Painting
04-13-2005, 12:07 PM
#1
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Painting I had a feeling I would get plenty of offers from folks wanting paint work done once we posted up about the spoiler on Bobby's (Jyla's) Z. Hopefully I don't sound like a dick when I turn down these jobs, but just so everyone knows where I am coming from, here's the why and hows of painting on the side (and otherwise).
Painters, good ones, are perfectionists. We get very picky about our work, so finding one that will do quality work on the side can be hard. If you want a good to great job, but don't want to pay for it, you either sacrifice the quality of paint or the quality of the prep work. Either way, you will not be pleased with the results in 2-3 years, if not immediately. Everyone wants a "deal", but to get it in paint work you either have to cut corners, or be satisfied that the deal you do find will be up to your standards in the end. It's just plain expensive.
Guys that do work on the side may get jaded by the people looking for the “deal” after a while and get in the habit of doing things not up to par. Be careful and ask lots of questions, and explain exactly what you want before deciding on a painter.
Time. If you find someone who will do you a deal, don't pressure them for completion. I can guarantee they are doing the labor at reduced or no cost, and that means it is their time. Take what you get and be happy. Pressure just causes rifts in friendships, crappy work, or a half finished job sitting in your driveway. Be willing to spend some of your time to help out.
Unless you have painted and done bodywork that met your expectations when complete, you very likely have no idea the amount of labor and skill that goes into getting a quality job done. EVERY time I was given a job that the owner said was "ready to paint" it either turned out like *** (because they insisted I paint it as is) or I spent hours trying to make it close to ready for paint at some cost to them. Or at a loss for me. Even "ready to paint" in primer needs lots of prep, unless the primer is only a few days old, clean, and of good quality.
Prep work is EVERYTHING. It makes or breaks a paint job. Paint will hide some stuff, but usually brings every little flaw out in the open. Unless you are skilled and know your work, leave the prep work to the pros or get their help to show you how. It will make their job easier for them and better for you.
Quality paint is expensive. Unless you plan on selling the vehicle, take your painter’s advice and use the quality products he or she suggests. Cutting corners costs you in the long run. If you don’t have the $ at the time, wait until you do!
Know what you want. Be realistic. You can’t have a show car and have it be your daily driver or your only car, and expect to be happy forever. It will get damaged and expensive paint jobs are expensive (or impossible) to repair. Don’t dump $ and time where it will be wasted. Choose according to use AND desire.
There are different ways to do paint and bodywork. Some are equal, some are better, and some are just wrong. I see boneheaded work on TV and in magazines all the time. A lot of it is a total waste of time and money. What some use as bragging rights makes many professionals laugh! Some guys are awesome painters, but have egos so big they do stupid stuff just “because” (Pruitt!!).
Examples:
- ACRYLIC urethane VS. POLY urethane paint. Acrylic urethane is what is used on most if not all clearcoated cars. Great shine, real good durability, good repairability, overall an A+ for daily drivers and show winners. Polyurethane is hard as nails, superior gloss paint. It stands up to harsh chemicals, bird crap, acid rain, and even graffiti. It looks great for a llooonnnngggg time. Sounds good, right? Maybe if you drive a semi. Once cured completely you cannot buff it to a high quality shine. It typically has more “orange peel”, and it is hard as hell to wet sand, so a flat super shiny surface has to be accomplished ASAP after paint. If it chips, you cannot repair it like acrylic urethane, which often means a complete panel repaint for a little ding in the paint. If you scuff it, you will be stuck with a dull area no matter how skilled the wet sand and buff job to repair the scuff. It is inappropriate for a street vehicle, or a show car, yet guys who read about the high points get sucked in and insist on it for their car. Doh!
-“Color sanding”. You don’t color sand a clear coat. Pet peeve there.
-Color sanding two stage paints (basecoat/clearcoat). I recently read an article where the shop that painted a car bragged about putting on 8 color coats of base and wet sanding them after every other coat. That’s like putting antiseize on a new stud and running a die over it 8 times before you put the nut on. It accomplished NOTHING but wasted material and time. The only reason to wetsand a basecoat is to correct flaws. Period. Basecoats go on so flat any imperfections are easily corrected when wetsanding the clearcoats. If the flaws are worse, the prep was not done correctly. I cannot think of a single quality basecoat that won’t cover in 3 coats, although a red or yellow may take 4. 8 coats? WHY!?
