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| A lot of good advice so far. I will add a couple of my thoughts:
Prep work-as already said this is the most important step. Don't forget to run an air gun over everything after sanding/prepping. Nothing worst then starting to paint and air from paint gun blows out dust, dirt, etc. out of nooks and gaps.
I like to use ospho. It will make spots on the flat surfaces appear different depending on how rusty metal is. I can't explain but looks like flat spots botched like a Holstein hide. So after paint dries some will be smooth as glass and other will be rougher. You can see this. We would rather have the protection then a perfect consistent finish, but it might be a concern for you with big flat panels and painting it black.
Harbor Freight gun- read the guns reviews before buying. I bought one about 10 years ago. It was my first HVLP gun. Review said it was a good gun but, in the hurry to manufacture it has metal shavings in it. Reviewer had way too many problems until they figured that out. I bought mine and took it home, tore it apart and cleaned. It had metal shavings. Put together and it is an awesome gun. Only problem I had was once painting when weather got colder and my Carhart jacket sleeve kept bumping adjustment screw on gun and it would go out of adjustment. Screw adjustment was that loose. Some silicone on treads and then it works fine. I bought 2 guns thinking they would be half junk. One still sits in box cause first one keeps going good.
Hardener-I have not painted in several years but was a time I painted a piece or two every year. I also painted outside. The wetting the ground with water does help if dusty. I would read hardener label very carefully. Most hardener speeds the process for drying. This may help with dusty outdoor conditions but does not make the paint more durable that non harden paint. If you are if a situation where you want to paint a coat, let it tack up, then put another coat on, it may even be a problem with it drying too fast. Worst situation is some of it is downright dangerous unless you have a full air mask to paint with. Read the labels before buying. I gave up on worrying about it because I felt when the finish needed to be that good, I could usually go to the automotive store and buy a better quality paint then buying cheaper paint and adding hardener.
Good luck
These care usually be fun projects that seem difficult until you get one done. Then, you see they aren't so bad. My experience prep and being organized, making sure all tools are ready seemed to be the biggest part of succeeding. Most moderty price equipment is good enough. I would invest in better paint at times then a better gun to paint it with. | |
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Painting grain cart - need tips
