Time 2:37pm apperently sanding and priming metal prior to painting is important... If I had done that, I don't think simple masking tape would have done this... I'm not going to let this stop me though, I'm heading to the hardware store to get some primer and sandpaper, I'll be taking the sides and top panal down to nothing but metal, then priming, then let dry for a day, then painting grey, then dry for a day, then the black, so the paint has time to adhear to the metel instead of the masking tape... Anyone forsee any problems with this before I get to far into it?
on a lighter note, the origonal beige paint job is still perfectly intact, crap... So, i can really sand after a coat and be ok, what kind of grit would i need to use so as not to take of all the paint i put on each coat?
Uh, how the heck did it get put back together? Dude, you need to paint those panels and let them cure for 48 hours minimum before you handle them. The paint won't even be fully hardened for a month, but you can sand your color coats after two days. Impatience is getting the best of you, young Jedi...
well, it's Krylon laytex paint, so it was dry to the touch in 15 minutes, so it was easy, put a coat on every half hour, i should be done in no time. It obviously didn't adhear to the paint that was already on the case, you think if i primed the case, over the origanal paint, and let it dry for a couple days, i could safely paint grey, let that dry for a couple days and then mask it and paint the black?
Oh crap, I didn't even see those last two pics. Yes, you need to prep the panels before you prime them and prime them before you paint them. At the store, buy: three tack cloths (these should be 79 cents tops) an assortment pack of 3M wet-or-dry sandpaper a 3M sanding block To remove the original finish, use the lowest grit in your pack (prolly 220). Take a garden hose and run a continuous stream of water over your panels while you use the block with a quarter-sheet of sandpaper to remove the beige. You don't have to completely remove it, but you want to at least sand all the texture out of it. Pay attention to the edges, you'll cut through the paint there first. Once you've got the paint removed or mostly flattened, change out to the next grit up (320) and sand perpendicular to your last pass to remove the scratches from the 220. Then when that's good, change up to 400 then repeat. Higher than 400 is a waste of your time at this stage. When the surface is flat, you'll feel it "grab" the sanding block. A few more passes after that stage and you're ready to dry it off and prep it to be primed. Wash it off as good as you can with the hose, but when it dries (in the sun is good--speeds life up) you'll see tons of paint dust on the surface. That's what the tack cloth is for. Use it to get all the dust and any fingerprints (skin oil) off your surface. Then go ahead and prime. Primer dries fast (as long as you don't drown your panels). Follow the can directions, but you can usually sand a primer coat in an hour. Prime, sand with 400, tack cloth, prime, sand, tack cloth. Now you're ready for color coating.
Also, use acrylic enamel, not latex. Dry time will be longer, but the time between coats will still be an hour or so--follow the can directions. LOTS OF THIN COATS GETS IT DONE! were you gonna go for show car finish? cause you can't clear coat until your color coat is cured out then.
If you plan to mask off your painted areas I would advise waiting at least 24 hours before putting masking tape on to allow you to spray shapes , etc... The paint is too soft before then and WILL end up with the results you have achieved. Follow Linears advice and go slow with light coats (will avoid the streaking/eveness) Meblin
If you want a showcar finish why not ry doorstepping your local auto paint shop. They'll prep, paint and oven-cure lacquers etc. for very little money and get a WAY better finish than you can do with a spray can. I got my large Addtronics server case done to 'piano' (mirror - literally!) finish black with 12 coats - 3 primer 6 colour and 3 laquer for much less $ than it would have cost me to buy all the paint and materials. (actually, when I told them what colour I wanted the guy said he was re-spraying a Beemer that colour so he'd do my case panels at the same time - FOR FREE - he needed to use the paint mix up!) I know it's not DIY but it's cheap (!) and well-worth it - It looks like new acrylic the finish is so good!
what the heck, let's go all the way, show car finish! I have all Latex paint now, which is unfortunate if i have to go back to get acrylic. I supose i could use what i've got left to rust proff the bottom of my car... I guess i also ought to clear a space in the garage so i can work without trouble of wind or dust. Looks like actual painting may not start till tomorrow then, since the rest of today will be sanding and cleaning for tomorrow's job. Thanks for the help Linear, i'll probably be asking for more advise through out the week i guess. But I promise I'll give you a gorgeous paint job when it's all done! with lots of pictures too!
coolrunnin, sounds like a good idea, but that's not really moddin' I've already screwed this case up by myself, i'll fix it by myself. I'll spend all week if i have to, and i may
If you're patient, you can get kickass results from a rattlecan. http://linear1.org/i/dscf0870.jpg (1280x960)
That looks like my spray paint mod! I had never actually spray painted metal, just a plastic packard case. When I sprayed my first metal case it was really foankay and would turn u silver if u rubbed it a little. It finally dried up to a nice finish and I am glossing it today! I already glossed my repainted red Compaq case and it turned out gr8t. The main reason I use gloss is because it makes the paint more scratch resistant. It has been near impossible for me to find a paint tough enough. I am now considering buying a airbrush.
I started sanding it down with running water on it the whole time, how is it fixing up? Is that what I'm looking for? I'm going to clean up and quit work for today, but tomorrow morning it will resume.
I primed two layers with 48 hours between the first and second coat and the second coat and the first layer of paint... let the primer cure... another note looking at your pictures above... I had a similar disaster with my case. Get the blue painter's tape instead of the vanilla masking tape.. you won't regret it. I left regular masking tape on my factory paint and it peeled it off down to the metal. I had to paint my whole case don't want to see that happen to another... btw, I left that standard masking tape on for almost a week. the longer it stays on the more dangerous it is to remove. The painter's tape can be on for around 48hours and safely be removed...
masking tape isn't supposed to be so nasty I'll get a roll of that painters tape sometime today. I'll be priming today, I'll let it sit for 48 hours before I paint.
What does your can say? I'm used to letting primer dry about an hour before I sand it smooth. Primer dries radically faster than color coats in most cases.
Time 4:01pm Day 2 the can says to let it dry for at least 30 minutes here's what the sides and top look like after all that sanding you suggested was done. They are completely smooth to the touch, no texture at all. you think I'm ready to prime?
Looks as ready as ready can be. Personally I'd throw caution to the wind and only let 24 hours pass tween coats.. but that's cause I'm impatient
