Announcement

**Transtar56** · 03-26-2006, 07:28 PM

Dupont Centari

**DilloCrafter** · 03-26-2006, 07:36 PM

55pres,

I recommend this recent thread of replies from the Technical Talk forum of this site:

http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/sdc_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3280

[img=left]http://rocketdillo.com/studebaker/misc/images/Current_Avacar.gif[/img=left] - DilloCrafter

1955 1/2 Ton Pickup
The Red-Headed Amazon

**stude freak** · 03-26-2006, 10:44 PM

You cant buy laquer paint any more because of govt. regulations. If you want originality use the acrylic enamel.If not, the base coat/ clear coat is easier for first timers .If you know of a body shop close by go by n get some pointerson mixing and spraying
.By all means get a good respirator n wear it,even if your just practicing.

**old cr8** · 03-27-2006, 04:42 AM

Dupont Centari or PPG Concept, both of these are acrylic enamels (actually acrylic urethanes) Both require mixing with reducer and hardener, and you need to wear a NOSH approved resperator when spraying either. Both of these paints are fairly user friendly if you follow the mixing directions, but by all means do a bit of practicing on the John Deere. Good Luck, and let us know how it turns out.

old cr8
52 Starliner
Ontario Canada &Ocala FL
rwilson@eagle.ca

**jimmijim8** · 03-27-2006, 05:10 AM

You most certainaly can buy Acrylic lacquer paint even today. Go to the A. Zone and read the labels on the back side of the spray cans of about half the Dupli-Color brand touch up sprays. {Acrylic Lacquer}. Some of them read acrylic enamel. You can also still buy Lacquer and Acrylic Lacquers through some paint suppliers that advertise in Hemmings. Also do a net. search. I have seen these type of paints sold on e-bay recently. What I don't understand is the reason it has supposedly been outlawed. If the reason is that it is harmul then aren't the newer paints that require you to use protection to a degree of almost resorting to a S.C.B.A. Self contained breathing apparatus equivalently harmful as well? I use clear furniture lacquer on all my dashboard overlays available from a myriad of suppliers. Lowes for one. It is called catalized lacquer. Go to Wal Mart and buy some $1.00 cans of spray and practice on some thingys before resorting to spraying your car with pro equipment. Once you master the spray can techniqe you are ready to move on to your Stude. I myself prefer acrylic lacquer followed with a acrylic lacquer clear coat for my cars. Much cheaper than and I.M. N.
S.H.O. better looking than some of the finger nail polish looking 2 and 3 stage painting systems available today. I suppose that if the suppliers told some people that it would cost 2500.00 and upwards in materials for some exotic 2- 3-or 4 stage system with excellent results depending on who sprays it, some would buy it. As for me, I'll stick with the obsolete paints still available on the market. Excuse the rant but I am old school. I can paint my car for no more than $400.00 in materials that includes primer, color coat and lastly clear. All being the acrylic lacquer type. Cheaper if I don't use the clear. I'll probably even have some left over for touch up. It won't shine any better with the clear but it does serve to protect the color a bit. Especially the metallic colors. Straight enamel is even cheaper. Hope I didn't offend any one. I know there are a lot of better painters than me out there in Studeland. jimmijim

**imported_n/a** · 03-27-2006, 05:54 AM

Without posting a book on the subject, here is my 2 cents worth: Yes, you can still get all three+ types of paint, though acrylic lacquer has been all but phased out in the refinish industry. Granted, there will always be some holdouts somewhere, using lead and nitrocellulose lacquer on their horseless carriages. If you are doing an authentic restoration on a '51 Bulletnose, using basecoat/clearcoat is going over the top. But, given that the biggest expense is labor doing the body & prep work anyway, Why use old lacquer or plain acrylic or alkyd enamels on a collector car, when a far better product is readily available? Acrylic urethane/urethane costs a little more, but applies a lot easier and looks so much better and is durable, that the saving by using obsolete product can't be justified! Be sure and wear a respirator at all times when using a spray gun, too.

**52hawk** · 03-27-2006, 06:36 AM

First of all,PPG Concept is urethane,Not acrylic urethane.Centari is acrylic enamel.
No brand name is especially better than any other,I use PPG only because my favorite supplier sells it. 10 years ago,in a different town,we used nothing but DuPont products.
If you have a nice car,and want good paint,urethane is the only choice you have. Acrylic enamel=hot dogs,acrylic urethane=hamburger,urethane=prime rib.Sorry jimmijim,but lacquer is a bag of stale potato chips on this scale.
As far as guns go,there are about as many models out there as there are new cars.Depending on what gun you have,you may not even be able to spray urethane with it.I have gravity feed,hvlp guns,1 for sealer,1 for primer[much larger head for primer-filler],1 for color,smaller head for atomization,and my favorite big-boy,a Sharpe,for ClearCoat.
For the urethane,you have to have a gun with a 1.3 to 1.5 tip,but also a lot of flow ability,,some 'color'guns just won't put out enough paint fast enough to do a good clearcoat.
You'll also need a large enough supply of clean,dry air to get around a car without stopping mid-coat.
I'm not trying to complicate this,but your question is a lot more involved than just 'what type of paint to use'.

