Opinions on single stage acrylic enamels needed.

[Z-TARD]

This is kind of a spin off of the "Painting a car with a roller" thread. I decided against using the roller method, and found that both rustoleum and valspar spray pretty well out of an automotive spray gun when thinned with mineral spirits. After looking both online and locally for suppliers of rustoleum and valspar products, and not finding much variety, I decided to just look for single stage automotive paint. An Ebay search yeilded this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4575389318&fromMakeTrack=true

 

Omaha Orange is about the shade of orange I had in mind. This entire kit is only $59.00. Considering that it comes with reducer and hardener (Not to mention a really cool disposable respirator.....) this makes it about as cost effective as using the rustoleum paint. I'd appreciate any opinions you guys could offer on the pros and cons of using this stuff. Thanks,

 

Mike

[DaleMX]

Paint look's worth trying, but I think that's just a dust mask with the kit and not a respirator. Personally I would use a true paint respirator as I dont take chances with my lungs. I also would wear a suit when spraying.

[innerware]

for the price it is worth a try I guess. It won't be an anti-rust paint as well like the rustoleum, but if it works well then it sure is cheap.

 

Oh and I did a bit of research on the stuff: http://www.autobody101.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2241&view=next&sid=3fa504df7a91b255a19904a3554c0e95

[Guest levelhead86]

I used the stuff on my jeep, and I've had no problems so far.... I didn't get to do any of the finish work on it yet, but the stuff sprayed fine, and is holding up well. It was cheap as hell, and I got it in less then a week from ordering it. Also, as a side note, there's an Advance Autoparts out by me that sells gallon buckets of Duplicolor paint, in a few different colors, and I think it's about $45-$50 for the gallon.

[preith]

I've exclusively used a Nason single stage acrylic enamel on my car and have had good results. It starts at around $25 a quart, at my local body shop supply place. The primer is usually more expensive than the finish coat anyways...

[Z-TARD]

Paint look's worth trying, but I think that's just a dust mask with the kit and not a respirator. Personally I would use a true paint respirator as I dont take chances with my lungs. I also would wear a suit when spraying.

 

Those dust masks are actually outlawed in the Navy, too many idiots passing out or getting sick from using them during painting. I've found that they don't even really keep out dust very well. All in all a pretty useless product, and I'm surprised to see someone trying to pass it off as a respirator, even on Ebay. I actually use an old gas mask for painting. It filters out EVERYTHING, but it gets uncomfortable after a while.

[Z-TARD]

for the price it is worth a try I guess. It won't be an anti-rust paint as well like the rustoleum' date=' but if it works well then it sure is cheap.

 

Oh and I did a bit of research on the stuff: http://www.autobody101.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2241&view=next&sid=3fa504df7a91b255a19904a3554c0e95[/quote']

 

Wow, from the link you posted, it sure sounds like this stuff is kinda crap. Evidently very prone to cracking if applied in more than 3 or 4 coats. Doesn't sound like the easiest paint to spray well with either. Maybe I'd be better off with the rustoleum after all. Thanks for the info.

 

Mike

[Z-TARD]

I used the stuff on my jeep, and I've had no problems so far.... I didn't get to do any of the finish work on it yet, but the stuff sprayed fine, and is holding up well. It was cheap as hell, and I got it in less then a week from ordering it. Also, as a side note, there's an Advance Autoparts out by me that sells gallon buckets of Duplicolor paint, in a few different colors, and I think it's about $45-$50 for the gallon.

 

I'll ask you the whole laundry list of questions since you've actually used it:

 

How long has it been on your jeep?

 

What kind of spray gun did you use (standard, hvlp, etc.) and did you have any difficulties getting this paint to shoot well?

 

How durable does it seem?

 

What kind of prep work did you do prior to painting?

 

I'm sure there are a few questions I'm forgetting, but these will help me out a lot to decide what paint to use. Thanks for the help,

 

Mike

[260DET]

Enamel takes a while to dry which can be a problem, every flying insect in the district seems to head for it to commit a sticky suicide. Acrylic laquer is a better DIY option, it dries quickly and its relatively easy to fix up blemishes.

