what do these terms mean?

[trans damm]

first off iam just starting off. i have an Aztex A470 (yea i now know it sucks)and a 4hp 15 gallon compressor. i will be painting rather small plastic pieces. i am using latex paint right now just to get the feel of the gun but its bad. i cant even get a even line without orange peel. i plan on buying enamel next because its cheep and iam just practicing for now. my question is what do these terms mean: dust coat,dry coat, wet coat, flash, cure, tack coat, and fish eyes mean.? lol i know that alot but if there is a web site that has the terms it would also be helpful. right now iam painting a 1'x1' piece of plexi. iam painting it red and am just interested in getting a really deep glossy finish. how do i start to achive my goal? can i use my airbrush for a piece this small or do i need a touch up gun? i really appreciate all the info i could get. and i would also love other websites that deal with painting. Thanks in advance john.

 

[Jim]

John,I'm no artist or professional airbrusher but,I think I can give you a few answers.
First off,What kind of work do you want to do?Graphics,murals,large parts?They all take differant size tips and methods.Regulate your air down around 35psi.Use a piece of the same material you want to paint on as your palette.Get some of the paint your going to use to practice with,you'll get used to how it sprays much faster.
Dust coat and Dry coats are very thin coats that dry very quickly,Flash Time is the time you wait between coats,Cure is when you let your paint totally dry and harden,Tack coat is a first coat,used to hold your second and heavier coat,keeps if from running,Fish eyes are small round spots,caused by oily contamination either in the paint or on the surface,
When doing a large piece,Use the largest tip and spray farther away,about 6in or so.
I don't think you'll get a deep glossy shine with latex paint either but,I could be wrong.I have been spraying base coat/clear coat and it shines better than a new car.
As for a website,Start with this one,alot of what is posted here like matierials,prep and steps involved apply to what your trying to do,thier just spraying with bigger guns,I have read almost everything here and have learned soooo much,there is NO other site like this one.
Check out coastairbrush.com,or type in "airbrushing" in your search engine,there are a ton of sites that have "how to"sections.Once you find a site,follow the links to other sites.Hope this helps get you started!!!!