In admiration of car painters

[pryantcc]

I have started to prep the Alvis for painting. How does anybody do that job day in and day out??!! I spent 2 weeks (admittedly only evenings during the week, but had 3 good weekend days at it) preparing just one big flat door, I thought it was great until I primed it and then I saw all the little problems I had missed. That filler edge which looked great without paint, the pin holes, the little scrape here or there which must have been invisible before hand the panel edges which I never noticed but look as rough as a bears behind now!

I have the greatest of respect for anyone who can do painting to a high standard, you must have a sixth sense or magnified vision or something. Maybe I'll get better as I go along, but I haven't started on the curved panels yet! I know one thing for sure, I'll have a monstrous right arm after all the sanding!!!

[1275midget]

I agree, It's SO FRUSTRATING. I've painted stuff and it looks OK from about 5m away, but it ain't so good close up. I just did my wheels, a bit better this time but still not great. Wish I could do it better.

[bnicho]

Agreed! Painting really drives me nuts. No matter how much time I spend on prep I still find faults.

I'd hate that as a job. The pro's must have shortcuts.

Imagine your first day as an apprentice if they gave you something huge like a Range Rover to prep for a respray. Most would quit within a week.

[Aar0sc]

I know what you mean - I'm trying to prep my bootlid atm - although I'm not being helped by people randomly denting it

[TriumphDriver]

How I agree! I watched a professional sprayer spray my Triumph and it was amazing, so effortless, yet I tried my Herald myself and had everything in the garage covered in overspray and dust. Never again.

[stagman]

I have said the same in the past - everytime I do any bodywork. I know it always seems a lot of money when you put a car in the bodyshop but it is just so labour intensive. Last time I had some done I have to say I would not have wanted to do it for that money (not that I could have done even half as good a job anyway!)

[TerryG]

On a similar note does £150 sound like a good price to prep and paint a bonnet?
I am fedup of mine being a slightly different colour and have "a man" that is quite good (he sprays the lorries on the farm and they look superb)

[pryantcc]

On a similar note does £150 sound like a good price to prep and paint a bonnet?
I am fedup of mine being a slightly different colour and have "a man" that is quite good (he sprays the lorries on the farm and they look superb)

Absolutely! That would take me a week and I'd still be dissappointed! It still may up a slightly different colour though, old paint/new paint, etc... I guess it depends on how pronounced the difference is now!

[tornewtsam]

Absolutley! I have spent many hours improving my technique for prep and paint and can now get pretty good results, but I still go to a specialist when I want something done well. Filler primer is your friend here, let it dry fully and then use wet and dry to get a mirror finish, then when the top coat goes on it looks really good, especially after clear top coat.

[riccky2500]

i am a spray painter, the prep of a job u get use to but it is all in the preparation with cars, especially old ones lol if something does go wrong in painting usually it relates to bad prep or not taking enough time to do so, it looks effortless when painting but it takes getting use to it lol u spend less than a 1/4 of ur time actually spraying