Quality paint job

[nosam116]

How can I get a professional looking paint job without the professional?

[Mike Doyle]

I'll tell you what has worked well for us: it's been said a hundred times before but preparation is the key to a good paint job. We start out sanding the car through 300 grit, then apply a coat of Kilz. We use the fast drying Kilz since it seems more forgiving of the working conditions and schedules this time of year.

Sand that first coat down to a uniform surface and you'll typically end up with some almost bare spots. Then apply a second coat and sand it to a uniform surface like the first.

We usually decide at this point if we're ready to begin the color coats or if more primer is needed. The goal of the primer application is to seal the wood and fill the grain. Depending on exactly what type of wood you receive in your kit, you might need additional coats. If the primer coat(s) are skipped then the final finish will be dull and mottled.

The paint we've used the past two years is from Wal-Mart, it's called Color Cast from the automotive department and is a two can application. The first coat is silver metal flake and the second coat is a semi-transparent color coat. The final result is outstanding and the application is forgiving enough that even young Scouts will have successs with it (as my Son's car can attest).

Here's last year's car painted exactly as described above, if you view the second picture down the page you'll see the metal flake reflecting off the camera flash through the color coat:

viewtopic.php?t=1185

Enjoy your project!

[sporty]

To see of my work, go to the cobmobile section and look for my link the the website.


My son has gotten 2 best of show trophys out of 3 years of pine wood derby.

If you go to the news letter section, most recent posting. should provide some info and the pics can show some of the work.


But I will again briefly offer my thoughts on the process to a great shine.



I like to start of with a 80 grit, then using 100 & 150 grit on the wood.

Thin several light coats of primer. Then I wet sand with 400 grit.


Any spots of wood showing thru. Then re-prime adn re- sand.

I do this also with 600 grit wet sand paper.

Once dry, I wipe all dust and fine dirt fromt he area.


Then I apply 1 to 2 coats of the paint. I then wet sand with 400 and 600 grit.

I then re apply 1 more coat of paint

And give 1 more final sanding of 600 grit wet sand paper.

and wipe clean.


Now I take and spray 1 to 2 coats of clear gloss. lightly and thin.


Allow a few days to dry and then wax and polish.


sporty

[fonzfam]

This may be a stupid question but...... Spray or brush for the primer? I know you can get Kilz in both. Also if you are using a lacquer paint versus Acrylic would you use the oil base as opposed to water? And last but not least what about sealing the wood first?

[sporty]

I used the generic spray can of primer, brush on will work also. just sand.

Sporty

[dangeroustoy]

Hopefully I can help to shed some light on "How To" for a professional finish. First let me give you a little background on me. I currently own a small company that specializes in custom paintwork and airbrush graphics. I have spent many years doing custom "show quality" paintjobs on cars and motorcycles. As has already been said in this thread the prep work and quality of your materials is as important as laying down the paint.

You can achieve a top quality paint job on a Pinewood Derby racer, but remember that quality takes time - lots of time! If you and/or your son are truely interested in a great paint job here is how it is done.

1. During the carving/shaping process you will use sandpapers and tools that are going to leave marks and scratches on the wood. I recommend that you do a final block sanding with 400 grit dry paper prior to starting the paint process. Since wood is a relatively soft material, this will not totally remove the inperfections, but help to reduce them and save you some time sanding later. Using a block when sanding is important as it is the secret to making the surface even and straight. You might need to cut smaller pieces of wood to make smaller blocks that will fit in tight spots.

2. It is time to prime the car. This is done for three reasons, first to give the final paint something to "stick to", second to help hide the remaining sand scratches left in the wood and lastly by building up layers the primer will help to make the surface flat and smooth. I have tried kiltz, automotive primers and good ole' rattle can primer that you can buy at any local hardward store. The truth is that I have had the best luck with the rattlecan primer. It is inexpensive, dries fast and reacts well with most brands of paint. While kiltz works well on the wooden surface, I have experienced some adverse affects when spraying some brands of paint over the top of it.

