Painting OD--what gun/Tip did you use?

[signsup]

The extra gun or two for parts was an excellent idea. If not that, at least get yourself some extra gaskets or tip parts to have on hand. When we started painting, we were limited to weather and work schedules. When the gun went on strike and needed some parts, we were down while waiting for them to arrive in the mail. We ordered extra to have on hand and should have done that up front.
After loading every cup, my wife would go over to a large cardboard box and test spray to make sure she was comfortable with the test patter and paint flow, then over to the jeep.

Mask off or plug threaded holes and captive nuts so they do not fill with primer and paint and make it tough to start bolts back in. Careful if you have F makred parts to paint them a little lighter to keep them from filling in. When we painted our frame, we turned it a different direction every coat to make sure we wre getting all the nooks and crannies from different directions.

[tamnalan]

So what is the difference between a "nook" and a "crannie"?

Does one require a different painting technique than the other?

[Mike Soltis]

I also used the HF Gun. Originally I bought the Detail Gun(Small Gun & Cup) sprayed my entire GPW both primer & finish with it. every comment I've read here from thinning to pressure is dead on. I'm not a professional painter & a lot of people asked who painted my jeep when I tell them me they are surprised I found the key is Keeping the Gun clean after each use, in some cases it took me twice as long to clean the gun as it did to paint. The extra parts is a good idea also. My cap on my small gun broke & they don't sell replacement cups for that gun. I ended up putting a baggie with a rubber band to finish. With as much spraying as I've done with the HF guns & the results I've gotten I can't justify buying a super expensive gun in my opinion you can't tell the difference anyway. Great post guys this type of info really helps the next round of painters/restorers. Regards Mike

[danover321]

Thank you for the comments Mike.

I want to stress to everyone how important preparing the surface is to a good paint job. Prep, Prep, and more Prep is the key! Personally, I take the majority of parts to bear metal prior to priming and painting.

Step #1 Sand surface for good adhesion.
Step #2 Clean and Degrease surface.
Step #3 Apply primer. (Personally, I use etching primer prior to applying epoxy primer or Alkyd enamel primer.)
Step #4 Allow primer to cure. (Varies depending on use of catalyst?, reducer used, geographic location, and ambient temperature.)
Step #5 Sand primer with sandpaper or scotch bright pad for good paint adhesion.
Step #6 Clean and Degrease surface.
Step #7 Apply paint

Everyone has their own system of choice; however, if you follow the above simple steps, the results will be amazing to the layman painter.

Dan