What you're saying seems to be universal. I worked in engineering and had a young guy come to me 2 weeks after he started & ask what it took to get promoted. I gave him basically the same advice - show enthusiasm in every assignment, look for more you can do, look for ways to improve the process, etc. & it will take you far. It wasn't what he was looking for so he left. Gave the same advice to my daughter & she applied it to every job in her own field and is very successful. Nobody but you controls your success & like you say if you do have a boss that after all you try still holds you back, move on. Thanks for sharing some really good advice.
In my experience, it's REALLY up to the apprentice to get in the booth, and get booth time. If you step up to the plate, and work hard, prove yourself, you will have a chance, sooner than if you just drag your feet and do the bare minimum. If they can't trust you enough to prep, they won't trust you enough to paint. You have to prove yourself in order to get in the booth.
I been through it, it sucks but I didn't make excuses, I took my own money and time to go rent a small shop to practice every night after a long day at the body shop. I am 34 years old and have been painting about 18 years now. Picked up a gun at 16 and made no excuses. Love what you explained on this video.👍👍
Been there and never had excuses starter prepping at 17 at 18 got my frist chance to paint becosue my painter got injured. had a question and ask the other painter the question he reply "don't ask me figure it out" some people can be such ass holes!!! Left the shop work another shop prep for 6 more months I'm 19 years and I'm painter on my own now. All came by working hard and not letting people hold me back!!😎
Thanks for the wise words gunny! Iv just completed my level 2 multi skilled apprenticeship covering paint, panel and strip and fit, iv fell in love with the paint side and am now doing my level 3 paint, I started my apprenticeship at 19 and wish I started it at 16 but I’m very fortunate to have been put with the best painter in our shop and he’s taught me so much already, I’m slowly getting there and learning so much more each day, he’s said to me your painting this and iv just got on with it, biggest jobs to date are two jobs which iv painted the whole side of two cars including blends to the bonnet and rear quarters, love the videos gunny please keep up the brilliant job and knowledge you share to us all!! Let’s go paint some shit
I remember when I finally was recognized in the shop I did my apprenticeship at when I was told again and again I'm not ready to pick up a gun. I stayed on for an extra hour at the end of the day once the painters had gone home, grabbed a couple of scrap bumpers and panels and put them in the booth, put any waste paint for the bin in a gun and just went for it with quite a successful first attempt. The next day I got the usual piss take from the other guys but within a few months I was painting every day.
thats pretty much on point right there. I been painting for almost 15 years now. at 5 years painting industrial trucks left that job and went into auto collision and paint program to learn about the new stuff. The next few years at a small shop. today I'm painting in a big company that gave me the opportunity within the 1st year. going into the second year with that company and learning so much everyday its challenging when prep guys been with the same guy for so long. but opportunity is there as long as you make yourself out of the trade. put in the hard work and it will definitely pay off.
Hey mate, I’m in Melbourne too. how’s it been for you?? What kind of things have they gotten you to do? I really wanna give it a go, but I’m worried about being too slow with prep work and colour match. I have aspergers syndrome, I’m best at hands-on type work and I’m really really fascinated by the unknown-to-me process of taking a car from wrecked to showroom condition inside the shop!!!
been a qualified painter for 15 years now and you 100% correct in everything you said...i love my job and its a part of who i am..but i do tend to see these youngsters try take short cuts...my appy is gona qualify this year and hopefully when he does he gets off the booze cause this walking into work after 8 every monday morning is bullshit,,ha ha ha
Great advice, great technique as always gunny---Spray painting is purely a hobby for me and is still difficult but a passion. I get no greater thrill from anything as much as getting a almost perfect paint job. I have yet to get one but if it was easy, I would not be painting. The challenge of it being difficult is what makes it so rewarding... Some will get to your level but most will never get there. Thanks again and keep it up.
Love the vids gunnie I’m an old panel beater doing restos at home never painted a lot so your channel helps me learn some of the finer elements of painting that I didn’t pick up before
Great comment's. Now I now that im not alone about this problem after all. Think i am just more, scared of doing a bad job and never get the chance to paint again because of that one stupid mistake. I just have to have a little confident in my painting skills. Seeing the others do well, and me not doing that great.. Nice to see you talk about the daily problems in a workshop too, that people can relate too.
