Thread: Spray can paint..

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Maybe this is a hot rodders urban legend, so maybe somebody could correct me.
I always heard that the old rat rods were done in spray can black primer, rubbed down with steel wool, and then waxed to get that satin or suede look.

Is that in fact how it was done? Is there anyway way to get a car to look decent with spray cans?

I do not have the budget right now for even the cheapest of paint jobs, so I primed my whole car black primer (see photos at:65 Newport ).
Now I want to give it that suede look and I am not sure what steps to take next.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.

i never heard of that tecnique but your 65 looks mean just the way it is, i would pull over if i see it coming. good job.

Would a semi-gloss be close? Reason I ask is even though spray can paint is getting better in quality(top brand name) I would think that doing anything to it(steel wool) would make the elements(sun etc.) make it look bad before long???Before I got my compressor and guns I used hundreds of spray cans to primer several vehicles.Despite what you may hear,it does last a few years but getting a good consistent look with gloss spray can is 'alot' harder than using a compressor/gun.There are so many different makes/types of black primer that I would try different ones until I found one that was at least close.
As far as the steel-wool and wax or polish,I don't know.That sounds like what some may have done in the 'lacquer days' of the 50's

if you have a spray gun now maybe flat black used on dodge and plymouth bonets like 340 darts 383 cars

Thanks for the kind words. I would love to do a nice coat of semi-gloss myself. I have a pretty large compressor, but would not even know where to begin. I know I have to do magical things involving primer, thinner, strainers, etc. But it is beyond me

What I am trying to do right now is to find somebody locally woho would be willing to barter a paint job with me. Until then, the can primer looks very uneven.

i though the same way years ago but with pratice on the wall of the garage then pieces of steel, just try centri acryl over lap by half and watch the edge of the spray pattern were it flows together, start at the bottom of the panel and work up and start at a seam( door) and work your way back to it.centri is the hardest paint i have seen that resest runs you can blast it on ,try it.

Originally Posted by terrylittlejohn

i though the same way years ago but with pratice on the wall of the garage then pieces of steel, just try centri acryl over lap by half and watch the edge of the spray pattern were it flows together, start at the bottom of the panel and work up and start at a seam( door) and work your way back to it.centri is the hardest paint i have seen that resest runs you can blast it on ,try it.

Uhm... my cats name is mittens

Even a high quality catayzed primer was never meant to be exposed to the sun.

I repainted a couple locally built '32 Fords that were shot with a PPG epoxy primer, and in about 3 years they were fading. By the five year mark they were medium gray with white streaks running down the sides. The primer was breaking down due to exposure.

You probably aren't going to find any primer that will last very long. The only permanent "fix" is a topcoat black with flattener added. A catalyzed paint is even better.

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

Even a high quality catayzed primer was never meant to be exposed to the sun.

I repainted a couple locally built '32 Fords that were shot with a PPG epoxy primer, and in about 3 years they were fading. By the five year mark they were medium gray with white streaks running down the sides. The primer was breaking down due to exposure.

You probably aren't going to find any primer that will last very long. The only permanent "fix" is a topcoat black with flattener added. A catalyzed paint is even better.

Honestly none of that means anything to me. I do not even know how to use a spray gun, and through all the years of building cars, I could never find one person to teach me.

Since I have been laid off for two years, and only do the occasional website, I never really have any cash to spare. So, it is either spray cans, or finding somebody to trade with.

Darn outsourcing has ruined me

If I could just find somebody with a booth who would be willing to teach me, I would be willing to do all the work and pay for the materials. But people act like it is some kind of holy secret.

Everything else from mechanical to electrical I have been able to teach myself, just not painting or upholstery. It kinda sucks!

(QUOTE) If I could just find somebody with a booth who would be willing to teach me, I would be willing to do all the work and pay for the materials. But people act like it is some kind of holy secret.

I understand what your saying. From the other side of the fence it is a little different, at least for people who earn their living doing this.

This is my livelyhood, not a hobby. I often have some customers who want to help, so they can save some money. I've tried it, but there are a couple problems with that.

