- Brush painting a car is very traditional, probably one of the oldest traditions in rodding I suppose. It's truly amazing the results that people get when going down this path. Often times we associate brush painting cars with Rustoleum or Valspar etc.
- For large areas of the car I used a 4' brush to apply the paint. For large, even flat spots such as the hood or the trunk you will want to get a lot of paint on the brush. I usually dipped the brush into the paint until the angled tip of the brush was completely submerged. Now simply start to paint it onto the car.
- The Carrand 93111 Car Quad 10″ Brush Head is a four-sided brush head that can be used as a Flow-Thru or dip brush. It has very soft bristles that won’t damage or scratch paint. This head fits most standard sized broom handles, and it fits great with standard sized buckets.
A couple of years ago, a reader named Karen wrote in to Car Talk's newspaper column, asking if there was a solution to peeling paint on her Toyota, which had been suffering from a condition called 'delamination,' which is kind of like mange for cars. 'The paint is coming off and it looks horrible. What is an economical way to get it painted?'
Car Talk's answer: 'Have you ever heard of Rust-Oleum, Karen?'
It may have been a joke, but I took it as a personal challenge. I had heard of Rust-Oleum, and I was bound and determined to paint my car with it.
Or rather, my truck. It's a 1979 Chevrolet Blazer that I bought from a friend as a winter project a few years ago. It only has 60,000 miles on it, but it had suffered through 35 New England winters as a plow truck. To take care of the rust, I took a night class at Assabet Valley Vocational High School where I replaced a door, the inner and outer fenders, the rusty rocker panels and some minor rust in the rear quarters.
My hope was that I was going to have time to roll it into the school's fancy-pants Devilbiss downdraft spray booth, but I ran out of time before the 12-week class was over. I looked into getting it painted at one of the franchised 'I'll paint that car for $99.95 joints,' but I learned quickly that the price was a lot closer to $1,000, and that the $99.95 price was reserved for cars about the size of the Cozy Coupe my son was running around the front yard in.
So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had read a story a long time ago in Hot Rod magazine about painting a car with Rust-Oleum and a foam roller. I also spent a lot of time reading 'The $50 Paint Job' at RickWrench.com, in which he painted a Corvair using the same method.
Here's the deal with paint quality circa 1979, when some dope was spraying single-stage black on my Blazer: It was non-existent. These trucks rusted the the moment that they came in contact with oxygen for two reasons: They were made of steel that had the quality of hardened cheese, and the only place they painted was the outside, and even then the primer was showing through in spots. Entire swaths of the inside of the doors, rocker panels and underside had never received any paint whatsoever.
TCP Global Paint Touch Up Bottles with Child Safety Lids (Box of 50) - 2 Ounce (60ml) Fluid Capacity, Mixing Ball, Touch-Up Applicator Brush - Fix Paint Chips, Scratches, Stone Chips, Auto Car Damage 4.7 out of 5 stars 66. Fill the airbrush's paint reservoir with automotive paint that matches the vehicle's existing paint. Most airbrushes have a jar that is filled with paint and then screwed into the underside of the front of the airbrush, or an opening at the top of the front of the airbrush where the paint is poured.
So my thought was if I rolled five coats of Rust-Oleum on it, it certainly couldn't be any WORSE than how Chevy painted it when Jimmy Carter was still in office. And if it WAS worse, I could just sand it down and pay Earl Schieb to squirt it later on.
With that in mind, I headed off to Lowe's for supplies.
I primed the entire truck with one coat of Rust-Oleum Rusty Metal Primer, and then a second coat of Rust-Oleum High Perfomance Primer. Both primers are oil-based and nasty. I bought a roller cage and a whole bunch of four-inch foam rollers, and a ton of those foam paint brushes in various sizes to get into the nooks and crannies.
The nice part about priming was that I could see how the whole process was going to work with the finish coats later on. I took my time and I could get two coats of primer on in a day in my garage.
Then I blocksanded the truck for about the time it took the Egyptians to build the pyramids. Getting that surface as smooth as humanly possible is what's going to result in a decent paint job. The best advice I ever heard was 'When you think you're done sanding, sand for another day.' In retrospect, I should've done exactly that, but I got the surface pretty smooth with 600 grit paper.
With the primer sanding out of the way, I was ready to roll on the color.
Rust-Oleum Oil-Based Protective Enamel is pretty awesome stuff. It's relatively inexpensive, it will take a bullet, and it's avaialble at any hardware store in America. About the only limitation is that it only comes in limited colors, and that selection gets even more limited at Lowe's on a Sunday morning. Gloss Black is pretty much available everywhere, though, so I was in good shape.