Nice video mate! That happens in all trades too, when I was a apprentice fitter that would happen as well and like you I had to take intuitive and show I was keen to become good at my trade, now studying engineering and looking to excel further as well! Tbh I wasn’t even watching what you where painting till the end ahah too busy listening to what you had to say, keep up the good videos
That so true man you have to show the person who you working with that you can do the basic and you just need to ask very important questions so they see you want to learn it
Great advice ! I was a apprentice for a short time in a crappy shop with no booth. The boss would come in, go in his office, snort some blow and drink Black Velvet for a few hours before picking up his shit siphon gun. When I realized I would never be more than his panel beater, I left. I learned what I wanted ; how to blend and spot repair with base/clear. I moved on, on my own. I hit the ground running and never looked back. I paid for wifeys engagement ring with that knowledge. Thirty years later, I'm still at it and getting vastly better results, thanks to The Gunman !!! : )
nice advice gunman , I believe so as well I started spray painting at 14 at my uncle's body shop and pushed and always tried my best I am 21 now working in a production shop and painting multiple cars and panels a day , matching different colors , doing single stage ,2 stage and 3 stage ,satin finish as well as matte finish , and it really does take a lot before you can just step into a booth and claim to be a painter
Love it going to send it to the boss man. I think your points are there . I had not bodyshop experience guy took me under his wing two man shop and I've learned alot I'm a little cocky as well but I humble myself.
great video Ive learnt a great deal from you Gunman and I still am even though Im retired your a great presenter and educator many thanks from an old petrolhead.
When I worked at a shop years back, I started out disassembling and re-assembling, washing cars, then color sanding and polishing. But I always let the painter know I wanted to paint. That's all I ever wanted to do. So one day he had me mix up the paint, load his gun and as I walked into the booth, he said good luck and closed the door. Left me in there all alone. That painter took the risk of allowing me spray expensive and timely work that could've ended with disaster and all without the owner knowing. So with butterflies in my stomach, I adjusted and painted away. Didn't do all that bad my first time, but as time when on, I was allowed to paint more and more cause I did a pretty decent job. After a while I opened my own shop and am still the painter 15 years later. I will probably be the painter till I die. My passion and always will be.
I always got the apprentices starting on painting jams first,get them familiar with the paint and then to the jobs like dealership lot cars ,have them practice on junk parts .But getting them to prep well first is key since a paint job is only as good as the prep job
Gunman that’s a lot off information ℹ️ and words off wisdom and thank you 🙏 so much for that brother those words touch me much love 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👏👏👏👏✨✨✨✊✊✊✊☝️☝️☝️🙏🙏🙏🙏💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💪💪💪💪💪👊👊👊👊👊👌👌👌👌👌👌
I had experience painting the inside of parts and one day the painter quit... next thing I know my boss said your the painter now the first month was rockey but I caught on quick
When i was apprentice ill learned a lot by watching and ask..and when they come with big jobs they will see how you handle the situacion..give them a change..anyone without actitud never learns that true.
Currently on my 3rd week on my apprenticeship got to prime my first full car on Friday had a fair few fuck ups but my tradesman was great just told me what I had done wrong and how to fix it 👌🏼
Hey Gunman, thanks for your vid’s, there awesome! I’m new to spray painting with a gun but I just got myself a Devilbiss GTI pro - 101T - 1.2/1.3 nozzle. You gave me a lot of info where to start, thanks! I will be using it mostly on machine parts but I like a clean finish. Do you have any advice on cheap paint for practice? I need to put in some hours to get the feel for it but don’t want to use expensive Standox paint. Also, I live in the Netherlands where it gets quite cold (just above freezing point in the workshop). I understand that you need around 20 degrees for nice results so I will wait for the next summer. In the meantime I want to practice. And tips on painting (practice) in colder conditions?
I've wanted to do this kind of work for a while but I ended up in a different career. I've now got the chance to go to college to study refinishing. At 41 am I too old? If not would you have any advice? I'm one of the old school types too, first in to work, last one out when the job is finished. Plus I'm always eager to learn. Thanks.
Daniel Sykes I would say unless you know someone who would be willing to employ you then your chances of getting an apprenticeship are slim, most companies want young kids they can get to do the shit jobs and yell at them when they get it wrong, they don't want to have to pay someone adults wages to do those shit jobs.
The Gunman Thanks for honest reply. I totally get where you are coming from, even though I could probably stand an apprentice wage and I'm not in employment at the moment, the age thing might work against me. In this current PC world it SHOULDN'T but we all know it does :-)
Hey gunman, can you do a video on guns that work for the garage warriors like myself? Like which guns work great with lower cfm's from a 20 or 30 gallon compressor. Thanks!
Yea man I was the same as you 🤣, but you have to want to do the work and be eager to paint, and even wen your at home look up stuff and on painting, painting isn't a job to me it's a live style.
FANS! Keep the comments coming. I always read them for your opinions, you count. The Gunman nailed it on the head. Key to my success has been quality over quantity. Never sacrifice quality and you’ll be Ok.
