It's very hard, if not impossible at times, to explain to someone how to paint over the 'net. You have to have the proper air pressure, paint flow, through the gun to acheive something close to what you want. Then the technique is the other 50% of the equation. You want nice even strokes, do not snap your wrist, come off of you piece you are painting, know when to let off of the trigger and when to pull the trigger. You will have air temperature factored in, metal temperature factored in, humidity factored in, etc. I used to lay down single stage where no buffing was required. I have also seen single stage where it looked like it was put on with a nappy roller.
The forum that tciani pointed out is a very good one. You will want to pick up a Tyvek paint suit, disposable, around $10. You also will want to get a fairly decent respirator. 3M make a good one with replacable cartridges and a respirator is a must. PPE is a necessity with painting. And ISOCYANATE poisoning is no laughing matter. I have a cousing that developed it and if he is sround paint that has isocyanates, he will break out in a huge overall rash that he says is worse that poison ivy, Not only does it itch, it burns and he has been in the hospital on a few occasions. BTW...he is a painter.
Read your material sheets on the proper mixing. Pick up some mixing cups where ever you get your supplies. They are only a few cents apiece. Follow the instructions to the "T". Don't skimp trying to save a dollar or two as it can cost way more in the long run.
If you never sprayed before, get a piece or two of scrap metal and enough paint to do your project plus practice. One of the most common mistakes that I have seen painters make is twisting the wrist. Using the right hand for example and going from left to right on a panel, you want to start your spray off of the panel come across the panel and release your spray off of the right hand side. This is with the gun STRAIGHT at the panel. Some painters or wannabees for a better term will use a paint gun like a garden hose. Just picture watering plants in a flower bed without moving. The bed is 20 foot long and you are standing in the middle, You point the hose to the left and start spraying, coming across to where you are in the middle, then sweeping it to the right. The highest concentration of water is directly in fromt of you. The same with paint, if you do it that way (which a lot of people have and do), you will get a run where the highest concentration of paint is, and your outer edges of the panel will have a rougher texture and appear duller. MOVE YOUR FEET AND BODY and keep the gun the same distance throughout the panel coming on and off. And overlap your strokes about 35%-50%.
When it comes to materials, try to stay with the same product line, don't mix and match using PPG for this, Dupont for that, Nason for something else. Stay with one. When you go to your jobber to pick up materials, ask him or her a lot of questions. If you don't knw what you are doing, or what to ask, let them know that and they can hook you up. I have yet see a jobber that has not been extra helpful either to the novice backyard painter or to the pro that is in on a daily basis. They tend to treat all customers the same. It's hard to tell you what all you will need without seeing what you have already, but they can hook you up in 5 minutes. Use that to your advantage.
Good luck and post up some pics of your project.
