. If you have to buy a Compressor, Paint Guns, Paint strainers, Respirators, tyvek Suits, Clean up rags etc...
your costs will be a whole lot more. I'm basically talking about the cost of the Paint.
Ok, here's my recommended formula for Majic Oil Based Acrylic Enamel Paint (Sold @ Tractor Supply Stores) for Roll n' Roll and for Spraying. (
There is an extensive Aluminum Boat Prep Sticky here...
This is for Roll n' Roll Application both on Fiberglass and Aluminum.
Final sand with 220 - 320 grit and wipe down with 50/50 mix of Mineral Spirits/Acetone.
(Do not thin the Primer. Do not add Hardener to the Primer.)
Apply 2 coats of primer. Follow the directions on the Primer Can for Re-Coat times. Use 3M Scotch Brite pads or 320 grit sandpaper to knock of the nubs between Primer coats then wipe down with Mineral Spirits. Just a Damp cloth. Not to much.
Use the Ultra Smooth Whizz Brand High Density 4" or 6" Foam Rollers. Let the Primer cure for 2-4 Hours before Shooting the first coat of Color.
Mixing Formula for Final Color Coats
2 cups Paint
1/4 cup of Majic Reducer (Note: You may add more reducer if needed to make the paint flow/shoot better. Up to 1/2 cup)
1 oz of Hardener per 2 cups of Paint (1/8 cup/2Tablespoons)(Sold @ Tractor Supply Stores)
***Mix Paint, Reducer and Hardener and let "Cook" For 30 mins. Re-Stir every 10 mins during the 30 minute cooking process.
Roll n' Roll Technique
Wet roller with paint and roll out about 4-6 square feet.
Thin coats work best and help prevent runs. If you can HEAR the paint (Sticky Sound) STOP! You are rolling too long. Put the first roller in a Plastic bag and use another roller. wet it out but with paint and then wring out almost all of the paint and then Re-roll the area you just painted. Use a very
LIGHT stroke and the paint should lay down with NO Bubbles!. Put this roller in the bag and use the other roller, Load it with paint and Roll again. Repeat this process until the boat is painted. Always do the re-roll with a damp roller with very little paint in it and LISTEN. You will hear the sound that lets you know when it's time to stop. It's kind of a sticky sound.
Here's a link to 2 videos showing the technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MekW6..._order&list=UL
For Spraying.
Final sand and wipe down with 50/50 mix of acetone and MS.
Two coats of Primer. Use HVLP spray gun with a 1.2 - 1.4mm Tip. Thin coats!!!
For 1 qt paint
1/4 cup of Acetone & 1/2 cup of Majic's Reducer. (add more reducer as needed)
In High Temps use Acrylic Enamel High Temp Reducer sold at some Auto Supply stores. (I used Acme Finish 1 from Advance Auto.)
2oz of Hardener (1/4 cup/4Tablespoons)
(NOTE: Only add Hardener to the amount of Paint that you will use in an 8hr period.) DO NOT use after this 8hr period.
I mixed up 2 cups (1/2 qt) at a time using 1oz of hardener, 1/2 cup of reducer.
One Quart should yield two coats of Paint on a 16 ft hull. If you're painting the Top Cap only, 1 qt. of paint should be all you need. Primer and Color.
Shoot first coat in the morning.
Wait 4-6 hours.
Wet sand with ScotchBrite Pad LIGHTLY to knock down any nubs or bugs.
Dry.
Tack cloth off with 50/50 mix of Mineral Spirits and Acetone.
Dry.
Shoot second Coat.
Let dry over night
Repeat wet sand and Tack cloth
Shoot 3rd and 4th coat if needed.
HINT: If you want a COLOR that you cannot find, then you can use Acrylic Artists OIL paint thinned with acetone from any Art supply store that you buy in tubes or use another color of the Majic Paint. You can also use other colors of the Majic Paint to mix the Color you want. This link...http://www.enchantedlearning.com/art/Colormixing.shtml will tell you
how to mix colors to get the color you're wanting. It's not to hard to do. Start with small amounts, keep track of the ratio and then multiply it to get the amounts you need. You can get ANY Color in the Rainbow and it works GREAT!! Note: Colors change when the paint drys so use a hairdryer to dry your samples quickly.
