Newbie needs help starting

[ratlover]

Hello all
Sorry if this is long and not really to the point but please bear with me. I've decided i want to take up painting/body work as a hobby. I enjoy working on cars and figured its a natural extension. I have done some BC/CC and some body work but am pretty much a novice, I tire of the constant grinding of sheet metal working but I guess everything cant be fun and games. I currently have a Devilbiss GTI 620 gravity feed HVLP.

I'm interested in doing flames and I would also like to paint a "Ratfinkish" snowman on my snowplow eventually(need an airbrush?) I'm interested in any good books for newbies on everything from flame layouts to more freehandish type art stuff and everything in between. I've learned a great deal by lurking here but unfortunatly my surfing time is only a 1/2 per day at work so I need to find other sources. Any books or ideas for a place for a newbie to start would be appreciated. TIA

And I've never used an airbrush.....I was thinking of getting one and practicing a bit in my apartment. Good idea or bad idea? My landlord going to kill me for getting overspray everywere? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/foreheadslap.gif Anything else you guys think I might need? I've got a good DA and all that stuff. If there is something massivly expensive I'm forgeting about I might have to rethink my new interest

 

[flamethrower]

A couple books that were very helpful to me were:
"Custom Paint & Graphics" & "Kustom Painting Secrets" by Jon Kosmoski (House of Kolor)

and
"Cheap Tricks & Special Effects" by Craig Fraser

These will help you get your bearings on painting. Also, House of Kolor has a few great videos on painting. Check their website or search the web for other helpful items.

If you're going to airbrush, you will need to practice some, but if you're going to do it in the house, you will need to get a very strong exhaust fan to take the overspray and fumes out of the house. You have a pretty good HVLP gun, so you should be alright in that dept.

Before you do anything (including practice) read those books. Get a video or two to get you into the knowledge required to even start.

Good luck.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

FT

 

[G0rdyb1ker]

why not use waterbased or acrylic artists colours when you are just getting used to the airbrush. No smell and no problem..

 

[VisioN]

When i started out i used to practice in the house. With a window open. I was only practicing on small things like motorcycle tanks and stuff. So any paint in the air wasnt that noticible. But with time it really does build up. You'll know what i mean when you go to move a picture on the wall and find a nice patch of clean wall paper behind it and its only then that you notice that the rest of the wall is tinted with all the paints youve been spraying. Remember to wear a respirator even if you are spraying waterbase. The pigments in the paints like cadmium in the yellow are dangerous.

 

[Bornhard]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sunglass.gif Gordy loves them waterbase paints!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bounce.gif

I actually need to look into using them 'cause one of the airbrush artist that inspires me uses Createx (I believe).
I heard you can reduce them with just distilled water?????

back to the topic of this post. Craig Fraiser, Craig Fraiser, Craig Fraiser is the only thing I can say. Check out his videos!
those Cheap Tricks/Special Effects are worth the nickles.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bigokay.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bigokay.gif The videos cover most, if not all the topics you see in the book. It's worth watching him in action.

 

[capt. mysterio]

i can't speak for the videos, but fraiser's book was great. lent a lot of ideas to someone who knows next to nothing about airbrushing.

another thing to think about when spraying in an apartment setting is your air source. i've thought twice (and am still debating) about getting a compressor. some of those buggers are downright noisy, and so agitated neighbors wouldn't be too far behind. especially with thin walls. i don't do much airbrushing, so canned air is good enough for now for me.

god, i can't wait to have my own shop. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bigokay.gif

 

[VisioN]

When i was airbrushing indoors i used a silent air compressor. About as quiet as your average refrigerator. Only downside was they cost more than your average compressor.

 

[G0rdyb1ker]

[ QUOTE ]
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sunglass.gif Gordy loves them waterbase paints!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bounce.gif

Sure do so easy to use and great finish everytime /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yay.gif

 

[ratlover]

dont think my neghbors will like my 30 gal portercable going to town? Its oiled so its not that bad and with a 30 gal tank at 130 psi it shouldnt run too long /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif My neighbor below me is a stripper so she works all kinds of wierd hours......she cleaning and playing music at 2am but gets pissed when I'm working on stuff at 7pm on a sat cuz she's trying to sleep.....and no I havent gotten to see her work /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohwell.gif

My CI hood is coming in for my truck so the funds will be depleted for awhile. I was looking at getting one of those itawa eclipses......I figured for 150 or so I could get a complete setup. I gota 1/2 mask so that should be fine for filtering out the particulates from h2o based paint.

