Is it possible to get a good finish using spray cans?

[kuSt]

hi,
gonna sort my grotty sills out...first attempt at bodywork. read some posts about body repairs, so...

got a wire brush drill attachment, getting some davids P40 (is this the right stuff?), don't know about primers though. halfords do U-POL primer, should i get High Build or E-Tech (acidic, whatever that means).

main question is, can u get anything like a good finish using paint from a spray can? i'm also doing it out doors! i'm hoping i can get away with it on the sills, as the sills, front and rear valance seem to have a bit of leeway as to the finish you can get away with. how do you get it glossy?!

any advice on cheap spray paint (schwartz black) suppliers or methods is much appreciated. thanks.

[march109]

Zimmerbimmer can get the 150ml BMW paint system (colour and laquer) for £11 ish, PM him

you can get a decent finish but choose a dry, calm day, no wind whipping up dust. I usually make myself a mini spray booth using tape, cardboard boxes and an old cotton sheet, find a box a suitable size and some bricks to get it to rest at the correct height and on the body work (around area to be sprayed), tape around the boxx with masking tape so there is no air gap between box and body work, then spray. When coat is done drape the cotton sheet over it, this stops flies, bugs and dust getting at wet paint and it it does drizzle or rain provides minimal protection.

any normal paint primer is good, and mabe one of those rust inhibitor paint on compounds too. Prime the bare metal before you put filler on top, then prime the filler before you spray on colour.

[maxfield]

Yes you can, the key is in the prep.

[kuSt]

hey that's a top tip march thanks...i'd have never thought of making a little wind sheild!

thanks for the zimmerbimmer thing too, sounds like a good deal.

very much appreciated.

[Frenchy]

March,
Gonna send my 4 year old Grace to check the house you have built when spraying she would love it,it's mindblowing what a 4 year old makes of a cardboard box and some sticky tape.

Believe me!

[fuzzy]

did my wing and front spoiler using bmw spray cans and got as good a finish as the original panels with no orange peel effect.takes lots of time and the amount of time you spend on the prep will reflect in the quality of the finished job

[powelly]

getting some davids P40 (is this the right stuff?)

P40 is bridging filler from memory, used for filling gaping holes, it`s a fibreglass based filler. if it`s just to even out a surface it`s P38 you`re after

[E30Mark]

No one should be putting filler in the sills, if there are rust holes get them welded up. If it's just cosmetic dents etc then P38 is what you want. (other brands are available..)

Everyone has to start somewhere, but think, if you cock it up will you be happy driving around like it? It might just be cheaper to pay someone to do it...

Give it a go on some scrap metal first, get an idea of drying times, preparation required etc, it's even harder having to fix rust first

[powelly]

No one should be putting filler in the sills, if there are rust holes get them welded up. If it's just cosmetic dents etc then P38 is what you want. (other brands are available..)

Thats what I was getting at in a round and about way.

[Jon_Bmw]

No one should be putting filler in the sills

You should see our 200sx, you'd never know there was a 5p sized hole there

[Kos]

spray can laquer is shit,

[march109]

spray can laquer is shit,

Whats better for a home DIY job?

[Kos]

nothing else, just said it's shit

migh be worth doing them in satin black, but then again on the sills you dont notice it too much as they are a "stone chip finish"

[DanThe]

Laquer from a can always lets moisture from the air into it, it will start with what look like tiny bubbles and turn yellow.

[kuSt]

looks like surface rust on the sills (not gonna know how bad until i get the wire drill-bit on there), also looks like there's been a section of the sill welded, the joins not too clever, so i'm going to try and give them a better finish (right now they're making the whole car look grotty).

the car's got some rust in not great places, (no real holes yet though [apart from a bodged one on the bulkhead!])...so i'm just going to use the car to practice on. it's not worth paying people to do it, the shells just not good enough.

so the stonechip type paint is how they come out of the factory? will it be a mistake to take this off and spray them with normal paint?

looks like i'll have to get some p38 too...

[dodgem]

I'm part way through spraying my iS lip spoiler using halfords spray cans. Not sure if i'm doing this right though...

I put the primer on and sanded that with 1200 grit wet and dry to a mostly smooth finish. Now i've used a 300ml can of diamondschwartz on it and i'm not convinced i had enough paint Some of it is a relatively smooth finish, but some of it feels a little rough (like i didn't get enough paint on for it to flow).

Should i get another can of colour and go over it again, or sand it with 1500 grit and apply the laquer over the top to get a shiny finish? And should i basically get a passable finish once the laquer is on, or will it still look a bit naff til i've left it for 2 weeks and then t-cut and polish it?

[march109]

nothing else, just said it's shit

migh be worth doing them in satin black, but then again on the sills you dont notice it too much as they are a "stone chip finish"

Wasn't having a go just wondered if you knew of anything better.

Would applying it in a relativly sealed garage (ie doors taped up) then run a dehumidifyer for a few hours help? any other ways of applying a coat of laquer that wouldn't get moisture in?

I have to be honest tho I've never had an issue, never gone yellow as suggested, but I've only sprayed a few areas and small accessories, never large surface areas. Still starting out myself on the home spray can route of paint.

