Why can't normal car guys do paint?

[Bladecutter]

An excellent paint job is 90% prep. That's where most jobs go wrong, as has been pointed out.
There's a reason why good work costs so much. It takes time and patience.
I've painted enough in my time to know before the car even goes into the booth how it's going to turn out. Spraying material is the easiest part. Getting to that point in the process takes the most skills.

The prep label in refinishing has always agitated me......prep to me is a kitchen term, getting food ready to cook. In cars, as I said, it's ALL a straightening process up to the actual spraying. To me, block color sanding is the final, fine degree straightening process.

 

[Cranky]

Booth....must be nice lol

 

[Bladecutter]

Booth....must be nice lol

It's funny, the cleanest job I ever shot was a blown alcohol hydro digger in a shack @ Roosevelt Lake in Az. back in 1991. Didn't start shooting till 2 am, after the bugs rolled back. It was RM RV-86 hi solid urethane clear over RM acrylic lacquer graphic color panels on the snow white gel coat. The clear is the wettest **** I ever shot......took 45 minutes for the light tack coat to get sticky.
I swear I could count the dust heads on less than my fingers & toes. **** flowed beautifully too, so the color sand went quick.

 

[mmissile]

There's a difference between a painter, and a body-man. Each have their skill-sets.

 

[Cranky]

It's funny, the cleanest job I ever shot was a blown alcohol hydro digger in a shack @ Roosevelt Lake in Az. back in 1991. Didn't start shooting till 2 am, after the bugs rolled back. It was RM RV-86 hi solid urethane clear over RM acrylic lacquer graphic color panels on the snow white gel coat. The clear is the wettest **** I ever shot......took 45 minutes for the light tack coat to get sticky.
I swear I could count the dust heads on less than my fingers & toes. **** flowed beautifully too, so the color sand went quick.

My first base/clear (I know you do not like that crap and I don't either!) was on my daughter's messed up PT was done inside my shop....carpet on the floor and open rafters and plenty dirty. The humidity and temps were good so I misted the carpet with the garden hose and the surrounding area and went for it. The outcome surprised the crap out of me!

 

[eldubb440]

There's a difference between a painter, and a body-man. Each have their skill-sets.

in a collision shop, yes.............. IMO, anyone doing resto work should be proficient in both

I like the change....... after sanding/painting/buffing for a couple weeks, it's nice to get back to some cutting/welding/grinding/fitting

 

[moparnation74]

Paint can only look bitchin when applied to a well tuned substrate.....if the surface ain't correct, then it may as well be finished in flat or semi gloss because a shine is only going to make wavy panels look worse.
In my bible, priming & blocking are part of straightening. Really tuning a surface is a tough nut to bust.

That is it right there Blade.....

What is behind the paint is the critical part to have correct and takes true talent to accomplish that. The shop that did my X you can mirror everything on a dollar bill anywhere on the car. Thats talent and skill......

 

[SteveSS]

I wanted to put my 1973 Grand Am back in black. I have the time but I'm still scared.

 

[Cranky]

I wanted to put my 1973 Grand Am back in black. I have the time but I'm still scared.

That has always been a road block with me....skeert of diving in when after it was said and done, it wasn't anything to be skeert about. Go for it. If you mess up, you learned and then go for it again.

 

[Kern Dog]

For years, I did bodywork and had my cars painted. I didn't have a clean and safe place to spray the paint.
I painted my first car after I bought my first house. No problems with pissing off a landlord. The results? Not good. At that point, my bodywork was decent but I messed up the mix ratio of the paint. The garage was a bit dusty too. I sanded the truck down and stapled plastic sheeting to the ceiling and walls. The second effort came out much better. That was 1997.
I have improved over the years but I still have much to learn. I could never do this for a living because I make so many mistakes and spend lots of times correcting them. My work can be really nice or just driver quality depending on what my goals are. Some people are the "perfectionist" type that are compelled to do perfect work on every car. I sprayed my 75 Power Wagon just to have color on it. It is used to haul junk, car parts, lumber, etc. A perfect paint job for a truck that is constantly in harms way??? Uhhh, no.
I did the work on my Charger, my BILs 72 Duster and a 74 Duster I modified to look like a 71 Duster 340. Those cars got the best effort that I was capable at the time. I see guys online replacing roof skins, frame rails, full quarters and am truly impressed. I have patched lower quarters, floor pans, done quarter skins but nothing structural yet. I do want to learn how to do that. The guys at GYC use custom chassis jigs to ensure that the cars are rebuilt back to within factory tolerances. I am amazed to see a whole back half of a car GONE, then somehow the pieces go back together and the car looks original and undisturbed.
Years back working in construction, I saw Carpenters using a strip of plywood as a straightedge to straighten wall studs. They would check it for straightness and take a power planer to the high spots. I took this principle to bodywork. A 2 foot level will show as small as a 1/16" low or high spot to correct. Sometimes the eye will lie to you. A soft touch with your eyes closed can feel a low spot but I have also found that different textures can fool you. A panel can be dead straight but feel wrong to the touch...metal feels smoother than filler or primer so you think it needs more work.
I like to wet down a panel that I have worked. The shine will highlight a dip or a wave that cannot be seen on a dull primer surface.