I had some internal debates about whether I should thin the paint or not. After watching more YouTube videos than any 47-year-old should watch in a lifetime, I opted to thin the paint with mineral spirits. Some YouTubers were recommending acetone, which works, too, but it seemed to 'flash' or dry out a little quicker than I liked.
Lowe's has paint measuring cups in the paint aisle, but I wouldn't recommend measuring using the graduations on the side of the cup. Instead, you're looking for a certain consistency of paint that allows the roller to do its job, and then allows the paint to flow out a bit. Pour some paint in the cup (maybe a half pint) and then add four capfuls of mineral spirits.
At this point, you need to stir the mixture for a good long time to make sure the paint and the mineral spirits are well-incorporated. I used a plastic spoon, but you can use a paint stirring stick, a popsicle stick, your kid's Lincoln Logs, whatever is available close by.
Now the important part: Pull the spoon out of the paint and watch it flow. You're looking for a consistency that allows the paint to flow off the spoon in a steady stream for about four seconds before it turns to drips. With that consistency, the paint still has enough tension to keep it from pouring off any vertical surfaces, but it can also flow out a bit and get rid of most of the texture the roller is going to want to put in it.
This guy's video was really helpful in understanding how to mix the paint:
Just before I started to paint, I wiped the entire truck down with a tack rag and then mineral spirits -- or prep solvent, if you have a good auto body supply store nearby - to get rid of any dust and oil from my fingers.
Then it was just a matter of rolling the paint on. It goes on surprisingly well. People warned me that the first coat was going to look lousy, but honestly, I was blown away by how good it looked from the first coat. I used the foam brushes to get into places that I would've had a tough time using a roller. Because I'd thinned it out, the paint just flowed out even when using the foam brush.
If you're doing multiple coats, you're going to want to do them six hours later. That way you won't have to sand between coats. If you're waiting longer, the paint completely cures and you'll need to sand it to allow the subsequent coats to have something to attach to.
I ended up putting five coats on the truck, which was frankly too many. I could've really gotten away with two, I think, but I was experimenting. I wetsanded the whole truck from 1000 to 2000 grit paper, and then buffed it at the end with a machine buffer. That was my one extravagance in the whole project, and it cost me about $100 at Lowe's. Well worth it, because you can use it to apply wax on all your other cars, too.
The result? It's pretty darn good. You can see a complete photo gallery at BestRide.com. It's not a show truck by any stretch of the imagination, but for something that cost me about $200 to paint, it looks phenomenal. I've driven it through rain and a bit of snow in the last year, and the paint has held up extremely well. I even painted the white bumpers with Rust-Oleum Appliance White.
If I was going to do it again, I probably wouldn't paint a truck black, because black shows every single imperfection. If it was a white truck, it'd look as good as if it came out of a spray booth.
It took time to roll those coats on, but not a lot more than it would've taken to spray it. And what time I expended rolling, I more than made up for in not having to mask much of anything. I taped the door handles and the windshield gasket, and that was pretty much it. By the time I finished at got confident, I wasn't even covering the wheels with a sheet.
Depending on the project, I'd paint a car this way again in a heartbeat. All joking aside, it's a way to get color on a car in a home garage for less than half what it would cost the cheapest body shop to spray it.
Painting model car bodies is one of the most fun aspects of the hobby. The two main decisions facing you are (1) what type of paint to use, and (2) how to apply the paint, and (3) whether to polish and wax.1) Type of Paint
Every paint has three main components: the pigment which is the color containing part, the resin which binds the pigment to the surface, and the solvent which holds everything together in the liquid form. There are two broad classes of paint, enamels and lacquers. Enamels undergo a chemical reaction (curing) as the solvent evaporates. In lacquers, the solvent evaporates without any curing. Now hobby paints are generally (oil-based) enamels, or aqueous (water-based) acrylic lacquers. The hobby enamels (e.g. Testors, Model Masters, Humbrol) thin with mineral spirits, dry slowly and harden beautifully to a glossy finish. The hobby acrylics (e.g. Tamiya, PollyScale, Floquil, Vallejo) thin with water or alcohol, dry faster, and clean up easier. People tend to develop a preference for one or the other, so try both and see which you prefer.
Above: Assortment of enamel paints.
2) Applying Paint
There are 3 basic methods for applying the paint to the model: brush painting, spray cans, and airbrush. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages.
Brush
The paintbrush is the simplest method of applying paint. It's best suited for painting small parts, as using brushes on the car body will likely result in unsightly brush marks.
Above: An assortment of model paintbrushes, acquired over time.
The key to getting a nice smooth paint job free of brush marks is to minimize overlap of brush strokes. Don't go back and paint over the area you just painted, let the paint level and spread by itself.
After using the brush, clean up with the recommended thinner. For acrylics, you can use soap and water. Shape the bristles of the brush with your fingers so that they are not distorted. Store with the brushes in a cup-like container with bristles pointing upward and into the air.
