Budget Setup For Painting Outside (Preventing Dirt, Grass and Bugs From Getting Into Paint)

[TheCamaroKid]

I live in a typical Florida super division, that has that crappy saint augustine grass. On a day like today, even when the wind is less than 5 mph, when I try to paint, the wind always choose to blow at that time and dust and grass end up in the paint. Or a bug (or 3) lands in it! I have a painters taint, I'm sure it's better than not using one but it still doesn't seem to help much.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I must just have a charmed life. I've been getting away with painting mostly outside, bug-and-dirt-free for, like, 60 years.  

[TheCamaroKid]

13 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I must just have a charmed life. I've been getting away with painting mostly outside, bug-and-dirt-free for, like, 60 years.  

I guess so. Because I cannot win. Today, I had 3 bugs land in my paint. What are the odds? Almost everday, something seems to blow into it.

What set up do you use?

[Ace-Garageguy]

11 minutes ago, TheCamaroKid said:

...What set up do you use?

I just hold whatever it is in a gloved hand, and spray away.  

Edited March 14, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy

[av405]

If I have to paint outside, I'll paint near a fence line where there is no grass or in my garage, just inside the door.

[TheCamaroKid]

2 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I just hold whatever it is in a gloved hand, and spray away.  

I try that using one of those Tamiya paint stands and sometimes bugs and dust still end up in the paint. Where do you put your models to dry?

[TheCamaroKid]

4 minutes ago, av405 said:

If I have to paint outside, I'll paint near a fence line where there is no grass or in my garage, just inside the door.

I've been trying to paint near the fence using a painter's tent but still not look. Sandly no garage option.

[Ace-Garageguy]

3 minutes ago, TheCamaroKid said:

...Where do you put your models to dry?

I shoot mostly lacquer, so it dries "dust free" in less than a minute, usually. Lots to be said for shooting lacquer...and if a little trash does get in it, it's usually pretty easy to sand and polish out.

Occasionally I'll need something to stay enamel-glossy, like wheels, and I'll take them inside as soon as they're covered...holding them wet-side down so stuff doesn't fall in the wet paint. Bugs rarely fly up from under something, too.

This wheel was shot outside with Testors enamel. No trash in the paint, just a few dust specks I should have blown off before taking the photo.

[TheCamaroKid]

3 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I shoot mostly lacquer, so it dries "dust free" in less than a minute, usually. Lots to be said for shooting lacquer...and if a little trash does get in it, it's usually pretty easy to sand and polish out.

Occasionally I'll need something to stay enamel-glossy, like wheels, and I'll take them inside as soon as they're covered...holding them wet-side down so stuff doesn't fall in the wet paint. Bugs rarely fly up from under something, too.

This wheel was shot outside with Testors enamel. No trash in the paint, just a few dust specks I should have blown off before taking the photo.

I'm shooting nothing but Tamiya Lacquer, yet I still can't prevent dirt, dust or grass shavings from getting in the paint.

[Ace-Garageguy]

16 minutes ago, TheCamaroKid said:

I'm shooting nothing but Tamiya Lacquer, yet I still can't prevent dirt, dust or grass shavings from getting in the paint.

All I can suggest is try to shoot your important color coats when there's no wind.

I'll usually shoot several coats of lacquer color, letting it flash between. If anything gets in the first coats, it's not a problem to sand it out prior to the last wet coat(s). Primers always get sanded anyway, so no worries there.

Clears are the worst, as trash will often still show after sanding and polishing.

Maybe...you could try putting down some kind of drop cloth, and do your last color coats in the bathroom with the fan running?

Edited March 14, 2023 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[TheCamaroKid]

4 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

All I can suggest is try to shoot your important color coats when there's no wind.

I'll usually shoot several coats of lacquer color, letting it flash between. If anything gets in the first coats, it's not a problem to sand it out prior to the last wet coat(s). Primers always get sanded anyway, so no worries there.

Clears are the worst, as trash will often still show after sanding and polishing.

Maybe...you could try putting down some kind of drop cloth, and do your last color coats in the bathroom with the fan running?

I might have to try the bathroom idea. Sometimes I just can't see to win with the weather. If it's not windy, then with out fail a bug files into the paint or the windy is 2 mph and it only blows when I paint.

[atomicholiday]

1 hour ago, TheCamaroKid said:

I guess so. Because I cannot win. Today, I had 3 bugs land in my paint. What are the odds? Almost everday, something seems to blow into it.

What set up do you use?

I feel your pain.  Several years ago I was spraying a guitar body outside with lacquer spray cans.  I was into the wet coats and had this little beetle land right on the front of the guitar.  The paint must have started dissolving the bug, because it started sliding down.  It left a little brown streak down the front of my nice white paint job.  

[TheCamaroKid]

I'm wondering if simply using a smaller box rather than a large paint tent would be better. I think the paint tent (despite being small, is still about 3 feet tall and just leaves too much room for everything to get in.