opinions on rattle can primer/paint

[jiggs]

Here is my take on things. If you bought self etching primer and urethane or epoxy primer in a rattle can, you will be all right. If it says laquer on the can, throw it away, it is useless. The laquer primer is the stuff that is pourous and will allow water through to start rusting in a few days. If you are priming the whole clip, I would suggest going to the gun and compressor and mixing the primer. If you are just touching up a few little spots, then the rattle can is OK. Also, get the primer that is "high build". That way you can sand off the orange peel finish that it leaves, so you have a nice flat surface.

As far as rattle-can paint and looking good. Those two words don't work together. If you want a nice shiney finish you will have to go to a gun and compressor. As said above there is not enough pressure or volume of paint to make your finish look good. Rattle can paint was made to paint little parts, not your whole truck. You will be less than impressed if you use it.

As far as HVLP guns. It is high volume low pressure, and that defines the air going thru the gun, nothing to do with the paint. It allows the same amount of paint thru, but there is less pressure, so there is less overspray, which means less in the air, which means more on the truck, which means less wasted, which means less used. I would not try to paint with an HVLP without at least 10cfm @ 90psi 60 gal compressor behind it. These guns need a constant air supply that is not going to fluctuate all the time. Without constant air pressure the paint coming out of the gun is going to lay down differently ever inch that you spray with it. That could end with an interesting finish.

People may get away with a smaller compressor, but how they keep water at bay and keep a constant pressure, I don't know.

There is nothing wrong with quality spray bomb paint (non laquer) for small things like a bracket or little parts. You can apply enough paint by repeated coverings. When you get into big areas there simply isn't enough time to get the required paint on before it flashes off. Also there isn't enough pressure to get a non orange peel finish.