Keeping it Clean When Painting
Painting is one of those things that once something goes wrong is bad you can’t undo it. This means that no matter how much you work to block sand everything flat, lay perfect primer, paint, and clear; if you didn’t prep the panel correctly all of the technique in the world won’t save you. We decided to give a crash course in preparing a car or panel for painting and the things you may want to make sure you do before you pull the trigger on your paint gun.
- Pneumatic Blow Gun- Air pressure can help clean all of the residual dirt and dust off of a panel before you’re ready to paint. We suggest blowing your entire shop out before you do any type of painting. This will reduce the dust that could get kicked up on the floors or anywhere else. From there you can take a blow gun and force any dust laying on the parts off with air pressure. This is a simple task that often gets overlooked and can cause excessive dirt or debris in paint or clear coat.
- Wipe Panel Down With PRE– Use a Paint Prep Like PRE Paint Prep and a clean lint-free Paint Prep Wipe to wipe down all panels. This will take any stubborn sanding dust or grease off of the panel. Follow up with a fresh dry rag afterwards to fully dry the panel and make sure the PRE has fully dried or been removed. If at any time the rag falls on the ground DO NOT continue to reuse it. This could introduce dirt onto the surface again.
- Tack Rag- Just before you begin to paint a panel you should use a fresh Tack Rag to wipe the panel down with. Some painters like to keep a tack rag or “cheese cloth” in one hand and wipe the panel down seconds before they pull the trigger. Tack Rags have just enough stickiness that they can pull any remaining dirt or dust off the panel and won’t leave a harmful residue on the surface.
- Wear a Paint Suit and Head Sock– Wearing these safety items while prepping a car or panel for paint will save any extra hair or dirt from falling off of your person and onto the panel.
- Wear Rubber or Nitrile Gloves– Once you get to the stage of handling parts for primer or paint you should wear rubber or nitrile gloves to keep the oils from your hands getting onto the surface. Fisheyes and imperfections in paint and clear can be caused from just handling parts with bare hands and should be avoided in the steps before paint and clear coat.
Hopefully these tips help you with getting perfectly clean parts before paint. To see our full line of automotive painting products visit our site HERE.