[Guest levelhead86]

"How long has it been on your jeep?"

 

I've had the paint on the jeep for about... a year now...?

 

"What kind of spray gun did you use (standard, hvlp, etc.) and did you have any difficulties getting this paint to shoot well?"

 

I used an HVLP gun, and I used the reducer and hardener they offered in a kit. The gun was a 20 dollar deal I also got off e-bay, and it was a cheap piece of junk that worked, but wasn't held together all that well *the fan knob fell off midway through working* But spraying wise, it came out of the gun with no problem. I only cleaned the gun and tip once while going it, and Ididn't have any loss in quality.

 

"How durable does it seem?"

 

I don't have a garage, and my jeep hasn't been working, so it's basically been sitting outside, and I've been wrenching away at it, and I haven't had any real problems...

 

"What kind of prep work did you do prior to painting?"

 

My only regret in having done it, is that I did little in the way of prep work, maybe because my expectations were low? I did some light scuffing of the original paint, and then just used rattle can primer over that... I left it sit for a week while the paint came in the mail, so I had to tack cloth and wash it to remove the impurities. I sprayed on the stuff, with no real problems, although I got too close in some spots, which just came out wavier *wet sanding fixed those things for the most part* The main reason why I say I regret the lack of prep-works, is that I went to do some touch up, and masking taped some spots, and when I pulled up the tape, some of the paint peeled *all the way down to the original... so the rayflex stuck to the primer, but the primer didn't stick to the car* After that happened, I tried sanding to the bare metal, primering and painting, and did some rigorous tests on it, and minus keying it, I had no scratching/peeling/cracking.

 

 

I say that I did a pretty shabby job on the paintjob myself, but I think the paint came through with aces, and I'd use it for my next project without a doubt.... I'd just pay more attention... On another note, I've used the Nason stuff before too, and it IIISSS cheap, *not AS cheap, but cheap*, and it came out almost exactly like the E-bay stuff.... That was on my Datsun 2 years, ago, and it too has been sitting outside, without any fading, cracking, chipping, etc...

 

Glad to help as little as I can... this place, and you yourself have been a big help to me, so I'm more than happy to return the favor...

 

Randy

[Guest levelhead86]

Enamel takes a while to dry which can be a problem, every flying insect in the district seems to head for it to commit a sticky suicide. Acrylic laquer is a better DIY option, it dries quickly and its relatively easy to fix up blemishes.

 

 

I agree with that... my friend used the lacquer on his trans am, on his 3rd time painting it *he wasn't satisfied with the first 2* and he's had it that way for a few years now.... notably, it IS stronger, covers blemishes more, and is noticeably *sp?* glossier than the alternative... but that comes at a price *cash*

[EZ-E]

Enamels are shyte for painting unless you get somethign that is of quality and they do take forever to work with.

 

I would say if your looking for a cheap DYI paint, go with the laquer based paint or go with the Rustoleum.

 

I mean from your posts and what I saw there, it seems to work well and you had good results with it. So why not go with what you know works well instead of looking for something else?

[Guest SouthGaZX]

i agree ez.. we are going to paint my dads engine compartment with the rustoleum in a few weeks.. if it turns out good im doing my whole car in it.. its a rust paint.. if it doesnt cover and keep rust from forming what will???

[Z-TARD]

Enamels are shyte for painting unless you get somethign that is of quality and they do take forever to work with.

 

I would say if your looking for a cheap DYI paint' date=' go with the laquer based paint or go with the Rustoleum.

 

I mean from your posts and what I saw there, it seems to work well and you had good results with it. So why not go with what you know works well instead of looking for something else?[/quote']

 

Yeah, at this point I'm still leaning heavily towards using the rustoleum paint. The only problem I have with it is that It's hard (impossible) to find in the gloss orange color. Everything that I've mixed up so far looks kinda dull, my best result to date is an exact match for the Harbor Freight Central Hydraulics tools. It will still look good on a Z though. The only color I've ever seen that looked bad on the 1st gen Z was a kind of yogurt pink color. Bad, just nasty. I could taste the bile rising in my throat just looking at it.

