Lets talk paint guns...

[1BAD68]

I'm going to paint my Charger this summer in my garage and am shopping for a paint gun.
I've used an HVLP gun before but am not a pro when it comes to painting so what are your thoughts on a decent sprayer.
I currently have a 60 gallon 2 stage compressor to work with and have a budget of $1000.00 for all paint, primer, sprayer etc.
Not sure if I'm going to use base/clear or single stage yet but am leaning towards a single stage paint because I'm not a fan of super glossy paint on a old car.

[twodko]

Look at Sato guns. The big difference between single and 2 stage paint is you can color sand a 2 stage paint job. Good luck and keep us posted.

Tom

[superbirdtom]

If your spraying  metallica or pearls   use up to a 1.5 nozzle whatever gun you decide to get . get a used one for half the price.  or  go ask to borrow one or rent one . or go ask some painter in your town to go shoot it for you.  The sharpe razor is a decent cheaper gun   and sprays  ok.  Theirs lotsa  older siphon guns  for real cheap out there , a sharpe platinum  siphon  gun works  good  and is  very cheap on ebay, ive seenem go for 150 dollars.

[DC_1]

Make sure you have a water seperator. You may find that compressor labouring to keep up.

[TylerCharger69]

Not only a separator, but an inline water trap as well!!!   I like to use gravity fed guns....Binks or Devilbiss have done okay for me....i usually use a common cup gun for scratch filler/primer.  I haven't had much luck with the HVLP guns.....perhaps just preference I suppose.....As was posted before...if the compressor struggles to keep up, more heat will generate at the compressor....more heat....more condensation...more moisture....make sure the compressor is drained before you paint too...but that's a no-brainer!!

[Silver R/T]

Look at Sato guns. The big difference between single and 2 stage paint is you can color sand a 2 stage paint job. Good luck and keep us posted.

Tom
You can color sand single stage also, no problem. You can actually put clear over single stage if you wanted to. It will be more durable in long run.
Sata, Iwata, Binks, Sharpe...they all make great guns. Generally you want 1.3 tip for clear and 1.4-1.5 for top coats

[elitecustombody]

Look at Sato guns. The big difference between single and 2 stage paint is you can color sand a 2 stage paint job. Good luck and keep us posted.

Tom

no such thing as Sato, if you're talking about Sata Jet, OP stated that his budget was $1000 which should cover the materials, paint and the spray gun, Sata guns run $500-600, he won't have much $$ to play with

OP, look into DevilBiss Finishline guns, you can buy them new for around $120-150, if you're looking at used guns, make sure to test them, it can get very expensive to rebuild a gun,and sometimes if dropped,they will never spray right

[twodko]

What elitecustombody said.

Sato is a character in a Clive Cussler novel I just finished...I'm dyslexic today. hahaha

Tom

[Cooter]

As long as I have a buffer and wet/dry paper, I'll keep srayin' with my old ass, Busted, broken down, beat up, needs rebuilding, POS, $40.00 Siphon gun I bought off the Snap-On truck about 25 Years Ago...

I have a three piece HVLP gun set, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of those guns yet..they like to load the car up with paint REAL heavy on the outsides and I hate that....Done tried all kinds of adjustments/air pressures, nothing...I can shoot with one, but don't like it....

[twodko]

Cooterman, nobody paints a picture like you do. I can clearly see that 25 year old siphon gun!

Tom

PS I bought a Titan HPLV rig for my woodworking endeavors....couldn't get the hang of that either. Went back to brush or wipe-on finishes.

[1BAD68]

I'm trying to get all my supplies together and I have a few questions.
Here's what I have planned so far with single stage urethane color.
Sand car down with 80 grit.
Use filler to repair dings using 80 grit.
Spray 2k primer/surfacer and block with 120.
Fix any low spots, spray 2k and block with 120 again, repeat until smooth.
Spray 2k sealer and block with 320.
Then paint color.
wetsand and buff.

Am I missing anything?
Will a gallon of 2k primer/surfacer be enough?
I'm taking car down (again) to bare metal, can I use filler over bare metal?

