DIY spray can painting issue

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:51 am
Hi guys,
I'm new to spray painting cars with rattle cans. I saw a video on you tube how to paint and thought I could do it myself cheaper than the shops. I painted my fenders which were affected by rust (used body filler and all that to get it smooth) and my trunk. I painted a little over the affected area expecting to blend the colour, but I have made a mistake by taping newspaper to close to the area I was painting. In result I now have horrendous paint lines on all of the painted areas. Note: I painted with a matched colour can mixed in a shop and also with a clear coat.

I know the mistake that was done and was wondering if it is possible to somehow still blend these lines on the panel or should I just give in and redo the paint job on the whole panel if it is not redeemable.

Left fender:
https://prnt.sc/158yrbm

Right Fender:
https://prnt.sc/15dewpi new photo

Trunk:
https://prnt.sc/158z0k9

I am grateful for any feedback from you guys. Please don't be to harsh.
(Sorry for bad English)
Last edited by Sine on Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 8:31 am
You'll get lots of grief here for using spray cans but what's done is done.

Can it be fixed? Of course. With spray cans? Maybe, but you'll need to start with properly matched colour. What's in your pictures is awful. I'd also suggest getting some 2K clear in a can rather than what you used, which looks like just acrylic. Get yourself a proper mask for organic vapours while you're there.

When I blend colour I use a special mini gun that atomises extremely well and has a fan pattern that is very controllable. I'm very much in control of the gun, not the gun in control of my hand, so I make sure the paint goes exactly where I want it. Even with a good colour match I'd normally blend out about 200mm from the repair area and then clear either the whole panel or to a defined body line. It is possible to do quite small areas but you do need definite lines containing the area and colour match need to be perfect, plus you need differing angles so any variation in colour just looks like a light shading difference.

From your pictures I can't see any body lines on the guards. That means you'll probably need to sand back the area you've already done and extend your colour out further so you can't notice the differing colours. Stay well away from joins with adjoining panels. That's after you get some paint mixed that is the right colour, or even close. Then clear the whole guard.

Basically the same process on the boot lid.

Make sure that you sand back that join line where your masking was - there will be a ridge there. Also fix up the area on the wheel arch where you didn't sand out the coarse sanding scratches.

Have a search through my posts using key words "blend mask". I've put up a few pictures which may help you.
Chris



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PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 10:44 am
:goodpost: right on! if spray cans is all you got then go for it. given the proper color you should be able to blend out the repair area. then clear ether the complete panel ( can't see how big it is) or blend the clear out and try buffing the edge if necessary. spray cans are usually mixed with a faster reducer, not much you can do about it. but try and spray in cooler temps will help with the way it goes on, smoother.
Jay D.
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:15 am
If that's what you've got to work with you can at least maximize "how" the cans are spraying. Get a sink full of hot tap water and soak your cans for about 20 minutes or so before you spray. Leave the caps on and put some weight across them to hold them at least 3/4s of the way down in the water. When you pull them hold them from the top of the can and arc the bottom of the can around in circles until you hear the ball bearing break loose and start riding around in circles in the can's "race" area inside. Do that for a couple of minutes then switch to shaking up and down for a couple of minutes. The warm water will have increased the can pressure and mixing like that will get all you color or clear solids up in the mix for better dispersal. You'll get a finer more powerful spray pattern. No, it won't be "gun like" but it will be greatly improved. As far as everything else....there is little I can add to the already expert advice you have received.
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:02 am
NFT5 wrote:From your pictures I can't see any body lines on the guards. That means you'll probably need to sand back the area you've already done and extend your colour out further so you can't notice the differing colours. Stay well away from joins with adjoining panels. That's after you get some paint mixed that is the right colour, or even close. Then clear the whole guard.


Thank you NFT5 for your professional advice, I will try to repair the sin that was commited here. I have attached another photo of the front left bumper if it has any more visibility of the pannel.
https://prnt.sc/15df22g
https://prnt.sc/15dfcpc

The sanding marks were probably due to a polishing compound which i used to see if the line would come off. Also the car was pretty dirty, because it is my daily driver. These two pictures are from when it was done.
Last edited by Sine on Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:19 am, edited 1 time in total.



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:07 am
badsix wrote::goodpost: right on! if spray cans is all you got then go for it. given the proper color you should be able to blend out the repair area. then clear ether the complete panel ( can't see how big it is) or blend the clear out and try buffing the edge if necessary. spray cans are usually mixed with a faster reducer, not much you can do about it. but try and spray in cooler temps will help with the way it goes on, smoother.
Jay D.


Thanks Jay,
Unfurtunately cans are all I can afford. I do not own all the proper equipmet to make it look like a factory job, but if the repair area can be atleast not so obvious I will be more than happy. It is a 16year old car for everyday use so if I can make atleast a decent job on it it should be fine for me.
Here is a photo of the whole pannel, when the car was clean:
https://prnt.sc/15dg22k



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 5:18 am
NFT5 wrote:Make sure that you sand back that join line where your masking was - there will be a ridge there.


So if I understand you correctly, the first thing to do is to sand the join line. With 1500grit and 2000 grit lightly. Then redoing the paintjob, but not the whole pannel, just to try and blend it within the pannel. Then the clear (2k preferably).
Sorry if i got confused, i am still new to painting cars.

Thanks again, I will work on the car this week with your expert avice and hopefully make a better job than this ****



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 6:11 am
Sine wrote:
NFT5 wrote:

The sanding marks were probably due to a polishing compound which i used to see if the line would come off. Also the car was pretty dirty, because it is my daily driver. These two pictures are from when it was done.



a little note on the polishing:
them spray bombs are gonna give you a much thinner mill per coat over using paint that is prepped to use for a spray gun. they have to be thinned down quite a bit to allow to spray at a low psi. i think i learned that with a spray gun, figure 1 mil per coat? and sanding will remove one coat? and spray bombs put down a much thinner mil per coat?
if im correct there, youre going to want multiple coats of clear if you plan to color/wet sand and buff, which buffing and the compounds used is a whole other topic or 2.

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2021 11:25 pm
Sine wrote:So if I understand you correctly, the first thing to do is to sand the join line. With 1500grit and 2000 grit lightly. Then redoing the paintjob, but not the whole pannel, just to try and blend it within the pannel. Then the clear (2k preferably).


When I do something like this I sand P800 where I'm going to spray my basecoat and then P1200 or P1500 in the surrounding area where the base will be thinner as it blends out. For the rest of the panel you can use P1500 or just grey Scotchbrite. They won't scratch enough to show through the clear.

When blending you can either blend in or blend out. Blending in is starting at the outside, where you want minimal paint, begin moving your hand and pull trigger gradually so there's hardly any paint on the panel where you started but it's wet over the main repair area. It takes some practice but it's better than the alternative of blending out, which is the process in reverse but usually ends with a dry area on the edge as most people tend to flick their wrist while reducing trigger pressure. This can lead to halos, especially on silvers. When you blend in you can also do your first coat to the full extent of the blend and then start your second coat inside of that. Since base on the panel is already semi-wet you wo't get the metallic standing up so much.

Always plan your work. I use markings on my masking to tell me how far out I want to go with each coat. In an ideal situation I'd use 1/3 to 1/2 a door to blend, but sometimes you just don't have that much space. If your colour is very good then blending over about 200mm is possible, but you do need to be very careful and controlled. Look at your panel and figure that where you do your repair you want the colour there to extend out not more than half way to the other side, where you want no new paint, just the original colour.
Chris

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