Technical The tradition of brush painting a hot rod

The Collier Collection has and restores many high end race cars.Anyway several years ago at the Harry Miller Club meet they showed up with an early twin cam Peugeot racer.Because the car was constructed prior to WW1 it was originally brush painted.I asked the mechanic who was tending the car how they achieved such a high quality brush paint job,he replied they sprayed the car and then before the final coat dried they ran a brush over the wet paint.

 

Which one is faster? I.E. Hot Rod...


"I need my mirror boy"

 

I remember my dad painting an old Hudson with a paint mitt available back then at Pep Boys. I think they sold a complete kit , paint , bucket , glove (like a car wash mitt) thinner and a brush.

 

I didn't read all of the responses about the newer two part paints but the older single stage paints flow beautifully with PENETROL!

I used PENETROL on semi trailers with phenomenal results!

 

I've brush painted four cars years ago with enamel, no brush marks, no sanding or buffing needed.
Ill get to the secret of no brush marks shortly.
Recently, I painted a car trailer for a buddy with modern paint. It wasn't two pack, but it sure did stink.
Using a brush, (and brush quality ain't that important, as the bristles will fall outa cheap and expensive)
I found that the fast drying to be a pain, but no real hassel , and paint job came out reasonable.

Now to the secret of no brush marks.
Its simply to matt the paint. In other words, do horizontal strokes, then vertical over top of horizontal.
An old painter taught me this years ago. It takes practice and a little longer, but the results are well worth it.

 

Interesting thread. My grandpa painted his 1936 Chevy during the war with a brush with surplus warplane paint from the factory. Funny colors to be sure. He painted the whitewalls on the tires too because there was no rubber to be found. Made running boards out of crates from the factory too. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Traditional? You bet.

 

I've got a big air compressor and a spray gun and a paint mask here. I've spray painted a few cars in my garage. What a mess! The last few spray paint jobs I've done have been done outside because I don't want to change the color of the entire contents of my garage. I really want to keep my 20 year old Miller welder blue. Since my house is white, doing much spraying outside is not much of an option. I can brush paint the vehicle inside my shop and make a much smaller mess then spraying would make. It also takes away some of the effects or the weather. The last few paint jobs have been brush painted, inside my garage. I usually use the Valspar Anti-Rust oil based paint from our local Farm store. A gallon of paint, a gal of thinner (to clean me up) and 2 One Step brushes, one 2" wide and one 3" wide. I do a panel at a time, and clean up everything between panels. It takes a little longer, but the paint doesn't start setting up in the brushes. I finish a panel, clean up, then start on the next panel. Do the whole vehicle that way. About 8 hours after I first started, I will start a 2nd coat. Same process as the first coat, same order on the panels. It gives a very thick coat of paint, but makes a very long day. The vehicle sits inside over night, (if its going to get near 50 degrees, I'll turn up the heat, I like to maintain about 70) and if its not raining, it goes outside the next morning, and hopefully, the sun is shinning, that helps with the paint flowing out. Takes 5 days for the paint to be dry enough to not worry about, the paint is very soft the first couple days. It takes 10 days for the paint to hard cure, and 2-3 weeks before it can be sanded, if its going to be. The Anti-Rust stuff looks great for about 3 years before bright colors start to fade (without waxing). I think I might try the Tractor Enamel next time, to see if its more color fast. Then again, its almost 2X the price.

I can tell you brush painting outside on a hot, sunny, day results in paint with a lot more brush strokes, and its harder on the brushes. If its cold, the paint dries much slower, and that too is hard on the brushes. Gene

 

I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts about painting a car with a brush.

I have a friend who also primes his cars with a brush and after watching him do this on a few different cars and trucks and noticing how smooth it came out it stuck me what a time saver it is over masking and spraying it was.

When I looked close you could not tell it was not sprayed on and he said to me why use the spray gun and have the clean up mess!!!

I am in the process of getting a truck ready for paint and I am going to give it a try.

I love using my HVLP Turbine system because of very little over spray on everything in the shop.

Jimbo

 

A late two cents worth. When I was approaching 16yrs of age my Dad, a painter by trade, wouldn't let me buy a 31 Vicky but instead bought the next door little old lady's 47 Nash coupe and I believe he was going to give it to me. I would not have anything to do with it. I came home about two days later and he was sanding that coupe and I asked him how he was going to paint it. Well he was going to brush it on. I bemoaned the fact that it would have brush marks galore but he proceeded just the same and when it dried out, not one brush mark. What he used was a brush lacquer by duPont (no longer made) and it worked like a million bucks. Great gloss and shine to it. Painted two tone grey. I wrote duPont recently about that product and they acknowledged the product but advised that it had been discontinued years ago. Too bad that they don't mfg. a brush product today for those who cannot afford that $10k paint job. Isn't it amazing how smart your parents get as the older you get :>). By the way, that was in 1960.

Here's an article on latex paints for boats. An interesting read and have wondered why not on a vehicle. If you have the time I suggest reading this as it will generate some thought on one's ideas of painting.

< http://www.simplicityboats.com/latexcarnel.html >

 

I keep having nightmares about spraying catalyzed enamel thru the wives old hoover spray attachment.

 

I learned from My uncle who painted logos and badges on many semi trucks and fire engines and his brush paint jobs were just as smooth as the highly polished surface it was painted on.

That's why I'm not opposed to brush painting a car... again the secret is to use "PENETROL" !

 

Just wondering out loud.

For years I have used a product called PaintSav which is made by Sapphire Paints here in Florida.

If you put a few drops in each can of One Shot paint which is used for pinstripping and lettering the paint will never skin over again as it does now each time it is exposed to air.

This product also enhances the flow of the paint.

Could this be Penetrol in a pint can?

Thanks Jimbo

 

Jacobs...

 

The 'active' ingredient in Penetrol is linseed oil, naphtha, and mineral spirits. Not really much of a secret; artists have been using linseed oil (boiled with metallic driers) for centuries. Just beware that linseed oil has a tendency to 'tint' the paint and may darken with age.

 

How did you think they painted cars before spray guns were invented?
My uncle was a very clever car painter who learnt painting with a brush then spraying as it became the norm. He would two tone a car by spraying the body then brushing the guards. A one day job rather than a two day job masking and spraying. Forget brush marks you would not tell the difference between the brush and the spray.
He was a master of pin striping, lining he used to call it. He would wire two striping brushes together, load them with different colours and lay a two tone pin stripe.

 

Linseed oil and cotton rags will ignite if left balled up and forgotten. I don't know if it was already mentioned as I didn't read all the replies. The secret to a brush painted car? Shut up about it. Don't tell anyone and when you show up in one color you get rave reviews. I've brushed primer on dozens of times. A small area, no more than a square foot. Do I spend an hour masking and mixing, spraying, cleaning up? Sometimes a good natural bristle brush and 4:1 primer can be good friends. I'll agree with "matting" the finish, but the other secret to brushing anything 4:1 is to let that first coat dry to the touch. Keep your material covered and cool or it'll set up in the cup since those first coats will take some time to set up enough. Too soon, you drag off the first, too late, no adhesion. About 20 min (temp has a lot to do with it) between coats. While not technical, there's huge entertainment value when your coworkers see it done for the first time. Words like "hack" and the ever popular "...what the fuck!" are worth the price of admission. Just sayin...

 

Actually if I am not mistaken the raven's '54 AD truck is mostly painted with a brush and tractor enamel. he did use rattle can epoxy on his dash though. it has worn the same paint job for over 10 years that I know of. I expect we will bury him in that old truck.

here is another thought, in the past I have painted motor cycles with a pump bug sprayer. It was one of those, "I have a quart of metallic paint and no other way to apply it." I painted a beetle bug with a roller and catalyzed enamel as well ( it turned out fuzzy I should have used a short nap roller ) and here is one that most will not remember, the Hoover vacuum cleaners used to come with a spray attachment. Everyone knew someone's mom who had one and we painted many an old hooptie in the driveway with a Hoover.

Just other options for those who are daring or just want to drive their old jalopy/beater and are not after the **R.I.P. look.

Rustoleum only came in cans to be brushed when I was a kid and it flowed out really well. I still think that a slow catalyst and a brush will work. The clincher will be if the paint doesn't flow put well and color sanding between coats will no doubt be a must do if one is looking for a smoothie.

** R.I.P- Rust In Peace.

 

had a bodyman friend that learned his trade in australia during the war, they had no replacement parts or filler. made fenders andetc. out back w/sledge hammer, then sand bag then eng. wheel. he was amagician w/metal, he could, hammer,shrink, strech metal to where all he had to do is prime it befor paint ,no filler. oh, they painted everything w/brush in aust. used a brushing enaml and spec. dryers, john was an artisen to watch work. r.i.p. john michel.

 

That's exactly what happened to my uncle's paint vehicles as they too were brush painted!

No wonder why I like that look!

 

This thread needs more pictures.

 

Right, we need photos!

I get the penetrol but I'm trying to figure out catalyzed automotive paint like PPG etc. I'm pretty sure you can't be adding Penetrol to that.

 

Penetrol is for oil based (enamel) paint. What 2k paint are you trying to brush? Epoxy? Urethane?

 

PPG Omni Urethane

 

I'd contact PPG...they may have a retarder that would slow the reaction down enough for you to lay it down with a brush.

 

Sorry no hot rod pics here but I did play around with my fridge today
Purposefully for this thread though.
It's was pretty rough and very well abused,

A bit hard to make out in this mid progress shot but the right 1/2 is painted.


Side finished and has some shine and depth where there was none before






Looks as good as any brand new appliance finish you'd find anywhere.
Certainly acceptable as is for any driver, I wasn't able to get a perfect surface be cause original surface texture was there.
Maybe I'll wet sand and buff it.
Surface prep was Tsp wash only and painted in oilbase with penetrol, so the starting surface was not perfectly flat like block sanding would have done,

 

You can buy boat paint that is called liner polyurethane that can be brushed rolled or sprayed on, and it's a two part, maybe three part that has to fester for about 45 minutes before application, and I believe you get about an hour and a half before it kicks. I did one of my first boat restorations with it in the 90's and it came out great. I think that it was made by west systems, but not for sure.

 

I did. They wanted nothing to do with this idea at all. Lol

 

Hahaha, no surprise there! Lemme do some research and I'll get back with you...

In the mean time (and when the weather clears), I'll get some panels painted up with enamel. Been wanting to do this for a while to demonstrate the technique.

 

I will be interested in your thread.

Someone asked for pics, I don't know about anyone else but 40+ years ago I didn't own a camera and I have not brush painted anything since the '70s ( the fuzzy bug was far out back then by the way).

Anyway getting back on the topic MrWhite any chance you could fire me off a note when you post your panels? Are you going to be posting in the The Hardscrabble Hop-Up or a separate thread?

 

Hey 'beaner, I'll post up a separate thread...will post a link right here!