Painting with a spray gun...first time..

[electric]

So I have a bunch of automotive paint inbound(HOK paint, 2k clear etc). I have small boat 25" I am going to paint to get the hang of all this. My first basic question is what kind of gun do I need? I got some Harbor Freight airbrush guns and they seem to lay down up to about a 2" wide paint strip at best. Is this to narrow for a small rc boat? I like that they do not throw a lot of extra paint in the air compared to a can. The atomization of the pain droplets absolutely blows away a spray can. Do I need to get more of a small automotive gun to get a wide enough spread? Can some recommend an inexpensive one if needed?

Second do you mostly hang the boat to paint so you can get the entire hull, or is there a process to paint the top and then the bottom? I would prefer that if possible because the setup for the paint area will be easier for me. I will be doing a two part prime, sand, hok paint, sand, clear, wetsand, polish.

Will probably take some pics of this as I go and make a build/paint thread of this...

[G-UNIT]

I have see inexpencive touch up guns in flea markets or harbor freight for around 15.00 and the work very well with a nice size pattern and it should work great for what you want to do.
I would say to hang if possible rather then do one side then the other, I have been using cans and its a pain in the you know were.
good luck and am looking to see how you do.

[tunnelvission]

http://www.harborfreight.com/hvlp-de...gun-46719.html
HVLP gravity fed touch up gun

[Heaving Earth]

At 43 psi I wouldn't call that low pressure but will do fine I'm sure. Question is do you have a compressor that can keep up

[G-UNIT]

I believe standard spray guns use more pressure use then hvlp guns but their are alot of painters here that would chime in I'm sure.
also hvlp guns don't throw off as much over spray.

[Heaving Earth]

Depends on the model spraygun really, but at 43 psi, you're gonna need a fairly large tank to maintain that pressure for more than a couple of seconds at a time. Some guns will only need 15-18 psi to atomize nicely, but they're pricy.

[JimClark]

You can do a small boat with a airbrush. I have done my 1/10th hydro 36 in long and I think 17 wide with an airbrush but I wouldn't do it again on a boat that big

[Chrisg81983]

I painted for years for a profession and a hobby. I no longer do it as its just too much of a pain. A gravity fed hvlp gun is all you will need to do a boat. Definitely hang up whatever object you are painting. A psi of 30 to 50 is where you will probably want to be. Make passes of 6-8 inches overlapping your previous pass. One of the most important things is to have a dirt and dust free environment. Second set your psi while holding the guns trigger down and watching the gauge. This way you will have a psi setting that will not fall off as long as your compressor is up to the task. There are probably more experienced painters that can chime in as well, but good luck with the paint job. Keep us posted.

[Richie the shipwright]

Id go with a small automotive touch-up gun (trigger on the top like an airbrush) with a .8 or 1.2mm nozzle. You will need some practice, painting is a bit of an artform. Especially with 2k paints. Follow mixing instructions to the letter, and dont try to put too much paint on at once. Many light even coats with say 15 mins flashtime between coats is the way to go. Good luck mate, and good on ya for having a go. :-)

[electric]

Thanks for the help everyone. I will try and post the first pics of the boat today with it completely unprimed and after a great deal of body work on it(was wrecked once pretty badly). I am on the road next week so it will be quiet until I get back, next Thursday, but all the paint should be in by then so I should be painting next weekend.

This gun looked interesting. It shows a lower recommended spray pressure than the Harbor Freight gun which has good reviews.

http://www.tooltopia.com/atd-tools-6903.aspx?utm_source=pricegrabber&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=ATD6903&utm_campaign=pricegrabber_r1

[Richie the shipwright]

Perfect!! have fun! :-)

[Chrisg81983]

Very cool man like I stated earlier you're probably end up with the pressure between 30 and 50. recommend psi for any given gun is just a starting point. I used/owned many guns in excess of 500 usd. , & thwir recomended starting psi was way off. It also will go by how much you thin the paint. I would recommend sending it by 10 or 15 percent.@ richie dont you think spraying with a air brush is much much more involved especially for someone just getting into spraying ? Its not that ist harder but just way more time and steps. I noticed that beginner painters do not have the patients to sit there and airbrush. I like to see them get all their painting wows out with a simple setup.

[Heaving Earth]

Thanks for the help everyone. I will try and post the first pics of the boat today with it completely unprimed and after a great deal of body work on it(was wrecked once pretty badly). I am on the road next week so it will be quiet until I get back, next Thursday, but all the paint should be in by then so I should be painting next weekend.

This gun looked interesting. It shows a lower recommended spray pressure than the Harbor Freight gun which has good reviews.

http://www.tooltopia.com/atd-tools-6...ricegrabber_r1

yeah thats quite a bit lower than the other, go for it. nice cheap gun to get you goin

[Heaving Earth]

Very cool man like I stated earlier you're probably end up with the pressure between 30 and 50. recommend psi for any given gun is just a starting point. I used/owned many guns in excess of 500 usd. , & thwir recomended starting psi was way off. It also will go by how much you thin the paint. I would recommend sending it by 10 or 15 percent.@ richie dont you think spraying with a air brush is much much more involved especially for someone just getting into spraying ? Its not that ist harder but just way more time and steps. I noticed that beginner painters do not have the patients to sit there and airbrush. I like to see them get all their painting wows out with a simple setup.

i have to respectfully disagree with you here.
stay with the manufacturer recommendation psi for the gun. they dont tell you for fun. as for thinning, stick with the paint manufacturer recommendations. if youre playing around with these things, its because you arent applying it properly.
no offense chris, but you stated earlier that you quit painting cause its a pita, maybe theres a reason you struggled so much.
different guns require different psi from my iwata that requires 14-16 to a binks m-1 that calls for 20-25 to sata that can go anywhere from 20-40. ive seen plenty of guys pull the trigger and just decide out of nowhere that the recomended psi is too low or too high, then wonder why the paint isnt going on nice, or feels like sandpaper once its on. then the first thing they do is blame the paint….
i might add that im a certified ppg automotive refinisher. just my two cents

[Heaving Earth]

Please don't take what I say the wrong way, I don't mean to start anything here. I just have a very strong opinion based on my experience painting thousands of cars. I could also be wrong here too, as I have not used every gun ever made, just saying that from what I've seen, the manufacturer has always been dead on