Painting outdoors

[JCKnife]

I think most of us, when we paint MV's, have to do it outdoors.

I'd like to see tips on optimal conditions and steps a painter can take to make the result the best it can be, in these limited conditions.

Ideal temps? Time of day? Sun or shade? How important is humidity?

Etc etc.

Thanks.

 

[Truckoholic]

Definitely best in the shade. Not real humid, although not super critical with the paint we typically paint these trucks with. I think around 60 degrees and up is best. Some of the Gillespie paint I believe says it needs to be at least 50 degrees F. I usually prefer for it to be at least 70 though.

If you paint right in the middle of the day you usually minimize your bug problem since they tend to be out more in the cooler evenings. I've done quite a few paint jobs outdoors, and it sucks! But you do what you gotta do, and try to make the best of it. ha ha You could always tear down a wall to your house, and paint it in your living room and tell the wife you will build her a new living room when you are done. ha ha

 

[wsucougarx]

I painted two of my trucks in at least 70 degree weather. Luckily I had at least 7 days of good weather without rain. They all turned out. Humidity was around 50%. I painted them in direct sunlight. The paint would literally dry before it made contact with the truck. Has held up with no issues Oh BTW, this was using Behr Latex paint.

 

[hndrsonj]

Prep it outdoors then beg/borrow/rent a space indoors to spray. All it takes is a heavy dew overnight and your paint job will have water spots which will not come out. My M1028A3 came out perfect, that is untill the next morning.

 

[JCKnife]

I painted two of my trucks in at least 70 degree weather. Luckily I had at least 7 days of good weather without rain. They all turned out. Humidity was around 50%. I painted them in direct sunlight. The paint would literally dry before it made contact with the truck. Has held up with no issues Oh BTW, this was using Behr Latex paint.

I've been applying primer in direct sunlight and I appreciate how it flash-dries as it hits the metal. But today it started worrying me that maybe this is not a good thing...

I'm using Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer. Results have been great so far so hopefully I'm worrying about nothing.

 

[wreckerman893]

An old friend of mine show me the trick of warming up metal to get paint to stick to it better......it opens the pores of the metal. You do not want it real hot....just warm enough to make the paint stick better.

Low humidity, out of direct sunlight and no wind to stir up dust......also be mindful of where you are....being near a dirt road with traffic could give your paint some extra texture you don't want.

I have a small orange air dryer that goes on my air line just before the air enters the gun......seems to take most of the moisture out of the air. I also have an air drying right next to the compressor to catch water early.

 

[RAYZER]

Yo don't want the metal too hot,if the paint dries too fast,the adheasion will be reduced. I set up a big tarp over head to keep the sun off and that worked well.You can buy a 29'x18' camo tarp from harbor freight for this purpose.

 

[peashooter]

I got my 109 primed and then found it was going to rain before I could paint it. I found a used giant tarp (40'x80')off craigslist for $20 to keep it dry & clean so once the weather cleared a few days later I could finish up. A local guy took interest in my project and loaned me a Wagner HVLP turbine sprayer that helped speed up the process greatly. It has its own heated blower that ensures dry air and the paint cup held much more than the Harbor freight HVLP guns I was using.
After prep, I wiped everything down with Xylene, then primed with Rustoleum Rusty metal red primer. I painted it with Rapco 383 green and used some valspar hardener with it to give a harder finish and quicker cure time. I really was happy with the rustoleum primer, I wish I was that happy with the rapco! Best of luck.

 

[AceHigh]

Do not park under a tree frequented by birds who eat purple berrys. That is all.

Had to repaint a fender and hood.

 

[Pawnshop]

I am a "driveway shooter"! Both trucks, in the summer (hotter-n-hells), windy, dirty, Rapco paint out of a Harbor Freight gun. I put myself in the mindset of a po'd private assigned a krappy job nobody wanted because he missed formation that morning, so it would look military!

 

[waayfast]

Indoors if at all possible---shade at the very least.
In the hot sun the paint will "flash" over and trap the solvent's (thinner) vapor --traps it under the "skin" over the paint and causes "solvent popping". Little pin holes-(craters) all over.
Plus -out in the sun you likely won't be able to 'Keep up" with the drying of each pass of the gun---ending up with stripes of dry spray.
There are enough things that can go wrong when painting.


BUT!!--even inside ain't bullet proof--- years ago I had just finished spraying out a high dollar Acrylic Urethane basecoat/cearcoat----found a streak of ?something?? down one fender in the clear.

Looking around (up) I was amazed the see a BAT-yep a bat! up in the ceiling of the paint room!! I swear he was laughing that he PEED on the still wet clear!

Oh, yeah --- try explaining THAT to your customer!!

JIm

 

[Barneyszoo]

Did my 813 in the driveway with latex house paint. I figure if you paint a house you cant put that inside lol. I did keep the driveway damp to keep the dust down, that was 3 years ago no chips or flaking still looks good.

 

[ryan77]

Shot the deuce in the driveway this weekend with carc! Hopefully it wont rain tonight!!

 

[harleyhouse]

I shot my 101A2 in the back yard. The frame gloss black and the tub HOT ROD RED.
It was a hot day but low humidity. Turned out good and a year later still looks nice.

 

[Barneyszoo]

Somemore pix of the process.

 

[135gmc]

One trick I've seen is buying a canopy to use for an outdoor spray booth - It keeps the sun off you and your project, and a sudden rainstorm won't destroy your fresh paint. It might be worth picking up some tarps that can be used for canopy sides as well.

 

[gimpyrobb]

Spray in the morning, less dust has been kicked up into the air.

 

[bigmike]

i shot my truck outdoors. had issues with direct sunlight otherwise no issues. I also wet the ground around the truck before painting to keep the dust and overspray down.

 

[tiny110]

I shot my paint with a wagner power painter on a gravel driveway. I have painted 3 trucks so far that way. Worked good. I have a shop that I can put my truck in and park it overnight to help keep it dry over night. I'll take the truck and pull it out into the sun and let it dry and put it up every night for about a week. It is very humid down here and just takes a while to dry.

Look on ebay. I picked up a brand new wagner power painter with 1 gallon backpack for 25 dollars on there.

 

[Scarecrow1]

Weather of course is the biggest player. Just remember to follow all these great tips and stay away from anything you don't want to be painted in the process. Such as cars ,houses, dogs ,cats and the neighbors kids who just want to watch............