Hey everyone, so recently I painted my engine cover as well as my strut support bars on my 06' Monte Carlo SS. And I have to say, I really enjoy painting. I was thinking of buying a paint gun (already have a pretty decent compressor) and maybe getting into painting a bit more and maybe start doing it as a hobby or something like that. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone knows of a pretty decent gun that isn't like crazy expensive? I found these and thought this looked like a pretty good deal for someone who is just starting out but looking to get better, DeVilbiss StartingLine: HVLP Auto Paint and Priming Gun System

Has anyone heard of this brand? The reviews seem pretty good on it. Also, If I get a gun or, in the case of the link I linked, 2 guns then I plan on painting my ground effects rather then take it somewhere to do. I have rock chips all over the ground effects in the front, would it be difficult to sand that down and prime it and paint it? I did my engine cover and took it from the rough plastic and filler primed it and sanded it, and it turned out very very smooth. I would think this would be the same since it is just plastic. And with a gun, I would also think that I would get a better finish then if I used rattle cans. Anyway, any information from you guys would be much appreciated.

 

Devilbiss makes a decent gun and have been used for years in shops. Obviously materials and procedures change so sata was tops for a while and now I've been hearing really good things about Ottawa(I think. It's something along those lines)

As for the ground effects follow the same procedure. Depends on how bad the chips are as to weather you should sand them out or just skim them with glaze.

 

Thanks for the help man, there are a ton of chips in my ground effects in the front, so I'm sure some of them may need to be filled. I was just planning on sanding it down really good and then filler prime it and then sand it down again. Or would it be better to use something like bondo?

 

Use polyester filler, it sands easy and is made for fine scratches and chips.
any brand name gun is ok, I use a sata jet but ,I spray a lot of complete cars. a home depot /lowes gravity feed gun will work fine for smaller jobs.

 

Alright, I'll look into those. How about masks? From what I do know about car paint, (which isn't much) it is toxic. I have been looking on 3m's site and saw a few that were just the respirator and then on Lowes website I found a full face mask. Respirators aren't to expensive and I know goggles aren't either. Where the full face masks run around the $150-$200 mark. So I would probably go with just the respirator and goggles normally. However, when I read that your skin can absorb toxins from the paint through your skin, it is now making me wonder if it is a better idea to just spend a little extra money and get full face protection. Do you or anyone else have any thoughts on that?

 

yes it does absorb into your skin. its not good for you at all....even though i'm being stubborn on buying correct safety equipment. gun wise the Devibliss or whatever is decent. Finish line is alright too.

 

The respirator will be fine, exspecialy since you're not doing it professionally. Keep the respirator in the bag sealed up when your not using it because they loose there affectiveness after a little while( the charcoal filter absorbs the contaminants) and will have to be change every so often( around every 2 weeks, more less according to how much you spray).
The finishline guns are a good starting point and spray nice for a cheaper gun but you can find some guns at northern tool and harbor freight also that'll work well also.
For primer 1.3 to 1.8 on the tip and base and clear you should use a 1.3-1.4 tip gun.when you get enough practice and want to buy professional guns just go to one of the automotive paint supply stores and shop.
I personally use a iwata w400 lp for sealer, a sata 4000b and develbliss tekna for base, and an iwata supernova hybrid for clear.