How To Use A Spray Gun - Prime Time

We are sure that just about all of you reading this story right now feel pretty confident in using a rattle can to paint something. What if we asked you to pick up a professional spray gun and spray your car? How's your confidence now? Using a spray can is a no-brainer, because all you have to do is push the button and go. With a pro gun there is much more to do and much more that can go wrong.

It would take us an entire magazine to teach you how to fully restore the outside of your car, which we just won't do. We can, however, teach you how to use a pro gun and spray something like primer. That is exactly what this story will cover: the proper procedure to setting up a gun and spraying the car. We will be using a '66 Chevelle we have that is in dire need of a single-color exterior. The previous owner thought it would be a good idea to give the car a zebra-inspired paintjob and that just won't fly here at Super Chevy.

For the spray gun, we looked to Summit Racing and ordered one of the company's Pro Packs. Summit takes out some of the guesswork with the Pro Pack by combining a bunch of stuff you will need to get a certain job done, in this case priming. The Pro Pack comes with two good-quality DeVilbiss High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) spray guns; two 60cc spray cups; a regulator with gauge; fluid tips of 1.4, 1.5 and 1.8 in size; multi-wrench; and a bunch of cleaning brushes in a blow-molded case to keep it all nice and tidy. You also get a gun holder, painter's coverall, head socks, respirator and two disposable airline filters/water traps all for just $227.00.

This gun set can be used to spray all the media it would take to finish a car thanks to the multiple tips it comes with. Since basecoats, clears, and primers have different viscosities, it takes a smaller tip for the thinner stuff and bigger for the thicker stuff. The 1.4 tip will be used for most basecoats, the 1.5 will be good for clearcoats and sealers and the 1.8 will be used for the thick stuff like high-build primers and micro flake.

Before we can get into setting up the gun, we needed to get the car ready. For that we picked up a couple of packs of 6-inch round dual-action sander (D/A) sandpaper in 40- and 80-grit. The 40 will be used to quickly strip off the paint, and the 80 will be used to prep the surface for our primer. The primer we are using was something we had mixed special to emulate the Red Oxide primer used back in the day. The reason we needed to have it mixed was we could not find a direct over bare metal (DOBM) primer in Red Oxide so we had to tint a white DOBM to a close match. If you are not stripping your ride down to bare metal, then finding a Red Oxide should be no problem. There are gray and black DOBM primers out there if that is more your speed, but we have seen enough flat-black muscle cars and wanted ours to look a bit different.

Since the author is still pretty green when it comes to spraying, we enlisted the help of a pro, Vic Sapien, from Seaside Collision in Hermosa Beach, California. Vic came to the shop and made sure we did everything correctly. So without further ado, let's get into it.

1 Here is Summit Racing’s spray gun Pro Pack. It comes with just about everything a beginner would need to spray a car, excluding the air compressor, air hoses, and paint/primer. Like we mentioned earlier, the kit comes with two DeVilbiss HVLP spray guns; regulator with gauge; fluid tips of 1.4, 1.5 and 1.8 in size; multi-wrench; a bunch of cleaning brushes; gun holder; painter’s coverall; head socks; respirator; and two disposable airline filters/water traps.
1 Here is Summit Racing’s spray gun Pro Pack. It comes with just about everything a begin
2 Here is the ’66 Chevelle we will be coating in Red Oxide primer. As you can see, it looks bad thanks to the shoddy rattle-can paintjob.
2 Here is the ’66 Chevelle we will be coating in Red Oxide primer. As you can see, it loo
3 Before we can spray, we need to sand down the zebra stripes. We decided to strip the car down to bare metal using a D/A and 40-grit paper first. The 40-grit made quick work of stripping the car, but it is a little too aggressive to clean it perfectly as seen on the C-pillar. Plus, the scratches left by the 40 are too deep to expect the primer to hide them so we needed to switch to 80-grit to finish stripping the rest of the paint and leave the correct finish.
3 Before we can spray, we need to sand down the zebra stripes. We decided to strip the ca

4 While stripping the car, we found our rear filler panel was rusted out. We picked up this new piece from OPG and welded it in place.
4 While stripping the car, we found our rear filler panel was rusted out. We picked up th
5 After stripping the car down and doing a little bodywork here and there, it was time to clean the shop and the car. We covered the shop in plastic to create a makeshift spray booth. For the car, it was rolled outside and blown off multiple times to get as much sanding dust out of it as possible. Then, we pulled it back into the shop and ran over the surface with a tack cloth.
5 After stripping the car down and doing a little bodywork here and there, it was time to
6 Vic mixed up our primer per the instructions (25 oz. primer, 5 oz. hardener and 1.5 oz. accelerator) and poured it into the gun. For this job we used Commercial Performance Coating’s HSP-2128 Tintable Polyurethane Primer, which happens to be white. This primer has a 2.1 VOC rating so it’s legal for us to use in California. We had our paint supply guy, Dave Finley, add a bunch of toners to get us the Red Oxide hue, but this created another issue (more on that later).
6 Vic mixed up our primer per the instructions (25 oz. primer, 5 oz. hardener and 1.5 oz.

