$50 paint job?

[jpeater]

There has been a lot of buzz around the internet of some guy in Canada that painted his classic Charger with almost show quality results using only $50 in materials. His trick was to use easily available products, including semi-industrial oil based enamel paint and apply it with a foam roller. I read through most of the 41 pages of posts on the archived thread and have tried to break down the information into a summary that can be found below. Here are a few high points before you start:

* This is not a show quality finish, if you want that pay $5000 and be happy
* It will take some experimenting to get right so practice on a spare door or fender to get the hang of it
* If it doesn't work all you are out is about $50 and your time so what is there to lose

I have not tried this myself but am going to use it to paint JPEater and will chronicle my lessons learned here and amend anything that needs it.

Materials:
• 1 to 2 quarts of Rustoleum oil-based gloss enamel paint
- Original version used Tremclad that is available only in Canada but manufactured by Rustoleum, so far it appears that Rustoleum Professional is a good alternative
- Paint comes in about a dozen or more colors and can be either hand mixed for custom colors or mixed at store into a custom colors
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- Use of metallic components is not recommended unless using an air sprayer
• Paint roller handle assembly
• 4" high density foam rollers (usually white with rounded outer end) for smooth surfaces
• Mineral spirits
• Clear coat can be used but is not necessary and without it, it is easier to touch up scratches or blemishes

Pre-Paint Process:
• Perform body work as needed as paint will only be a smooth as surface it is applied to
- Recommend to prep using 80, 100, 200 and then finish with a 400 to help ensure you start with as smooth a surface as possible
• Paint can be applied directly over Bondo, adequately scuffed paint and bare steel,
• Primer is not necessary
• Wipe car down with mineral spirits to remove any oils or other contaminants prior to painting

Painting Tips:
• Only stir enamel paints as if it is shaken it will entrap air bubbles and it can take up to a week for the bubbles to work themselves out
• If there are some bubbles in the paint can after stirring use a paper towel and lightly skim the surface to remove the bubbles
• Thin the paint with mineral spirits so it just about as thin as water but not thin enough to run on vertical surfaces
• Start with about 15% to 20% dilution but it all depends on temperature, humidity, etc. so need to experiment
• Too much thinning and paint will bubble when applied, if this happens wait 5 or so minutes then run over painted area with roller using very light pressure or lightly blow on the surface and the bubbles should go away
• Load roller and apply to area to be painted taking care not to press too hard or paint could bubble or cause orange peel appearance
• Work in small areas that you can paint in about 10 minutes as paint will start to flash due to mineral spirits used for thinning
• Use foam roller brush to get in corners, roof rails, and etc. then follow with roller to smooth as needed
• After area is coated re-roll very lightly using only weight of roller to smooth and level the surface
• At first there will be appearance of small orange peel but as paint dries it starts to ‘self-level’ and smooth out
• Depending on weather and temperature up to two coats can be applied in a day but need to wait about 8 to 10 hours between coats
• If painting a big panel need to paint fast, try and use natural body seams as start and stop points and ensure that any overlap seams are leveled as much as possible
• It should take 3 to 4 coats before paint loses its transparency and any body work starts to disappear, if not then paint is too thick
• Allow to dry overnight before wet sanding
• Between coats load roller with paint and place in plastic bag and seal or just throw away as they are inexpensive
• Do not use water to clean the rollers as this will cause issues with the paint

Wet Sanding Tips:
• Wet sand by hand, no need for blocks or power sanders
• Use sanding paper that is meant for wet sanding
• Only sand across your fingers using light pressure, not in line with them or it could create waves in paint
• Take care not to sand too close to edges, ridges or corners as you could easily sand through paint
• Use plenty of water in squirt bottle or bucket on paper and area being sanded
• A little dish soap added to the water will help ‘lubricate’ the paper but is not mandatory
• When first starting to wet sand the paper will feel as if it is gliding over the paint and doesn't really feel like any sanding is happening – keep going and the water will stop beading off the paint
• After wet sanding the finish will look live velvet or suede, this is normal

Painting and Sanding:
• Apply two coats then wet sand with 600 grit
• Apply two more coats then wet sand with 800 grit
• Apply two more coats then wet sand with 1000 grit
• Apply final two coats then wet sand with 1500 grit
• Determine if more coats are necessary and wet sand with 1500 grit
• If orange peel occurs at anytime, wet sand with 600 grit to knock it down and try again
• To see what the finish looks like at any time wipe area with mineral spirits and it will give a close approximation
• Wipe down area with plenty of clean water and a lint free towel after each sanding while area is still wet
• Wipe with a rag soaked in mineral spirits followed by a tack cloth prior to applying another coat

Polishing:
• For best results use a random orbit electric polisher
• Use white polishing compound paste not rubbing compound as rubbing compound can ball up under the polisher and scratch the finish
• Put about 2 tablespoons of paste on the buffer, spray with water and polish
• Once an area of about 3' x3' is complete add more compound and spray the polisher with water, continue polishing and repeat as many times as necessary
• Do not push on the polisher, just use the weight of the polisher alone to apply the pressure
• Apply wax after polishing to lock in that nice shine