[oakey]

What do recon? I think you can

[march109]

I'm part way through spraying my iS lip spoiler using halfords spray cans. Not sure if i'm doing this right though...

I put the primer on and sanded that with 1200 grit wet and dry to a mostly smooth finish. Now i've used a 300ml can of diamondschwartz on it and i'm not convinced i had enough paint Some of it is a relatively smooth finish, but some of it feels a little rough (like i didn't get enough paint on for it to flow).

Should i get another can of colour and go over it again, or sand it with 1500 grit and apply the laquer over the top to get a shiny finish? And should i basically get a passable finish once the laquer is on, or will it still look a bit naff til i've left it for 2 weeks and then t-cut and polish it?

Try getting some very fine wet and dry paper, and soaking the paper for a few hours before use, in water with a drop of washing up liquid in. As you sand the panel keep it well lubricated misting the water/washingup liquid over and try use clean areas o the paper where possible, this should smooth the paint and provide a surfave on which to apply laquer.

[dodgem]

Cheers, i'll give that a go tonight and see how it turns out Gotta say that home spraying doesn't seem too hard - obviously it's an art aquired through experience, but for a first attempt i'm not too upset by the progress so far

[march109]

What do recon? I think you can

fair play that looks awesome.

[kuSt]

dodgem, would you not need to put on a lacquer to match the rest of the car? people have told me that all metallic paint is lacquered.

i've repainted my bumper inserts with halfords bumper paint. had a massive scratch/dent on one side too, but i followed someone else's post about repairing them...worked out well. although my woman wasn't too happy coming home to find the living room turned into a paintshop.

also made a start on my engine bay rust, which ended up going through into my wheel arch, which has all now been fixed...looks a bit of a clip, but, the rusts gone and it's all good practice.

looks like a nice job on the boot oakey, there may be hope for my diy spraying after all...

[dodgem]

Yeah, i'll be laquering it of course - was just wondering whether i ought to get a good paint finish, sand that and then laquer, or if it doesn't really matter if the paint doesn't look great in it's pre-sanded state.

I'll see what happens when i attack it tonight - knowing me i'll probably go straight through the paint to the primer and have to get more colour anyway

[kuSt]

aah, right, best of luck dodgem!

[Pad]

I'm part way through spraying my iS lip spoiler using halfords spray cans. Not sure if i'm doing this right though...

I put the primer on and sanded that with 1200 grit wet and dry to a mostly smooth finish. Now i've used a 300ml can of diamondschwartz on it and i'm not convinced i had enough paint Some of it is a relatively smooth finish, but some of it feels a little rough (like i didn't get enough paint on for it to flow).

Should i get another can of colour and go over it again, or sand it with 1500 grit and apply the laquer over the top to get a shiny finish? And should i basically get a passable finish once the laquer is on, or will it still look a bit naff til i've left it for 2 weeks and then t-cut and polish it?

You shouldnt touch metallic paint once you have laid it down, and you really shouldnt let it dry full before applying the lacquer, just leave it 45mins or so (depending on heat) to flash off.

On a base and clear system the base is for colour only, not texture. The clear coats (note multiple) give you your finish, once this has hardened fully you can flat back using 2500 or 3000 to get a mirror finish (provided you have done the whole panel).

This is one of the reasons metallic is more difficult, you need to have a degree of skill to lay down the colour well because you cannot rectify it wheras with single stage solid you can lay down shit loads and then just flat out your imperfections

Hope this helps...

[bigun]

have you never seen ed china he gets a pukka finish with cans

[dodgem]

Uhhh - that doesn't sound like good news Pad

So basically i need to apply another coat of metallic colour over what i've already done, and then give it 45mins or so and get a good load of laquer on top of that... then once that's fully hardened (which i read takes 2 weeks) i can polish the laquer to a nice shine?

Bugger!

[Pad]

yeah, fraid so mate but at least if you were a little concerned over the finish of your first attempt at basecoat, you can rub it back (1200 is good for metallic) to give you a good chance again.

Are you spraying a vertical panel? Watch for runs on the lacquer, its easy to get carried away cos you cant see it as well!!

Just think of it as practice mate...

[Pad]

that feckin smiley makes it look like I am blowing you a kiss!!

[dodgem]

haha

Well, in the end i looked at the finish of the colour coat when i got home and it didn't look too bad - the slightly rough bit was underneath (it's an iS lip spoiler i'm spraying - the bit under the front valance) so i jsut went ahead and applied the laquer. Got a bit worried when it seemed to be going cloudy on the thicker areas but it cleared as it dried

The finish is ok - shiny but a fuzzy reflection. I'm thinking that if i buff it and polish it after a few weeks then i'll get a nice gloss finish to it. Luckily it's about the nearest part to the ground on my car so not something that'll stand out...

I fitted it 45 minutes ago or so and tbh it looks better than most the rest of the car!! Especially my valance which looks shocking in comparison. I'm going to have to spray the valance soon and then take a porter cable to the whole car over a weekend i think - then we'll see how she looks

In answer to the title of the thread though, i'd say that with practice, a good finish is possible with spray cans. Practice, lots of patience, and lots of time - to polish it well after it's all properly dried.