Should I let a PRO shoot the BC/CC?

I guess I'll weigh in to this fray a bit with some of the safety(Gloom and Doom:eek: ) aspects.

First - Jack - I have to take you to task about using box fans (which I also had always used before) THESE FANS ARE DANGEROUS AND NOT EXPLOSION PROOF!!! It sometimes scares me that I haven't blown myself up yet. I bought a greenhouse/ barn fan fairly inexpensively from these folks:

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/p...umber=FA%2DVFT

The 12", $119 version plus ~$20 for shipping - and it really moves air, 1050CFM. You don't need but about half of that for a single stall garage. Consider their variable speed adjuster for another $50.

Secondly, most of the new BC/CC paints are either an isocyanate or benzol blend of nasties that can scramble your brain from a very short time to permanently. It can effect your respiratory system the same way as well. For sure all of the clear coats have Isocyanates. This means an a minimum, a charcoal canister mask, eye protection, nitrile gloves, head sock and a bunny suit. Better is a supplied air system - which I bought as I have had some respiratory reactions to these paints. Acryllics aren't quite as bad but the solvents can render you 'speechless and breathless' for a day or so if you don't use precautions like a charcoal canister mask.

As far as the paint brand, stick with what you can buy locally is the best - DuPont is my favorite, but others have good luck with PPG, NAPA's Martin Senour, RM(BASF) Kirkers and House of Kolor. I also really like Southern Polyurethanes epoxy and 2K along with their Universal high solid clear.

Equipment is another complete thread or several - big enough compressor, HVLP guns, DA sanders, sanding blocks, brands of sand paper, etc, etc, etc.

Whatever it takes it ends up cheaper then paying someone $10-$30K for a custom paint job that might be better then yours, but then might not. It is extremely time consuming just for the prep time to make the surface good enough for paint - 100 hours is not an unreasonable number for an OK car with minimal defects, more if you have dings dents and rust that have to be "cured"

most all of you two parts get set off with isocyanates primer to get setoff by this stuff . yes you need a good mask. the week end body guys. guys that paint this stuff on weekends or maybe weeks out of a the year . you are not painting for a living ..maybe you get lucky or not and get really sick from this stuff .i work with this stuff every day and to say it bad is a under statement. all the body shop i work at were less then prefect. i would walk out of the so-called both and get blasted by primers or someone or using two part paints on the floor cutting in a car or more then one thing with not much air movement. and there were times i would walk back in the both to look it the final job. did this suff for over 25 years of my life.i would leave my day job painting job and go work on other paint jobs on the side or hang out at my friends body shop with no mask on. hanging in the air paint laced with isoyanate .so i was in it all the time ,i have been sick .fast heart rate was my body telling me to get clean air then from there at gets in your lungs . i will not get in to all of it .its no fun . i have had health issue. i can not point to this but ?

I hear ya loud & clear Pat, as well as what some others are saying. That fact is, I have asthma already. So, I have to be very careful. Truth is, I don't really want to do ANY of the finish work. I'd like to just blow it apart, take it to a pro, and bring it all home, all color sanded, polished, and ready to bolt back together. But, I am 1/2 Scottish! Need I say more? I do know the owners of 3 small, local rod shops. One already told me he would want $3000.00 just to shoot everything. That's labor only, and just for shooting. That sounds a bit much to me, at least before I go talk to the other 2 guys. Maybe I can work out a deal with one of them. They're both very nice guys, and maybe I could even barter a little. I like fabricating and fitting stuff, but I get so darned anxious just thinking about this painting process. The life of a Perfectionist is hell! I'm gonna try and talk with those two other guys, maybe tomorrow or Tuesday. I'll let you know what they say.