- Multiple clear coats in excess of 4 are overkill for MOST (98%) jobs. You end up with film builds that are too thick to handle even minor impacts from gravel, and once the paint is compromised it goes to pot. Picture the difference between bending a thin piece of plastic and a thick one. The thin piece will bend, while the thicker shatters. End of story. Multiple layers of clear are done in order to increase the clear thickness in expectation of wetsanding, or to achieve additional depth. You get passed 4 coats and expect problems on a street driven car. A quick and easy way to achieve a mirror flat topcoat is to spray 2-3 coats of clear, let cure and wetsand with 1200 grit, and then spray a final clear coat.
Paint shops and painters may lie. That nose repair on your Firebird that is peeling off is NOT because they did not use flex additive. Almost all flex agents work by slowing the final cure of the topcoat (clear) so that flexible parts can be assembled without fracturing the paint. If they painted the nose in place, they (depending on product) probably didn’t need to add flex agent at all. Flex agent has become the scapegoat and snake oil for plastic clad cars, and it’s stupid. Paint is plastic, and eventually even topcoats with flex agent get just as hard as topcoats without. But the paint still has some flexibility because it is plastic.
More than likely, the paint is peeling off that nose because the shop used incorrect plastic prep, the film build was too great (too many coats or old and new paint layers) or the primer was incorrect or not topcoated in time*, or there is a product incompatibility.
*Epoxy primers will dry so hard in 1-2 weeks that they no longer allow topcoats to bond correctly. These primer coats must be sanded and re-primered prior to subsequent topcoats for correct adhesion. Remember the GM and Ford trucks of the eighties and early 90’s that were peeling like crazy? That happened because the unions went on strike and the trucks sat in primer too long before the topcoats were applied.
end Part 1
Painters, good ones, are perfectionists. We get very picky about our work, so finding one that will do quality work on the side can be hard. If you want a good to great job, but don't want to pay for it, you either sacrifice the quality of paint or the quality of the prep work. Either way, you will not be pleased with the results in 2-3 years, if not immediately. Everyone wants a "deal", but to get it in paint work you either have to cut corners, or be satisfied that the deal you do find will be up to your standards in the end. It's just plain expensive.
Guys that do work on the side may get jaded by the people looking for the “deal” after a while and get in the habit of doing things not up to par. Be careful and ask lots of questions, and explain exactly what you want before deciding on a painter.
Time. If you find someone who will do you a deal, don't pressure them for completion. I can guarantee they are doing the labor at reduced or no cost, and that means it is their time. Take what you get and be happy. Pressure just causes rifts in friendships, crappy work, or a half finished job sitting in your driveway. Be willing to spend some of your time to help out.
Unless you have painted and done bodywork that met your expectations when complete, you very likely have no idea the amount of labor and skill that goes into getting a quality job done. EVERY time I was given a job that the owner said was "ready to paint" it either turned out like *** (because they insisted I paint it as is) or I spent hours trying to make it close to ready for paint at some cost to them. Or at a loss for me. Even "ready to paint" in primer needs lots of prep, unless the primer is only a few days old, clean, and of good quality.
Prep work is EVERYTHING. It makes or breaks a paint job. Paint will hide some stuff, but usually brings every little flaw out in the open. Unless you are skilled and know your work, leave the prep work to the pros or get their help to show you how. It will make their job easier for them and better for you.
Quality paint is expensive. Unless you plan on selling the vehicle, take your painter’s advice and use the quality products he or she suggests. Cutting corners costs you in the long run. If you don’t have the $ at the time, wait until you do!
Know what you want. Be realistic. You can’t have a show car and have it be your daily driver or your only car, and expect to be happy forever. It will get damaged and expensive paint jobs are expensive (or impossible) to repair. Don’t dump $ and time where it will be wasted. Choose according to use AND desire.
