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Roller painting


Keeper96

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Hi guys

ive got 2 projects on the go and they’re both coming up to the painting stage fairly soon. 

Ones a series 2a hardtop and the other a series 3 soft top. 

Both have been ground up rebuilds so I’m looking for a decent finish but can’t stretch to a professional job for either of them. 

Whats people’s opinions on roller painting?

i have seen some amazing looking examples but I still can’t persuade myself on it. 

Also if it is worth doing, any advice is much appreciated!! 

If it makes a difference I’ll be using Pastel green and marine blue. 

 

Jamie 

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Hi Jamie, 

when I did my project I really juggled between roller painting & spraying...

I ended up spraying which in my opinion went ok... a little orange peely but only up close.

I used paintman paints who has a huge range of colours, it’s mostly synthetic enamel & really goes on well.

I roller painted a few items such as the load bed & other bits n bobs & it went well, no brush marks or witnesses of the roller.

what I’m getting at is you can get a decent finish with either spraying or rollering it’s just time, patience & lots of prep work.

Ben

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You can get a decent finish, the difficulty is all the edges, nooks and crannies. 

A good 1k polyeurethane paint thinned a little with either fast flash thinner or white spirit works well and shrinks back as it cures, which reduces roller & brush marks.  Cure time is 2-3 days though. 

Spray is a better result though, have a look for a small local place that will do a self-prep cash job. 

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I was a bit concerned how it would turn out so started on a few panels 1st. I just used the paint paddocks spares supply, and used a foam roller. If you can be bothered rubbing down lots in between you will get a better finish. Mine does seem to chip a bit easily in places such as the edge of the wheel arches but it may be that it went on a bit thick. 

If I was to do it again I would have a go at spraying it myself. Rollering it took a long time with panels spread around the garden doing a few at a time. 

I imagine once prepped then spraying would be quicker and a better finish. 

 

The rollered look does suit a series though not quite so sure it would suit a defender as well. 

 

Best thing is if it does get scratch you can give it a light rub down and another coat 

 

 

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If you choose rollering synthetic get something that is slow drying rather than fast - I recently used some quick dry for some old machinery and it dried so quick you could still see the roller marks in the final finish. But I've used Lechler before now and although its more expensive the finish isnt bad - as JonW says, if you give it a few days to harden off. One tip is to use a brush as well as a roller - foam rollers leave small bubbles in the paint which you need to brush out immediately. And have enough spare rollers as well - they tend to disintegrate after a few minutes exposure to the paint solvents. And for a job like that I'd buy 1 ltr first and run practice coats on an old panel to see what you get. Good luck

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It's a piece of cake Jamie.

Don't bother with all that spraying malarkey with the noise, overspray on next doors washing and all the moaning about the smell.

You just need a nice cool DRY day, some rollers and some patience. You'll get a nice job that will surprise you and it won't look home sprayed.

Very few amateur sprayers can make paint look good. That's why there are professionals 😉

Mo 

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Hi Jamie,

I've been planning to roller a van for a while now and someone sent me this run down on roller painting. I don't know how good it is but these guys get really good results. I've since seen other [unrelated] people also using thinned Rustoleum. I'll say this... it's great in terms of off the shelf colour choice.

Looking forward to seeing how you get on, good luck with it.

George

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9 hours ago, Keeper96 said:

What’s the beat way to prep? 

Just varying grades of sandpaper? 

The finest I have atm is 600 grit, should I look for finer? 

Once all the flaky stuff is removed and any sanding of filler (if used) is done, I do the final prep using 800grit wet and dry paper with lots of water. Use a sanding block to get a flat finish so you don't put finger marks into the surface. Wash it well with fresh water to remove the sanding residue and clean using panel wipe prior to painting.

The thing that always annoys me when painting at home (spray or roller) is I always come back to look at it and at least one fly has managed to get stuck in the paint!

It is easier for a DIYer to roller than spray, but a roller finish needs a lot more cutting and polishing at the end in my experience.

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I’ve been thinking further on this and I might have a go at rolling the inside but i do have a compressor and a new bluepoint spray gun. 

I’ve never sprayed before but I have the equipment so I’m very keen to give it a go. 

Does anyone have a good guide on how to set the gun up, necessary extras such as filters and regulators etc. And cleaning the gun after etc. 

 

Thanks 

Jamie 

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As a very simple guide, you need to do two main important things: Keep water out of the paint by removing it from the compressed air and keep the gun at a fixed distance at all times from the part you are spraying. I'm not saying this is the only right way, but this is what I do and I have managed quite a good finish at home:

Have a water separator on the regulator  straight from the compressor as well as a separate inline water separator fitted to the air inlet on the spray gun (you want all water removed from the air or you will get fish eyes in the painted surface).

Practice a lot first. You want the paint on heavy enough to stop the orange peel effect but not so heavy that you get a run or a sag - there is a fine balance between the two that takes practice. Keep the gun at a fixed distance from the work piece by keeping your arm straight, don't move your arm in an arc other wise the gun will be close to the work in the middle of sweep and far at the ends resulting in uneven coverage and runs. It may take several coats to get a good finish. The first pass might look awful, but build up the finish in a few passes allowing time for the paint to partially dry before you put the next coat on to avoid running. If spraying a wing for example with a few curves and edges to it, I spray the cureves and edges first then fill in the flat parts. I have found this helps to avoid runs because if you do it the other way round it is hard to get good coverage at the edges without causing runs on the part you have just painted.

Afterwards I run gun wash thinners through the gun to clean the gun internally and externally by wiping it down with a rag soaked in thinners. A good place for mail order of panel wipe, thinners, polishes etc is Brighton auto paints:

http://www.autopaintsbrighton.com/

It takes a lot of practice but I have atcheived good results at home with practice and patience. It is my preferance to rolling, but you do need more equipment and practice for spraying. I would also strongly advise you to protect your eyes and lungs with a good respirator and pair of goggles.

Once happy with the finish - stop! Once dry for a few days I then cut and polish to get a good shine using the Farcela products.

Have a go! If it all goes wrong, just let it dry, sand it down and start again.

 

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No problem. There is a lot of advice around, but I think you can't beat just having a go on a practice piece to develop what gives you good results in the scope of your ability, set up and paint products used.

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