Getting ready to paint a 64 econoline van and will be my first paint job. To dumb to be scared so what the heck. Have already done the bodywork and have it in primer ready to shoot. Am going to use a single stage acrylic enamel with hardner stock color. My question is when applying color should I just try to limit my overlap as I move down the van to minimze buildup or runs painting a third of the side at a time. It is vitually impossible for me to walk the length of the van and keep the gun in control. Painting the front and rear no problem it is those lond sides that have me nervous. One way to learn and that is to do it, your help is appreciated.

 

only time you really have to worry about walking the length is when shooting a kandy, cause more buildup will make the color darker. Is this a metallic or solid color. A solid color will be easier, metallic in a singlestage you will have to live with what you shoot, cause can't really do any color sanding afterwards, or you will disturb the metallic. Make as long of a pass of the gun as you can and then make your next pass above it, but overlap the previous pass 50%, then move your way down the vehicle. Try to paint a complete panel, then move on to an adjacent one next. I don't see you having any problem making a pass on a whole panel but the roof and the van sides, but likely can go a third or half way with your stroke bottom to top, and then finish up rest of panel bottom to top, roof front half starting from middle to outside, rear half from middle to outside, then second half same way. You will want to plan your way around the van so you don't have paint sitting too long that by the time you get back to it, or you will leave a dry edge. Hard to explain, but say you painted down the whole side of the van then went to the back doors next. Likely would have trouble getting the paint to melt in and leave a dry edge cause of all the time its been setting up while doing the side. You want something like both halfs of the roof and down the pillar, vanside, back door, other van side, back to first side do door, back to other door, fender, fender, hood. Everyone has there own way around things, just one example. Something like that pattern would leave the paint on the pillar sitting awhile before you got back to it, but its a small area. If a metallic, if will be a bit more difficult, specially with single stage enamel, cause you have to worry both about a good glossy coat and keeping the metallic even, and if you spray it and get some mottling or striping, you will need to paint a panel, jump back to previous panel and spray a drop coat to even it out while wet enough to accept, but not too wet it adds to the mottling, and then keep doing the back to previous panel as you move along the vehicle. Choosing a slow reducer or activator will give you more time for your edges to melt in where your stroke ends. I usually use slow on a complete, unless its way to cold for it. You don't have to walk the whole panel, but your most likely to get runs at panel edges where you have more material build up from overlapping strokes. Try not to end both your spray strokes at the panel edge in the same spot, go out a little further out into the previously painted panel when you overlap. Or in other words overlap farther, don't have both ends of your passes ending in the same spot. Hard explaining all this. If its a solid color, you could even paint the roof and practice on that, and hopefully build you confidence and get a fell for it. or could throw in the box sides and back doors first round if you are feeling up to it. if all went well tape off and paint the rest of the van later.Also could make for a cleaner job, and easier time getting around it when painting the rest, and not reaching and leaning over wet paint attempting to paint a big roof in the process. I find large roofs about the hardest to do. If you can pull that off without much problem, the rest may not be too bad. Another option if you don't want to have to worry quite as much about keeping a wet edge is you work around the van, is to pull some parts off and carefully assemble later. Solid should not really have a problem matching. But a metallic, unless gun settings, how you spray, and weather conditions are all the same, good possibility you could have a mismatch painting at different times. Metallic you will want to paint assembled at the same time, or if you do pull anything off to paint, You will want to paint them in the position they are in the vehicle at the same time. Your last coat, you should be sighting down the panel and looking for any areas that look too dry, and if you see any, hit with more paint before moving on.