primer for acrylic enamel? first paint job help

[1Gina2G]

Alright everyone well i decided to try and paint a car for the first time using acrylic enamel as I've read it's good for a beginer along with sandable primers, but was hoping i could get an idea of what primer would work for me. Also does it matter if i spray paint out of the same gun i spray the primer out of? Was hoping to be able to do this with a fairly cheap paint gun if anyone has anything to say about that.

With the areas that are fairly new & clearcoated , would it be best to start off with 320 or 220? Would I be able to use an air.sander for everything? Anytimes i shouldn't use it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[JusMX141]

Acrylic Enamel is horrible for a car finish. I sprayed my girlfriend's hood on her beater using acrylic enamel about two or three summers ago and right now it's faded worse than the rest of the 21-year-old finish. Add to that the fact that it's a harder paint so it chips easier once it's dry.

You're better-off stepping it up to a single-stage urethane if you're afraid of or can't afford base clear...at least you'll have the same durability as base clear and won't be re-painting the car in two years. Leave the acrylic enamel for people painting utility equipment and Maaco.

 

[1Gina2G]

Well Ive had a car painted with the same paint before and i really liked how it turned out, the guy who i had paint it had also mentioned the fading problem with this kind of paint but i think its good for the price. Honestly wouldn't mind repainting it the right way again when it comes to it, just a practice job really. Im pretty sure the urethane paints cost alot more, worth it but still. $500 paint vs everything for $500

Thing is, i might not even have the car in 2 years either.

 

[JusMX141]

The typical single-stage urethane setup sold at my workplace is $44 more per gallon than acrylic enamel, and most of that cost is in the hardener. You also get more paint with the type of urethane we sell because it reduces 4-1-1 instead of 8-1-1.

It's your money and time- I could care less how you choose to spend it....I was just trying to save you a bit of both in the long run.


Also, I'm not sure where you're buying a complete setup of acrylic enamel and primer for $500- that's quite steep. I've sold complete base-clear setups including primer, sandpaper, and tape for less than that.

 

[bastarddsm]

Justin is right but if your going to do it, clue us in on what brand you are using are what you have available to you so we can guide you.

 

[1Gina2G]

Don't you also need more guns for urethane since you need a seperate gun for the clear coat as well as a gun for primer? Just an assumption with the guns to keep everything clean but idk as you can tell. $500 is just a ballpark estimate and basically my budget, i already bought 2 gallons of AE as i thought that was going to work unfortunately. 2 because of 2 colors, repainting the black parts of the talon and the new blue color.

Not sure what the brands are at the top of my head but i did not find any primers from the same company.

Am i atleast right in sanding the old clearcoat off like i had mentioned? 320 ? 220?

Thanks everyone

Alright so i didn't realize how close the prices are for stage 1 urethane so i would like yo use that instead. Hopefully i can resell the paint as its been sometime now

 

[JusMX141]

Don't you also need more guns for urethane since you need a seperate gun for the clear coat as well as a gun for primer?

Not that I know of. Everyone weekender I know of uses the same gun for everything....HVLP with a 1.4 tip.

Just an assumption with the guns to keep everything clean but idk as you can tell.

Gun cleaning thinner....buy a gallon.

$500 is just a ballpark estimate and basically my budget, i already bought 2 gallons of AE as i thought that was going to work unfortunately. 2 because of 2 colors, repainting the black parts of the talon and the new blue color.

Jesus- what are you painting, a motor home?

For a re-coat of the same color, you don't even need half that much. Dave painted his black chassis the gray color it is now with two quarts of gray base and one quart of black for the roof...and had some left over.

Am i atleast right in sanding the old clearcoat off like i had mentioned? 320 ? 220?

Get the product information for the paint you bought, see what compatible undercoats and sanding information they suggest. For instance the acrylic enamel we sell suggests 400 dry or 500 wet as your final sanding step, meaning the paint will not cover scratches any coarser than that. The rest is up to you.

 

[1Gina2G]

Well the car right now is actually mostly gray/ old silver with the black roof and mirrors being a talon. I figured atleast half a gallon for the main color and the price of the AE made since to just get a gallon since i have virtually no experience painting a car, but painted just about everything else and i understand the general ideas.

With that said, would you say 3 quarts of blue stage 1 urthane be enough, would 2 be cutting it to close for a begener? Since i should practice spray on something right before i paint the car itself right? Even though it shouldn't be much wasted. I plan on using 1 quart for the sunroof area, which should be good right?

Thanks for the guidance

 

[bastarddsm]

Jesus- what are you painting, a motor home?

For a re-coat of the same color, you don't even need half that much. Dave painted his black chassis the gray color it is now with two quarts of gray base and one quart of black for the roof...and had some left over.

Some cheaper paints don't cover worth a ####, so you'll need lots of it. I shot my car in shopline base coat, and needed almost 2 gallons. If I had done it with DBC it would have been 2-3 qts. I did do jams and engine compartment tho.

OP I'd get a gallon, then you have some for touch ups. With single stage, if you run out, you respray it.

 

[handsome_black]

Ive sprayed entire cars with 3/4 gallon of not that good paint. Your color and prep will have a lot of effect on how much you will use. If your changing the entire color, then youll need a good bit like mentioned above.

If the car was just recently clear coated and is in good condition, youll really only need to scuff and paint over it with like 320 or 400. If you use 220 your going to need some heavy primer to cover up the sandpaper markes of youll see them in your base. Dupli-color makes a decent ready to spray system for paint guns. Its not to expensive and works well, I used it to paint a truck 3 years ago with some decent 2 part clear coat, and it still looks fantastic, well the paint does anyway.

For your gun you can use the same one for primer, paint, and clear if you don't have a choice. Its better to not use the sake gun for primer and paint. Its just safer to keep those 2 in different guns. but it most definetly can be done. I have 3 guns myself, one primer, one base/clear and a mini for smaller projects.

 

[idoceclipse]

Agreed you should have a separate gun just for primer but if you're not painting all the time you should be fine.