It takes me longer to show someone how to do something, than to do it myself, then they take twice as long to get it done, then I have to check their work closely to make sure it's okay, and redo part of it.

Also they want me to plan my work schedule so they can be here. Now I have hours, or even days that I have to wait for them, often losing working time. Too many days of sitting around, and they shut my electricity off! :-) Just not a good situation for full time painters at all.

Here are a couple tips:
You can buy a spray gun pretty damn cheap, like $30 bucks, that will work better than a spray can. I know you can save money on the paint. I just bought a quart of Ace Hardware "Rust Stop" satin black alkyd enamel and a quart of reducer for $13. It is probably as good as the best rattle can paint you can buy. That's got to be way less than you are paying for spraycans of paint, and you'll get a better job from a spray gun.

Now you need to rent, or borrow a friend's compressor and hose, and find a place to work, and it does not need to be a professional booth. Some sanding and masking materials, and your in business.

OK, I have my own compressor, and I have an HVLP gun from Harbor Freight already.

I can go to Ace for the primer. What is reducer? How about this mixing and straining I see people doing? Do I need to get stuff for that too?

Is this something I can do in my garage?

I am willing to try, and really appreciate the info so far!

reducer is thinner, to thin the paint, if it's your first time with a paint gun, u might want to consider a hardener also. most people say not to wet the floor, but for what your doing, blow your garage out with compressed air the night b4 you plan to paint, then wet the floor and paint. straining and that kind of stuff is not nessary, but if u want to, go ahead.

If you have a local tech school or even some high schools have a auto shop class. Some do body work and have paint booths or at least a well vented room where perhaps the teacher and or students could do your car in trade for your website services. Just a thought...
My son painted a friends 65 mustang in their backyard LOL. Gray with black stripes and did a darn fine job. After all the body and prep he did a basecoat color and stripes then cleared. Rubbed it out and it looked great. Not the best enviroment for a paint job but it worked out well. LOL.


G.

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

I just bought a quart of Ace Hardware "Rust Stop" satin black alkyd enamel and a quart of reducer for $13. It is probably as good as the best rattle can paint you can buy. That's got to be way less than you are paying for spraycans of paint, and you'll get a better job from a spray gun.

Can you tell me where to get this paint? I looked on the Ace Hardware website but could not find it. Thanks so much for the help!
Oh and how much paint does it take to spray a car? A quart? A gallon?

Damn man---are you trying to sound dumb deliberately or what??? There have been more articles written about how to spray paint than just about anything else that you can do to a car. Do a little bit of research before you get on here bleating about how "None of this means anything to you". You need a compressor with a regulator to regulate how much pressure the gun is going to receive from the compressor air tank. You need a spray gun, which you say you already have. Surely you must have some information about what pressure the regulator should be set at for the gun you are using. Buy a charcoal filter mask, and wear it whenever you are spraying paint so you don't kill yourself (nearly all paint is poisonous when inhaled in any concentration). Go to your local hardware store and buy some flat black Rustoleum enamel, or something along that line. Look at the instructions on the can, and it will tell you how much to thin it and what to thin it with. Either buy some paper filters, or steal an old pair of your wifes panty-hose to strain the mixed paint with just before you pour it into your gun cup. Don't think about hardners at this stage---you don't know enough to be using them, and for back yard paint jobs with hardware store paint, they're not necessary anyways. When you begin to use catalyzed paint from a body-shop supply house, then is the time to get into things like hardners. Reducers and thinners are both used to thin paint so that it can be sprayed. As a rule of thumb, reducers are used for enamels, and thinners are used with laquer based paints.----again, for what you are doing, read the instructions on the can. Be sure to buy a can of "gun cleaning thinners" to clean your spray gun with when you are all finished spraying. You can spray in your garage, but there is a real danger of fire and explosion, not to mention the stink----I am not going to even get into the use of ventilating fans, as they are only another source of spark, fire, and explosion.---Do it outside. Not in direct sunlight, not when wet, and not when the temperature is over 80 degrees f. Any fool can spray paint. I learned 40 years ago with a home made compressor and a $15 Sears gun, painting wrought iron railing. You will probably never be an expert spray painter, but you should be able to do a "backyard special".