There are different ways to do paint and bodywork. Some are equal, some are better, and some are just wrong. I see boneheaded work on TV and in magazines all the time. A lot of it is a total waste of time and money. What some use as bragging rights makes many professionals laugh! Some guys are awesome painters, but have egos so big they do stupid stuff just “because” (Pruitt!!).
Examples:
- ACRYLIC urethane VS. POLY urethane paint. Acrylic urethane is what is used on most if not all clearcoated cars. Great shine, real good durability, good repairability, overall an A+ for daily drivers and show winners. Polyurethane is hard as nails, superior gloss paint. It stands up to harsh chemicals, bird crap, acid rain, and even graffiti. It looks great for a llooonnnngggg time. Sounds good, right? Maybe if you drive a semi. Once cured completely you cannot buff it to a high quality shine. It typically has more “orange peel”, and it is hard as hell to wet sand, so a flat super shiny surface has to be accomplished ASAP after paint. If it chips, you cannot repair it like acrylic urethane, which often means a complete panel repaint for a little ding in the paint. If you scuff it, you will be stuck with a dull area no matter how skilled the wet sand and buff job to repair the scuff. It is inappropriate for a street vehicle, or a show car, yet guys who read about the high points get sucked in and insist on it for their car. Doh!
-“Color sanding”. You don’t color sand a clear coat. Pet peeve there.
-Color sanding two stage paints (basecoat/clearcoat). I recently read an article where the shop that painted a car bragged about putting on 8 color coats of base and wet sanding them after every other coat. That’s like putting antiseize on a new stud and running a die over it 8 times before you put the nut on. It accomplished NOTHING but wasted material and time. The only reason to wetsand a basecoat is to correct flaws. Period. Basecoats go on so flat any imperfections are easily corrected when wetsanding the clearcoats. If the flaws are worse, the prep was not done correctly. I cannot think of a single quality basecoat that won’t cover in 3 coats, although a red or yellow may take 4. 8 coats? WHY!?
- Multiple clear coats in excess of 4 are overkill for MOST (98%) jobs. You end up with film builds that are too thick to handle even minor impacts from gravel, and once the paint is compromised it goes to pot. Picture the difference between bending a thin piece of plastic and a thick one. The thin piece will bend, while the thicker shatters. End of story. Multiple layers of clear are done in order to increase the clear thickness in expectation of wetsanding, or to achieve additional depth. You get passed 4 coats and expect problems on a street driven car. A quick and easy way to achieve a mirror flat topcoat is to spray 2-3 coats of clear, let cure and wetsand with 1200 grit, and then spray a final clear coat.
Paint shops and painters may lie. That nose repair on your Firebird that is peeling off is NOT because they did not use flex additive. Almost all flex agents work by slowing the final cure of the topcoat (clear) so that flexible parts can be assembled without fracturing the paint. If they painted the nose in place, they (depending on product) probably didn’t need to add flex agent at all. Flex agent has become the scapegoat and snake oil for plastic clad cars, and it’s stupid. Paint is plastic, and eventually even topcoats with flex agent get just as hard as topcoats without. But the paint still has some flexibility because it is plastic.
More than likely, the paint is peeling off that nose because the shop used incorrect plastic prep, the film build was too great (too many coats or old and new paint layers) or the primer was incorrect or not topcoated in time*, or there is a product incompatibility.
*Epoxy primers will dry so hard in 1-2 weeks that they no longer allow topcoats to bond correctly. These primer coats must be sanded and re-primered prior to subsequent topcoats for correct adhesion. Remember the GM and Ford trucks of the eighties and early 90’s that were peeling like crazy? That happened because the unions went on strike and the trucks sat in primer too long before the topcoats were applied.
end Part 1
04-13-2005, 12:08 PM
#2
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Part 2
Exotic “European” paints are not very different, if at all, from domestic products by PPG and DuPont. In fact, most are made by or owned by one of those two companies. Both PPG and DuPont make great products that can produce show-winning finishes. I highly recommend sticking with either of these brands and choosing a product line for the entire job. Stay away from mix and match of brands and generic products. Both brands offer technical data that shows compatible products for every type of job. Stick with those recommendations! It may cost more, but the end results and long term satisfaction are dependent on the products working together. After all, these are highly refined chemicals. Don’t try to out think the chemists who designed the products. In many cases you will lose.
