Alex Lowe Posted April 10, 2020 Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 Hi All With all this free time im going to be able to paint my bonnet that im rebuilding. My question is will using aerosol cans will I be able to produce a decent a finish or should I invest in compressor tools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTV8 Posted April 10, 2020 Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 I’m no painting expert, but I don’t think doing the whole bonnet with rattle cans would give a great finish. someone far more knowledgable than me may have a different view. ....... Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougbgt6 Posted April 10, 2020 Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 Alex, I did the top of my bulkhead with rattle cans, it was horizontal and fairly easy, it looks acceptable, but nobody sees it, so that's OK. The bonnet is an entirely different proposition all curves and angles, I wouldn't attempt it even with compressor tools. Spraying is a skill, which I certainly don't have, better to get a pro do it. By all means get a compressor and practise, practise, practise. Who knows you might have the knack! Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted April 10, 2020 Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 No, I wouldn't try doing a whole bonnet. I did my Spitfire's windscreen frame with rattle cans but that's about the limit. Edit: In regard to Doug's comments, I did a Peugeot bonnet as probably the first thing I tried with my old Apollo HVLP spray kit and got a finish the owner was very happy with. A Spitfire bonnet is definitely more challenging, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted April 10, 2020 Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 If you are using celly you can get a good finish with rattle cans, providing you have prepped well and you get the cans from a good supplier. You can also get trigger handles for rattle cans as one of the hardest things if finger strain. If you get the paint on? You can always flat and polish. I would try a scrap panel first and see how you go on. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Lowe Posted April 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2020 to clarify it would be celly paint being used as quite reluctant to send it some where as thats not even possible at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bfg Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Alex, I gather you have little experience of spraying., and so I ought to warn you that buying a compressor and spray gun for a first attempt on a bonnet is most unlikely to give you the results you might hope for ..any more than ones first attempt at welding is either beautiful or structural.! Automotive painting is a skilled craft that takes a lot of time, effort and attempts to learn, and even then it can be incredibly frustrating. Conversely, rattle cans actually contain very little paint, so the thickness applied is microns thick ..and that means surface preparation needs to be spot on and there's very little room to cut back and polish out any flaw. And because the aerosol paint is really quite thin you have to be careful not get runs. Dust and bugs (you can see them in streaming sunlight) is a real heartache when painting, because the process physically literally attracts them. Wet walls and floors help, but as soon as you close the garage doors to keep the dust and bugs out then you also loose the light to see what you are doing. Of course most Triumph bonnets are physically pretty big ..and I don't know what car you have, so the question is whether there are natural split lines that you can paint one segment at a time ? Such natural lines might be a hard edge in the shape or perhaps a line where a length of trim covers. If so then you may be able to paint one side, then the centre section (..divided into two or three 'panels' ) and then the other side. Either way you would need a lot of cans already shaken lined and ready to go. Getting the right paint, so it doesn't react can be like banging your head against a brick wall. And if any part of the car has been polished with a silicon product within the past five years then it will have to be decontaminated. Otherwise a change of colour if radical makes life even more difficult, and more paint will be needed. Any very dark colour adds to your woes even more so. In short, pastel colours are most forgiving ..or else a matt-black rally look. And metallic paint finishes are particularly difficult for the amateur because you need to apply the paint wetter (not good with aerosols) and the panel needs to be orientated so the flakes all settle the same way to gravity. Here is a link to another forum in which I write of respraying (..with rattle cans) a motorcycle petrol tank last year < here > NB. if the link just takes you to the page, the actual post is by myself "Bfg" start on the 25th June). Consider this with regard to a bonnet sized panel and it may give you an idea of what to expect and/or to prime you with a whole lot more questions to ask. Best regards, Pete. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Alex, When I got SofS, it had a GRP coupe roof. I stuck with that for ages, but it was dark and pokey in there, and I had a saloon roof in store, that had been on Old Blue. So I took off the coupe and made it back into a saloon. That roof, IIRC, took at least eight rattle cans, and as said above the coat is very thin. But I'm very happy with the result! You might need at least twice that many cans for a bonnet! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badwolf Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 I am still plucking up the courage to repaint mine. Now I have the time, all the tools and materials I have no real excuse. Just a wuss really!