Learning to paint

[dodj]

I'm thinking of trying my hand at painting. My car will need a paint job in a couple years most likely and figure it would be a good first project after I retire. That's 3 years away. Would this be a good paint gun set to start playing around with?
https://www.eastwood.com/concours-pro-2-paint-gun-and-accessory-kit.html

[RUNCHARGER]

Not sure: They are probably fine. I think an easy way to get used to painting is to buy a fairly cheap detail gun and get used to using it. Use it first for primer of course and then finish paint. The detail guns are easy to use, can get anywhere and it will keep you from mixing and wasting too much paint.

[Cuda Cody]

If you can find a good used SataJet 3000 RP then you would have one of the best paint guns ever made! Get a 1.3 tip and you will be set. The SataJet 3000 RP is considered one of the best paint gun ever made and even used ones can still bring good money, but you see them from time to time for about what you would pay for that new gun from Eastwood.  I think the SataJet 3000 RP was about $800 when new.

[1Burgfish]

  I own a Sata jet Digital and Binks Spray gun; when I started out I got a cheap  spray gun with a 1.4 spray nozzle and I started spraying panels to get a comfortable technique down ( spacing from panel, overlapping spray pattern, adjusting air and material knobs to see spray pattern) I recommend the 1.3 for color and clear and 1.5 and higher for primer filler.

[bentpshrods]

   When I was ready to paint my car I went out and got a bunch of quotes from various shops. After getting over the sticker shock of that I quickly decided I would need to do most of it myself. Going online and finding a lot of good info, this site  Autobodystore.com  was a big help and the prices were not to bad.

[Rich G.]

I painted my car with that concourse gun from Eastwood. Did a very nice job. You might need a bigger tip for some primers depending on what it comes with. You probably don't need the little gun if you want to save some money.

[JS29]

I have A Sata, well two of them. one for base and one for clear. cheep primer gun, 1.8 tip. I have had better results having A dedicated gun for clear. I could see A harbor fright special set up for practice! ply around with some implement paint, and ware A good mask.      

[dodj]

   When I was ready to paint my car I went out and got a bunch of quotes from various shops. After getting over the sticker shock of that I quickly decided I would need to do most of it myself. Going online and finding a lot of good info, this site  Autobodystore.com  was a big help and the prices were not to bad.

What kind of spray gun did you go with?

[dodj]

I painted my car with that concourse gun from Eastwood. Did a very nice job. You might need a bigger tip for some primers depending on what it comes with. You probably don't need the little gun if you want to save some money.

Thanks for the 'actual user' feedback. 
You felt it was a decent quality piece?

[dodj]

I guess what it comes down to is this, I'll spend $800 on a quality gun if that is what is necessary to accomplish a nice coat of paint. Just not sure if I need to for the one or two paint jobs in my life.

[06Daytona]

I painted my first car when I was about 18, so 30 years ago. I stripped the car down to bare metal and worked up from there and used all the primer coats as practice. I bought a 3 or 400 dollar gun to do it and by the time I got to the single stage color I was half decent or better. Since then I've done about a paint job a year, sometimes it's just the metal bits for a motor bike and others it's a whole car. I have an inexpensive primer gun, and inexpensive set for base/clear and an inexpensive single stage gun. 2 years ago I bought an inexpensive gun that can shoot flake because my neighbor wanted green slime metal flake on his bike. The cheaper guns wear out quicker than high end guns but if you're just planning on doing one or two paint jobs in your life a mid priced gun is probably all you need. I still have my expensive gun but it's been relegated to commercial coatings because it's wearing out. If you talk to the guys at auto paint stores they can probably point you to a gun that can do what you need without breaking the bank.

[RUNCHARGER]

My first paint job: I used a $70 gun from Sears and single stage paint. My feeling is if you buy a lower end but capable gun, you can relegate it to primer if you have the skill to utilize a better one.

[dodj]

First attempt on a GTX.......I thought I'd try a tail gate or something...lol

[1 Wild R/T]

First attempt on a GTX.......I thought I'd try a tail gate or something...lol

Yeah, a Hemi GTX...  As Sheldon said start with a cheap gun... Paint something you aren't concerned about to get a feel for the gun.....  My buddy paints tractors, perfect cause shiny & protected is better than most tractors...  Learn how much material you can lay down before you get a run... Or a landslide... (where a whole area of paint slides) learn how little gives coverage without leaving a dry spot...

Through the years I've bought probably a dozen HF $29 guns... Spray one or two projects then down grade them to primer guns... Currently I have this gun.... 

https://www.amazon.com/Devilbiss-Finishline-FLG-670-Solvent-Gravity/dp/B007N69IRA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539618747&sr=8-1&keywords=devilbiss+finishline+4+flg-670

Sprays very well, comes with three spray tips, it's a name brand gun so repair kits (seal kits) are available It sprays a good pattern & it's not $800....

[tparker]

Hi,
I just got done painting part of my car. I bought a devilbiss finishline for about $200. It has 3 tips(1.3, 1.5, 1., so its almost like having 3 guns. Previously I had some cheap summit or eastwood guns. They worked ok, but I had a heck of a time with the primer and some other stuff. Not sure if it was the gun or me. The devilbiss worked beautifully. I had an initial issue with the primer, but it turned out I didn't properly seat one of the tips or something. After I took it apart and cleaned it, it was awesome.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007N69IRA