Spray Can
The spray paint can is the most widely used paint source for model cars. It's advantages over brushing include:
- Smoother paint job with no brush strokes.
- Faster than brushing.
- No cleanup of brushes required.
However, paint cans deliver a wide area spray and so are somewhat wasteful. They end up being more expensive. Also, there is generally a limited range of colors available, and custom mixing of paint colors is out of the question. For multiple colors on a model, masking must be done to limit overspray; spraying outside is also a good idea. The cans tend to cool down as they are used, which reduces the paint flow. Placing them in warm water for a few minutes can fix this. Despite their drawbacks, spray cans can very handy, e.g. for single color models. They are very popular for model car bodies. Testors spray enamels and Tamiya spray lacquers are popular choices.
Important: Start and stop the spray past the ends of the models, not over the model itself. This will help ensure a smooth paint job.
Below: Placing the spray can in warm / hot water for a few minutes before spraying helps the paint go on more smoothly. Make sure to wipe down the can so that no water drips on the model.
Below: Car body placed on bent wire hanger in preparation for spraying lacquer paint.
Airbrush
We think that the airbrush is a great tool for painting small scale car models. When used with a compressor as the air source, it becomes like an infinite spray can, with the great side benefits of control of the pressure and of the amount of paint. These additional controls can be used to used to create fine lines of paint and many other useful effects.
Above: A single action, external mix, siphon (bottom) feed airbrush, the Paasche Model H .
Below: Model car seats painted with the Paasche Model H airbrush and water-based acrylics.
Some basic tips:
- A single action airbrush is simpler, easier to learn, and generally lower cost. It's great for beginners. However, the double action gives you much more control over the paint process.
- A good compressor will be cheaper in the long run than using those cans of compressed air. The compressor will pay for itself after only a few models.
- Use the manufacturer’s recommended thinner. This will keep the paint flowing smoothly without drying too fast.
- To keep the airbrush working smoothly, follow the instructions for cleaning. Improperly cleaned airbrushes are the source of most airbrush issues.
3) Paint Layers
Different types of paint with different purposes are often applied to the same model, in multiple layers. Some of the typical ones are: primer, color coat, and clear coat.
The primer prepares the surface for the following coats of paint. It tends to bond aggressively with the plastic. The primer is also designed to bond well to the paint, reducing any tendency to peel or lift off (especially) when removing masking tape.
Color coats (which are just that) are built up in layers, starting with light mist coats and eventually ending with wet coats.
Clear coats are used for a few reasons. A glossy clear coat provides the best surface for the application of the water slide decals. So if the color coats are flat (matt), and clear gloss coat is applied before the decals. Clear gloss also provides depth and brilliance to a paint job.
The following photo sequence shows the painting of a 1/24 Porsche Carrera model car body, using lacquer paints from spray cans.
Below: Bare plastic car body, wet-sanded with 600 and 1500 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper.
Below: After first primer coat (Tamiya primer).
Below: After second primer coat.
Below: After first mist coat of Tamiya TS-42 (Gunmetal).
Below: After 2nd mist color coat.
Below: After 1st wet coat.
Below: After 2nd and final wetcoat.
Below: After Tamiya TS-13 clearcoat.
3) Polishing and Waxing
Car Paint Brush Pen
After clear coat, the paint job will look great and you could stop here. But it can look even better with a bit of extra work in polishing and waxing. Polish and wax are both very fine abrasives, the wax being even finer than the polish. You can use model car specific compounds such as Novus, or The Treament. However, polish and wax for real cars works just as well, and is more economical. We used Turtle Wax and Meguiar's brands.
The clear coat will likely not be perfect, so lightly wet-sand it with 1500 grit then 6000 grit, then blow dry. Find a lint-free cloth (an old white t-shirt will work) and apply a small amount of polishing compound. Choose one part of the car (e.g. the bonnet) and spread the polish onto it gently. Then start rubbing in a circular motion, stopping to check your progress every couple of minutes. You'll notice that the surface gets more and more reflective.
Avoid putting lots of pressure on and sharp edges, e.g. between sides and bottom of the car. At sharp edges, the clear coat can be removed with too much pressure, exposing the color coat below. Check the surface of your polishing pad to make sure color coat is not being removed.
After polishing the entire, wash with soap and water and blow dry. Then apply wax in the same manner. Avoid getting too much wax in the panel lines, as you won't be able to wash it out. If there is a buildup there, remove with the sharpened tip of a toothpick.
Finally, step back and enjoy your handiwork!
Below: Automotive polish and wax used on this model car.
Below: After polishing with automotive car polish.
Model Car Paint Brushes
Below: After waxing with automotive car wax. Smooth and shiny!
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Car Paint Brush
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