I painted the cab inside and out, along with the front fenders and front gravel shield this weekend. Everything that could go wrong did! The biggest single contributing factor…not enough light. No matter how expensive your paint or your gun, good lighting is the second most important tool in the paint booth after a good respirator or fresh air system. When everything is in gray primer, visibility is no problem, but when you start spraying the darker colors and over spray is in the air, it tends to absorb any available light. I will have twice the light I think I need when I paint the rest of the truck.

By the way the $14 'touch-up' gun from the traveling tool show...priceless!

For anyone interested in a fairly inexpensive bc/cc system, I would suggest the “crossfire” system from NAPA. I received 2 gallons of ‘flame red’ along with a gallon of reducer and two gallons of clear coat with two quarts of activator for $432 plus tax, less than some wanted for a gallon of color.

 

Excellent thread Dewayne. I would like to add that I have heard from numerous DIYS painters that light colors are easier than dark. I am speaking to the finished product. Dark colors seem to highlight those little inperfections that might have been missed in the bodywork, while light colors seem to mask them. And since dark colors like RED are usually so much more expensive than light colors, all the more reason to choose a light yellow, white, blue, tan, etc. Someday, I'll get brave and try my own painting project. John

 

Tom

You'll never solve the light problems completely. It's never enough once the paint flies. HVLP guns keep the spray cloud down a lot, but the ones I can afford don't atomize as well. I just painted my tailgate with a Harbor freight touch up gun. Paint laid down like glass. I rarely get that on horizontal surfaces. (gate was onsaw horses)

That is a decent price for BC/CC. I had bids for $700. I am not a $700 painter. My PPG is under $200 for allthe stuff.

John

Absolutely John! If you can find a lighter color you like it is a much better choice for a first attempt at painting. Bodywork and paint flaws are three times more noticable in a dark tint.