Apply the first coat of primer and let it dry fully. Once it is dry you will want to block sand that coat with 600 grit dry paper. It is ok if you go through the primer coat into the wood in some areas as this shows where the high spots are. You may need to repeat this process a couple of times, however I usually switch to 800 grit paper to help remove the sand scratches from the primer. It is not unusual to have 4-5 primer coats on a pinewood car. It is important to note that you will not want any wood showing on the final primer coat as it will have an adverse affect on your paintjob.

3. Now you are ready to lay down the color coat. If you have access to an airbrush that is a big advantage since it will help you control the amount of paint that you are spraying on the car something that is hard to control with a spray can. I have access to automotive quality base/clear paints which can be to some advantage especially when spraying the clear coat. If you are using a "rattle can" that is OK too. I would recommend using model car paints as they offer some great colors and the smaller cans are a bit easier to control, especially for small hands. If you plan to use a clear coat, remember that the color just need to cover the area and you will not need to build up coats of paint, unless the paint is transparent and in that case only spray until the color is uniform across the entire surface. If you are using a single stage paint and are not planning on using a clear coat then you will want your final coat to be a wet coat so that it is as shiny as possible. There is a fine line between too much (which will cause runs) and too little (which will result in orange peel).

There are some other tricks that can help achieve great results for those who are more advanced, but I think the method above should result in a quality paint job, even for a first-timer!

Below are a couple of examples of results my son and I have had with some of our pinewood projects!

Hope this helps!

Dave Brisco

[Go Bubba Go]

Any tips on the coloring of wheel spokes?

You have done a very nice job with that as well.

We have tried everything from Sharpie pens to Spray Paint with varying results, nothing quite as nice as yours.

Bubba

[dangeroustoy]

We have found that it is easier to paint the wheels and spokes with a fine bristle brush.

The method we use is to paint the entire center secion of the wheel (except the area where the head of the axle is) with a color, usually the color behind the spokes. The photo above shows either red or orange. We usually have to paint a couple of coats so that there are not areas on the inner wheel where the plastic shows through. Even if you want the background to be black, I recommend painting the inner wheel black as we have found that when painting the spokes the paint tends to cover better over another color paint than the plastic which makes the paint want to "bead". Next we paint the spokes, usually silver, taking our time and again with the fine brush.

It is tricky and takes a steady hand, but we have had more sucess with this method than trying to spray or even just paint the spokes by hand.

Hope this helps!

Dave Brisco

[Darin McGrew]

Thanks for sharing the tips!

I've seen several beautiful paint jobs done by kids who took the time to do it right. But the problem with Junior taking the time to paint the car right is that then certain people think that Dad did it for him...

[dangeroustoy]

This is very true. The "General Lee" in the photo above was painted by my son with some help from me! I actually recorded a video showing him painting and masking the car for those who got really ugly!

With the right tools and knowledge great results are possible!

Over the years we have heard lots of off-color comments, but what is important to me is the time I get to spend with my son on these projects and the amount of "hands-on" learning he gets out of the deal!

Now that he is out of Scouts, our next project will be to build an full-sized car together! I am looking forward to that project!

Dave Brisco

[Rod Turnbull]

Nice how too post dangeroustoy... if I may added a few things (having owned a paint shop myself for a few years):

- you can buy sanding blocks that are soft that will conform to rounded surfaces... it's hard to sand a ball with a hard straight block. If it is a straight surface you are looking for definitely use a sanding block like dangeroustoy said.

- if you have to use just a piece of sand paper try to use the palm of your hand, not your fingers... fingers leave finger shaped groves in your work.

- when wet sanding you can check the surface by using a small rubber squeegee to wipe off the water. Places that have been sanded will have a matt finish... places that are shiny need more work. This is a good way to find minor scratches and indents that need attention as well as promote a proper bond between coats of paint or primer.

- when spray painting your car pay attention to the room temperature... in a cold garage or cold basement the paint it far more likely to run even if the coat is relatively light.

I'm sure there are many more tips people can offer... when you do something for a living you take some bits of information for granted. Anyone else have some words of wisdom for us?

[PWD_addict]

If all that stuff doesn't happen--a couple of clear coats on top of anything looks pretty good!!!