Gota book(saw fraisers but got this differnt one) and I must say they got me really confused /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I did some body work and was going by my freinds advice, I got it down to bare metal and used some evercoat filler on the dents in the sheet metal and then did a final skim of 1/2 time putty to zap out the pinholes. Then shot the hood with some PPG grey primer(cant remember what it was but it was primer that I had to cut with laquer thinner) I will then do my BC over that and then clear it.
This book is saying use an etching primer then bondo then a different primer over that and then a sealer and then the BC?CC /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I assume what I'm using is right since the paint store guys sold it to me and they knew what I was doing.
The whole what to use when seems like the biggest PITA part of painting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif

 

[mojoz]

If your looking at an airbrush Iwata HP-C is awsome the eclipse is under a bill pro model 125 & they got new model line called high permance it fall between the micron & the pro series it has micro air adjustment @ the head which is a nice feature it is about 165 I have the pro series & a high perfomance series love them both and as for the eclipse it comes with a larger needle set but I will say during craig frazers video he was using the eclipse & even made appoint about that fact so I assume as with any Iwata money well spent I almost gave up using a pasche thinking I just couldnt ever get the detail I desired finaly got an Iwata and now have hard time putting it down like them so much I got there full sized gun the LPH400LV which IMO is the nicest HVLP on the market (ok sata user no offense intendid as they are great ) And for exhaust goes check your local heat & air guys you can pick up a nice squirrel cage for no more than 10 bucks & is going to move more than enough air I actually used 6mil bisqueen & pvc pipe & made a positive pressure portable booth worked great neighbors havent complained since good luck /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif

 

[rex]

Welcome Ratlover.Throw some product names in here and don't trust the paintstore if you're just starting,they'll screw with your head at first.Sounds like the primer you're using now is lacquer primer which isn't great but the bondo over etch primer is really bad,again,throw some names and #s in.

 

[flamethrower]

Hey Ratlover, when you finally go to see yer neighbor work, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/2idea.gif take the digital camera.
I'm sure Scott wont mind a couple pics???!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bigokay.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/peace.gif

Yeah baby, take it off, take it all off! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
FT

 

[ratlover]

the primer(along with all the BC/CC) was PPG DZ something I think??? I painted a headache rack with it and was going to paint a tool box.

The paint place is Born Paint in Peoria IL. They seem pretty knowledgable and cary PPG Dupont and HOK I believe.

So laquer based primer aint the best? I smothed some dents in the hood with the filler then primed it with the laquer primer then hosed the hood with some rattle can paint. The hood was for a plow truck and I'm kinda working around when it gets used......need to replace the cab corners so it wont get painted till spring and I figured that the rattle can would protect it in the mean time. I plannned on taking it down to the primer and then hosing it with either BC/CC or enamel(just a work truck that needs to look ok for 5 or so years)

So is my filler fine on bare metal and is the primer ok or should I remove one or both? This sounds like I might need another thread.

I need to get back to the shop to get the actual part #'s......

Thanks for the help thus far /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bigokay.gif

No cameras are allowed /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif But she did give me some free passed when I first met her /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yay.gif I went with a couple of buds and we only made it 15 minutes before we decided it sucked.......pretty bad since we were pretty loaded. I believe it was the single worst nudy bar I have been to especialy since they dont sell booze......and to top it off she wasnt working so I didnt get to get a dance from my neighbor /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crap.gif

 

[rex]

Probably DZ3 Kondar.Good stuff but it's a bit outdated since the newer bases and clears got alot hotter solvent wise.On a work truck it's a good cheap way out but make sure they give you a sealer that's compatible for adhesion,I'm not sure if you can base directly over it anymore.Oh,Take the pix at her place,you can't do that in the bar without Big Bubba getting in your face.Those no alcohol ones are the worst,how are they supposed to make money without a bunch of drunks emptying their pockets?

 

[ratlover]

so I should seal her before I lay down the BC, cool

I'm kinda unclear about if I should go BC/CC or what for a work truck. I have sprayed it before and its pretty easy. The BC is pretty much like shoting primer. The CC is a bit more difficult but not too bad and if you screw it up runs are pretty easy to take care of. Cost is the thing that I dont like but havent really priced enalem. I've heard dupont omni is a pretty good/cheap paint. Trying to keep costs down since its a work truck.......maybe my pop will let me practice some flames on the fleet /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/agree.gif

If she ever agrees to a private showing you guys will be the first to know.....then I'll write my letters to hustler. I can always dream right /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif

 

[moore]

I used the omni line on my S-10 when I did my ghost flames, It came out crystal clear and still looks great( 2 years latter). It just dose'nt like rock chips very well, Seems to flake. I guess this could happen with most clears but I just put it with being the lower line.

 

[rex]

DP will work for a sealer but there's a wrinkle quirk to it for lacquer.you'd have to read the P sheet for sure but I think you have to let it dry(over cured laquer) for so long and only have 8 or so hours to topcoat it before it will wrinkle-way fast for DP.I believe the old 1980 Delseal is gone now but it worked decent.