completing bodywork one panel at a time

hi everyone. spraytech, this one is for you.......im going to be doing the one body part at a time deal on my nova...... since im using ppg materials (not cheap) im am wondering how much dplf, k-36 material to pour for spraying a fender or a hood? i really dont want to waste the material. i was also thinking of having the interior of the car prepped and when im done spraying the fender or hood or whatever it is that im shooting i would just spray whats left in the interior. that would work wouldnt it? also, can i get any wax and grease remover to use or is there a brand that works better than others? thank you, john

I would recommend getting a Mixing Ratio mixing cup , or a granulated mixing stick , to mix your product .
It kind of depends on how much area needs to be sprayed , & its hard to say how much you will need as some painters lay heavy coats and need a little bit more , some spray light and need less , plus it depends on your gun settings And the gun type used , as HVLP will use less material , then the old conventional siphon gun .
I would mix little portions at a time and see how far each mix goes , if you need more you can mix a tad more to finish , instead of pouring it out .
The more you spray the more its easier to figure out .
DPLF is a 1 coat sealer and will require less product mixed then K-36 , I would mix 8-10 oz's of DPLF for a hood and fender , that should lay 1 coat.
On the K-36 I would mix a pint , and count how many coats you lay with that , and this can give you an Idea on how much will be needed later on .
And yes you could spray any extra on the interior as long as its been scuffed !
Use PPG's DX 330 or DX 440 wax & grease remover , the 440 is more aggressive , I use the 330 for my wipe downs .
I know I wasnt able to give you a true Mix Ratio Guide , but its hard to tell someone how much they need with out knowing how they spray , as I spray my coats on the heavy side so I require more :-)

thanks spraytech..... i tell you what, ive read almost every post in the paint tech forum and i think people like you and HDR and other industry guys are great for coming in and giving free advice and help. thats awsome. anyway, ive bought that walcom slim hvlp with the 1.5 tip. do you think that a gallon of dplf is too much for totally redoing (inside and out) a 79 nova?

The gallon of DPLF will mix to 6 quarts spray-able, should be enough . I had my buddy with his 65 chevelle buy 1 gallon of DPLF and he was able to spray everything after it was soda & media blasted , even the interior .
There is probably the same square footage on your nova .

Oh and Thanks for the kind words . :-)

So have you sprayed with the Walcom yet ?
I have never sprayed with that gun as I have a big enough compressor to use my other HVLP guns .

I know we sometimes suggest higher dollar equipment and its not the answer/s you are wanting , but using equipment that you know will work Properly everytime you pick it up is worth the extra dollars.
Just make sure you Clean it after EVERY use & take care of it well and it will give you MANY years of enjoyment / Service !!!!!
And PLEASE use the Correct Charcoal Respirators when spraying these Paint Products !!!!
3M has Cheap disposable ones in I think 3 sizes ( S, M , L ), make sure you get one the fits your face , as one size does NOT fit all .

SprayTech

spraytech, no i havent used the walcom yet..... been busy with work crap. all i wanna do is get started on the car, but there hasnt been enough daylight lately. this weekend for sure. i do have another question....... how do i spray into the very tight areas under the hood? im talking about the open areas in the hood frame where you can see the outside skin...... i hope you know what im talking about.

You can dial the patten knob to a fine point and then dial the air pressure down and dial the material down some , and then get the gun close and just lightly blow the material in the holes , But I have found when edging parts , it will get into the holes on its own , wont be alot of material , but over spray will get into the holes .

Let me know how you like the gun when you use it .
Are you buying your products from a PPG jobber ?
If so ask for P-Sheets on the products you are buying , it will have all the info you will need , like mix ratios, Gun air pressure settings , clean up , dry times , Compatible materials , ect ......
Always ask for these P-sheets on the products you buy , as they have a wealth of info .

