Quick Dry Enamel

[cruzin33]

Im about to spray a engine bay in black quick dry enamel. The engine bay was etch, acrylic primed then rub down to get smooth. I want to use a clear coat for extra protection but not to sure if i can use it with this type of paint. I dont really wana spend all day tomoro painting with this paint just to find out i cant use a clear coat at all. The brand of the paint is Hichem and is used for interior and short time exterior use, metal,galvanised,timber and fiberboard etc.. any help would be good.

Cheers

Dave

[NA_Goodness]

Wouldnt you need some sort of high temperature paint? Even exterior paint, cos it has to withstand the heat of an aussie summer, but interior paint doesnt need to be so tough. I dont know exactly though, but thats just what I would have thought. Although most clear coats would work though, I would have thought so anyway!

[cruzin33]

I was recommended to use this paint by the guys at motor mate its just they dont open till tuesday and keen to get this painted. I was thinking of doing 2pac but its illegal to use at home and cost a shit load more plus my gun and air compressor is just a basic 2.5hp and 40lt tank. I was going to pick up some clear paint but was told if i get the wrong stuff it can react to the enamel and peel

[Xicon]

I always thought enamel was basicly useless on cars as it does not like the elements at all and can not be brought back (buffed )or painted over by 2 pac once its stuffed .

best advise do it proberly or know that its not going to last .

You also said you wanted to clear coat it as well but couldn't use 2 pac at home so if you meant you were going to use acrylic clear then you might as well use acrylic black but if you were going to 2 pac clear it the you mught as well use base coat black .

The hardeners in the 2 pac is the problem.

[cruzin33]

I always thought enamel was basicly useless on cars as it does not like the elements at all and can not be brought back (buffed )or painted over by 2 pac once its stuffed .

best advise do it proberly or know that its not going to last .

You also said you wanted to clear coat it as well but couldn't use 2 pac at home so if you meant you were going to use acrylic clear then you might as well use acrylic black but if you were going to 2 pac clear it the you mught as well use base coat black .

The hardeners in the 2 pac is the problem.

Im sure they used to use enamel on the old school cars from factory

[inthisglass]

i used acrylic paint on my rocker covers and did a few coats of clear and the heat hasnt affected it in anyway

youll be safe

[Xicon]

They may have used enamal on the older cars but that was before acrylic and 2 pac and the main reason for designing a new product is because the older one was not cutting it and enamal was at least 2 different paint system ago which basicly means its useless .

Enamal will have a very short life span and can not be brought back once stuffed and can not be painted over later and in a engine bay the last thing your going to want is a complete sand off and redo .I have no idea why you would risk it when there are products out there as cheap or cheaper that will do the job twice as well and that will last .

Heres another person on another forum doing a car in enamal and the response from a painter/shop owner

And the paint wasn't acrylic - it was automotive enamel. It doesn't need to be buffed as acrylic does, which is good, but the downside is that it's more difficult to touch up when you come to correct any imperfections. I'm led to believe it's what people used before decent acrylics came along.

Response

What have you done Nick??

I don't want to rag on your work,and the I think the colours work well together.

But,why did you jam it up?Did the painter tell you once the enamel dies it won't cut back up,and I'd imagine up in that queensland sun that it will be mighty faded within 12 months.

The other big problem is if you ever want to repaint it all the enamel has to come off,nothing will go over it.

I would strongly advise against doing your door jambs,imagine how hard it will be to get it out of there if you decided to change colours down the track.

The worst thing is that you could have bought some cheap 2pack for about the same money,and it's not much harder at all to use than enamel.

Sorry mate,I just find it hard to comprehend the decision when I know that you love the car.__________________

__________________

Edited March 24, 2008 by Xicon

[cruzin33]

Thanks for the info, with all the prep work iv done i might just forget about enamel and search what is easy to paint for a backyard job. Iv done 2 cars in acrylic but it was a flamin mongrel to cut back so thats why i choose enamel. Iv never done 2pac but i know its a flamin mongrel to paint but does it need to be cut back like acrylic?

The car im painting is just a r31 drift car so im not after show

[Xicon]

I find 2 pac alot easier to spray than acrylic myself as acrylic never seems to sit nice where 2 pac will .

With the effort your putting in I would go with a 2 pac direct gloss black which will not require clearing and its just as tuff as clear as they both use the same hardner as each other .

If you put the colour down nice and wet then it will not need cutting and 9 times ot of 10 it never does .

Buy a cheap gravity gun with a 1.3 tip or 1.4 tip .Try to get a 1.3 tip this will just allow a little more time when painting but must use 1.4 tip so thats good as well .

There also is legal hardner that you can use with 2 pacs which allow you to paint at home etc .The only one that I know of is protec paints that do the iso free hardners but I am sure all major paint brands do them .

[Sambo33]

imo dont use the enamel

the only place ive ever sprayed air dry enamel is painting machinery/excavators. it dosent hold gloss, and its tempermental to apply.

Dave, sounds like u didnt thin the acrylic out enough, or sprayed it too dry. maybe next time spray a test panel first to get it how you desire.

but yeah as xicon has said, 2 pac is the way to go if u can organise it.

[cruzin33]

Iv got a gravity gun with a 1.4mm tip but its getting a bit old so il be looking at getting a new one in the next week with a budget of around $130. I did use a test panel with the primer but with all the curves in the engine bay i did get some mist. I over lay the primer by around 70% and follow the curves of the bay to keep the content flow on the part of the panel im painting. Should i do the same over lay with 2pac? Il be using 2pac primer this weekend to go over the acrylic primer then give it a good week to dry. Then il be giving it a go with 2pac black after i buy some better safety equipment and clean the shed from dust. Any other tips when using 2pac would be good

Cheers

Dave

[Xicon]

If your buying a new spray gun with that budget I would look into getting a star gun as they are pretty good for the price and just a cheaper version on a iwata gun . I would also buy a tac rag for getting all the bits of dust and dirt of the surface before painting .Before painting just wet the floor down around the engine bay with some soapy water as this will help stop dust from blowing up when painting .

Also because the car is not in a booth try to get the iso free hardner and if not try to get a accelerated hardner so it drys alot faster which with help with less dirt .

[Sambo33]

sounds like u have it pretty well figured out there

yep make sure the shed is really clean before hand eg good sweep out, hose out with some water works good too. setup a pedestal fan to clear the overspray a bit.

a good respirator, its nasty shit to breathe.

use a test panel to set up the gun and determine overlay percentage

clean the engine bay with an air blower, then thorougly wipe over with wax and grease remover, tack rag before paint if u want.

everyone paint different but u could climb into the engine bay, start painting in the trans tunnel and underneath chassis rails, work your way up the firewall/scuttle panel then work your way forwards with the strut towers/front skirts, then do the back of the radiator support climb out and cover the front. give it 5-10 mins to dry. now check over for any bits of primer u may not have covered and just spot a bit of colour onto it. give it about 5 mins. then put a 2nd coat over the whole lot and your done.

[B. J.]

I used 2 pacs at home... no one ever said anything to me about it being illegal... Very easy to apply, alot like acrylics.

not sure how they'll go in the engine bay tho, I'm sure they'd be fine.

I've heard of people using all in type one paint for engine bays, generally used on outdoor steels and stuff like that - I believe White Knight do the paints, I've seen some good results.

my R31, in 2 pac paint prior to pre polish cut-back (2000 wet):