stoned on solvents

[Kent McLean]

DGraber460 wrote:
>It's a lot harder than it looks. It takes expensive equipment, and more
>expertise than you expect. Details that as a novice wouldn't seem to matter,
>can be crucial. Inexpensive knockoff equipment will betray you in the end.
>The 3 things to remember are 1 preparation 2 preparation 3 preparation! The
>_slighest_ imperfection in the surface will be magnified 10 fold in the paint.
>Then if you get all that perfect, _any_ lint or dust present during the shoot
>will negate all your prep work.

On the flip side to expensive equipment, about 30 years
ago (yeow!) I painted my 1959 Austin-Healey 100/6 using
a tiny diagphram-type compressor (no air tank) and cheap
spray gun. I used off the shelf enamel from Sears.

The end result looked good from 10 feet, and much much
better than the black and gold spray can job the PO did.
But close inspection would reveal a couple runs (in the
compound curves of front shroud around the headlights)
and some fibers from the burlap with which my father had
me cover his garage floor. That was my one mistake.

The key is preparation. The better (smoother) the prepared
surface, the better the paint job. And lighter coats will
help avoid runs.

For $400 you can pay MAACO to do the job once, or you can
buy the equipment you need (expensive equipment makes lasts
longer and the job easier), and paint your wife's Mazda.
And what you learn from that will make painting your Audi
that much better. Or it might convince you not to paint
your Audi.

As for being stoned on solvents, we later we going to
paint my friends van. His father gave us a 5 gallon
bucket of acetone (?) to clean the inside. Even though
the van doors were open, it didn't take long for the
vapors to work their magic. We staggered out of there
like a couple of old drunks. It took a while to clear
out heads, and I remember a bit of a hangover -- my
first.

As always, follow the manufacturer's directions. Do as
I say, not as I do.

Kent McLean
'89 200 TQ, "Bad Puppy"