Has anyone tried painting their car or Atleast a panel with an electric sprayer?
Posted by Maddogoffaleash@reddit | projectcar | View on Reddit | 13 comments
I plan to paint my car using rustoleum farm and implement paint that’s white and mix it with mineral spirits to cut it down, I’ve seen some people do it on YouTube, I don’t have access to a necessary sized air compressor and tank so I’m wondering if I could use an electric corded or cordless sprayer, then I’ll just use rubbing and polish compound on the panels itself after I finish painting
GadreelsSword@reddit
It really depends on your expectations. If you’re expecting a high gloss paint job you’ll be disappointed. If you expect to put a uniform coat of color on a car you may be happy.
I know someone who painted their van with a roller and a brush. You would never know it was painted with a roller.
Maddogoffaleash@reddit (OP)
I’m not expecting anything amazing just something decent and better than what I have now
Ghost17088@reddit
The three most important things for painting a car are as follows:
Sanding and prep
Sanding and prep
Sanding and prep
PrestigiousLow813@reddit
Did a clearcoat over the natural patina on one of my old trucks. So, it was just clean and prep before the clear. 9 days before I picked up the gun.
OomGielie@reddit
And then after the back yard paint job even more sanding to try and fix the orange peel
disappointed_sausage@reddit
Got a buddy that did the roller technique with a heavy tractor paint. Thinned it really thin and did a bunch of coats, color sanded and buffed it after and it looks really, really nice. I've seen much worse single stage paint jobs out of a "real gun" than homie got with a roller and a lot of patience. Worth thinking on maybe.
SetNo8186@reddit
Thinning is the trick, don't overdo it. I've tried 50/50 and it was too thin. Plan on doing a utility trailer with a 3" roller next, might go 75/25. It's not a show car.
morningsharts@reddit
This, or at least the cheapest HVLP setup that you find. They do fine finishes pretty well. The roller is a good option, especially if you're already planning to do the work after.
canitguy@reddit
Yep, I tried it. I couldn't get the results I wanted. If I thinned it out enough that it sprayed nice then the coats were super thin. If I didn't thin it out as much I ended up with orange peel. Then again, I had 0 experience with paint.
I ended up going to the foam roller option. 4 coats (thinned down slightly) and I threw in some hardener on the top coat. I wet sanded it and polished it and am pretty happy. Have a couple spots I plan on fixing up before I clear coat it this summer.
PresentIron5379@reddit
There's a ton more prep work before/during/after when using an electric spray gun. I tried doing this method years ago with a cheap hf electric spray gun, and it wasn't bad but had a number of spots I have to paint correct. Two years ago, I tried the rustoleum turbo cans on a different car, and that came out way better.
funwithdesign@reddit
I have a Fuji turbine system that I used until I got a compressor and guns. It’s a great system and I used it for epoxy primer and I also use it for painting furniture.
_clever_reference_@reddit
Kevin Tetz just did. Maybe check it his video.
https://youtu.be/tw816fwWWOo?si=4hC4Pw9ATINv_cE7
bemery96@reddit
I haven't tried it on a car but I can give you the logic and theory as to why it's a bad idea.
Pneumatic setups atomize the paint so it lays evenly. An electric one is going to just direct paint at the panel.
Especially if you shoot a metallic, it's going to come out very splotchy and uneven at best.