My "$50 Paintjob" has begun... [LG. PICS]

[69F110]

Well, either my computer screen is bad or it doesn't show up. I just see blue.

It looks pretty good. I agree it is lighter than anthing I would call MIDnight Blue though.

[The Good Humor Man]

Looks Great! I like the color, but it isn't mine.

[FORDification]

Well, I think I'm just going to start over, but just get a new batch of paint mixed up, since it would be easier for the paint-mixer to do that than try to figure out what shades to mix with the current batch. There are several places in town who have this Rustoleum and can mix it, now I just have to figure out which place actually has employees who aren't color-blind and have a working knowledge of custom-mixing paint.

So....anybody want to buy almost a full gallon of medium blue with a tinge of purple to it?

[dotcentral]

Keith, can you use the existing (but wrong shade blue) as a base coat for the first coats, than switch to the right shade of blue for the last few coats?

[Galaxie64]

I noticed Walmart carries Rustoleum but who knows if any of them could mix it very good.

[Blue Cloud]

Looks good Keith. The paint seemed to cover pretty good in the pic. Any problem with orange peel on the last coat? Runs? I'm thinking about trying this on a trailer I made from a 72 camper special. The box on it is in better shape than the box on my 71 4x4. Did you measure the paint and mineral spirts out or just mixed until it looked about right?

[rjewkes]

hmm defineitly better than the spray can stuff too much blow back with that stuff.

[FORDification]

Keith, can you use the existing (but wrong shade blue) as a base coat for the first coats, than switch to the right shade of blue for the last few coats?

Yeah, that's actually what I'll probably do, at least with this fender, mainly since I'll mess up the spots of filler that were used if I attempt to go back down to bare metal. Hopefully the first lighter coats won't affect the overall appearance after going to a darker shade of blue for the top coats on this fender....but I think I'd probably be all right.

...Any problem with orange peel on the last coat? Runs? I'm thinking about trying this on a trailer I made from a 72 camper special. The box on it is in better shape than the box on my 71 4x4. Did you measure the paint and mineral spirts out or just mixed until it looked about right?

The thicker the paint is mixed the more the orange-peel effect shows up, as well as applying it in thicker layers instead of very thin layers. That's caused from the paint setting up before it gets a chance to lay down smooth. I'm getting the hang of it though. You really got thin this stuff down...like they say, it has to be almost watery. Then when you load up the roller in the paint tray, you spend a few seconds working it back out so there's not a lot of paint on it. When you roll it on you'll probably get a bunch of very tiny bubbles, but most of these go away by blowing on them. Then after a few minutes you can go over the layer with the roller again, very lightly, just using the weight of the roller, to help smooth it out a little more.

Here's a shot taken just before coming home last night, after I wetsanded down the previous layers and then applied two more thin coats. You can see that there some orange-peel effect, but it does sand down very smooth:



There's really no way of measuring the mineral spirits, since it tends to change, so you just have to mix it very thin...after mixing it a few times you'll get the hang of how thin it needs to be. I always mix a little more than I really need, and then seal up the rest in a Tupperware dish (with a layer of Saran Wrap between the lid and container), and when I come back the paint in the Tupperware dish has thickened up a bit, so you'll have to thin it back out a little.

[greenbank]

Having read all 70 pages of the mopar thread, Keith's doing a nice job. The guys over there who have had bad experiences inevitably want to roll on two thick coats over an unprepped body and then not sand it. This is a labor-intensive way to paint, but the results can be pretty good. I think the watchword is to not expect it to work miracles. All you're doing is saving money by spending time.

I'd give it a shot on Goldie but I want to preserve the metallic color, and that's the one thing that won't work with a roller.

[rjewkes]

what about on a vertical surface still thinner coats? or thicker?

[Blue Cloud]

That's what I'm worried about too, painting the vertical sides. I would think that the thinner layers would prevent runs. Also the stake pockets. I was wondering if it wouldn't be a good idea to hit the stake pockets with a spray can of Rustoleum in the same color.

[FORDification]

I made a short 17-second video of the fender, hoping that maybe the purple hue would come out in this, since it's not showing up well in the regular pictures. It does appear a little bit more purplish here:

Click here to see Video

When using this Rustoleum and it's thinned out properly, you shouldn't have any runs on the vertical surfaces, simply because the paint is applied very thin, so there's not enough material being applied to run. If you do have runs, you're applying it to thick...plain and simple.

The rollers are just used for the open areas. Places like stake pockets, door jambs, etc are done with foam brushes....or you could also use the spray-cans, if you got a color that was available in rattlecans.

[Blue Cloud]

Neat little video. Wish I knew how to do stuff like that. I was thinking that the brushes would be to large to go down far enough in the stake holes. I'll have to experiment.

[Nickabocker]

this is really intresting.....i've been thinking of doing something like that...like midnight blue and stuff for the outside but idk yet...i'm likeing the results of this $50 paint job....

Nick

[rjewkes]

what about thin areas like pilars?