[restoman]

I'm trying to get all my supplies together and I have a few questions.
Here's what I have planned so far with single stage urethane color.
Sand car down with 80 grit.
Use filler to repair dings using 80 grit.
Spray 2k primer/surfacer and block with 120.
Fix any low spots, spray 2k and block with 120 again, repeat until smooth.
Spray 2k sealer and block with 320.
Then paint color.
wetsand and buff.

Am I missing anything?

Will a gallon of 2k primer/surfacer be enough?
I'm taking car down (again) to bare metal, can I use filler over bare metal?

You're close.
Finish the filler with 80 grit, then apply a thin skim of two-part polyester putty over the entire filled area. Finish your putty work with a minimum of 180 grit (240 is better). Then apply either an etching primer over the bare steel areas or a coat of epoxy primer over everything. Staying inside the re-coat window, put the 2k primer on top of this. Block the 2k with 180-240, finishing with a minimum of 320. Repeat as required. Do your final prep before paint with 500 grit or so, then paint.
Finishing filler with 80 grit and then priming will leave you with some serious sand scratches over time. Finishing with progressively finer grits tends to eliminate shrinkage considerably.

[mopar73]

Not only a separator, but an inline water trap as well!!!   
I also use one of those cheep last second round filters just before the gun also

[1BAD68]

So the paint should go on top of the primer and not the sealer?
Thanks for all the tips its helping me understand this process.

[superbirdtom]

you need to use sealer on a couple different stages.  some people don't know  the difference between sealer and primer.  Never finish off bondo in 80 grit. I finish off all my bondo in 150 or 180 grit. then sealwait an hour  then prime.  after blocking the primer from 150 to 220 to 400 to 600 then you reseal an hour before painting.   so   bare metal- sealer then bondo right over sealer- sand bondo - then reseal with sealer- then highfill primer then block primer then seal again one final time one hour before you paint-then paint.

[69*F5*SE]

1bad68, have you decided which spraygun you're going with?    

[1BAD68]

So far I narrowed it down to the Devilbiss Starting Line HVLP Spray Gun Kit.
It has the tips for primer, base and clear and is only 129.00.
Everything I've read said that its a really nice set for the money.
Still watching Ebay for a high quality used gun though.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DVR-802343/

[69*F5*SE]

What size is your air compressor?  Sprayguns such as the Sharpe Platinum which only requires 7.5 CFM or the Iwata LPH-400 which only requires 9.5 CFM are good for guys with a smaller compressor.  Both show up on ebay for fair prices used or new for that matter.  Expensive guns for a cheaper price.  The typical 5hp 60 gallon compressor will handle the above mentioned guns.

[68chargerboy]

sata jet 3000.  one of the best things ive ever bought in my life

[vancamp]

i have two Iwata lph 400's that are used for base and one for clear, have and older devilbiss i use a a primer gun and a no name parts store special if i have to spray something i dont want two run thru the others. the Iwata's have a nice wide pattern, the devilbiss is a good gun but doesnt have the pattern of the Iwata

[bill440rt]

I don't have anything fancy, either. But, I turned from "pro" to "hobbyist" many years ago, so my guns may not be up to date.

Primer: Swap meet special syphon feed HVLP gun, and another gravity feed HVLP gun with a large tip for spraying polyester-based fillers. Nothing fancy here, just some guns that spray decent & lay down primer evenly.

Basecoat/single stage: Old-school Devilbiss JGA syphon-feed. Yep, old girl takes a lickin', keeps on tickin'. Used this one to lay down the basecoat on Project '69, the gun didn't skip a beat.

Clear: Sata Jet gravity feed, non-HVLP. Really like this gun for clears, lays down real nice & flat.

I have other smaller touch-up guns & a nice airbrush too, for smaller repairs. They come in handy.

Good luck with your paint job!!

[Supercharged Riot]

My primer gun = HVLP primer gun from any Harbor Freight store
My Paint gun = Sata jet 90-2 (with a 1.4 mm head)

or if you got the money, Sata jet 3000 (1.3 mm head).  THis is a nicer stainless steel coating that you can also use with water based paints

[Patronus]

Would you recommend the 1.3 for both the base and clear coats? (SATA 3000)

[Silver R/T]

Would you recommend the 1.3 for both the base and clear coats? (SATA 3000)

Generally you want 1.4-1.5 for base

[Patronus]

tnx, didnt see that in the earlier posts...