Valspar Paint and Review

I kept my finger's crossed till about the time I shot and boy I'm very please with Valspar.  The match was right on and the coverage was excellent when compared to its rival Nason.  I immediately notice the difference from when I opened the can and I'm very happy with  the results.  It's priced a little higher than nason  but given the material saved vs. cost, Valspar won this round.  Here's the vehicle I  shot using Valspar (metallic silver).

Valspar Metallic Silver
3 medium wet coats
2 coats clear

The lower bumper on both Right and left had deep scratches that needed filler/prime/paint.  The damage at the center of the bumper was repaired and also spotted.

Another view, the area above the emblem was spotted to hide putty used to repair stone chips.

Effect had moderate damage that was repaired using filler and repainted.

Another one down, black Hyundai Forte Hood

 

On this Hyundai Forte, there are fine scratches that look like they where made by a steel wool. I did the least aggressive method first and attempted to "cut and buff" to no success. 

The only other solution was to repaint over the damage. The scratches were not deep enough for primer, however, it took wetsanding with 400 then 600 to level the area to where painting can core the damage. 

(The picture above is how it looked after wetsanding).

This is the finished product. It took 3 medium coats to cover the scratches. 

After two coats of clear and a cut and buff, this vehicle was good to go.

Note:  The front bumper was spotted aswell. 

Lessons learned: 

1.  Black covers quickly and easily 

2.  Color matching is easier

3.  Black scratches are easier to see :)

DeVilbiss 803311 SRiPro Spot Repair Gun

Finally,  my next goal has been achieved!  Just ordered my Spot Gun!  Using the Plus gun for every repair was tuff but now that it has an ally, I'm very excited about what's to come.  I will  post a review in the future. 

Also, I will be giving the Dekups system a try.  Should be fun!

This Ford Focus was fun

This car was a little more work than expected but I'm glad that it came out great.  I had to spot paint the front and rear bumpers and cut off at the body line at the Quarter Panel.  This job was an econo job so I had cut costs by not removing as much parts as possible.

 

 

 

Here is a view of the after photo.  Color blends in nicely.

As you  can see, the bodyline on the Qtr. panel came in handy for this blend

Fender came out decent, Mission accomplished on this job.

Valspar Automotive paint 1 of 2

Last night I had the opportunity to use a new paint from a new distributor.  Valspar Automotive paint.   To give a quick summary, I have shot Dupont, Nason, & PPG.  I really adore Dupont because of the color matching ease, however, with budget/econo  jobs, going cheaper on the paint is necessary to make a profit.  Normally, nason would be my choice of econo paint, however, a new player has come to the table.

Valspar Paint is, so far, awesome.  I opened up the pint can I got from A-line and I immediately noticed the difference in color, thickness and quality.  I reduced it 75 percent than what it asked and shot the paint.  Before I continue, let me add that it was a silver metallic.

The paint shot clean, color looked great both on the test panel and bumper and needed 3 coats to cover primer spots vs nason where i  used several more coats.

So far, Valspar shows a great promise in budget/econo paint.  I'm going to buy again today for this black Hyundai Forte I just got in,  I  will post an update soon...

-Fingers Crossed-

What I have learned in a few weeks...

Now that I'm painting, blending, spotting, I can truly say the following:
1.  Learn the prep side of the job as much as possible and never stop learning
2.  Master the buffing techniques
3.  Follow your mind, heart, and gut
4.  No FEAR
5. Positive thinking
6.  Pause and rest before shooting, don't be wound up or stressed
7.  Learn to sand paint defects
8.  Don't be lazy
9.  Learn from your mistakes
10.  Take in advice
!!11.  Visualize your strategy before you shoot!!!
12.  ADAPT AND OVERCOME, NEVER GIVE UP OR DOUBT YOURSELF

A little over a month later...

So much has changed in the past month and it was a great move to embark in a new journey.  I moved on from Eagle and moved into a new position, Automotive Painter, (in training).  I have to admit, the last few weeks have been like painting bootcamp.  See, in this training, I do not have room for error.

In the past, I read, watched and practiced surface preparation, painting small parts and spent many moments visualizing best practices and form.  All this training has for sure came into play these last few weeks in my en devours.  I have painted over 10 cars already and none have failed and they looked great!  Of course, trash, sags and other defects came across but I fixed them all only needing to repaint/spot one time.  Even the infamous "silver Metallic" was a success!

Here are some photos of just a few of my  accomplishments.

Right Fender and Right side of Bumper was damaged during a minor traffic accident.  Only glaze was needed to fill in large chips and scrapes.  I don't have a photo of the complete bumper with damage, however, I assure you, it was bad.

 

 

This is an example of what I was dealing with, it wasn't the worst but good thing 3m spot putty stage 3 was around to save the day.

This is the  outcome I came out with.  The fender damage and repair made the blend easier to accomplish and the stone chips was a challenge but a blend was still achieved especially near the hood.  Mottling wasn't an issue but doesn't mean it can happen if I'm not careful.

The damage on this vehicle was significant.  We managed to get the repair done to customer satisfaction.  This job required more black paint and painting inside the trunk.

Here is the outcome.  I had to use a basecoat that was similar to the same color.  It came our great!  Customer was ecstatic.

This repair included this lower portion of the drivers qtr. panel, bed gate and bumper, (2 portions).  There was a hard line making a spot job achievable.  This job had pearl.  My first 3 stage attempt.  I had to do a layout card to assure the correct amount of pearl would be applied.

Here's the gate.

Here's on side of the bumper, the other side was similar in damage/repair.

Here is the outcome of the qtr panel spot.

Gate completed

Bumpers right out of the paint booth.