7 To set up the gun, Vic first set the air pressure going into the gun to 30 psi with the regulator at the bottom of the gun.
7 To set up the gun, Vic first set the air pressure going into the gun to 30 psi with the
8 Then he moved to the fluid adjustment, which is the control that adjusts the distance that the fluid needle will travel back, away from the fluid tip, with each pull of the trigger. Vic recommends setting the fluid adjustment like this. Start by unscrewing the fluid control (bottom knob) almost completely. Next, pull the trigger back to the fully open position and screw the fluid control in until you feel a force from the backside of the trigger. Setting the fluid adjustment in this manner will allow full fluid volume to exit your spray gun. Since the fan has not been adjusted, we are getting a round spray pattern.
8 Then he moved to the fluid adjustment, which is the control that adjusts the distance t
9 The fan control (top knob) adjusts the amount of air distributed to the different drillings or air passages in the air cap. As you unscrew the fan control knob, more air will be directed into the air passages that are located on the horns of the air cap and squeeze and shape the exiting fluid into an elliptical spray pattern. You want the fan to be about 6 to 8 inches wide with the gun 10 to 12 inches from the panel being sprayed.
9 The fan control (top knob) adjusts the amount of air distributed to the different drill

10 Just to show what happens if you go back and adjust the fluid control knob after the fan, this is what you will get with the knob all the way in. Not a lot of primer will come out, and it will be considered dry, leaving a lot of colored dust on the outer edge of the spray pattern.
10 Just to show what happens if you go back and adjust the fluid control knob after the f
11 With the fluid knob all the way open you will get the proper spray pattern, but if you stay in one spot too long you will end up putting too much material on the panel and it will run so keep moving.
11 With the fluid knob all the way open you will get the proper spray pattern, but if you
12 With the gun set up properly, it was time to finally put some color on the car. The rest of these images will basically map out the spray order. Vic starts by spraying the jambs, with the trunk jamb being first.
12 With the gun set up properly, it was time to finally put some color on the car. The re

23 And then continued down the fender…
24 …all the way back to the rear quarter.
25 The last thing to put some primer on was the cowl panel. Vic recommends spraying the panel both ways, left to right...
25 The last thing to put some primer on was the cowl panel. Vic recommends spraying the p

13 Then the engine compartment jamb is next in line. For tight areas like this, Vic turned down the fan to a round spray pattern to minimize paint waste and overspray.
13 Then the engine compartment jamb is next in line. For tight areas like this, Vic turne
14 Then the door jambs. Now, if this was a paintjob or something that needs to be really nice, you will need to let the jambs fully dry and then tape them off to prevent overspray from getting in there. We don’t really mind for this job, so we just carried on.
14 Then the door jambs. Now, if this was a paintjob or something that needs to be really
15 The best way to minimize dry spots or tiger stripes is to chase your wet edge as you spray. Basically you want the overspray for whichever panel you are spraying to land on wet primer or bare metal. The first area on the exterior will be the driver’s side of the roof starting with the drip rails. Then Vic moved to the center of the roof and sprayed down to the drip rail.
15 The best way to minimize dry spots or tiger stripes is to chase your wet edge as you s

26 ...and right to left to ensure you have full coverage on the vent holes. After letting that coat flash off or dry, he repeated the procedure for the second coat, but this time he went the other way around. We asked why and he said no real reason. “It’s just what I do.”
26 ...and right to left to ensure you have full coverage on the vent holes. After letting
27 With the overspray still floating in the air, Vic cleaned the gun with some acetone and the brushes in the kit. The spray guns are now part of your tool collection, and the better you treat them, the better they will treat you. Plus, getting dried paint from all the small orifices is a pain in the butt, so doing it while it’s still wet is the easiest time.
27 With the overspray still floating in the air, Vic cleaned the gun with some acetone an
28 We finished at about 11 at night, so we just closed the door and came back in the morning for the “after” shot. The car is now all one color and has that Red Oxide hue we were after. One thing we are not too excited about is how shiny the finish is, which is the issue we mentioned earlier. We wanted it to dry flat, but because we had to mix in so much toner to get our color it kind of acted like paint. To get it flat we will wash the car a few times with some Comet and a gray Scotch Brite pad to knock off the sheen. Then after a little time in the elements it will have the flat patina we are looking for.
28 We finished at about 11 at night, so we just closed the door and came back in the morn

16 The same procedure was duplicated on the passenger-side roof panel. Vic is overlapping his passes by 50 percent, which is the procedure for just about every painting task. Then, Vic sprayed the windshield jamb.
16 The same procedure was duplicated on the passenger-side roof panel. Vic is overlapping
17 Next was the rear window jamb. If you are a first-time sprayer, this is about when your arm will start to burn from the weight of the gun—you will just need to suck it up.
17 Next was the rear window jamb. If you are a first-time sprayer, this is about when you
18 This is followed by the deck lid. Like the roof, Vic started in the middle and sprayed toward the quarter-panels, again with a 50-percent overlap in passes. When he got to the back edge of the trunk, he continued down onto the taillight panel.
18 This is followed by the deck lid. Like the roof, Vic started in the middle and sprayed

19 Wrapping around from the taillight panel, Vic sprayed the passenger-side quarter-panel from the top down. The overspray from shooting the quarter will soak into the wet primer on the trunk and C-pillar.
19 Wrapping around from the taillight panel, Vic sprayed the passenger-side quarter-panel
20 Vic keeps moving forward along the passenger side. This is where he ran out of paint and needed to refill.
20 Vic keeps moving forward along the passenger side. This is where he ran out of paint a
22 When he had the entire passenger side sprayed, Vic moved to the hood, starting with the leading edge. Then, he sprayed down the center of the hood and out toward the passenger fender.
22 When he had the entire passenger side sprayed, Vic moved to the hood, starting with th