How to Apply Automotive Paint



If you want to repaint your vehicle on your own and achieve that trendy look, then it is important to get all the information you can get about the paint that you will use. You will need to choose the tools to use wisely, select that part of the garage that is well ventilated i.e. where there is free passage of air.

All automotive paints are not the same but there are some few qualities that you need to ascertain before you buy the paint for your car. Any paint that you use should not be polished after application unless it is of poor quality. Paint should always be flexible without the use of flex additives. To improve paint coverage, use paint primer as an undercoating.

When dealing with a minor repair or even a full restoration, preparation is absolutely necessary. Clean the surface that you are using. There are two types of contaminants that will need to be cleaned, these are Water based contaminants, such as dirt, dust and bird droppings. These can be removed easily with a good car washing soap and hot water. And then there are Solvent based contaminants that include wax, plastic resin, oil and tar grease. These require the use of grease remover. In order to know that the area is clean, flush it with water. The water should not stick on this surface, if it does you will need to add more grease remover.

Before applying the automotive paint that you desire, you can remove the old paint using solvent based color removers, making a smooth base on your car body. You are now ready to use a primer on these surface. Use a top quality spray gun, applying sweeping horizontal strokes back and forth. Let the coat dry before sanding it again and applying a fresh coat.

A Career in Automotive Design



Probably every neighborhood from New York to California and Maine to Florida has a kid who likes to draw cars. And maybe those kids will proudly announce that when they grow up they are going to be car designers. For many, that dream will fall by the wayside but for a select few it will become reality. In the early mid-forties, Giorgietto Giugiaro and Marcello Gandini were a couple of Italian kids who like to draw cars. Today, they are Italy’s top designers.

The vehicle designer is responsible for creating the exterior and interior appearance of over the road vehicles. Generally, these are automobiles but trucks, vans, coaches, and motorcycles are also included.

The designers usually work in teams. One person does the exterior, another the interior and a third works with colors, materials and trim. The working environment and working conditions are pleasant. It is a risk-free career that does not usually require overtime or weekend work.

A design begins with a set of digital or manual sketches. Once these are approved by management, more detailed drawings follow. Then clay models or digital models are developed. The same procedure is followed for exterior, interior, and color and trim design.

However the road from car sketches to the design studio is paved with hard work beginning in high school. Auto design is one of the most competitive careers in the design industry. Consequently the competition to gain admission to the colleges that offer transportation design classes is fierce.

Prospective designers need to begin in high school with all the two-dimensional drawing classes they can fit into their schedule. But it isn’t enough to just be able to draw a car. They also need to understand aerodynamics, engineering concepts and ergonomics. They will be working with figures so knowledge of math and physics is required.

And throughout high school they need to work on building a drawing portfolio. All colleges require a portfolio. And it goes without saying that the better the portfolio, the better the graduate’s chances of being accepted by a prestigious institution.

While many schools offer majors in industrial design only a few specialize in transportation design, which is the recommended career path for future vehicle designers.

It is important to make a wise choice of colleges. One needs to examine the credentials of the faculty and the reputation of the courses. Most important, the institution should have a strong industry connection. Part-time faculty members who work in the industry are of immeasurable help, in guiding students’ work to meet industry’s demands and assisting them in finding employment upon graduation.

Once in college, the students will pursue a four-year design major. During the first years they will study drawing and design theory. In later years they will concentrate on computing and model making. Some schools provide an internship in a design studio during the third or fourth year. These are valuable since internships are often a direct path to an entry-level job upon graduation.

However, the job market is much better for engineers than designers. For every vacant design position, there are twenty engineering jobs. In spite of this, the student with outstanding talent and creativity will always be recognized and find a niche in the industry.

Auto Paint How To – A Basic Guide



Whether you are just interested in re-spraying a small area to cover up some paint chips, or want to treat your car to a custom paint job that will let you enjoy envious stares from every pedestrian you pass, you will need to follow a few basic rules, and have the right tools to hand in order to carry out the work to a high standard.

The first thing to mention about auto paint jobs is that you should always work in a well ventilated area. Paint fumes can include a number of solvents that can leave you feeling light headed and even poison you if you inhale them, so make sure there is free passage of air through your work shop when you are painting. You should also wear a respirator mask during painting or preparation to avoid inhaling any paint and loose dust that you release.

To get the best effects when painting, you also need to make sure that you are able to keep dust to a minimum. You can achieve a good environment by hanging sheets from floor to ceiling in the area where you are working, and wearing overalls. You should also vacuum clean the area where you are painting at the beginning of every session.

When you apply auto body paint, the main thing is to get a good even finish that looks good, and the key to getting a good finish is having a good start. Preparation is everything in paining. Get it right, and you will be able to enjoy a fantastic smooth finish that will last for years and look great, skimp on your preparation, and your finish will look shabby straight away, and then get worse over time.

Before you paint, you need to strip off the old paint job. You can do this with a solvent based paint remover, or do it the hard way by sanding back the panels to bare metal using a sander. Whichever method you choose, you need to make sure that you have a very smooth base. To achieve this, use the finest grade abrasive paper available, and be prepared to put serious time into the job.

Once you are satisfied with your base, you can start applying the primer. Use a HLVP spray gun connected to an air compressor, as this is much more even than an aerosol, and will be much cheaper in the long run. You should use long sweeping strokes in a single direction to get a good base to paint onto. After every coat, allow the paint to dry, and then sand it back to a smooth surface. Then apply the next coat in strokes that go at 90 degrees to the previous layer, as this will produce an even color.

There are two types of auto paint that you can use on a car, cellulose based and Two Pack auto paint. Most painters now use Two Pack because it gives a better finish, and metallic colors are available, whereas cellulose paint can be tricky to deal with, and is best used on classic cars where you are trying to recapture an older style.

As with the primer, you should apply the auto paint in coats, spraying in a single direction, then sanding back to a fine surface to remove any imperfections, before applying the next layer at right angles to the previous one.

In between coats, it is imperative to clean the nozzles on your HVLP spray gun, as otherwise, small flakes of dried paint can be caught up in the spray and cause imperfections that will spoil the final effect.

Once you are satisfied that you have got a good covering and applied enough coats of auto body paint to create an excellent finish, apply one more coat for best effects, allow it to dry, and then sand back for a smooth finish. You should leave the paint to dry completely for 24 hours and then apply a wax polish to the whole body in order to protect your new paint job and give it a shine that will certainly catch the attention of anyone you pass on the road.