That said, paint isn’t voodoo. You can learn about it. Just like swapping engines, installing a cam, or tuning your PCM, learn about the paint products available and the processes so you are educated enough to know when people you are dealing with are pulling your leg or cutting quality corners. Ignorance breeds cheating, and this happens A LOT at paint shops and with people who do work on the side.
Exotic colors, especially fluorescent colors, will fade in sunlight over time. If you choose a wild color from House of Color, be sure you understand the environmental limits of that color. Specific clearcoats may be required in order to increase longevity. There are good reasons some show cars never see the light of day.
Primers are not all alike. If you fancy trying your hand at bodywork, go down to the local auto paint supplier and talk to them about primers suitable for the surfaces and your work environment, as well as your planned topcoats, before you start. Do not apply rattle can primers! 8 times out of 10 these cause problems down the road, or require additional sealer coats and sanding to get by.
Just because it worked in the past on you grandpa’s 1972 C10 doesn’t mean it will work now. Paint products change every year, and incompatibilities exist.
I enjoy helping people. That's why I did the spoiler for Bobby, and will do more for him. He is great at expressing exactly what he wants, and I know we will work it all out to our satisfaction in the end. Same with Ellis.
If I do it, I will not stop until it is right. Period. Which can be a problem when the correct resources, like a paint booth, are not available. That means additional risks of problems from dirt, humidity, and temperature that can screw up the job. Guess who’s going to fix it? Right or not, it’s my responsibility (as I see it) and I won’t expect help or $ from the customer to make it right. Sometimes that risk is not worth it to me.
Does all that mean I won’t do a side job? No, it just means I need to know you well enough to feel comfortable we can work together, and that we can get the resources and time to do the job. If I don’t feel I can turn out the job to my satisfaction, I will turn you down. I won’t blow smoke up your ***, or take you halfway and bail. It is a big commitment that I do not take lightly. These jobs take a lot of work, which means a serious time commitment as well. If I don’t have the time, or need to spend it elsewhere, I won’t take the job. My time is precious to me and my family, and I want time to work on my car too!
In the end, I don’t make any money off of side jobs. I do them because I want to, to help out a friend, to have fun, and do something kick-***. So don’t take it personally if I turn you down. If I did, it’s in your best interest because I don’t feel I can turn out the work to your and/or my satisfaction.
If you have questions about paint, ask me! I’m always willing to share what I know, point you towards the right resources (I don’t know everything) or even help you determine if the shop you are interested in sending your job to is being a straight shooter or not.
Exotic “European” paints are not very different, if at all, from domestic products by PPG and DuPont. In fact, most are made by or owned by one of those two companies. Both PPG and DuPont make great products that can produce show-winning finishes. I highly recommend sticking with either of these brands and choosing a product line for the entire job. Stay away from mix and match of brands and generic products. Both brands offer technical data that shows compatible products for every type of job. Stick with those recommendations! It may cost more, but the end results and long term satisfaction are dependent on the products working together. After all, these are highly refined chemicals. Don’t try to out think the chemists who designed the products. In many cases you will lose.
That said, paint isn’t voodoo. You can learn about it. Just like swapping engines, installing a cam, or tuning your PCM, learn about the paint products available and the processes so you are educated enough to know when people you are dealing with are pulling your leg or cutting quality corners. Ignorance breeds cheating, and this happens A LOT at paint shops and with people who do work on the side.
Exotic colors, especially fluorescent colors, will fade in sunlight over time. If you choose a wild color from House of Color, be sure you understand the environmental limits of that color. Specific clearcoats may be required in order to increase longevity. There are good reasons some show cars never see the light of day.
Primers are not all alike. If you fancy trying your hand at bodywork, go down to the local auto paint supplier and talk to them about primers suitable for the surfaces and your work environment, as well as your planned topcoats, before you start. Do not apply rattle can primers! 8 times out of 10 these cause problems down the road, or require additional sealer coats and sanding to get by.
Just because it worked in the past on you grandpa’s 1972 C10 doesn’t mean it will work now. Paint products change every year, and incompatibilities exist.