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 I repainted the underside of the Herald wheelarches in Triumph White a few days ago; this was just over grey primer but it took an entire rattle can per side, built up in fine coats. Still a bit dull, I'll flat and polish it up but it'll be behind the rear wheels so not really noticeable. A bonnet or other body panels would be a different matter and will take a lot of cans. (I bought three tins of Code 19 from the TSSC in 1995... and just used two of them; the third will touch up the suspension turrets next week. They lasted well!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Lowe Posted April 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Thanks for all the interest so far everyone really appreciate it being a young member the help is always invaluable. To clarify a few points The bonnet in question is a GT6 MK3 going from green to magenta although I plan to fully strip the paint off to bear metal before painting. Tools I have are a 120 litre compressor if i can repair it And my experience is so far to painting the front cross member of the chassis with buzzweld chassis paint which came out very will (I know not as specialised as the bonnet) I also posses lots of barn space that I believe can be cleaned enough to stop any dust or wind issues. I am still determined to give this job a go as really not keen on sending the car away and as my frist project wanted to try and complete everything my self. I suppose my next question is is it worth me investing in a decent spray gun if so any suggestions on brands? Or could cans from the shop be a viable option if enough are purchased? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Hi Alex, i bought rattle cans from here https://www.yell.com/biz/b-s-supplies-stoke-on-trent-900570331/ They are excellent, one can did a 2000 front wing with good results (i did buy three) but the car came with paint so i had that put in the cans £4 each using my own paint. I notice you have plenty of room? You could build a cheap spray booth using dpc which is cheap and does work quite well. BS supplies are about an hour from you and they sell every last thing you will need, including spray guns and are extremely helpful. I dont know if they are open during the lock down, but worth a visit when this is all over. Love Bridgnorth by the way, the Saturday market for the wife and Severn Valley Railway for me. Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 If you have a compressor I'd invest in a spray gun and plenty of practice. A gun with a 1L cup will let you spray each coat on the whole bonnet uninterrupted. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Just been spraying for the last two hours with a HVLP system; a cheapie Sealey setup (HVLP2000 600w) which cost me less than £40 new including delivery from the Bay, but it's a real joy to use. I can't get used to how little paint it uses; you think it's nearly empty, open the container, and it's still half full. It sprays so little paint that it's difficult to get sags or runs unless you hold the gun too long in one place. Perfect for building up fine coats. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Yes, the HVLP ones are good. Easy to use and produce a perfectly serviceable finish even in the hands of the relatively inexperienced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 20 minutes ago, NonMember said: even in the hands of the relatively inexperienced. Yes, I am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Hi. The last "paint" job I did, ( "girly green" Fiat Punto which had been T boned by a lady in Morrisons car park) I made a "booth" by stapling heavy gauge Plastic sheeting to the beams of the garage to make a (relatively) dust free environment. wetting the floor before each session also helped. It also prevented large amounts of overspray settling on the contents of the garage!. That allowed me to spray the Blue donor panels to a Reasonable match. The spray gun was (is) an Aldi "special", came with mixing container etc;. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 Haven’t tried this idea yet though shower curtains are good for helping to minimise dust when spraying Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted April 11, 2020 Report Share Posted April 11, 2020 1 hour ago, Paul H said: Haven’t tried this idea yet though shower curtains are good for helping to minimise dust when spraying Paul I think you will find they are a bit to light Paul, and they tend to stick to you with static (not water) It might just be me, i always used to get a belt off the car unless i earthed myself first. Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted April 12, 2020 Report Share Posted April 12, 2020 9 hours ago, poppyman said: I think you will find they are a bit to light Paul, and they tend to stick to you with static (not water) It might just be me, i always used to get a belt off the car unless i earthed myself first. Tony. Wearing wool, and combined with "man made" fibre in the seat construction. was common in some vehicles. and is what created the static. It`s a different effect that makes the shower curtain pull toward you when showering, what is happening there is to do with the different pressure between the two sides of the curtain caused by the temperature difference. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68vitesse Posted April 12, 2020 Report Share Posted April 12, 2020 Try this thread, might be useful, some information about compressor sizes, hoses and spray guns. https://forum.tssc.org.uk/topic/6014-compressor-lubrication-oil/ Regards Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve P Posted April 12, 2020 Report Share Posted April 12, 2020 Get Edd China to do it,even if its takes 94 hours,it`s free,and looks like a pro job. S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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