Learning to spray paint boats
Brian Dixon
with a spray gun. The next boat(s) that I'm considering are larger and more
detailed, and I assume it would be faster and easier to get a nice job done
if I spray ... but I'm the type of person that does everything himself, and
ends up with new tools as a result (in addition to saving money) ... buy the
tools, do the job, keep the tools.
How hard is it to learn how to paint with a gun? I'm thinking of System
Three 2-part linear polyurethane for the boats ...
Brian
Gary Zwissler
become a good painter. There are several challenges to overcome, such as
paint viscosity, air pressure, and humidty. All of these determine how much
paint you apply at once, how wet the paint film is, and what the final
finish will look like. I learned to paint in junior college courses and
then lots of practice - several cars and trucks, four boats, kitchen
cabinets, and lots of small parts. There are other things to learn as well,
such as surface preparation, types of gun (siphon vs. pressure), HVLP, good
vs. bad (Binks vs. Chinese crap), turbine vs. compressor, on and on and on.
You don't have to spend $1000s on fancy equipment to get started. I use a 5
HP Sears compressor and a Sharpe HVLP gun. Total cost is about $600. Do a
Google search on "spray painting". There are several sites that have good
info, and Q&As. Here's one:
http://www.state.ga.us/dnr/p2ad/pblcations/paintbas.html
Once you get used to spray painting, you'll never want to paint any other
way.
Once challenge of painting boats are the large flat sections represented by
the hull. These can be a big challenge as they offer ample opportunity to
lay paint on too thick and get some wonderful sags and runs. Also, these
large areas require higher volume equipment than what would be considered
"standard" equipment. My rig is at the bottom end of what is acceptable.
It will work on my 26' boat, but anything much larger would be difficult.
Good luck.
Brian Dixon <NObrianS...@attbi.NOSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:alx98.28537$Pz4.191040@rwcrnsc53...
Backyard Renegade
Unfortunately I must submit that it would not be easy to teach
yourself to spray, it can get pretty tricky, especially if you do not
have a controlled environment to work in. The first thing you will
need to do though is to decide on a paint type, and then choose the
right equipment to move it. It would not hurt to see if you could go
to a local body shop and pick the painters brain, have him give you
some pointers on techniques, mixtures and mixing, avoiding problems
like orange peel and sags, etc....Even a couple of hours of watching
and chat could take a good chunk out of the steep learning curve. I
have been spraying for many years, and I still get whacked
occasionally. If you are in the CT area, give me a buzz and I would be
glad to take you out back and paint an old hull some saturday
afternoon....see if you like it and actually want to get into it...
Scotty
pm
practice on a similar surface as your boat would sure help.
One potentially big problem is a place to do the work. Most yards won't
let just anyone spray even their own boat in the yard because of
overspray getting on other boats. If you're going to be trying it in a
public yard, you'd best check before you start buying equipement (which
you can usually rent from a 'rent-all' place for a couple of bucks. But I
would buy a new tip for the gun you use in any case)
pm
"Brian Dixon" <NObrianS...@attbi.NOSPAM.com> wrote in
news:alx98.28537$Pz4.191040@rwcrnsc53:
Jim Conlin
paints I know contain some isocyanate compounds which mahe spraying VERY
DANGEROUS if you're not using the right breathing equipment. Read the MSDS
before you decide to spray an LPU paint.
Brian Dixon wrote:
> Three 2-part linear for the boats ...
>
> Brian
Trent Hink
part ployurethanes. I have been considering the Citation 240 which is and
hvlp turbine and air supply in one unit with an hvlp gun. cost is a little
less than $800 USD from Aircraft Spruce and Speciality Co.
Anyone know of other, similar equipment with a better price and/or quality?
"Jim Conlin" <con...@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:3C672939...@mediaone.net...
Brian Dixon
Three stuff is water soluble ... I'll go take a look at their paint and
epoxy books (got several ... they send them with every order.)
Brian
"Trent Hink" <hink...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3c67564a$0$1611$272e...@news.execpc.com...
TheHoag
I'm also a novice with the spray gun and I'm attempting to use the System 3
polyurethanes. So far I've had pretty good results.
I tried to learn as much as I could by reading up and playing with the
equipment and spraying water on things as practice. I have a 5Hp Sears
compressor and a Home Depot siphon feed gun.
One thing that is nice about the System 3 paints is that you get to practice
while applying the primer which you are going to sand anyway. It takes a while
to get the right pressure, viscosity, distance from the surface & speed. With
the primer you get a couple of chances to work it while sanding off the
mistakes. I also learned not to drag the hose over wet paint... hah hah
I am building a 20' sailboat and I thought I could also practice by painting
the insides of the boat (no deck installed) as practice before I paint the
outside. I think painting the insides was more difficult than the outside will
be. It is difficult to move from surface to surface with smooth even strokes.
Worst of all, I tended to get overspray on areas that had already begun to tack
up. This makes the surface rough to the touch. With practice I moved through
the boat more quickly and methodically and the overspray problem was reduced.
I rubbed down the surface with extra fine steel wool and that helped a lot.
The HVLP guns are supposed to be much better with overspray, but they are more
expensive.
The system 3 paints clean up pretty easily and don't have strong fumes. The
water clean up is great. I would recommend using a disposable cloth spray hood
if you want to avoid taking a shower afterwards. I always wore long sleeves,
goggles and my tight fitting charcoal filter/vapor mask when painting. After
washing out the gun with water, I followed with a bit of paint thinner to
prevent rust and corrosion. Before painting I rinsed again with more water.
I haven't used the clear overcoat so far. For the interior I like the more
satin finish of the paint itself. I may even skip the overcoat for the cockpit
or deck. After a couple of days of cure, the crosslinked topcoat is very hard.
I think it will hold up well.
All in all I think using the spray gun has been more entertaining for me than
practial. I know of a lot of people who have had great results with using a
roller and dry-brush combination and the spraying equipment is expensive for
just one boat. I think I'd do it again though. Trying new things while
building the boat is half the fun.
Good luck,
JH
>One thing I haven't tried, but may want to on the next project, is painting
>with a spray gun.
>How hard is it to learn how to paint with a gun? I'm thinking of System
kf4sign
fresh air respirator rather than a filter mask.
As for how long it takes to get good results, I haven't done boats, but with
cars I obtained acceptable results by the 4th one, about as good as possible
(pleased my perfectionist dad) by the 7th. Boat hulls should be easier.
One rental place I checked with would rent the compressor but not the spray
gin...too many had been ruined by not being immediately cleaned.
Regards,
KF4sign