"Tips" on spraying Al's Bed Liner

[Sklptrljay]

I will be spraying my bed tomorrow, I degreased, wire wheeled everything, primed the bare metal with self etching primer, and scuffed the bed. I have everything masked, prepped and ready to rock n' roll (The new green paint at the end of the bed under the tailgate was a touch up and will be masked too).

The spray gun comes with 3 different size tips. I was wondering if anyone that has done this before, could offer some insight as to what tip is best for a nice, even, not too heavily textured end result. Any other advice to help me avoid disaster will be accepted!

I bought 2 gallons, so I should have enough to do a few tests on a scrap piece before I start, but any help would be appreciated. Here are some pictures I took during prep and the tips.

[sboris]

Looks like youve done a good job on prep and taping. I dont know about Al's, but i sprayed the RAPTOR brand, and sprayed well with what i can tell looks like your smaller tip. I would think the larger tip woud make it chunky.. Just test it. One tip: pull your tape off after about an hour, or when you can drag your fingers across it. Dont wait too long, and pull away from the edge as not to "lift" it.. Good luck. Heres mine

[Sklptrljay]

Thanks SBoris. That is the texture I'm looking for. Yours turned out great. I was wondering about the tape vs time question too.

[sboris]

Thanks, with the time youve already taken, im sure it will turn out great! Show apic when your done.

[Sklptrljay]

Here are some pics right after I shot the bed liner, it's still wet in these.

Some things I learned that might help someone else:

1) If you want a fine texture, crank the air up. I started too fat and I didn't get it exactly the way I would have liked to. I turned it up at the end and kind of "misted" everything, but the heavier texture is still there.

2) Al's liner mixing bottle will hold all the components to mix everything...barely. It WILL splatter some material as you mix it, prepare accordingly.

3) If you use the flattener (powder) mix it in first, not last --- see #2.

4) Wear clothes you do not mind throwing away. I DID think about this one before I sprayed.

5) Use an electric drill not battery for mixing. It takes a little muscle to really mix up the product. I DID think about this one too.

6) Use good lighting/sun light. I ended up with a light area that I didn't notice until I backed the truck out into the sun.

7) Acetone is your friend. It will remove the product from the truck and your hands while it is still curing.

8) Pam will work to coat the inside of the sprayer, don't waste the money on the mold release Al's sells for $10+.

9) The $40 sprayer from Al's isn't necessary either. The $20 one from Harbor Freight is exactly the same.

10) Definitely tarp off everything you don't want sprayed. I made a little "booth" around my truck with plastic that worked perfect.

[70LonghornCST]

Looking great!

[ho70]

I used Raptor and the cheaper gun worked the best. I had trouble with the smaller tip and didn't use one at all, just the gun opening. Also, it makes a huge mess. Yours looks good by the way

[sboris]

Looks really good! What pressure did you end up shooting at? I should have mentioned that. I think i was up to almost 70 pounds..

[Sklptrljay]

Originally Posted by sboris

Looks really good! What pressure did you end up shooting at? I should have mentioned that. I think i was up to almost 70 pounds..

I started out at 50 (per conversation with Al's liner tech) and I went too far into the bed before I realized it wasn't going to flatten out into what I wanted. I was using their vinyl flattener/hardener and I think that had something to do with it.

I turned it up to 75 and misted over the top on the second coat. It looks ok, but a little heavier that I wanted it to look. Just like everything else on my truck, it's not good--it's good enough.

[sboris]

Well it looks good anyway. It may not be perfect but there's something to be said about doing it yourself! Good job