flippin painting nightmare...

[akku]

OK my neighbours (the one who's the environmental protection officer...) were out all day yesterday, but did I get change to lay any paint, no I did not. Spent all day bleeding sanding again. So finally get to spray today, saw them go out, but they came back again soon after. And its hot so they have their windows open. So I have to spray with all the doors shut so they can't smell it.

And its like 35 degrees plus in the garage. I've got sweat running down me, soaked my pants through, dripping off my forehead into my eyes. And its hard enough to see anyway as with the doors shut the air is just full of fumes like a thick fog (that smells bad). Oh, and sweat dripping onto fresh paint is not a cool custom effect...

Because I can't see properly I keep tripping over the air hose, catching myself on things. Also I'm slightly giddy as my mask can't overcome that concentration of vapour in the air. I put my elbow down a freshly painted door shut so I've got paint all up my arm and a right balls up of the panel. Nice. And the front passenger door won't stay open by itself, it swings shut. I only remember this after I've painted all the reverse and shut... so I'm trying to keep it open with one hand and find something to prop it open with with the other and hold onto the spray gun as well.... Thats another one I bvgger up the fresh paint on.

Its so hot and humid I've now got condensation in the line, the water trap can't cope with it all. Great, now I have water marks in the paint. Who says its only celly you can get bloom in? So I have to stop and drain down the compressor, and an hour after I've stopped spraying the garage is still thick with fume fog. I tried opening the door but theres just a plume of vapour comes out like a beacon to the neighbours... bah. So I shut them again and hope the air will settle out in a bit.

So I come in for some lunch and not only have I got paint all up my arm but where my mask has been theres a bright green metallic goatie beard.... nice. So wihout thinking too much I grab a can of thinners from the garage without putting my mask back on - jesus you can't breath in there and your eyes sting, and wash my face off with thinner (or Dillutante 2K acrylic" as its called now) This should get the "beard" off... Oh, then I notice the big orange cross on the can which says "Extreme Irritant - do not allow to come in contact with skin". Approx 3 seconds later I discover why, with a delightful new pain sensation we'll call thinner burn...

And to cap it off I have a nasty feeling I got the wrong colour paint. Its green OK, and its obviously difficult to see through the mist to see what colour its coming out, but its not looking like the colour I wanted.

So now I have a garage which is a fume chamber, a face like a lobster, stinging eyes and I'm soaked to the skin with sweat safe in the knowledge my paint job is going to look like a right half assed amateur job as well and probably not the colour I wanted.

Bah, my wife has gone to Lincoln with her sister today so you guys get to hear my moaning instead.

I think I might have said this before but I'm not painting another car. Three grand for someone else to do it is starting to look like a right bargain.

[kyteler]

That sounds like a right pain in ass. All stemming from the pants-o-matic neighbour of doom. Simple solution. Send him out on a wild environmental goose chase!

[akku]

Right, as I can actually see again I'm off out for the next stage.

Bleeding typical they were away for 2 weeks and I couldn't touch the car the whole time as I was tied up with other stuff

[Deleted]

Sounds like curse word to me, sorry to hear it. Can't you lie to them and tell them you're spraying celly? How are they going to be able to tell the difference in the smell, or is it just the fumes that they don't like?

[akku]

well, they've not complained or said anything but I'd rather they didn't know anything was going on to be honest. Once you start on these things... At least they didn;t have their washing out or anything...

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Good conscientious-neighbour skillz0rz there AK, nice one.

[Nick]

sounds like a lot of hassle.. i painted my supra in grey primer with a brush today.. i don't have the patience for what you are doing.

[PhoenixC]

Nightmare.
Would it be recommended using a 2K thinners as a cleaning agent due to the fact that 2K contains isocyanates and can cause sensitisation just from touching the skin, or is it just the paint itself that contains isocyanates.

I have ony used 2K once on a couple of panels and was impressed with the results but not so keen to use it. Mainly due to the fact that I had no air fed mask so I was using it outside and holding my breath while spraying then walking away from the area to breath again Not recommended

[akku]

The thinners don't contain the isocyanate, thats in the catalyst. But there is something pretty ferocious in that thinners... Ouch.

