As an apprentice working in an automotive repair garage, getting a shot at spray painting vehicles is not easy. This is because achieving a clear, even coat is not as easy as most people want to believe. As an apprentice, you will need hundreds of hours of practice to get the technique right before being allowed to spray paint clients' cars. However, you can adopt a few tips to brush up your spray painting skills.
Know Your Nozzles
The first step to learning how to spray paint vehicles is knowing how to choose spray gun nozzles. Several steps are involved in spray painting cars. You must apply a base coat and then follow it up with one or two layers of car paint. A sealant is also necessary to seal the bodywork and prevent the paint from peeling. However, you cannot use the same nozzle for different applications if you want to produce impeccable paintwork. As such, you must choose the right spray gun nozzle for the correct application. For instance, 1.4 to 1.7 nozzles are perfect for spraying base coats, while a nozzle size of 1.8 to 2.2 is best suited for heavy-bodied primers.
Tape to Avoid Overspray
Most experienced panel beaters advise their apprentices to uninstall car parts for spray painting. The procedure helps to prevent over-spraying and ruining of car sections that should not be painted. However, removing parts takes time, and this can be a problem for clients that need their cars fast. A better alternative that saves time and prevents over-spraying is to tape off the car part you want to paint. It works exceptionally well if you are painting a bumper or a single quarter panel. However, you must use painter's tape because any other tape will ruin your spray-painted sections.
Wait for Paint to Dry Before Correcting a Mistake
You will make spray painting mistakes as an apprentice, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, you must know how and when to correct your errors if you want to grasp spray painting techniques. The best thing to do when you have made a mistake is to correct it before applying another coat on top. Most importantly, ensure the paint is dry before correcting any mistakes. Doing so makes it easy to sand out paint runs or buildup. Besides, you will save on paint and base coat by working on mistakes as and when they occur.
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