I enjoy helping people. That's why I did the spoiler for Bobby, and will do more for him. He is great at expressing exactly what he wants, and I know we will work it all out to our satisfaction in the end. Same with Ellis.
If I do it, I will not stop until it is right. Period. Which can be a problem when the correct resources, like a paint booth, are not available. That means additional risks of problems from dirt, humidity, and temperature that can screw up the job. Guess who’s going to fix it? Right or not, it’s my responsibility (as I see it) and I won’t expect help or $ from the customer to make it right. Sometimes that risk is not worth it to me.
Does all that mean I won’t do a side job? No, it just means I need to know you well enough to feel comfortable we can work together, and that we can get the resources and time to do the job. If I don’t feel I can turn out the job to my satisfaction, I will turn you down. I won’t blow smoke up your ***, or take you halfway and bail. It is a big commitment that I do not take lightly. These jobs take a lot of work, which means a serious time commitment as well. If I don’t have the time, or need to spend it elsewhere, I won’t take the job. My time is precious to me and my family, and I want time to work on my car too!
In the end, I don’t make any money off of side jobs. I do them because I want to, to help out a friend, to have fun, and do something kick-***. So don’t take it personally if I turn you down. If I did, it’s in your best interest because I don’t feel I can turn out the work to your and/or my satisfaction.
If you have questions about paint, ask me! I’m always willing to share what I know, point you towards the right resources (I don’t know everything) or even help you determine if the shop you are interested in sending your job to is being a straight shooter or not.
04-13-2005, 12:35 PM
#3
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Good right up and i totaly understand where you ar comming from. i painted airplanes for about 7years in the navy. Not anywhere near as complicated as painting a car but alot of the same things go into it.
04-13-2005, 12:47 PM
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Wow, great information. Do you paint for a living as well as on the side? I will be looking to have my burb paint re-done probably next year, but I wouldn't want to even ask anyone to take that on as a side job. It has spiderweb cracking on the lower facsia, and I want to run the stripes over the entire roof rather than just stopping at the front dege of the sunroof and restarting on the rear doors. For the right job, I would be willing to take the rig pretty much anywhere, so when the time comes, I may be asking a lot of questions.
04-13-2005, 08:57 PM
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Awesome, simply awesome.
I agree with your points with painting as with me polishing. I get weekly (I use to get almost daily) offers from folks wanting polishing done. Everything you discribed (but on a smaller scale for me with the tech aspect) is the way I feel. I even had a board member send me bolts from Texas to polish and I did them for free. Just do not want (for me) to be in a situation where it's not good enough, not what I expected etc. So I do little things, but the time to do things correct is nothing less than tons. Plus in my case (maybe yours) the metal is not reacting correctly to a shine, and you try correcting it, feel bad do not charge, and all that time wasted...
Not jumping on your thread saying I am as great at polishing or as good as you in similar ways, just appreciating and understanding what you are saying. Not to mention reading about everything you know about painting, holy cow!
It is really rare to find a person such as you who takes that much pride in his work and knows his stuff.
I do want to have some insite from you and ask for your opinion on a project I want to do to my car, but know that I make mistakes and it may NOT look as good as if you did it AND do not want you to feel responsible...thats all mouth full. I am going to pm you to see what you think, if you can guide me with some of your thoughts I would appreciate it.
I agree with your points with painting as with me polishing. I get weekly (I use to get almost daily) offers from folks wanting polishing done. Everything you discribed (but on a smaller scale for me with the tech aspect) is the way I feel. I even had a board member send me bolts from Texas to polish and I did them for free. Just do not want (for me) to be in a situation where it's not good enough, not what I expected etc. So I do little things, but the time to do things correct is nothing less than tons. Plus in my case (maybe yours) the metal is not reacting correctly to a shine, and you try correcting it, feel bad do not charge, and all that time wasted...
Not jumping on your thread saying I am as great at polishing or as good as you in similar ways, just appreciating and understanding what you are saying. Not to mention reading about everything you know about painting, holy cow!
It is really rare to find a person such as you who takes that much pride in his work and knows his stuff.
