Firebird21
03-07-2006, 10:57 AM
**Submitted for review and constructive criticism for the eventual admittance into the Tutorial section. This is a rough draft.
I have read many posts about people having problems with painting their saber parts. Well since I went to school for Auto Body and spent the first 4 years of my professional life painting automobiles, I wanted to share some of the knowledge I have obtained over the years.
*Always paint in a well ventilated area and use the proper charcoal respirator (to prevent lung cancer)
*Wear gloves (I can not wear a watch now due to allergic reaction to solvents from not wearing gloves. Plus it will destroy your manicure)
*Safety glasses (I had a gallon of lacquer thinner splash into may face! Not fun!!! I’m Lucky to be able to see today! Just think about if you accidentally have the nozzle facing the wrong direction.)
*And a hair net. Yes, a hair net! You don’t want to spend all this time and effort just to have hair fall in it at the last step.
*Always follow the manufacture’s directions. My directions are for general use. I don’t want to boar you with the specific way to paint with every type of paint there is, so use common sense.
Tools:
-The first basic tool of a painter is the spray gun. They can run upwards of about $200 for a good one. The one I used was $400 and had a digital pressure guage. Then you’d need a compressor to use it. There’s another $400-$1000.
Now before you freak out… I have an alternative that will be better for you to use than even the most expensive spray gun. Go to your local Wally-World or hobby shop and pick up a cheap Testors Air Brush. They are easy to use and 1/10 the cost of a professional gun. And they run off of those cans of air. Just keep it CLEAN. A professional gun will end up wasting more paint than you will need to paint your parts.
Tip: An air brush will spray much better than any spray can. So what I did with my model cars was spray the paint from the can directly into the air brush bottle and used the Air Brush. And the paint is ready to use, no mixing.
Tip: When painting your parts it is always best to start and stop a “pass” before and after the part. Don’t stop a “pass” right in the middle of the part. Also, have each pass over lap the last by about 50%. This will reduce the likelihood of getting “Zebra Stripes” in your finish.
-Sanding blocks. Don’t use your fingers! It will leave bumps in the final finish that will not look very good. For flat surfaces any paint shop should have something that will fit your needs, but anything flat and smooth and will hold paper will work. The best thing to use for round parts is a chunk of Radiator hose. Just make sure you get all the grease and antifreeze off of it first.
The Basics:
-First off, CLEAN the part. You never know what is on that part, and even oils in your skin can prevent paint from sticking. It also prevents the second most common paint defect called “Fish Eyes”. (The first is Dust) Lacquer thinner works well for the realy grimy stuff, but many paint stores will carry a paint quality degreaser that will to the trick with out the burning sensation. And thinner can melt some plastics and remove prior coats of paint.
-Clean the part after sanding primer, just before you paint it. Don’t touch the part after you clean it and start painting. This will be the last time you can clean it. After you apply paint, there’s no turning back.
-Sand, sand, sand!!! Paint will not stick to unsanded parts. If it’s shiny, the paint won’t stick. But just because it isn’t shiny doesn’t mean it will. The part MUST be sanded for the paint to stick. Most paint works best with 220-600Grit paper, but read the directions on the can first for best resuts.
-Keep the area clean and dust free. Use a Tack Rag between every coat of paint.
-Spray LIGHT coats!!! I can’t stress that enough! You will not speed up the process by “lobbing it on”. It will actually slow you down and increase the risk of chipping and pealing not to mention it’s a waste of paint. You want to use light coats of paint so the paint will dry properly and it will cover better once you’re done. You will want to be able to see through the first coat of paint.
There is more to painting than just the color. The 3 basic parts are Primer, Base coat, Clear coat. Some paints don’t need the Clear coat because they have it built into the Base coat. All C/C does is makes it shiny and adds more protection. I will get more into this later.
Steel:
Steel is easy. It’s the most commonly painted surface in my industry. And it takes little effort. And I will also go over some more basics of painting with it.
Steel should be sanded with a coarse paper (180Grit or less. When used on steel the resulting sand scratches will be equivalent to 220Grit) then Etch primed. (The etching primer acts as the bond between the metal and the paint.) Then you should use a filling primer to help get the smoothest finish possible by filling in the coarse sand scratches from the first step.
