Current paint option

[Derek Sheldon]

My Rosengart van is about ready to take on new paint. What is the current paint option , cellulose, two pack , two pack primer and cellulose top coat. Which way to jump ?. Advise sought , pros and cons on each option. Or have you another?.

[bob46320]

it depends who will be painting the car. Modern paints need even. more care than the old cellulose in way of personal protection and heat cure. I was always told - You can put salt on chips but never chips on salt. Ie. Synthetic on cellulose but never cellulose on synthetic. Has that changed ?

[Dave Wortley]

Derek, I have painted 4 cars in cellulose over the past 25 years, using a very basic ancient compressor. Cellulose is easy to rectify if you get it wrong and minor defects can be compounded out. I have just finished spraying a 1961 Land Rover for my daughter and son in law, using enamel from Paintman Paints. As it’s a Land Rover I haven’t gone for a perfect finish but I am pleased with the paint. Very similar to the old Tekaloid. I have no intention of ever using 2 pack as I don’t have the necessary breathing equipment.
A friend has a chummy professionally done in 2 pack and the finish is superb.
For a commercial vehicle perhaps they might have been painted in enamel at that time.
Cheers,
Dave.

[Howard Wright]

Hi Derek

As Bob says it depends who is doing it. Assuming it’s yourself.....

My paint supplier wouldn’t sell me modern synthetic two pack paints unless I also bought a full air fed mask.  The thought of paint spray going off in one’s lungs is not one to think about.

In any case cellulose looks so much better on an old car and can be flatted back to whatever stage of glossy finish you want.

Modern bar coat primers cover a multitude of sins and paint finishes. 

I’ve used cellulose on all three of my restorations and apart from the smell during spraying (which my wife hates) have had no real problems and achieved a great finish.

Cheers

Howard

[Chris KC]

Brushing enamel can be done surprisingly well, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you are keen to go that way.
Some plus points are it is inexpensive and requires little equipment, also can be painted over pretty much any base.
On the minus side, it is a lot of work, and if you don't have the knack it takes some acquiring. You have to paint a panel all in one go, you can't 'touch it up' or sand out imperfections.

I'd suggest a chat with Craftmaster Paints, I think I'm right in saying they are able to supply cellulose. That's the way I would go if painting a car imminently.

[Steve kay]

For a while now, since Tekaloid stopped being the paint of choice, Craftsmaster has been used by boat owners, steam machinery users and by car owners such as myself. Practise on a few panels and sheets in the workshop, and then brush painting won't ever win under the judge's white gloved fingers at a tarty concours, but will provide a very tough and useable paint finish. Craftsmaster enamel varnish is also very useful. Usual disclaimer, only a happy customer.

[Chris KC]

This was brush painted:
   
And make no mistake, there are plenty of flaws if you get up close and look for them; step back 6ft and it doesn't look at all bad.

One of the worst things you can do in a car restoration in my humble opinion is a 'perfect' paint job - it just doesn't look right and strips the car of character. On this basis I can live with a few sags and brush marks!

[Tony Griffiths]

Derek, I have painted 4 cars in cellulose over the past 25 years, using a very basic ancient compressor. Cellulose is easy to rectify if you get it wrong and minor defects can be compounded out. I have just finished spraying a 1961 Land Rover for my daughter and son in law, using enamel from Paintman Paints. As it’s a Land Rover I haven’t gone for a perfect finish but I am pleased with the paint. Very similar to the old Tekaloid. I have no intention of ever using 2 pack as I don’t have the necessary breathing equipment.
A friend has a chummy professionally done in 2 pack and the finish is superb.
For a commercial vehicle perhaps they might have been painted in enamel at that time.
Cheers,
Dave.

Paint? Paint? All you need is a tin of Valspar and a brush - well according to Tommy: Aged 14, I had a Saturday job in a tiny, two-man garage off Khartoum Road where (with other dreadful tricks) I "was learnt" by Tommy (as they said in Sheffield) how to prepare a 'dodgy motor' for sale. Paint, time of year, the correct day and time of day; price and location were essential. A tin of Valspar brushed on; November to February; rain forecast for a Thursday (payday); classified ad in "The Star" with an under-the-market-price; park under a street light - and bingo! a quick sale.
Now Tommy wasn't all bad, and a hard worker. His daily car was a crashed-and-rebuilt Vauxhall Cresta like this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c...262_cc.JPG When asked why he ran that model the reply was concise, "It gets the ladies." As 20,000 miles were coming up, he declared, "Time to change the big-end and mains shells". Consequently, one Saturday afternoon staring at 2 o'clock, we took the engine out , removed the sump and, by using a split pin in the crankshaft oil holes, turned out the shells by rotating the flywheel. By six the job was done and Tommy, suitably spruced up, announced, "Time for me tea and a chocolate biscuit." and disappeared across the road to Mrs Granger's. whose husband had just departed (on his rather fine V-twin BSA and sidecar), for his night shift. As a callow 14-year old, it took me a while to realise that visits to Mrs. Granger's for 'tea and chocolate biscuits' was not the only thing he went for.

[John Mason]

When I had my Ruby resprayed I sent it to a small local car body shop and pain sprayer. They did a very good job. To keep the price within my budget I arranged with them that I would strip it down (wings and valance off all lights, windscreen wiper and all chrome work windscreen and all glass removed.) leaving them to remove all paint down to bear metal and then repaint. It was then delivered back to me for re assembly. This was done in two pack something I could not do myself but kept things within a reasonable price.

John Mason

[andrew34ruby]

Another idea is to use a small gloss roller. It's quicker than a brush on panels and can give good gloss very similar to spraying. You use oil paint, maybe coach enamel, and have both a roller and a brush to hand, use one, then the other to get around the car.

I have sprayed many cars with cellulose and often found it difficult to get a good gloss. I've also sprayed oil based coach enamel. This is easier, and easy to get a gloss, but has disadvantages. Overspray stays wet in the air and can damage a car or too nearby. The overspray from cellulose is dry before it lands, so it just dust and doesn't stick. Also coach enamel is not as tough and can go dull after maybe ten years.

I've also sprayed 2 pack. Reading the data sheets it seems no more dangerous than celly so I've used 2 pack without an air fed mask. It seems to need a different technique but gives a super, wet gloss, sort of shine quite easily. It can also lead to 'runs' easily. And it can have a 'dry' looking gloss here and there where you didn't get enough paint on. Overspray from 2 pack is dreadful, producing an invisible sticky layer on anything nearby- House window sills, nearby car windscreens etc.
And 2 pack takes hours to dry, so you need a decent temperature for longer, and dust, flies etc do land on it.

I've not tried today's modern water based paint, but friends in the trade say it is like 2 pack, but very expensive and a bit harder to use.