I do want to have some insite from you and ask for your opinion on a project I want to do to my car, but know that I make mistakes and it may NOT look as good as if you did it AND do not want you to feel responsible...thats all mouth full. I am going to pm you to see what you think, if you can guide me with some of your thoughts I would appreciate it.
04-14-2005, 12:20 AM
#6
Great Write up Jeff. Your nose HAS to be tired 
As far as the car I have been playing with lay outs and taped one up on the car I am happy with. Colors are High Gloss Pitch black and the flip Silver you used. Simple lay out but the whole back of the car has to come apart to paint. If we need to Rent a both when the time comes I will pay for one no Problems I trust you as much as you trust me maybe more
As far as the rest? I am Dead on with your theoligy(sp). If I do not feel I can do the job I will tell you up front. Some things I just won't tell you I can do. I have invested thousands of Dollars this year into tuning. That does not mean I am an expert yet Many will buy the same stuff or even more but have no clue how to do what you need done. They WILL tell you they can do it JUST to get you in the door. only to leave you disalusioned and unhappy about the money you parted with.
We started Speed Secrets with ONE goal in mind. Happy customers. If you have happy customers the rest will follow I want to give my customers the service "I" expect but never recieve when I have work done. I have never worked at a dealer and turned down 8 posiotions last year alone to work at a few. They just did not offer me the chance to do the work I am prode of!
I also insist on a job well done. When I do not get it I actually lay awake at night worried about it. You won't find me hanging at the bar with the boys parting down if I have a problem job. You will find me researching the hell out of every source I can to get a fix!
Ask Steph. the Week we got Married was hell. I had a trans with a strange problem. I had 32+ hours THAT week in it. In the end? Turns out to be a manufacturing issue that GM caused by tightening up build tolerances on one parts and then Back dating another to work with it! There is maybe a hand full of people who could have got where I went.
Many people take for granted how hard perfection can be to obtain. Some of us will tell you up front if you can have it at all
I will only let a few people work on my car...Jeff is one of them..
I will have to dig those pics up.
For those of you who know Jeff. I got pictures of him changing my Valve springs
As far as the car I have been playing with lay outs and taped one up on the car I am happy with. Colors are High Gloss Pitch black and the flip Silver you used. Simple lay out but the whole back of the car has to come apart to paint. If we need to Rent a both when the time comes I will pay for one no Problems
I trust you as much as you trust me maybe more As far as the rest? I am Dead on with your theoligy(sp). If I do not feel I can do the job I will tell you up front. Some things I just won't tell you I can do. I have invested thousands of Dollars this year into tuning. That does not mean I am an expert yet
Many will buy the same stuff or even more but have no clue how to do what you need done. They WILL tell you they can do it JUST to get you in the door. only to leave you disalusioned and unhappy about the money you parted with. We started Speed Secrets with ONE goal in mind. Happy customers. If you have happy customers the rest will follow
I want to give my customers the service "I" expect but never recieve when I have work done. I have never worked at a dealer and turned down 8 posiotions last year alone to work at a few. They just did not offer me the chance to do the work I am prode of!I also insist on a job well done. When I do not get it I actually lay awake at night worried about it. You won't find me hanging at the bar with the boys parting down if I have a problem job. You will find me researching the hell out of every source I can to get a fix!
Ask Steph. the Week we got Married was hell. I had a trans with a strange problem. I had 32+ hours THAT week in it. In the end? Turns out to be a manufacturing issue that GM caused by tightening up build tolerances on one parts and then Back dating another to work with it! There is maybe a hand full of people who could have got where I went.
Many people take for granted how hard perfection can be to obtain. Some of us will tell you up front if you can have it at all
I will only let a few people work on my car...Jeff is one of them..
I will have to dig those pics up.
For those of you who know Jeff. I got pictures of him changing my Valve springs
04-14-2005, 09:57 AM
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Originally Posted by sardog46
Good right up and i totaly understand where you ar comming from. i painted airplanes for about 7years in the navy. Not anywhere near as complicated as painting a car but alot of the same things go into it.
