For some reason many feel that painting your own truck is some sort of skill that can't be overcome by a home builder. But like so many other faux pas, that statement simply isn't true. In years past, that statement may have held water, but with today's technologies of paint and equipment, any DIY builder is capable of laying down a paintjob that won't leave them only taking their truck out at night.
One company that is making show-quality paintjobs done at home a reality is the Eastwood Company. They have developed a full line of painting materials and equipment to finish the job from A to Z. Some of their latest accomplishments are creating user-friendly paints, and an ever so important paint gun, that is versatile, simple stupid and solvent/waterborne compliant.
The new Eastwood Concourse HVLP gravity fed paint gun is a dual action paint gun that can spray both solvent and waterborne paints. It is an aluminum-bodied gun featuring blue-anodized knobs for comfort and long-lasting durability. Making it waterborne compatible is the fact it features stainless steel construction as well. The needle/nozzle and passages are constructed of stainless steel making it compatible with both solvent and waterborne coatings. Because the gun is an HVLP (High Volume Low Pressure) it only requires 4 cfm @ 29 psi, which makes it suitable for both professionals and do-it-yourselfers at home with smaller personal garage air compressors. The Eastwood Concourse gun includes a general 1.2 tip, 600cc cup, tool kit, and -inch NPT connection. However, other tips and accessories are available for the gun through Eastwood. As for paint, Eastwood has a line of single-stage acrylic urethane paints, perfect for the DIY enthusiast. Not only are these show-quality single-stage paints easy to use, but the colors are killer as well--especially the metallics we used during this story. Eastwood also carries all other necessary items to do a complete paintjob, including primers, prep materials, finish materials, and the like.
To show that painting is a feasible task that can be picked up by anyone, we shot down to custom painter Jeff Styles' place of business for a lesson in the ways of paint. We took the user-friendly Eastwood paints and Concourse gun with us just to show how easy, and doable, it is for any average Joe to master the ways of auto painting.
 If there is one thing to say...  If there is one thing to say about the Eastwood Company, it's that they have made it possible for DIY auto body of all types. Their new single-stage urethane paints and dual action solvent/waterborne Concourse paint gun is just another example of how enthusiasts can accomplish tasks they may have thought twice about before. |  Dig the Eastwood Concourse...  Dig the Eastwood Concourse HVLP gravity fed paint gun. The beauty of this gun is the fact that it only requires 4 cfm @ 29 psi to operate, which means it can be outfitted with most personal air compressors. |  Before even thinking about...  Before even thinking about laying down some paint, it's a good idea to get comfortable with the gun. First things first, learn what each knob controls. The top knob is the fan control knob. This knob controls the size of the spray pattern-also referred to as a fan. Opening the knob will allow a larger fan, while closing the knob will allow for a pinpoint fan. |
 The knob just below fan control...  The knob just below fan control is the fluid needle control knob, which controls the amount of paint flow to the nozzle. |  The other major knob to learn...  The other major knob to learn is the air valve, which controls the airflow. That's it, those three knobs is all there is to it. Pretty simple, huh? |  Styles threw some thinner...  Styles threw some thinner in the gun to dial things in before he dove into actually painting. Here he has found the optimum setting, in terms of fan, fluid, and air control, for painting large panels--roughly a fan of 8-10 inches with some good fluid density. You can see that the gun is providing an even flowing fan by the dampness on the cardboard, ideal for painting complete trucks. |