*Tip: take some black spray paint and DUST a light coating over the last coat of primer. When you sand for the next step, just sand the black off. You will be able to easily tell what needs to be sanded more.
After the primer has had plenty of time to dry, (the more the merrier) sand it down with a finer paper (320-600Grit). Then you can now apply the Base coat (this is the coat that provides the color that you want the part to be. Some paint systems have the Top coat or “Clear coat” as part of this step. After the base coat has been applied (per manufacturer’s recommendations) you can then apply the Clear coat for that glossy look you love so much. There are also flat clears for a matte finish. You can then buff it once it is cured, but that’s another tutorial.
Chrome:
I see that the medium of choice for fabrication is the chrome sink pipes and the like. The problem with Chrome is that nothing likes to stick to it. I’m not exactly sure why, but I do know what to do about it. STRIP IT OFF.
Yes, strip it off. Chrome is process of electroplating Nickel onto the “Substrate” (this is the material of the object to be refinished, plated, ect.) then Chrome follows. The Chrome is only 5-10 millionths of an inch thick so it shouldn’t be too difficult to strip it off. You want to strip it down to at least the coppery colored Nickel plating or more. At this stage you can proceed to refinish it as you would any other steel.
You can sometimes get away with just giving the Chrome a good sanding, but it’s not the most reliable way as it will be more prone to chipping.
Plastic Parts:
You CAN NOT just sand any plastic part and paint it and expect it to last more than a day or 2.
You MUST clean them FIRST. There is a substance on all plastic parts called a Release Agent. For all intensive purposes this is basically Pam cooking spray for plastic. Its sole purpose in life is to PREVENT things from sticking to it, including your paint. It is used to get the part out of the mould during manufacturing.
To clean the release agent off of the plastic is very simple. Use rubbing alcohol and wipe it off. If it feels really greasy you should do it a couple of times. Just be sure that you also wipe off the alcohol too. Don’t let it dry on there, you’re just letting it redeposit back onto the plastic. There are also specifically designed cleaners available for this, but they cost more and rubbing alcohol works just as well.
The absolute best way to get it all off is to heat it up to get it out of the pours in the plastic. But typically this application doesn’t warrant such methods; just wiping it down should be sufficient.
You should use finer sand paper on plastics due to the plastic being much softer than steel. 320-400 should be best.
Some paint manufactures have special paints for plastic parts and are worth the extra $$.
Aluminum:
Basically it’s just like steel but keep them separate. Steel and Aluminum don’t like each other. They like to corrode each other. So it’s best to keep Aluminum parts covered when working on Steel, and the opposite. The dust can corrode and cause problems later. Also try not to use the same sand paper, grinding disks, ect. for the same reason.
If you have to screw a steel screw into aluminum you should use some "Never-seize" to help prevent them from reacting with each other and eventually “welding” themselves together.
It would also be a good idea to put some sort of gasket between these parts if you have a spot where bare steel and bare aluminum will be in contact with each other.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by naashar in another topic
...the black enamel (or my application technique[:I]) seems to be full of air, as I've experienced the hardening of said air bubbles on the emitter after the heat-setting...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Those “Air bubbles” that you are referring to are likely the common problem called “Solvent Popping”. This is more common with thicker and glossy paints.
Solvent Popping is caused when the evaporating solvents in the paint get trapped in the paint. This is caused by drying too fast and/or no air movement during the drying process. The paint essentially skins over before the solvent has a chance to escape so it bubbles up under the surface.
To prevent this from happening:
-Use thinner coats of paint and let them dry the appropriate amount of time before the next coat. (Usually 5-15min. depending on the temp, paint used, humidity, thickness of application, ect…)
Generally speaking, if you can touch it and not have any paint stick to your finger, it’s ready for its next coat.
-Let the paint “Set up” before trying to add heat to speed up the drying process. (about 5-15min) If you heat it up too fast the paint will skin over too quickly.
-Keep the heat under 140*F. Any higher and you will boil the solvent out and it will decrease the adhesion of the paint (causing chipping and pealing).
