Early start this morning has outside it was - 3 degrees
Paint of any type does not like these conditions - my workshop is only about 10 years old and well insulated none the less I checked the temperature of the van & panels - 10 degrees - ideally I need get them above 15 degrees - I had left the oil filled readiator on overnight on low just maintain an ambient temperature - I now turned this up to full and then also set up my stand mounted infra red bodyshop heaters
It's also a good idea to have the paint at a temperature above 10 degrees
My preferred gun for this task is a Devilbiss GTI Pro Lite - gravity fed - I use 3M PPS (Paint Preparation System) for my paint - that is the clear container that you see in the background - it fits has a sleeve to the plastic pot - the clear lid has a inbuilt fine mesh filter and is retained on top of the pot with a screw ring
Once filled with paint the whole lot just plugs on to the gun with a dedicated bayonet type fitting - like this
The benefits being is that it gives you a clean uncontaminated paint pot along with the filter for single use - reduces mess / clean up time / paint contamination etc and when you are done with it - just take it out of the holder and it goes straight into the bin - easy
The paint I am using is a 2 pack - ready mixed colour that has a catalyst hardener added to it - 2 parts paint to 1 part hardener you then have the option to add a thinner to the mixture normally 5 - 15% dependant upon how thick you want the paint - it's better to apply 1 light then a couple of medium density coats rather than 2 heavy coats or 4 light coats - it's critical that the correct personal protection equipment is worn - regardless of breathing equipment the paint can also be absorbed by bare skin - a good extraction system is also essential - ideally something that can exchange the whole air volume held within the spraying area at a rate of at least twice per minute
So once I had gone around the van & panels with a panel wipe to remove any trace elements of silicone and then again over all the surfaces to be painted with specialist cloth to remove any fine particles / dust prior to paint - so on with the paint then
Pretty happy with the gun finish - and I have a fair depth of paint on the panels and once I start to get the van assembled I will give the paint a light flat & polish
One of the important things to remember is to remove the edge tape from the roof gutter area - leave this on and the paint will cure over the tape - removing the tape with the paint dry would tend to pull the paint of the gutter trim and open the face edge of the paint
Infra red heaters now switched back on to bring the workshop temperature back up - with the extractor on during the spraying process filtered air is drawn through the workshop but obviously with it being quite cold outside the workshop temperature gets reduced - most paints - even 2 pack paints will not cure if the temperature is sub 5 degrees
Just been back into the workshop to reset the heater timers and it all looks very good - now just have to get the front doors into maroon - then I can start the task of getting the rest of the panels & parts painted black
Paint of any type does not like these conditions - my workshop is only about 10 years old and well insulated none the less I checked the temperature of the van & panels - 10 degrees - ideally I need get them above 15 degrees - I had left the oil filled readiator on overnight on low just maintain an ambient temperature - I now turned this up to full and then also set up my stand mounted infra red bodyshop heaters
It's also a good idea to have the paint at a temperature above 10 degrees
My preferred gun for this task is a Devilbiss GTI Pro Lite - gravity fed - I use 3M PPS (Paint Preparation System) for my paint - that is the clear container that you see in the background - it fits has a sleeve to the plastic pot - the clear lid has a inbuilt fine mesh filter and is retained on top of the pot with a screw ring
Once filled with paint the whole lot just plugs on to the gun with a dedicated bayonet type fitting - like this
The benefits being is that it gives you a clean uncontaminated paint pot along with the filter for single use - reduces mess / clean up time / paint contamination etc and when you are done with it - just take it out of the holder and it goes straight into the bin - easy
The paint I am using is a 2 pack - ready mixed colour that has a catalyst hardener added to it - 2 parts paint to 1 part hardener you then have the option to add a thinner to the mixture normally 5 - 15% dependant upon how thick you want the paint - it's better to apply 1 light then a couple of medium density coats rather than 2 heavy coats or 4 light coats - it's critical that the correct personal protection equipment is worn - regardless of breathing equipment the paint can also be absorbed by bare skin - a good extraction system is also essential - ideally something that can exchange the whole air volume held within the spraying area at a rate of at least twice per minute
So once I had gone around the van & panels with a panel wipe to remove any trace elements of silicone and then again over all the surfaces to be painted with specialist cloth to remove any fine particles / dust prior to paint - so on with the paint then
Pretty happy with the gun finish - and I have a fair depth of paint on the panels and once I start to get the van assembled I will give the paint a light flat & polish
One of the important things to remember is to remove the edge tape from the roof gutter area - leave this on and the paint will cure over the tape - removing the tape with the paint dry would tend to pull the paint of the gutter trim and open the face edge of the paint
Infra red heaters now switched back on to bring the workshop temperature back up - with the extractor on during the spraying process filtered air is drawn through the workshop but obviously with it being quite cold outside the workshop temperature gets reduced - most paints - even 2 pack paints will not cure if the temperature is sub 5 degrees
Just been back into the workshop to reset the heater timers and it all looks very good - now just have to get the front doors into maroon - then I can start the task of getting the rest of the panels & parts painted black
