Roland, your story is just about where mine is, help from the paint
shop (Finishmasters, I think it's a "chain") and practice on little
panels first. Then I bought a volvo with really crappy paint for $100
to give my daughter. I painted the whole thing and it looks good. I
hope to repaint my whole camper this summer or fall.

I did not like the gravity feed gun at all. I just don't get it--yet.
I used it for painting my vanagon steel wheels, and, while they look
great, I am glad I wasn't trying to shoot a body panel.

Bennie Boy had some good advice on masking products a while back,
worth looking into.

I am happy with the results of my work, which includes a beautiful
paint job on a kayak, and can generally do a better job and a lot of
the work I have paid good money for in the past.

Jim

On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 6:12 PM, Roland <syncronicity1@gmail.com> wrote:
> Guess I might be able to build on Jim's encouraging remarks,
>
> I recently did body work on my other car (the non-Vanagon). Yes, I felt
> pretty certain about the sanding and filling, figured that a reasonable
> person might have a shot at preping the area with sanding and then filling
> in with "play doh", and then sand some more etc. �Don't forget to use a
> block for block sanding. �One trick I might pass on to get the area really
> smooth is 2 color primer paint. �First you spary the area with a light
> colored primer, and then a dark colored primer. �If you then sand on this
> combination the places that are still high and low really reveal themselves
> because you are sanding through 2 different colors. �So for example a high
> spot will show real quickly since there will be colored rings around it.
>
> The real courage part came with the painting. �I bought a gravity feed spray
> gun and a matching compressor; �it is important to make sure the compressor
> can deliver the kind of airflow that the gun needs, so please study the
> issues about right sizing the compressor to the gun you choose (for example,
> the little ones used for nail guns will not be sufficient for spraying).
> And I got the accessories, especially a moisture filter, and a good pressure
> gage attached to the gun, extra long hose.
>
> Then I worked with the local auto paint supply store. �All they sell is
> automotive paints and assorted supplies to go with it. �They gave me all the
> stuff I needed, it was 2 part paint, a metalic paint with a clear coat on
> top. �They gave me nice things like tutorial, answer dumb questions, and the
> detailed specs on the paints, which for example tell how much reducer
> (thinner) to add to the paint/clear coat at different temperatures and
> humidity in the garage on a particular day. �I also bought some returned or
> useless paint that was the same base/brand and similar to my shade for
> really cheap dollars that I used to practice. �You have to be careful about
> the spray gun settings; �mine has 3, one for air flow volume, one paint flow
> volume, and one for the spray pattern (from a vertical slice to a small
> centralize spot). �Basically you have to hang a bunch of painters plastic (8
> foot wide roll) from the ceiling in your garage, and part of it becomes a
> trial area where you adjust the gun and make sure you have it right before
> applying to the work.
>
> From there is was mix the paint, 2 coats of metallic (with only 10 minutes
> between coats), 2 coats primer after about 1/2 hour of letting the paint
> dry. �And then you can wet sand and buff the next day as you choose in case
> you get orange peel or some odd spots.
>
> Anyway, the equipment totaled about $325 and the special paints, primers,
> clearners, thinners, hardener, etc. was about $90. �There was probably
> another $50 in odds and ends. �The point is I was probably looking at
> perhaps $1000, $1,500 or maybe $2000 in a body shop, and this method work
> suprisingly well. �I took my time, and experimented and tried to do it well
> rather than fast. �Lots of friends were all amazed, but not as much as me,
> cause I was quite afraid of trying this stuff, and really pleased that it is
> possible for us to do in our garage. �And I now have a compressor "for free"
> to keep my tires up, and all kinds of other uses. �So please try it! �You /
> we can do this body work and painting ourselves! � I need to do the roof of
> my Vanagon since the clear coat is flaking aways and have no hesitation. �oh
> the by the way, my non-Vanagon is a Porsche, not some half-baked secondary
> car, meaing that it had to come out good enough.
>
> Roland
>