I started painting computer cases with a proffesional touch up gun now and I'm having a little problem. Every time I spray something I get tons of these little dots, bumps, dimples, pimples or whatever you want to call them. Its driving me insane since you cant really sand mettalic paint much and when I do sand them they start looking like fish eyes untill its completely sanded by then its to late and the mettalic is sanded to far. I dont know if its my spraying, the gun, regulator, ect. Its a expensive gun and I've never seen anything like this, its totally unacceptable. Any ideas would be great. Dan

Are you using a primer first? Something opaque but of a "related" color to the one you are applying on top. I am not sure, I only knew about car paint and that was a long time ago... maybe the case metal doesn't like the paint you are using and the other way around, so the primer will combine both.

Sounds like the paint is not atomizing properly.Up the airflow, drop the paint flow and back the gun off of the surface to be painted a little.
If it's bubbling, pinching or cracking you need to clean very good & prime with the appropriate primer.
Post a pic if you can that may help in defining the problem.

im pretty sure that is the problem. i saw something like that before without using the primer first

Thanks for the replies. I'm sure it has to be something with the paint or gun becasue it happens on every surface. Primed or painted it dosent matter. I've even use several types of primer and its always the same thing. If I clean it dosent help. I'm using omni AU paint thats made to be painted right over enamel paint or primer. Thanks for the advice so far I 'm going to keep trying maybe whip out the big gun but that takes alot of paint. Thanks, Dan:)

what kind of equipment do you use ? ....id like to know - because i am thinking of purchasing something of this kind very soon

I provided links to the paint guns. Both I got at sears. I would highly reccomend spraying this way it cuts the work in half. It never drips. Mine might be dirty or clogged causing the problem I'm having. I didnt use it for about 15 years and then I just tried it again to paint a case now, not having it claened or anything. Just dont skimp on buying a cheap gun. It gives you a 10X better paint job without sanding. Its like glass or a hard ceramic like finish. The touch up gun works best for case painting becasue the bigger one takes to much paint. It dosent spray with a small amount I think it holds an entire quart. You need about a quarter of a quart to paint the entire case. What you need to buy is a compressor that has enough psi for the gun, a filter/drier so no moisture from the compressor enters the gun, the hoses, and of course you gun. Once you have this you need the paint. Go to any paint store that carries auto stuff and ask for a quart of paint. Look through there book and pick a color I almost always go with a quart of mettalic black its my favorite. This is what you will all need from them and prices.

Quart of paint- SPG 52 dollars a quart( made for durable auto finish but not neccesary for a case that sits in a room) I buy Omni-AU at 22 dollars a quart
Hardner-13 dollars for a pint
Thinner-18 dollars a gallon
Clear coat if desired-18 dollars Omni AU
Hardner for clear- 2 pints 12 dollars each
( They generally give you filters for paint,stir sticks, mixing cups ect.)

Mixing is extremely easy.

Heres the links to the guns
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?...UseBVCookie=Yes Touch up gun

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?...otive+Air+Tools Spray gun

Let me know if you need any other info I know what Im doing and have been through much with painting like this already. Thanks, Dan

that is call fish eye . It has nothing to do with your paint gun .it is caused by oil , cig smoke , silcone spray.oil from your hands on the parts to be painted. theres two things you can do.

#1 any auto paint store carrys Greese and wax remover to be use before painting

#2 they also cary fisheye elamanter that you mix in the paint it self

Sorry its hard to describe what they actually are but there not fish eyes. I've had them before but these are not. They look like fish eyes after there sanded but there not. I always wipe my piece down with prep solvent before I paint. I minimized my problem now by doing what the one guy reccomened by turning the pressure up paint down and holding the gun farther away. Thanks, Dan

my guess then would be water in your air

agree

Where are you painting this unit?
Also for all you guys that want a real good spray gun i recommend SATA brand.

I was painting outside my shop untill a bug landed on it then I moved inside and closed everything up. Maybe it is moisture. I've never seen this happen on paint before and I've seen every kind of bad pint job there is. I have a book on it and cant even mach there pictures with mine for this problem.

Hey danzgpgt97 u have any picture of ur work?

Not right now but I will when I get the thing finally finished.

Hmm, what about the paint mix? I totally forgot to tell you about this and how if its too rich it could be hard to work with... I really don't remember how things were done exactly, last time I painted a car was in the 1980's, hehe... but believe me I knew what i was doing then

....what kind of an air compressor is enough for those kinds of jobs - paiting a case and such - what would you recommend

so far....on my shopping list i got the

spray gun
and the
touch up gun


...btw...if you will...i would really appreciate if you could explain the difference between two !?


and also...

what else would i need to complete the system....pretty much have me ready to go

Well there's a big difference in the two guns as far as cfm air needed. if your just gonna do cases the spot guns all you need. and you can get away with a lot smaller compressor. the big guns gonna need 11cfm so your talking a
3+ horse compressor. something like a 60 gal upright. the spot gun you can get away with a 2 horse 30 gal compressor. As far as water in the air goes well your gonna have a lot. cheep old school water drier. take a 25 foot piece of air hose. coil it up in a five gal can. fill up the can with water. It will cool the air . put your water trap at the other end and keep it drained

My paint mixture is fine it was 4:1:1. I'm thinking theres dirt or moisture in my line. Like I said I didnt use the stuff and it was sitting around for 15 years or more. My spray gun is 30 years old but the design hasent changed for the new sears. Strangely my touchup gun takes 50psi and my big spray gun takes 40psi. Go figure. I read my paint gun manual and couldnt find anything about CFM's needed they all are rated in PSI. So something that has over 50 maybe 100 PSI should be good. That doesnt matter to me becaues I have a 6ft tall sears compressor for mechanics suff so it works for me. And the drier of course. Like the other guy said you only need a touchup gun. The big one is for painting cars or in my case semi trucks. It would be to big for a case and take way to much paint. Like I said it takes about a quarter of a quart to paint a entire case. The big gun has about a 1/4" of paint in the pot that dosent pickup in the end. Thanks, Dan