 

Mike

[Metallicar]

After spending much time prepping my car for paint and running low on cash to spend, I agonized over what paint I was capable of using and paying for on my car.

 

I did use epoxy primer as my base, which is Rust-o-leum Brand. It is part of the Industial Line, I purchased at WWGrainger. My paint is the Raychem paint and hardner, purchased on eBay. The Trim and Hood black out is again, Rust-o-leum, Satin Black.

 

I used a Devilbiss Finishline gun, for the colors, and a Husky (Home Depot) HVLP for the primer.

 

I have never painted a car before with anything other than a rattle can, so I am just a novice. I probably should have done a few things differently.In spite of all of the great advice and information found in this forum, I did what I did, based on my lack of expertise and cold hard cash.

My attitude has always been that this is a temporary condition.

 

I mixed the Satin Black 4:1 with Acetone to spray.

 

The Raychem paint is pretty hard, seemed to color sand well. My talent however is lacking, so the the swirl remains. I gave up, I was getting too aggressive and actually cut through to the primer at some edges. Overall, the car looks okay, It is no show car finish. It's alright for me, right now.

 

By the way, I did roll on the rocker panels with the Rust-o-leum paint, cut with Acetone.

[Z-TARD]

Damn, that looks pretty good. How fast was the drying time for the raychem paint?

 

Mike

[Metallicar]

How fast was the drying time for the raychem paint?

I am not real sure. I had the built a spray room in my shop to paint. So I would spray and go home for the night.

I painted this 16 months ago, if I remember right, the paint was dry enough to be bug proof in about an hour. I did not attempt to color sand until two weeks after I painted.

 

It does look pretty good considering it is my first one. At the end, I gave up trying to make it perfect. I just wanted to get in and drive.

 

I am grateful for all I learned here. RacerX did share tons of insight. He even sent me info about building the spray booth.

 

I made the spray room out of 1"x3" furring strips and 4 mil polyethylene. I made up 18, 4'x8' frames, with the 1x3s, made up some 3/8 plywood triangles (approx 8" x 8" x 12") to use for corner gussets. I used an air stapler to put it all together. Wrapped the plastic sheet over the frames tight and I used wood lathe to keep the plastic on the frames. 1-5/8" dry wall screws to connect the panels in a rectangle making it 12'x 24' total. more furring strips crossing the top, plastic sheet for a ceiling. Pretty much dust and bug proof for less than $200. I unscrewed the panels and stacked them in the shop for future use.

[mom'sZ]

Z-TARD: I worked in paint and body shops for 25 years. The stuff your looking at on ebay, I believe, is straight enamel. It is not to far from what a house painter would put on doors jams and base boards in your house. It does dry slow, but there are drying agents that can be added to make it dry faster. You have to be careful in hot weather or it will dry to fast. In the old days I think it was called chinese drier or something. Anyhow, I'm sure the paint supply house would have something that would make the stuff dry quick enough. For your purposes it would probably work well enough. The main problem with straight enamels is they chaulk out after 2 or 3 years unless you keep the car waxed. (or covered or in a garage) The cross linker (hardener) helps with that.

The thing I like about rustoleum (at least in the puff cans) is that it has something in it to help it stick to bare metal. I don't like to stick anything back on the car without a coat of paint on it. (helps me keep track of what I've already replaced) And when you aren't priming and prepping stuff real well, rustoleum will stick and look relatively good.

Lacquer used to be the paint to use. You spray it on, it dries almost instantly to the touch, you can sand a bug or whatever out five minutes after you spray it on and put another coat on. But lacquer is a petroleum product, like gasoline, and just like gas... the quality has turned to crap and the price has skyrocketed. It also needs to be buffed out after it's done.

I've used the Nason enamel, Sherwin Williams and some others, it's all pretty good for what it is. I think it would look better then rustoleum cut with mineral spirits or whatever. Go talk to the guys at your local paint supply house. Tell them what you want to do and your experience level. They will have something comparable to the raychem at about the same price.

Metallicar: I think your paint job looks great. Next time you buff, put some masking tape over the edges when you buff to keep from cutting through. Waxing by hand will help eliminate the swirls over time.