Monday, 23 November 2009

And the first coat of primer!

The first coat of paint was the yellowy etch primer, to chemically anchor onto the steel and give a good basis for further coats of primer.

The bare steel was given a blow over with the air line, then a wipe down with panel wipe. Once this had evaporated, a tack rag was wiped over every inch of the bare shell, to pick up and fibres or dust particles.

Clothes tucked in so they couldn’t drag across the wet paint. Sister attacks me with a plant sprayer, so my clothes and hair are damp and collect rather than shed dust. Floor dampened, but not too wet. Paint measured accurately, and mixed very carefully, mask on, compressor charged and shut down. I have run out of excuses. Apart from that Matt is due to turn up in a couple of hours so I can go and weld his Landy together. Oh well, better get on with it! Outside, I test the fan shape and density on a bit of scrap metal. A very minor adjustment and all is well. Back into the garage, time to paint the car!

I had never spray painted panels before, nor had I practiced, I just assumed I would be able to. Turns out I can. It’s a simple matter of getting the mixture right for the consistency and type of paint, then balancing speed and distance, and always keeping the correct angle from the surface being sprayed. A bit like welding really, just do it and don’t think about it.

I painted the nearside, topped up the gun, then did the offside. One litre of etch primer was just enough, thinned 50/50. The only issue was that by the time I got halfway through the second side, the paint fumes were affecting my judgment and in was entertaining to sit on the floor and grin a lot. Still, I managed it, and it turned out well even once I was a bit wasted. And yes, I am wearing the correct respiratory apparatus. Fairly expensive it is, too. Not very effective, oh well.



All is masked off and happy. You cannot begine to realise just how I felt at this sight, all one colour again, all smooth and beautiful. The extreme lamp can be seen on the left, the bonnet is in the right position with the front wings shifted foward.






Oh those composite wing tops. Oh yes. OH YES!


Painting is far more dynamic than I was expecting, especially in an enclosed space. It is a lot of fun, keeping the gun moving at the same rate can prove difficult in some areas, and in others keeping it at the correct angle and distance means rolling around on the floor, ducking, kneeling, diving and various other flexible moves.




The boot area has been given a dose of paint, after reshuffling of the masking.



I was a bit shocked with the end result. The whole car was a uniform colour. There was no orange peel, there were no runs. There were no faults in the paint. The etch primer, although just a primer, was smooth and glossy, I would have been exceedingly happy to take her out on the road just in that, even without sanding or polishing.



I am happy now.




That will do for a first attempt, I think.







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