You guys have helped me get through a tough decision, and I really appreciate your advice and assistance. You'd think as a retired Therapist I could get through this crap by myself. But one of the first things I learned in school is that, while we can do a great job of helping others, because we're not emotionally involved with their stuff, we're very often too close to our own stuff to be able to be objective. Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by rltaylor46

But, I am 1/2 Scottish! Need I say more? I do know the owners of 3 small, local rod shops. One already told me he would want $3000.00 just to shoot everything. That's labor only, and just for shooting. That sounds a bit much to me, at least before I go talk to the other 2 guys. own stuff to be able to be objective. Thanks again!

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I'm even worse then that - besides being half Irish, the other half is Scottish (and am getting ready for a 2 week trip there in about three weeks).

If you have asthma, working with this stuff will do nothing but exacerbate your symptoms. It's nasty:eek:

As far as $3000 and if it includes a final sanding then cutting and buffing, that is not too bad if it is a guaranteed in writing price. Based on a shop rate of $75 an hour, that's 40 hours. The best I could do around here is 6 to 8000 dollars and I was to give him everything ready to spray, and with no priming, sanding or bodywork. I was to provide all of the paints, activators and thinners and whatever else he needed. It went up from there. A lot!! And I have only a fendered 'A' roadster (see the AVATAR). I should be putting color on in two weeks.

That's gonna be one sweet roadster Don. What color will it be? Sure looks like you're doing a great job. The last car I built, way back in 1984, was a full fendered, '29 "A" tudor. Small block Ford (302"), maroon body w/Black fenders. Wish I kept it. But, as is so often the case, by the time I finished it, a) I was sick of it, and b) I was afraid I'd scratch it! I can sure be irrational at times!

Anyway, yeah, it may turn out that the $3K is fair. He was figuring shooting in portions (i.e. 1) fenders, then 2) deck lid and doors, then 3) 4-piece hood, frame horn covers, splash shield, and then finally, 4) body.) He figured 2 days for each portion, one day for color, and next for clear, and about 2-4 hours per day. So, let's say 8 days X 4 hours per, and that's 32 hours. That would come out to $2400.00. Just shooting the paint.. no color sanding of buffing. And, I supply all materials. I guess that would't be too bad. We'll see what these other 2 guys say.

Again, that roadster's gonna be a beauty!

Randy

well that must be wrong with me 3/4 irish that makes for one dam hard head:whacked: :D i allways wanted to do every thing my self and never had the money to pay for it .i like to learn so i did it my self. like said rltaylor 46 you do not want to play with this stuff if you have asthma this stuff could kill you.. i have had it in my lungs alot like pneumonia really bad stuff just a small shot of this stuff could be bad for you

Hey Pat, I really appreciate your wisdom and your understanding that some of us have limits. All of you guys have gently advised and nudged me in the right direction, that of having a pro shoot the color on this car. It's not easy for us ol' Scotch-Irish hard-heads to let anyone do anything we can do. I guess knowing I could do it if I had to makes it OK for me to let this one go. I have as much pride as anyone, but when my health is at stake, I'm not gonna take unnecessary chances. I'm not wealthy, but I can see that investing a few thousand $ at this point makes a lot of sense. I have the right tools & equipment, and environment to do all the prep and priming, so that's where I need to draw the line. Thanks again guys. You're kind and good to each other, and that is so cool.

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Originally Posted by rltaylor46

I'm about to the prep & paint stage on my fiberglass '32 coupe, and I'm trying to decide how much of that I should do myself. Your advice is very valuable and will be appreciated. I don't want to spend more than I have to, but I don't want to be a fool either. Thanks guys :) :confused:

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I too am here because I am tiring of the other boards LOL maybe we know each other in a past life? :LOL:

All I can say it you get what you pay for. With the cost of just the paint these days, its too darn expensive to just take the chance you may screw it up.
BC/CC on some products can be $1000 just for the product- too expensive in my eyes to just toss in the trash...

Id pay the cash for the proper job- get it done right the first time.
Dont kno w where you are located, but IN the Boston area a paint job can be at least $8000 to get a good one and $20,000 for a great one.