Once spray painting apprentices MASTER rubbing and masking, then I throw them into painting. I've had two apprentices that struggled with that task and they didn't want to stay back after hours to practice on a dummy panel either. I always ask them do you want a reputation as a gun painter or as a labourer and they always say a gun painter. To date I've only had labourers. FYI I'm a qualified beater that paints. I like the refinishing side of things. Cheers C^*t keep up the vids GUNMAN
You make a good point! I was stuck in a rut for about 6 months when I was coming up. My masking sucked, I was just no good at it, and not fast at all. Until I got productive and tight with my masking, I wasn't painting anything. It was a LONG frustrating process, being told you're not ready after learning and doing so much. But eventually there came a point where I could prep and mask an awkward job up with no real thought, not asking questions. Slowly after that I started getting handed the gun. You really need to understand every procedure up to spraying before you can pull the trigger. At the time, it frustrated me to no end, but now I understand it all so much better. They did me the favour by "holding me back" or "slowing me down" Just to make sure I learned everything properly.
dropinbiking92 apprentices slow you down but I'm patient, but I'm yet to find that special person that retains everything I show them. Once twice and I expect them to remember it for life and not have to constantly remind them of what's the minimum they have to do. If you follow the steps religiously every job it will eventually come to you.
I was VERY careful to not slow down production. Thank god the old painter that brought me up was a nice enough guy. I knew the times to ask questions, and if I could even get 20 minutes of his time in a day, I was happy. We got along, and talked a lot on lunch breaks, we hung out outside of work the odd time to just talk paint. In his mind, you can learn a lot without asking or interrupting. He was right, just being around the work, learning with your eyes and ears, you can pick up SO much.
dropinbiking92 my first 3 years as a panel beating apprentice I worked in a shop with one boss a beater and one boss a painter before dry rubbing was introduced and when they repaired everything. I learnt the art of collision repair where we replicated factory finish to the tea. These days I try to teach it to the current generation and they just can't get it. They think I'm OCD and I remind them that I'm just doing the minimum requirement. Like I said I just can't find that special someone that wants to master the trade. Cheers and good night my friend.
I think a lot of that problem comes down to pride of your work. If you apply for a job, just because it's a job, and pays the bills, you won't get far in this trade. I've seen it with a few young guys in or out of highschool that want a job. They think it's cool that you get to work on all these high end cars (And automatically think you make huge money) But they don't understand that there takes a LOT of personal pride to do well in the trade. You need to care about every single car being repaired. If you don't have a lot of pride in your work, shop owners/bosses/lead painters will see that, and not want you. I think that's the only real reason I hung on and went as far as I did. The boss trusted me that I would do my ABSOLUTE best (Not perfect, nobody is perfect) But putting in the honest 100% effort on any job is critical. There's a huge amount of trust in the body shop, and if they can't trust you, you're not going to last long.
Great video gunny i am in my last year of my apprenticesship and i don't paint much the i prep every car and i smash 5 to 7 cars a day but the painter sad to me i would love to teach you how to paint but the boss won't let me they just won't give me the time he has to activate every color and put fast hardener in the clear coat and now i am leaving that shop in december to a shop with 2 spraybooths and i know the painter that works their and he sad i could use the other booth and he would train me
You need to find the time. Even coming up in a busy shop, me and the lead painter managed to find the odd bit of time, even if it was just 20 minutes a day, to go over some paint techniques. Even just stepping into the booth and watch him spray, while he's talking was a HUGE help for me. Priming is a great way to get good with a gun as well. If you can get really good with the primer gun, and mixing your primers, colour and clear becomes very second nature.
dropinbiking92 thanks for your story but even when its not busy the boss won't let me paint he is just a dick and does not even show some gratitute for al the work i put in i worked from 8:00 to 21:00 for the last 3 months because the painter had a heart attack so i saved his shop from going bankrupt and i did not even get a thank you that guy just got zero respect for his employees so i am moving to a different shop
I am an apprentice in a shop here in the US. I was a painter for a few different companies that did industrial shit but I decided that I wanted to move into the automotive industry about 4 months ago. Me and the painter get along real well but he is super weird about letting me spray, hell he won't even let me go in the booth to observe! For the past few months I have been busting ass, working over time priming, prepping, masking, and even mixing colors for him. In fact this last pay period was the biggest check he has ever gotten in 3 years of working at this shop. I thought that at least would be enough for him to let me observe him in the booth or maybe even let me spray. The only time I have ever picked up a gun was when I painted a KIA soul rear hatch that I did all the body work on, and that was only because the shop owner insisted that he let me paint it. I'm starting to get pretty frustrated. Perhaps I'm being a bit impatient but only because I'm very ambitious and passionate about my love for painting. Any advice would be much appreciated! Oh also i love the videos, I'm a long time viewer and your channel is a big reason I decided I wanted to start spraying cars. cheers mate 🤘🍻
Hey Gunny! Awesome videos as always, I also live in Perth and currently seriously looking for a career change to do auto repair work after weighing up between this and doing a Cert II automotive mechanic technician. Having come from a completely different background studying engineering and then graduating in marketing at UWA would you say it is best to enroll in Tafe for a Certificate II in Automotive Body Repair first then look to apply to body shops around perth? For me starting from the ground up is not an issue as I am prepared to go from 0 and learn everthing I can. Thanks for your videos and really hope to see you around for a quick chat :)
I think the hardest part about painting would be color matching. I learned how to spray paint by a book by Jon kosmoski house Kolor master. I thought I was good until I had to match a hood on a car and the shades were different.