 

[Hikin Mike]

I did 95% of the work on my Firebird, including the paint. At the time I was in the USAF and we had a brand new paint booth. I've used an airbrush when I built plastic models as a kid, but never a car. The guy that sold my car was a friend of mine and also had some painting experience so he showed me the ropes. I turned out pretty good. Thirty years later it still looks good...about 20-30 feet away.

I plan on "restifying" my Coronet some day, but I'm not painting it. I don't have the room.

 

[eldubb440]

sometimes it just takes a ..........

 

[moparnation74]

sometimes it just takes a ..........

View attachment 541199

The true test!

 

[davek]

its all in the prep-very time consuming

 

[Lionized]

The prep label in refinishing has always agitated me......prep to me is a kitchen term, getting food ready to cook. In cars, as I said, it's ALL a straightening process up to the actual spraying. To me, block color sanding is the final, fine degree straightening process.

It's too bad it agitate's you. It's short for preparation and it's absolutely critical in both fields. You mess it up and things go sideways right quick.

 

[mmissile]

in a collision shop, yes.............. IMO, anyone doing resto work should be proficient in both

I like the change....... after sanding/painting/buffing for a couple weeks, it's nice to get back to some cutting/welding/grinding/fitting

Big resto shops, can get a car done in a reasonable time-frame. Little shops, where one guy does everything on a couple cars....are known as paint jails. I had my fill of both body-work and painting...back in the 80's, and now have COPD and asthma. Neither of which I had previously or worked around other materials that would cause it. Having been thru all the resto/body-shop types....I'll take a place where things don't get back-burnered or back-loaded. I've seen and worked in them all. Unfortunately, I lost my painter of 20 years, and had to find someone else. So far, so good....and we'll see how the `cuda paint-job/painter work out.

 

[Bladecutter]

It's too bad it agitate's you. It's short for preparation and it's absolutely critical in both fields. You mess it up and things go sideways right quick.

I know what the word means, I just don't think it is justifiable description of the amount of work & effort involved from A to triple Z. In body & paint even shitty work is hard because of the amount of steps. I've worked plenty of kitchens & plenty more body shops.

 

[Bladecutter]

Big resto shops, can get a car done in a reasonable time-frame. Little shops, where one guy does everything on a couple cars....are known as paint jails. I had my fill of both body-work and painting...back in the 80's, and now have COPD and asthma. Neither of which I had previously or worked around other materials that would cause it. Having been thru all the resto/body-shop types....I'll take a place where things don't get back-burnered or back-loaded. I've seen and worked in them all. Unfortunately, I lost my painter of 20 years, and had to find someone else. So far, so good....and we'll see how the `cuda paint-job/painter work out.

Yep, no hazard pay for Us. Amazing that my liver & kidneys are in good shape for the amount of **** I've breathed & had my hands immersed in for 4 1/2 decades.

 

[747mopar]

Well I'll just say it takes a certain mindset... lol. For me I take pride in being able to do everything from start to finish and when I screw up I dig deep and work threw it. Having said that I won't sugar coat it, going from bare metal to paint is the absolute most time consuming, frustrating and rewarding part of the build for me.

So yes normal guys do their own paint but it's something you have to go into with a lot of patience, research and hopefully a mentor. I learned most of what I know from a friend who helped me with my first car and I've painted all of mine every since.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Yep the doctor reminds me every time I see him. I am going to have to start listening before oxygen is a 24/7 thing. But its the inconvenience of wearing a respirator.