Had a look at the compressor at the end of the day, it doesn't like breathing paint fumes any more than I do. Spraying with the doors shut is not a viable idea as its clogging the motor up. Oh, and its hazardous to health. And it doesn't stop the neighbours smelling it. They've been round today... To be fair they weren't complaining, just comenting they could smell solvent, which is fair comment. Unfortunatley I was whacked out on paint fumes at the time so Emma dealt with it mostly. I reckon I'll pop round tomorrow appologise and ask when they are next out to plan the clear coat going on then.

I have to say I'm initially disappointed with the results as well. Spraying half blind and high doesn't help but I'd rushed some of the prep and it shows. So I'm a bit disheartened and no way its going to be back on the road for CARS now.

Photos later for anyone who cares.

[Seth]

Sorry to hear of all the problems Hope your head clears OK

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I care! Lets see 'em.

[rustingdeathtrap]

Sorry to hear about that mate. Seems no ones really having much luck around here lately.
One thing i do find amusing though is the fact that inspite of all the health and safty advice i've heard you give to people on here and the fact that you really do know your stuff when it comes to this sort of thing, what in the unholy name of satan made you think it would be a good idea to wash your face with thinners. I'm blaming being locked in a confinde space with all those paint fumes for too long. ;D

[akku]

Does the expression "do as I say not do as I do" mean anything to you?

[samyboy]

go pour brake fluid over the neighbours car, you will feel so much better

[akku]

LOL, they're OK. They have two small kids (baby and a toddler) so I can understand them being a bit concerned about clouds of vapour drifting across their garden and smelling in their house.

I'm looking at options to paint elsewhere in future, TBH I don't like the mess it makes in the garage either.

[samyboy]

fair point then really you'll get thjere in the end and if you ever see my £26 paint job close up yours will be fine

talking of resprayed retro(ish) cars got into college today PINK PANDA so kool ill post pictures later

[mercmad]

What sort of gun are you using?,the old style sucktion gun (with the pot underneath) is a bit inefficient,buy a cheap HVLP conversion gun off one of the ebay sites and you'll find that the paint vapour is minimal.
When i use mine the fumes can be seen comming off the primer as it cures ,the paint spray is almost nonexistant.
And the paint useage will drop dramatically,I bought 5 liters of clear to do the Merc and still have 3 liters of clear left over...which I suspect i'll need to repair the insects etc stuck in the paint .
I am still assembling it ( after 3 years in bits i have a bit a problem finding things...) but as you see it's OK from a distance..such as UK to OZ... ;D

I spent a few dollarsa on some cheap plastic drop sheets which I stuck all over the place to seal the shed,then used a second hand extractor fan to suck the air and excess fumes outside.I am in the middle of a lot of buildings with a lot of people so I timed my painting times to the evening for the base,then really early in the morning for the clear coats.Theres no one about on a Saturday or Sunday so there wasn't any danger of killing the neibourhood.
Isocynates are volatile organic compounds ,whose danger lessens once thet curing process isd underway,so the smell might be bads but it won't hurt anyone down wind unless they make a point of deep beathing the fumes...then they deserve to die of lung cancer....

[akku]

I have a Devilbis GTi trans tech gun. (its the Spectrum special edition too, wooo!) Thats a LVLP type gravity fed gun. Its a beauty to use as well, so long as the airlines not all clogged up with condensation.... You're going to get fumes building up with no extraction regardless of the gun. I'm just going to have to time it to when they are out in future if I do it here.

[Deleted]

Ironically you probably made the smell of fumes worse by spraying with the doors and wondows shut. What would normally have blown away with the wind has soaked into your walls and is being released in slow stinky evaporation. The smell usually clears from my garage within a few hours when I've been spraying with the door open.

[ramblerv8]

Umm did the very same at work not so long ago , my airbrush exploded in my face leaving me a nice gunmetal shade of silver , grabbed the thinners and rag , aaaahhhhhhhhh clean face , followed by extreme dry burning face , warm water will solve that !!!!! oh no its worse . Very red face for an hour or two . But alls fine now . good lesson learnt . And oh yes the fumes , if breathed too much can give you the shakes !! frightening , and ive been working in it for 11 years . coloured eye brows and nose hair are the norm .!!!