Have you seen many adult apprentices? Was thinking of changing careers to something I actually enjoy doing but I’m in my mid forties. Don’t suppose it could hurt to ask. There are plenty of panel shops in Perth.
hi the Gunman I thing about those runs while painting the car it's kind of hard to do on the perfect conditions, but i'ts much easer to make runs with clear coating procedures, but it's also easy to fix if you know how
Hi Gunman, just want to ask if your situated in Perth and if so i wouldn't mind coming to see your panel shop and getting your opinion and advice on the repair and paint work done on my 2016 Camry, the work that has been done and is yet to be fixed is in my opinion shocking and if i was that tradesman spray painter id be really embarrest
I've been prepping for about a year and a half and I've had a handful of opportunities to get in the booth and paint solely on my own. Prep to polish. All the jobs came out clean went home with the customer and never came back. For some reason my painter has no interest any more in giving me chances and advancing me. I don't know why except job security . Any suggestions besides letting time tell itself ?
I noticed in your older videos you were using nason and cromax nason is what I use as well but I have a guy wanting a budget flat job like a green and I have a quart of cromax flatner I was wondering how much of that I would need to add to about 3 quarts of nason single stage to get that super low gloss look I’ve done test panels just to make sure the products are compatible and they are but the directions on the tds are way off for the look I want
I watch a lot of your videos and I know a lot of painters do things differently, but what do you have to say about sata jet Johnny and his technique? I'm not looking for a negative response but a positive reaction.
Hey Gman I'm 30, been wanting to get into the trade for years. I could say I'm successful at airbrushing and have taught myself, I've aslo studied graphic design. My question is, what are your thoughts and opinions on older poeple like myself going for these types of apprenticeships? Is it possible for us older guys to still get into the trade?
Agree with ur perspective on an apprenticeship. U cant keep ppl employed because they are good ppl. If they cant do the basics after the 1st or second year, get rid of their ass! Need to show initiative to get anywhere in life
Have a Q. Gunny if you have the time .. recently saw the dodge viper colour 'stryker' red orange basecoat then 6 layers of (I'm assuming candy) red then 2 costs of clear .. my Noob Question, is there to many layers of 2k before it becomes a problem cracking solvent pop etc. Or as long as they are put down right and flash times good you can just keep going 🤔
Remember when you apply a lot of base coats, let each coat flash off each time. Once you are done with your base let the panels you are painting breathe for a bit. Some of the candy coats we do at our shop can have as many as 8 coats of base and 2-3 coats of clear and we have no issues with solvent pop of failure . Follow your product sheets and use common sense .
What should i do if i have to deal with a asshole co worker who wants clean up after put away shit for him i told him many times im not here to clean up after your mess im thinking of going to talk with my boss about it
Hey Gunny it’s been years since you’ve done another apprentice tips video, I become tradesmen in the next 6 months can you please give me some tips thank you sir
Say your apprentice is doing well, taking initiative, staying late, working through lunch hours, and painting some shit. Do you take care of them? And how?
I'm keen to get in to an apprenticeship and I feel like I'm hitting a wall. I'm 24 and have experience in the industry but finding it hard to get my foot in the door. As a professional in the trade for many years, would you appreciate someone willing to come in to help/learn for free a few hours a week? I'm at the point I just feel that it might be free labour at first but if I can show I'm a hard worker and keen that they might put me on if I can be of value to the shop. Keep up the videos mate !
It's hard for someone our age (I'm 25) To start in the trade. I think it has a lot to do with younger guns like us wanting a go, fucking it all up, and being fired. A lot of shops have a bad impression of the new generation. If you really do have a good work ethic, and really want it, you need to find the best way to demonstrate that to a potential employer. Asking all the right questions, be the sponge. But at the end of the day, it's their choice to hire you. You need to go in to every job interview with concrete reasons why you should be hired. Best of luck man!
These high end shops where they spray expensive paint and fix high end cars is the worst place to gain experience, from my experience, if u want to gain experience as a painter, either someone must really love you "the Painter", or you need to work at shop that does budget auto body.
I learned in a high end shop, doing high end smash work and restoration. It was the best, I learned some of the highest quality processes. Took much longer for me, but WELL worth it in the end. When you learn on the cleanest, and hardest jobs, those old rough basic jobs become SOO much easier.
DjZeroPlayer1 so true! When I painted I did it for the art and years later when I got my first painter check I was like damn! Never knew they got paid pretty good .
