4x4 Truck Basic Paint Jobs - How To Paint

Voc & Hazardous Chemicals

As a home-based painter you are still required to follow the same local, state, and federal laws as a commercial paint shop. the laws apply to all commercial and noncommercial coating applications. if in doubt about local regulations ask the professionals at your paint shop or local fire department. if you can't find a clear answer, check with the air quality management district in your state. Keep in mind that there shouldn't be anything the automotive paint suppliers are selling that is illegal for you to use at home. Any paints that had high levels of volatile organic compounds (vOC) in them have been discontinued as mandated by law. in fact most paints in the future will eventually be water-based. Don't let that concern you; one of the best paints on the market today is a german water-based paint. However, you still need to be safe around all paints and chemicals. Make sure you wear all safety equipment, especially a respirator.

You can apply the filler in layers-thinner layers dry faster and are easier to sand by hand. Start knocking the filler down by using a coarse-grit paper, and the closer you get to your desired surface height use a finer grade. Don't sand the body filler by hand as your work will end up uneven. Make sure you use a sanding board or a sanding block for smaller areas. Once you are happy with your work, clean the surface and spread a quality glazing and spot putty over the filler. the glaze will fill pinholes and tiny imperfections. Let the glaze dry thoroughly, and once it is fully cured sand it down with 400-grit sandpaper. After you're satisfied with your bodywork, prime the entire surface of your project. Once the primer is dry it should be lightly sanded with 400-grit paper.	Mixing paint is not as complicated as it seems. We chose Du pont nason paint, which is a good quality, economical paint. A gallon of nason, catalyst, and reducer may cost just around $150. using the paint requires a 6:1:1 mix; six parts paint, one part catalyst, and one part reducer. these foolproof mixing cups are a cinch to use. Choose any point on the cup such as line 5, and fill to that point with paint. Fill to the second 5 line with catalyst, and the third 5 line with reducer. Don't mix more paint than you can use, we recommend mixing a cup at a time.	Make sure your High volume Low pressure (HvLp) spray gun has an airflow regulator. psi ratings vary from paint to paint, and the technical data sheet (tDS) will give you all the specification. For example, we shot our nason at 10 psi, Du pont recommends 8-10 psi. Most guns have three adjustment controls. the fan control is usually located on the side of the gun; it controls the air distributed around the fluid nozzle. it also atomizes the paint and ultimately controls the spray pattern. the fluid control located at the back of the gun controls the amount of fluid being dispersed by the gun. the air micrometer adjusts the air volume and pressure that is delivered to the air cap.
To test our gun's spray pattern, texture, and paint we taped a large sheet of paper to the wall before painting. We highly recommend you do the same. your gun should have come with instructions on how to adjust the spray pattern and paint volume. When painting, start from the left or right and move slowly in one direction, and stop at the end of each pass. this is where the practice on your paper comes in.	Once you get the hang of painting with your gun, move on to a smaller section of your work. this nason solid color paint was applied in two coats, a medium coat which was allowed to tack, and then a second coat. the paint will dry tack-free in 60 to 80 minutes and will harden overnight. Dependant on conditions, we recommend letting the paint sit three days and come to a full 100 percent cure before color sanding.	Sanding will remove orange peel and runs. this should be done with 1,200- to 2,000-grit paper. Choosing the right grit depends on how bad the imperfections are. Crosshatch your sanding, which means doing your work in one direction, then making a pass in the opposite direction. Example: Sand left to right, then up and down to minimize possible scratches. After sanding, we recommend polishing with a cutting compound, then a fine rubbing compound, and following up with a good quality nonabrasive carnauba wax. We think the door on the right is far better!