LaSalle,Il
61Hawk
60Lark

**jimmijim8** · 03-27-2006, 03:43 PM

I happen to like stale potato chips. They are especially good with chicken dogs. ---------I would hope that someone would agree with me on this one. Newly formulated, state of the art, high tech paints would be no more of an enhancement than acrylic lacquer or enamel when applied to the choicest of TURDS. Preparation is very important to the outcome of a paint job. DUH!! This isn't rocket science. Does one know how to mask off a car properly using the proper masking tape or are you going to use the stuff from Big Lots cause it says masking tape. I think the originator of this post would appreciate some real down to earth information that he can understand being a novice that he seems to be. Painting to me is the easy part no matter what my choice of coatings are. As far as a novice painting a car for the first time with expensive, high tech,state of the art paints, I would recommend against it unless he has unlimited funds to dispose of. He'd might be better off getting a couple cases of rattle cans and see how much damage he can do without wasting a ton of money. My first experience with spray painting was with an early 1960's model ELECTROLUX canister vaccum cleaner that came equipped with the optional paint sprayer. It sure was purdy. Not the paint job but the sweeper. Since then I have moved up to a state of the art 1980's DEVILBISS conventional spray guns. One for primer and one for finish coat. They work real well with my antiquated paints. Paint manufacturers sure have come a long way since the early days of automobile manufacture. I remember my buddy's 1980's model Ford truck and my 1990 STE Grand Prix in all their glory with the factory finishes peeling off. Maybee if Studebaker would have had the high tech paints of today they wouldn't have had so many rust issues. Take all this with tongue in cheek. On the serious side, I would recommend that any one interested in learning the art of painting and body work to spend some time hanging around a body shop and also research the abundance of information on the net. I gotta go now and use up the rest of my acrylic lacquer rattle cans. Oh, before I forget. Can I put lacquer over top of enamel or is it the other way around? jimmijim

**Guest** · 03-27-2006, 05:30 PM

Hey guys thanks again for all the posts, I should have realized I would open a can of worms on this one!

I'm not a 100% novice, I'm good with a brush and a "rattle can". I've been painting small things for as far as I can remember with pretty good results, I just think I would need a lot of cans to finish a car! On a more serious note, I think I'm afraid of the big bad paint gun, as many shows that I've seen on TV, they make it look SOOOO easy.

The air compressor is my next issue in line, we have a 110V 3HP compressor, its really loud and I pretty much hate it. We do have a 5HP gas compressor, twin cylinder oiled compressor, I don't know the size of the tank, I would less than 30, maybe 20 or so. My Father has painted a lot of cars & truck with it, at the time he had the older type guns so I have no idea if it would work on mine. I think with the options I have now, I'll use the old one, its cheaper than buying a new one.

Thanks again for the tips!

1955 President

Location: Central PA
Job: Student @ Penn State
Love of Studebakers?: High

**Studedude** · 03-27-2006, 05:48 PM

quote:Can I put lacquer over top of enamel or is it the other way around?

I recommend you just burn the lacquer... it's great for starting fires, but I wouldn't use it for anything else.

https://www.davesplaceinc.com

**imported_n/a** · 03-27-2006, 06:12 PM

BTW--They just don't supply application instructions on the label of refinish products. Usually just a guideline for reduction and additives and a disclaimer such as "for use by trained professional body shop guys", or something like that. Truth be known, I still use good old fashioned lacquer primer-surfacer on some of my projects, and so do many production shops for some purposes.

**52hawk** · 03-27-2006, 06:20 PM

I actually had to go back to jimmi's post to remember how to Spell 'lacquer' .But the best advice you've received here is 'spend some time hanging around a body shop'-look at their work,maybe pitch in with some sanding,or clean up the shop.Ya know-do a few lubes,put the toilet paper on the little thingies in the ****house,maybe if you buy the paint, they'll paint your car fer ya on a saturday afternoon.

LaSalle,Il
61Hawk
60Lark

**stude freak** · 03-27-2006, 09:34 PM

jimjim, not trying to start an argument , but spray can paint is not something i would suggest painting you car with.In Ms. you can buy lacquer paint anymore
you can still get lacquer thinner to use in primer. I've used a lot of lacquer paint in my past 30 years of doing body work.i love the old paint n still do original cars in enamel. but most people like the 'shine ' of the new base coat colors. In response to type of a/c to use . use the old twin cyl pump it prob give you more cfm and will provide more air. also make sure you have a good dryer between tank n paint gun , water moisture will destroy a paint job .I always give the petcock a turn on bottom of air tank so it will dispose of any trapped water in tank.

**stude freak** · 03-27-2006, 09:36 PM

sorry for miss print you cant buy lacquer paint .

Announcement

Paint question: what kind of paint?

Paint question: what kind of paint?

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment