aerosol techniques

These jobs took half a day, with most of ~the time spent waiting for paint to dry and harden – time which I spent out of the workshop to avoid creating dust. Dust can spoil an otherwise good paint job, so it’s important to clean particles off using a tack cloth before applying each coat. Wind and draughts will kick up dust that can land on and stick to fresh paint, though it’s important to spray only in a well ventilated area.

Perfect preparation is another essential to achieving a good finish because the slightest sub-surface blemish will show through. Even if the paint match is perfect, the job can be ruined by poor preparation – aim to get the prepared finish absolutely perfect before spraying. Accurate masking of the area is also vital.

To achieve the best top coat conditions, avoid spraying in humid weather and, in the case of metallic colours, especially silvers, avoid spraying in temperatures above 16 degrees C. Up to 23C is okay with solid colours.

Prior to starting the job, practice the spraying technique, learning the steadiest way to hold the aerosol and moving it across the subject at constant speed and optimum distance. Start the spray away from the subject and bring it across in a single pass and off the other side before releasing the nozzle. When finished, invert the aerosol and press the nozzle until clean air comes out, then release and wipe any paint from the nozzle. If nozzles do become clogged, they can be soaked in thinners, or simply swap the nozzle from another can.