[Jleng357]

so some of you know im painting my truck. im starting today. i know to sand it down before i paint. using 600- 1500- and 2000 grit. but i was wondering if anyone had personal experince in rattle canning and could list the steps or give me the process they used!!!

[dj wayne]

I used a paint roller one time to paint my van. It came out pretty cool !! It had a bumpy finish just like an orange peel !!

[Jleng357]

haha i was almost thinking over rhino line buut im really not suree

[nickskates4lyfe]

There's a shop around here that specializes in Orange Peel. It's called Macco.

Haha.

I've seen some rolled on paint jobs come out amazing, you just have to sand and buff.

[dj wayne]

Yes rolling it on came out pretty cool, I had a white van but wanted it painted black to hide all the rust. I had only paid $400 for the van, so I wasn't worried about losing any value, but I wanted a black van. So one day I had nothing to so so I went up to the hardware store and bought a gallon of Rustoleum Black paint, a small brush, a roller, and a paint pan. Then proceeded to paint the van black. My friends all thought it was great !! The whole deal only took a couple of hours. I let it dry overnight and it was done.

[Jleng357]

YEAH. well this is for my senior project so i need 20 hours of work so im not worried about time. and i gotta do it myself. but you guys have any tipss?

[rangerrunner11]

not too thick. not too light lol

have you never spray painted before? I mean its just like spraying anything else just on a bigger scale. 80% prep work 20% painting. I would degrease the beast as well before and after sand paper then wash as last step.

purple power concentrate is cheap right now. mix it 50 50 in a backpack sprayerm spray it, let it sit for 2 minutes then rinse with wash and light rubbing. sand. degrease again. give a good wash as last step

[dj wayne]

Yes, take your finger off the spray nozzle at the end of each pass, and that'll help you to avoid runs. Try to keep the paint even. Better to put a couple of thin coats on than one thick coat. Read the instructions on the can. Use lots of masking tape to cover the things you don't want painted. Do not smoke while painting.

[StxDangerRanger]

When i paint, I never stop pulling the trigger.
If your up for a short read, here's a quick guide.
I was always told you have to be good with a rattle can before anything else, so this is almost all basics.
Prep is a must, Tape off anything your NOT going to paint, or want paint to get on, so newspaper all the windows, tires, etc. What kind of paint are you going to use? I would actually recommend getting something that has a trigger instead of a push that holds cans. likethis

On to prep/sanding. Your gonna want to take all the current color off before applying new. start with something coarse, like 600. and then go over with like 800. just to make it smooth.
now your ready to prime it. practice pulling the trigger until its muscle memory that you have the EXACT same pull everytime. When i paint, I go off the edge, then back on to the area without letting up. i know painters who stop, and i know painters who keep going. I'd stay about a foot or so away from the surface, you want the area covered to be as big as possible. you'd rather be too far and go over it more than once than be to close and get runs.
if you do happen to get a run (its ok. not everyone is perfect) let it dry, don't try and correct it while its wet. once dry, wet sand it down with some 1200, mask off just that area (about 5 or 6 inches around affected area) and spray it again, starting and ending on the paper.

that should get you going, we're all here if you need any help. feel free to ask away.

[Jleng357]

thats actually really helpfull. i just started sanding tonight. i have rust-oleum gray primer i am going to use for the base then probaly flat black in dupli-color or something.haven't bought black. just the primer. you sure i gotta get all the factory paint off? cause i would need like 100g paper cause im starting with 400. and then going to use 600 after.

[djfllmn]

you dont need to get all the factory paint off unless its peeling...just have to make sure there arent any shiny spots

[StxDangerRanger]

What year truck are you? anything Gen2 and behind you should be good removing the shiny. I'm not all to sure how how these trucks were painted in the factory. If its coming off pretty well, just be sure to do the same amount all the way around.

[dj wayne]

Get some tack cloths to wipe of any sanding dust before painting.

[Jleng357]

its a 91. and the factory paint was coming off on the roof. but i dont know if it was the paint. but there was white down the side either it was a defect or someone tried rollig on the paint cause it wass gnarly lookingg.

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

Instead of the rattlecan, and if money's a bit tight, why not go to an auto body supply store and see if they have a can of mismatched paint for sale a decent discounted price. Another cost effective alternative is to look for "standard" colors rather than being picky. Standard colors come in bulk, like 55 gallon drums, and you buy the three quarts that you need. Think of the cost of all those rattle cans, the crappy paint quality no matter how hard you try, and use the money that would have been spent on Krylon for some quality Ditzler (PPG) enamel. First paint job and it's a 91 with well aged paint? Perfect vehicle to learn on, unless you create a bunch of runs or shoot the paint dry, anything you do with that paint gun will be an improvement that will make you happy.

On rock chips, don't sand them out, use spot putty, just enough to fill the chip then wet sand. Don't waste your time trying to sand small chips and scratches out as this creates fish eyes that are a PITA to smooth out and requires more time. Get your hands on a DA or an electric random orbital and go to town on the factory paint. Fill in the rock chips as noted. Buy a gallon can of Kondar (PPG) primer and block sand it with 320 (which tends to turn into 400, then 600), creating a smooth surface. Use sanding blocks that allow you to follow the contour of the vehicle, not those dinky little hand held ones that will create sanding patterns that are guaranteed to show when you're done. A paint stirring stick with the handle sawed of is an excellent sanding block.

*Your very first step in prepping the vehicle, after you remove chrome, etc is to wipe the entire vehicle down with clean lacquer soaked rags to remove wax, tar, etc etc. And BTW, if you use a pastel and not a metal flake paint, and if you do get a run/sag or create too much orange peal or shoot it dry, you can wet sand it with 800 - 1200 and buff it to fix the boo boo(s). Provided you apply two coats of paint and get a decent thickness, you can clean up boo boos with pastel paint, not so with metallics. Is should also be mentioned that if the factory paint is in good condition, sand it but don't sand it all down to bare metal. You only need to remove factory paint if it's got adhesion problems or if it's got crows foot in it.

[Jleng357]

you seem to know alot about maintin. do much or is it a profession? and im really not picky about the way it turns out. i mean i want a decent looking paint job but nothing to special about a flat black paint job. and thats good you mentiond the rocl chips cause i'be been BMA trying to get them things out. thanks BUD great advice!

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

^^^^Out of pure necessity, as a hobby, and for occasional sideline cash here and there, I figured out and learned how to do just about anything a car/truck would need ever need starting at about 13. As technology improved, I've had to keep reading and learning to get some things done. I've built cars from the frame up, engines from bare blocks, etc etc, and of course, paint and body. I've mastered the skill of being able to take out a dent and virtually nobody would know one was ever there, I've proven I can do a much nicer paint job than what we average joe schumcks get when we buy a new car, it'll compete with the paint on cars in the six digit price range. Body work is not really hard, it's not rocket science but rather a skill learned with practice, it's just a lot of time, and the materials aren't overly expensive compared to other undertakings. But for people that wheel cars/trucks into shops for paint jobs, that $65/hr plus adds up real quick, pricing tons of people out of a quality job.

One thing I like doing on (only American branded) cars is charging their A/C for $. Shops here, if you manage to find a special, charge $50 + materials. I charge $35 + parts (freon, $5/lb). I can roll 'em out in 10 - 20 minutes. On an hourly rate, I like that, and the people I do the work for do to since they save $ and don't have to waste time dealing with a shop, leaving their car, and all that BS. It's a win-win deal for everyone.

[FMD]

A guy over on Generation-edge.info just finished re painting his 03 edge.... Went with that new mustang blue... Truck looks absolutely amazing. Took him all summer, Probably 400+ man hours. and about $600 in material.

Rattle canning anything looks great for about 3 months. then it breaks down. Automotive finishes with a rattle can cant be had. Hate to break it to you. You need a good gun, a compressor that puts out the air, an oil water seperator on the line, and a little bit of experience.

Can you paint a vehicle in 20hrs? Maybe... but have it look good with a finish that will last on a shoe string budget? no.

Rolling a vehicle with a roller? your kidding right? LOL