Thread: Painting without a spray gun

Tweet

Yes, I know a little. I used to teach Auto Body Repair and one of my books gave a brief history. Let me see if I can remember. I know the basics; some of my dates/times may be a bit off... Very early automobiles were painted with a mixture of varnish and lampblack (soot). Some early enamels were not compatible with metal and not very durable, but varnish would stick to anything and was tough. The only color available, of course, was black and, since it was not completely opaque, required several coats. The painters would apply a coat of the mixture, let it dry 24 - 36 hours, rub it smooth with pumice and wet rags (there was no such thing as ultra-fine wet/dry sandpaper), and apply another coat. The final coat was polished with finer and finer pumice and then waxed/buffed (by hand - there were no power buffers) to a high shine. The average paint job required six to eight coats and took about six weeks!

By the early 1920's, alkyd enamels were becoming more common and gaining in durability. For the most part, they were still applied with a brush and polished by hand with pumice & rags. The fenders were still being painted with varnish and lampblack because that was the part of the car that took the most abuse and varnish was still the most durable finish.

By the mid-1920's, spray equipment was becoming more common and that helped to dramatically speed up the painting process (from six weeks down to just a few days). Nitrocellulose (sp?) lacquer was available, but, because of inferior components, it did not have a good gloss. (Henry Ford used lacquer on the Model-T because it was fast and cheap which kept the retail price of the car down. Model-T's up through about 1925 were all black and had a satin finish. If you see a restored early Model-T with a mirror finish, it's not "correct".)

By the late 1920's, alkyd enamel and nitrocellulose lacquer had both improved and were available in many colors. (Starting in 1926, you could get a Model-T in colors other than black.) Automotive paints have improved steadily over the years up to what we have today. Modern paints are many times more durable than what we began with. Unfortunately, paint prices are tied directly to oil prices (paint is a petroleum product), so everything has gone through the roof in recent years...

One other note: my father told me once years ago that, before the days of Earl Schieb, Sears Automotive Centers used to paint cars very economically. The process used special applicators that resembled a mop! He said that they "didn't look too bad"... Anybody ever heard of that?

I found a lot more information than I was looking for! At least as far as Ford goes http://www.mtfca.com/encyclo/P-R.htm#paint2

The mop applicatore sounds pretty interesting. I wonder how much sanding it required?