than that, get lots of wet n dry. Your probably going to need it

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what’s the best way of getting the corner/edges done? Any advice?

Wow, paint spraying apprenticeship wanted in one LZ thread. Good luck with that.

Not really advice, but practice! Practice going round corners without spraying anything. You need to keep moving and keep the right distance from the work, or you'll end up with runs

Interceptorxj said:

Wow, paint spraying apprenticeship wanted in one LZ thread. Good luck with that.

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i hear you pal, but I’m just skint and as I’m on the tools (albeit a totally different line) and have extensive P and D experience, I just thought I’d ask the brotherhood for advice- afterall, it’s not a roller, it’s a landy, and one doesnt need a pristine machine, just something that looks A BIT better than how it does at the mo

ProjectX said:

what’s the best way of getting the corner/edges done? Any advice?

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It’s fittings that are problematic. Hinges and the like change the distance from the gun as you pass over them. The better the equipment the easier the job. That’s why professionals use the best gear. They also know when to spray wet on wet, what paints are capable of in any given situation and how heavy or light to spray. The variables are infinite and a good practice panel can at least help you set up the gun and paint.
Getting enough on so the paint flows on the surface without sagging is something of an art form and hard if impossible to teach in words. You have to have a gun in your hand and see the application as it happens.
Painting like any other skill is easy until something goes wrong. It’s the knowledge picked up by practice that minimises those problems happening in the first place and being able to correct them before it costs you time and money.
Not an issue if your a DIYer so all I can say is grab the gun and have a go. It’s just a pain rubbing out sags and runs until you can lay down a decent finish. Just remember it’s only paint so rectifiable. Eventually.

ProjectX said:

I just thought I’d ask the brotherhood for advice- afterall, it’s not a roller, it’s a landy, and one doesnt need a pristine machine, just something that looks A BIT better than how it does at the mo

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Talking of rollers that would be another alternative

Interceptorxj said:

Talking of rollers that would be another alternative

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A big brush works best for camo

I wouldn’t hesitate to spray rather than hand paint. It’s no harder and in some respects much easier.
Even spray painters can do it and most of them can’t spell their own name.

My search is still playing up but see if you can search for the thread I started on painting and got loads of advice to refer to from a few of the guys above plus more - tis valuable studying!
One thing not mentioned is water traps etc. you want one on mainline and one near gun. Also don’t want to use a greasy line where you may have oiled your spannering tools.
There’s an Aussie pro on YouTube, bald thinking guy who has loads of good videos - can’t remember user name but it’s paintgunman or something.
I’ll be using an epoxy primer on mine.
Look after yourself too, making sure you have the correct PPE for whatever your painting with.
Prep is everything

resto_d1 said:

One thing not mentioned is water traps etc. you want one on mainline and one near gun. Also don’t want to use a greasy line where you may have oiled your spannering tools.

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A minimum of one water trap.
HVLP gravity feed spraygun. Use a lot less air that the old suction feed & you'll not get vast clouds of overspray.
Fit a pressure regulator on the gun so you can accurately set the pressure at the gun.
If an airline has been used with an inline oiler then don't use it for anything to do with paintwork/spraying - including for just blowing dust off the surface with a blowgun.
As said, there are some very good tutorials on youtube. Watch those as it's not possible to teach good technique in writing.
As you get more experience it gets easier. You also learn how to deal with problems!
Problems you can get include: https://uk.maxmeyer.com/en/paint-defects/