No.1742
I'm not sure if this is the right board to post about this, but I thought it'd be nice to have a thread about DIY automotive painting techniques.
Pic related isn't my vehicle, just one that was painted with the technique I'm about to describe, by the guy I learned this from.
Say you have an old vehicle you want to bring back to life, and you want a type of paint that will look good and be resistant without needing an expert executing the job. Alkyd enamel comes to your help. It was the typical automotive paint until acrylic enamel became popular. It's desirable because it can last a long time and can produce professional results with ease.
A good mix is rustoleum, mineral spirits, penetrol/flood and enamel hardener, which is optional but makes the paint very strong and chip resistant.
You can get the first three in home improvement stores such as Lowe's and the enamel hardener can be found in Tractor Supply (I love them for gym stuff too, you can get rubber pads for much cheaper than in other places) or other sites online.
When doing alkyd painting, it's desirable to use a high volume low pressure gun. They can be bought for cheap at places like Harbor Freight and even the cheapest ones give good results. You want many light to medium coats as opposed to a heavy one and you want the paint to stay wet as long as possible, this way it flows for a smooth glossy finish. Always paint in the lowest temperatures you can and not under direct sun.
No.1743
>>1742One great aspect of this is that what you see as you're painting is what you get.
After spraying and letting it dry, these are the results you can expect. No buffing or clear coat.
For a DIYer, that's a great thing, in my opinion. Smooth glossy finish available to the beginner. Much better than a rattle can job, and I've seen some good ones!
And it's easier to get the color you want than from a rattle can, you can mix it yourself. It's also less porous.
No.1745
>>1744I sadly don't, but I think maybe sharing some technical tips can help some anon get into it.
If we get at really low standards then there's always the act of picking a custom color you mix yourself or with a little more creativity, mixing and matching colors all over the car. Think of painting the fenders in the Jeep in the OP blue for example.
What would you consider the ideal vehicle for murals such as the one you posted? I suppose a panel van would be the best, but maybe there's cars with shapes that can be complemented by the mural itself.
No.1751
>>1745As far as blue goes I think a darker hue than the bright red would make a fair contrast. Really have to see the blue you have in mind but usually when I mix two colours I find that one bright one and one dark one is easier on the eyes than two bright colours. But that's all on preference really. If it were me I'd go with a non-primary colour like gun-metal gray or black, to best give more emphasis on the red. If you're thinking blue than maybe a Navy or something dark would look nice, but like I said its really all a matter of preference
As for murals Panel vans are the best since they have a somewhat flat surface that wouldn't distort the image and that's pretty much what sort of vehicle you want to go for. Too many curves or concave areas, and your image would only look good from one specific angle.
No.1759
>>1751Indeed I was thinking of navy blue or some other dark one, to create contrast.
>Too many curves or concave areas, and your image would only look good from one specific angle.That's an interesting point, I agree.
No.1760
>>1759I think you got a good handle on what you're planning, I'm sure it'll look great! I for one would love to see your results when you finish up. Keep up the classy work, friend
No.1767
>>1760Again, it's all hypothetical because it's not my Jeep lol.
I made the thread more as a discussion of techniques in case someone happened to have some use for some pointers, to spread the word. Too often I see people do poor rattle can jobs without it being any cheaper for them because of not knowing better. An HVLP gun on Harbor Freight is $30. You also need an air compressor which you may already have or you may even rent one if pinching pennies (or buy one for about $120). A quart of Penetrol at Lowe's is $10. Rustoleum is like $9 a quart. Mineral spirits about $8. Enamel hardener $18 but you don't need a lot of it.
Meanwhile the spray cans are like $10 each or $30 each if auto specialty paint and you need tons of them. With this, maybe 5 gallons of paint to cover an entire vehicle. Cheaper and the results not only looks better but last longer.
No.1769
>>1767>Again, it's all hypothetical because it's not my Jeep lol.lmao how do I keep doing this
No.1782
>>1767>spray cans are like $10 each or $30 each if auto specialty paintAre there really just car paint spray cans? I always assumed that those spray jobs, car hood art specifically, was done with some sort of air brush. I thought about using mine to fix up some scratches and rusty spots, but I just have one of those mini air brushes for War Hammer models and wasn't sure if it would be as effective
No.1793
>>1782>Are there really just car paint spray cans?Yes but the finish tends to be shitty and porous.
>I always assumed that those spray jobs, car hood art specifically, was done with some sort of air brush.They usually are.
>I thought about using mine to fix up some scratches and rusty spots, but I just have one of those mini air brushes for War Hammer models and wasn't sure if it would be as effectiveFixing spots is tricky, ideally you want to refinish an entire "panel" (not literally, but you don't want to have new paint and old paint on the same visible surface). Of course, even that is preferable to rusty spots. But painting over rust is a bad idea too, unless it's a rust converter paint.
No.1794
>>1782Also the small air brush could possibly work, but it'll be trickier than a proper HVLP gun, and you'd have to make sure it doesn't get clogged with the automotive paint.