-Make sure the area is well ventilated. If there’s no place for the evaporated solvent to go, it’s going to go right back onto your paint. The paint must be able to breathe when drying.
http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_trooper.gifhttp://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_sabre.gif
I have read many posts about people having problems with painting their saber parts. Well since I went to school for Auto Body and spent the first 4 years of my professional life painting automobiles, I wanted to share some of the knowledge I have obtained over the years.
*Always paint in a well ventilated area and use the proper charcoal respirator (to prevent lung cancer)
*Wear gloves (I can not wear a watch now due to allergic reaction to solvents from not wearing gloves. Plus it will destroy your manicure)
*Safety glasses (I had a gallon of lacquer thinner splash into may face! Not fun!!! I’m Lucky to be able to see today! Just think about if you accidentally have the nozzle facing the wrong direction.)
*And a hair net. Yes, a hair net! You don’t want to spend all this time and effort just to have hair fall in it at the last step.
*Always follow the manufacture’s directions. My directions are for general use. I don’t want to boar you with the specific way to paint with every type of paint there is, so use common sense.
Tools:
-The first basic tool of a painter is the spray gun. They can run upwards of about $200 for a good one. The one I used was $400 and had a digital pressure guage. Then you’d need a compressor to use it. There’s another $400-$1000.
Now before you freak out… I have an alternative that will be better for you to use than even the most expensive spray gun. Go to your local Wally-World or hobby shop and pick up a cheap Testors Air Brush. They are easy to use and 1/10 the cost of a professional gun. And they run off of those cans of air. Just keep it CLEAN. A professional gun will end up wasting more paint than you will need to paint your parts.
Tip: An air brush will spray much better than any spray can. So what I did with my model cars was spray the paint from the can directly into the air brush bottle and used the Air Brush. And the paint is ready to use, no mixing.
Tip: When painting your parts it is always best to start and stop a “pass” before and after the part. Don’t stop a “pass” right in the middle of the part. Also, have each pass over lap the last by about 50%. This will reduce the likelihood of getting “Zebra Stripes” in your finish.
-Sanding blocks. Don’t use your fingers! It will leave bumps in the final finish that will not look very good. For flat surfaces any paint shop should have something that will fit your needs, but anything flat and smooth and will hold paper will work. The best thing to use for round parts is a chunk of Radiator hose. Just make sure you get all the grease and antifreeze off of it first.
The Basics:
-First off, CLEAN the part. You never know what is on that part, and even oils in your skin can prevent paint from sticking. It also prevents the second most common paint defect called “Fish Eyes”. (The first is Dust) Lacquer thinner works well for the realy grimy stuff, but many paint stores will carry a paint quality degreaser that will to the trick with out the burning sensation. And thinner can melt some plastics and remove prior coats of paint.
-Clean the part after sanding primer, just before you paint it. Don’t touch the part after you clean it and start painting. This will be the last time you can clean it. After you apply paint, there’s no turning back.
-Sand, sand, sand!!! Paint will not stick to unsanded parts. If it’s shiny, the paint won’t stick. But just because it isn’t shiny doesn’t mean it will. The part MUST be sanded for the paint to stick. Most paint works best with 220-600Grit paper, but read the directions on the can first for best resuts.
-Keep the area clean and dust free. Use a Tack Rag between every coat of paint.
-Spray LIGHT coats!!! I can’t stress that enough! You will not speed up the process by “lobbing it on”. It will actually slow you down and increase the risk of chipping and pealing not to mention it’s a waste of paint. You want to use light coats of paint so the paint will dry properly and it will cover better once you’re done. You will want to be able to see through the first coat of paint.
There is more to painting than just the color. The 3 basic parts are Primer, Base coat, Clear coat. Some paints don’t need the Clear coat because they have it built into the Base coat. All C/C does is makes it shiny and adds more protection. I will get more into this later.
Steel:
Steel is easy. It’s the most commonly painted surface in my industry. And it takes little effort. And I will also go over some more basics of painting with it.
Steel should be sanded with a coarse paper (180Grit or less. When used on steel the resulting sand scratches will be equivalent to 220Grit) then Etch primed. (The etching primer acts as the bond between the metal and the paint.) Then you should use a filling primer to help get the smoothest finish possible by filling in the coarse sand scratches from the first step.
*Tip: take some black spray paint and DUST a light coating over the last coat of primer. When you sand for the next step, just sand the black off. You will be able to easily tell what needs to be sanded more.
