Etching Primer and Paint Gun? Options

[9fourteen]

Before I start cutting into the longs and hell hole I was thinking about sand blasting the whole area first to see what I have and then prime it before making the repairs. (eventually I am going to strip the whole tub. just doing it in sections) I already bought a blaster from eastwood. Now I need to get setup for painting so I can prime it immediately after stripping it. I have made a list of the main things I need to buy. I think I got most of it figured out but have questions on the primer and a good paint gun. I have never sprayed paint so any advice is welcome or if there is something i need to add to my list, let me know.

Here is a list of what I think I will need

paint gun
etching primer
fresh air respirator
hood
throw away coveralls
gloves
metal prep

I am sure I will need stuff to mix the paint with. The paint shop guys will help with that.

I am also going to build a chamber to limit the mess from the blasting and over spray in my garage.

I went to the local paint shop and they sell three brands of etching primer, nason, ppg and dupont. They are in order of price. Nason appears to be a low priced dupont brand. It's about half the price. Can I use the cheap stuff or should I stick with the ppg or dupont. Obviously I want to save money but I don't have a problem buying the right stuff if it is worth it and will work better. Actual suggestion items numbers would be welcome.

I was also looking at paint guns. They had a nice 2 gun set from DeVilbiss, one for priming, one for painting, i think it was around $200. They had other guns that were half the price or lower. I think i have read on here that the DeVilbiss guns are the best. (or at least in somebody's opinion they were). Is it worth the extra money or will I get the same results with the cheap gun?

thanks

I know everybody likes post with pictures so here is one.

[76-914]

DuPont vari-prime is good shit. So good it can etch right into your lungs. I noticed your getting a hood but be careful with etching primers. Which brings me to.......why an etching primer? I've used a bunch of it but always on aluminum w/ a dead soft layer that I did not want to remove by sanding. As for the gun, I should defer to Scotty. I've shot with Harbor Freight and DeV guns. I think the magic is with the man painting more than the gun itself. I wish I had one of the newer ones that have liners. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

[9fourteen]

DuPont vari-prime is good shit. So good it can etch right into your lungs. I noticed your getting a hood but be careful with etching primers. Which brings me to.......why an etching primer? I've used a bunch of it but always on aluminum w/ a dead soft layer that I did not want to remove by sanding. As for the gun, I should defer to Scotty. I've shot with Harbor Freight and DeV guns. I think the magic is with the man painting more than the gun itself. I wish I had one of the newer ones that have liners. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif)

I plan on stripping it to bare metal. Based upon what I have read here you should hit it with etching primer as soon as possible after stripping to prevent the flash rust. That is why I planned on using etching primer.

From another post, Scotty used some high end gun that cost over $600. I forget the name. I think he said the DeVilBiss Finish Line was a nice inexpensive starter gun.

I definitely agree that the man makes the difference. I could buy the best gun and the best primer and I am sure I will still screw it up. I have found that having the right tool is 95% of the job. (maybe not in this case where experience and natural talent is a big factor as well) It is going to be hard enough at first as it is. I don't want to be fighting a piece of crap tool in the process.

When I bought the car the guy had an extra hood. It looks straight but there is some evidence it might have been crunched in a crash at some point so I won't be using it on the car. My plan is to practice on it with both the blaster and the paint gun several times until I get it figured out or to at least a point that looks acceptable.