To Spray or Not to Spray?

ManiN

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I've seen a few reference posts where folks have actually rolled on their paint to the cabs when restoring. For example, one guy used a TOG stencil for Burgertime side-art, and actually rolled the paint on in between stencils. The final product was amazing. Do any of you have opinions on rolling vs. spraying. I like spraying, but dispise the mixing and extensive cleanup...
 
You already know the answer, and yes the clean up can be a b*tch, but consider..isn't it worth the extra effort if it's something you're keeping? I tried using a foam roller once and ended up sanding it down. I'm not saying you can't get satisfactory results with a roller, but I wouldn't be satisfied with it, and aside from using a lacquer based paint, I'd rather stick closer to the way it was originally done.

Joey
 
I think that no matter how good of a roller guy you are, or how refined you get at rolling on paint....you will always catch an angle of light off a rolled paint job where you can tell it was rolled.

Don't have that problem with spay.
 
Good points. I think Destro has a good point with seeing roller edges. I would say yes, after spending $125 on stencils I should do it justice and spray it...
 
Have to disagree about seeing the edges, If you are any good at rolling you should be able to roll light enough not to see an edge. But I will say there is almost always some texture to a rolled job, while spray can be very smooth. All depends what you want for a finish, and how much work it will be. I love to spray, just rarely do it because of the cleanup.

I've been wanting to try rolling with the paint thinned down as much as when you spray. If you have the surface horizontal it should be thin enough to be as smooth as glass.
I did this with polyurethane on an Oak desk I built. I did a bunch of research online and found a few places that recommended doing it that way. I forget the ratio 50% or 25% thinner. I used a brush but there were no stroke marks, because it was so thin. Like putting on water, it turned out perfect.

Now if I was doing stencils I would probably spray, or do the trick of .. paint first with previous color to avoid runs from it seeping under the edges.

Good points. I think Destro has a good point with seeing roller edges. I would say yes, after spending $125 on stencils I should do it justice and spray it...
 
I've seen plenty of pics of restos here that were rolled on and look awesome but, remember the pics here are much smaller than the real thing and show much less detail than looking at the real thing. After talking to some of the people that have done these restorations and asking them specifically about texture and other small details I continually get the same answer. Although some people can get very good results with a roller, even the best rolled paint job will never be as good as a sprayed cab by someone who knows their way around a spray gun.
 
Rolling is one of those technique things; anyone can do it but it takes some practice to avoid lines and know when to quit. Here's a scratch built Midway cabinet I painted with a nap roller, the surface was well prepped, roller de-linted, and the paint mix was right on.

I've also got spray equipment including an HVLP gun and a regular auto gun, atomizer mix with a 60 gallon compressor, line dryer, ect, but I'm very happy with the results from rolling for these solid color cabs. For stencils, I'd probably spray.

With the right technique, rolling can leave a flawless finish though:
Multicadenewart3.jpg
 
I rolled then ran a brush over my jamma cab that I just finished(there's a post in the resto forum) and it turned out well. Yes, they do look better in pictures because of the size. I would prefer to spray if I had the equipment and I could justify using it enough. But for me it was roller and brush and that was as good as I could do it. I'm not too picky in the end, though. Not something museum quality, just presentable is all.
 
I've been doing a lot of spraying lately with oil based paints and the clean up isn't so bad. It took a while to figure out what works best, but I'm cleaned up in about 10 minutes now.
 
Nothing is as smooth as a sprayed cab but i agree with Mike, a person can easily obtain an awesome finish by rolling if you know how to do it properly. The key is spreading that paint out THIN when you roll it. Like dusting iy and about 4 coats alternating directions with 24 hour dry time between coats. I've done it both ways and I'd personally rather roll it for the ease of cleanup up and not having my garage have paint dust all over the damn place.
 
Nothing is as smooth as a sprayed cab but i agree with Mike, a person can easily obtain an awesome finish by rolling if you know how to do it properly. The key is spreading that paint out THIN when you roll it. Like dusting iy and about 4 coats alternating directions with 24 hour dry time between coats. I've done it both ways and I'd personally rather roll it for the ease of cleanup up and not having my garage have paint dust all over the damn place.
If done right, rolling a cab can gave the same look and feel of most sprayed applications. For example, my Robotron mini was rolled. However, it was painted over a long period of time, using multiple technics, and is very smooth. It just depends on the technique used, how much time someone wants to spend on it, etc.

Scott C.
 
If done right, rolling a cab can gave the same look and feel of most sprayed applications. For example, my Robotron mini was rolled. However, it was painted over a long period of time, using multiple technics, and is very smooth. It just depends on the technique used, how much time someone wants to spend on it, etc.

Scott C.

Rolling does offer a smooth finished product (and as I stated is my first choice) - but no matter what technique you use or how long you take you will have dimples which can only be seen by looking at the cabinet from juuuuust the right angle or a flash from a camera will always show the flaw. That you cant get rid of. That's one strong reason why auto body shops use guns and not rollers.
 
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