SprayTech

oh ok, cool. i thought this type of gun was only good for a big fan pattern, i see they make detail hvlps, but wasnt gonna buy one. i dont know what a jobber is, but im buying from an auto paint store that supplies the area and they are a ppg diamond or platinum, or whatever dealer. they have been helpful. they should be cuz i dropped $500. the other day. i almost dropped a brick when they gave me the total. but i realized that it was alot of material so its cool. they gave me the p sheets on the dp and k36 filler and k36 sealer (which they suggested i use). do you agree with using the k36 sealer? oh and on the p sheets for the cap pressure on hvlp, does that refer to the gun pressure for the hvlp? im confused only becuz it says for the conventional gun use 40 psi "at the gun". how do i measure cap pressure?

another question, i was reading the p sheet on the dplf and it says "chemical treatment or use of a conversion coating will enhance the adhesion and performance properties of the finished system." does this mean i should use phosphoric acid (ospho) on the bare metal the night before, then the next day sand, wax and grease remov, then spray dplf?

What they are speaking of is a Metal conditioner PPG makes ( I have forgotten the Product number ) Its not really required if your metal is clean and wiped down with the DX-330 or DX-440 , then spray the DPLF .
I have been doing this for years with no ill effects, DPLF on bare clean metal bites hard and makes for the best Paint foundation there is IMO .

Most paint gun manufacturers make a special air cap regulator to let you know how much PSI is needed at the air inlet to know your cap pressure .
Using your gun and mixed DPLF start out with 12 -20 PSI on the gauge , or did your gauge come with a color coded needle gauge , if it did stay within the green color and all will be fine .

SprayTech

yup, its got the colored gauge..... thanks again. mung

alright spraytech, ive been stripping and priming parts for about 2 weeks now...... and ive definately got a handle on that walcom slim now. i started out small with the hood cowl and moved to both fenders and finally the hood was shot today. when i first started on the cowl i didnt know what to expect as far as speed of travel and distance form panel and boy let me tell you, you would have laughed your ass off watching me. ive seen shows where you see the guys painting (professional) and they are friggin moving fast( what you guys call "hosing it on"), well that is how i started out and right away i knew something was up..... hardly any paint on the cowl on the first pass. time to slow down and that worked. there was a little texture to the dplf which was corrected by upping the air pressure at the gun and i would say on the second fender the dp was flowing nice. i just hope im putting it on thick enough for the correct mils. it looks thick but i dont have any runs so i guess that is where its supposed to be. i did have one run (more like a sag)on the inside of one of my fenders when i sprayed the k36, so i closed up the nozzle (i forget what its called) for the amount of product going thru the cap so it sprays lighter and that solved that problem. the only thing i dont like is doing body work over the dplf, because when it comes time to sand down the bondo or glaze that stuff just clogs up the sandpaper so ive been doing the body work before i shoot the dplf. i know that ppg says to put bondo over the dp, but i think its a wasted step, material and time. do you see a problem doing it the way im doing it? by the way, the areas that need some bondo are roughed up with 36 grit.

Good to see your moving right along !

8" is a good starting point for distance from gun air cap to the panels you are spraying .

Not every painter sprays the same , some like alot of material coming out the air cap and move fairly quick , some like less material and move slower , its more of a feel type thing .
You just need to keep doing what your doing and keep playing with your gun till you find the flow of spraying .
Overlapping your spray pattern has alot to do with how the material will lay/flow also .
Spraying is a hard thing to teach over the internet.

On the DPLF sanding gummy is norm as it takes 72 hours to really get to where its not gummy when sanding . But spreading your body filler on bare steel is OK then spraying the DPLF over it all then spraying the K-36 over this is fine , so no worries there , just dont spray K-36 over bare steel as its not really required over bare steel as it doesnt have good metal biting qualities as does DPLF over bare steel then the K-36 .
Scuffing the DPLF with 80 grit is good enough , 36 is over kill .

Keep me informed on your process , and if you have a camera shoot me some pics , just PM for my e-mail addy :)

Spray

still going, spraytech.......... the doors will be keeping me busy for a while. i dont have a digital camera, but i do have a scanner and when i finish this 3rd roll of film ill see if i can post some pics.

Sounds like your moving along , just take your time and never rush the process , as this is where all your hard work will show when you lay the color on it .

looking forward to the pics :-)

SprayTech