After the primer has had plenty of time to dry, (the more the merrier) sand it down with a finer paper (320-600Grit). Then you can now apply the Base coat (this is the coat that provides the color that you want the part to be. Some paint systems have the Top coat or “Clear coat” as part of this step. After the base coat has been applied (per manufacturer’s recommendations) you can then apply the Clear coat for that glossy look you love so much. There are also flat clears for a matte finish. You can then buff it once it is cured, but that’s another tutorial.
Chrome:
I see that the medium of choice for fabrication is the chrome sink pipes and the like. The problem with Chrome is that nothing likes to stick to it. I’m not exactly sure why, but I do know what to do about it. STRIP IT OFF.
Yes, strip it off. Chrome is process of electroplating Nickel onto the “Substrate” (this is the material of the object to be refinished, plated, ect.) then Chrome follows. The Chrome is only 5-10 millionths of an inch thick so it shouldn’t be too difficult to strip it off. You want to strip it down to at least the coppery colored Nickel plating or more. At this stage you can proceed to refinish it as you would any other steel.
You can sometimes get away with just giving the Chrome a good sanding, but it’s not the most reliable way as it will be more prone to chipping.
Plastic Parts:
You CAN NOT just sand any plastic part and paint it and expect it to last more than a day or 2.
You MUST clean them FIRST. There is a substance on all plastic parts called a Release Agent. For all intensive purposes this is basically Pam cooking spray for plastic. Its sole purpose in life is to PREVENT things from sticking to it, including your paint. It is used to get the part out of the mould during manufacturing.
To clean the release agent off of the plastic is very simple. Use rubbing alcohol and wipe it off. If it feels really greasy you should do it a couple of times. Just be sure that you also wipe off the alcohol too. Don’t let it dry on there, you’re just letting it redeposit back onto the plastic. There are also specifically designed cleaners available for this, but they cost more and rubbing alcohol works just as well.
The absolute best way to get it all off is to heat it up to get it out of the pours in the plastic. But typically this application doesn’t warrant such methods; just wiping it down should be sufficient.
You should use finer sand paper on plastics due to the plastic being much softer than steel. 320-400 should be best.
Some paint manufactures have special paints for plastic parts and are worth the extra $$.
Aluminum:
Basically it’s just like steel but keep them separate. Steel and Aluminum don’t like each other. They like to corrode each other. So it’s best to keep Aluminum parts covered when working on Steel, and the opposite. The dust can corrode and cause problems later. Also try not to use the same sand paper, grinding disks, ect. for the same reason.
If you have to screw a steel screw into aluminum you should use some "Never-seize" to help prevent them from reacting with each other and eventually “welding” themselves together.
It would also be a good idea to put some sort of gasket between these parts if you have a spot where bare steel and bare aluminum will be in contact with each other.
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by naashar in another topic
...the black enamel (or my application technique[:I]) seems to be full of air, as I've experienced the hardening of said air bubbles on the emitter after the heat-setting...<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Those “Air bubbles” that you are referring to are likely the common problem called “Solvent Popping”. This is more common with thicker and glossy paints.
Solvent Popping is caused when the evaporating solvents in the paint get trapped in the paint. This is caused by drying too fast and/or no air movement during the drying process. The paint essentially skins over before the solvent has a chance to escape so it bubbles up under the surface.
To prevent this from happening:
-Use thinner coats of paint and let them dry the appropriate amount of time before the next coat. (Usually 5-15min. depending on the temp, paint used, humidity, thickness of application, ect…)
Generally speaking, if you can touch it and not have any paint stick to your finger, it’s ready for its next coat.
-Let the paint “Set up” before trying to add heat to speed up the drying process. (about 5-15min) If you heat it up too fast the paint will skin over too quickly.
-Keep the heat under 140*F. Any higher and you will boil the solvent out and it will decrease the adhesion of the paint (causing chipping and pealing).
-Make sure the area is well ventilated. If there’s no place for the evaporated solvent to go, it’s going to go right back onto your paint. The paint must be able to breathe when drying.
http://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_trooper.gifhttp://www.gaownersclub.com/forum/images/smilies/icon_sabre.gif