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04-14-2005, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by burbman
Wow, great information. Do you paint for a living as well as on the side? I will be looking to have my burb paint re-done probably next year, but I wouldn't want to even ask anyone to take that on as a side job. It has spiderweb cracking on the lower facsia, and I want to run the stripes over the entire roof rather than just stopping at the front dege of the sunroof and restarting on the rear doors. For the right job, I would be willing to take the rig pretty much anywhere, so when the time comes, I may be asking a lot of questions.
Questions? Ask away! There are things I'm not up to speed on, but I know how to get the information. You might start checking in with your local auto paint and body supply store just so you can pick their brains and get an idea what you may want to do. Sometimes you can score a deal on paint and info on new products before the general public, but you have to have the connection to do it.
As for the front facia, it sounds like impact stress cracked the paint, or if it has been repainted before the paint may be too thick to handle bumps or even heating and cooling of the part. You will probably want to plan on sanding that down to the factory base primer. Time consuming, but with the right tools it is not too bad. Any place the stress fractures go through the primer will require sanding that section until you reach solid paint integrity.
04-14-2005, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Todd2001SS
Awesome, simply awesome.
I agree with your points with painting as with me polishing. I get weekly (I use to get almost daily) offers from folks wanting polishing done. Everything you discribed (but on a smaller scale for me with the tech aspect) is the way I feel. I even had a board member send me bolts from Texas to polish and I did them for free. Just do not want (for me) to be in a situation where it's not good enough, not what I expected etc. So I do little things, but the time to do things correct is nothing less than tons. Plus in my case (maybe yours) the metal is not reacting correctly to a shine, and you try correcting it, feel bad do not charge, and all that time wasted...
Not jumping on your thread saying I am as great at polishing or as good as you in similar ways, just appreciating and understanding what you are saying. Not to mention reading about everything you know about painting, holy cow!
It is really rare to find a person such as you who takes that much pride in his work and knows his stuff.
I do want to have some insite from you and ask for your opinion on a project I want to do to my car, but know that I make mistakes and it may NOT look as good as if you did it AND do not want you to feel responsible...thats all mouth full. I am going to pm you to see what you think, if you can guide me with some of your thoughts I would appreciate it.
I agree with your points with painting as with me polishing. I get weekly (I use to get almost daily) offers from folks wanting polishing done. Everything you discribed (but on a smaller scale for me with the tech aspect) is the way I feel. I even had a board member send me bolts from Texas to polish and I did them for free. Just do not want (for me) to be in a situation where it's not good enough, not what I expected etc. So I do little things, but the time to do things correct is nothing less than tons. Plus in my case (maybe yours) the metal is not reacting correctly to a shine, and you try correcting it, feel bad do not charge, and all that time wasted...
Not jumping on your thread saying I am as great at polishing or as good as you in similar ways, just appreciating and understanding what you are saying. Not to mention reading about everything you know about painting, holy cow!
It is really rare to find a person such as you who takes that much pride in his work and knows his stuff.
I do want to have some insite from you and ask for your opinion on a project I want to do to my car, but know that I make mistakes and it may NOT look as good as if you did it AND do not want you to feel responsible...thats all mouth full. I am going to pm you to see what you think, if you can guide me with some of your thoughts I would appreciate it.
Thanks for the kudos, and same to you. I know how much work goes into polishing parts. It's not something I'm ready to attack, but I love to do it and the results are well worth it. I can tell by the pics and comments about your car that your attention to detail is top notch!
04-14-2005, 10:20 AM
#10
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Originally Posted by TwoFast4Lv
Great Write up Jeff. Your nose HAS to be tired
As far as the car I have been playing with lay outs and taped one up on the car I am happy with. Colors are High Gloss Pitch black and the flip Silver you used. Simple lay out but the whole back of the car has to come apart to paint. If we need to Rent a both when the time comes I will pay for one no Problems I trust you as much as you trust me maybe more
As far as the car I have been playing with lay outs and taped one up on the car I am happy with. Colors are High Gloss Pitch black and the flip Silver you used. Simple lay out but the whole back of the car has to come apart to paint. If we need to Rent a both when the time comes I will pay for one no Problems
I trust you as much as you trust me maybe more A booth would be best, though. Dirt is the enemy for sure on this job. No fixing a pearl coat - it has to be right the first time or it's a do over.