Painted a bumper - Anyone offer painting services?

[miad]

not sure about insurance, probably not covered. I have been to auto body school, but it was in high school. and have done a little painting many years ago. have also worked at 2 body shops as a detailer, so I worked around freshly painted cars all day. I just figured it was a way to make a few hundred quick and easy, while doing something different than detailing for a change. plus I have been buy/selling a few cars lately and wanted to get some experience painting parts in order to get more profit. it wasn't too risky, but certainly not something I would do for 95% of people. risk would out-weigh reward in most cases.

[sanson12]

Very nice job buddy! Couple questions.
What were the specifications of the air compressor you used to complete this job(gallons/hp)? What were the grits of the sanding paper you used to do the bumper? What grit did you end with? Im actually planning on painting both front and rear bumpers im going to flip.

[miad]

not totally sure about my compressor but I think its a 20 gallon Campbell Hausfeld that's about 25 years old. I had it turned down to about 65psi. far as the sanding, it really wasn't sanding but just using a red scotch brite pad to scuff the primer. the bumper was brand new and came already primed in black so all I had to do wash scuff, clean, and paint. for a painted bumper that you want to repaint, you would want to use a DA sander (can do it by hand, but lots more work) and about 220 grit, working up to maybe 500 grit to cut through the clear and well into the paint, then just clean, paint, and clear. its pretty simple. I just used a Harbor Freight purple gun that I paid less than $20 for. play around with it first using water so you can figure out the spray patterns and pressures needed. I use a water/oil separator right off the compressor but didn't use one on the spray gun itself, but it is recommended. if you have a big enough compressor, you can do a whole bumper without it kicking on during painting, which would fluctuate the pressures a bit.