Operate or tend painting machines to paint surfaces of transportation equipment, such as automobiles, buses, trucks, trains, boats, and airplanes. Includes painters in auto body repair facilities.
<ul><li>Mix paints to match color specifications or vehicles' original colors, stirring or thinning paints, using spatulas or power mixing equipment.</li><li>Select paint according to company requirements and match paint colors, following specified color charts.</li><li>Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.</li><li>Remove grease, dirt, paint, or rust from vehicle surfaces in preparation for paint application, using abrasives, solvents, brushes, blowtorches, washing tanks, or sandblasters.</li><li>Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings.</li><li>Pour paint into spray guns and adjust nozzles and paint mixes for proper paint flow and coating thickness.</li><li>Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.</li><li>Remove accessories, such as chrome or mirrors, from vehicles and mask other surfaces with tape or paper to protect them from paint.</li><li>Select the correct spray gun system for the material being applied.</li><li>Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths.</li><li>Fill small dents or scratches with body fillers and smooth surfaces to prepare vehicles for painting.</li><li>Sand vehicle surfaces between coats of paint or primer to remove flaws and enhance adhesion for subsequent coats.</li><li>Apply rust-resistant undercoats and caulk and seal seams.</li><li>Sand and apply sealer to properly dried vehicle finish.</li><li>Buff and wax the finished paintwork.</li><li>Clean equipment and work areas.</li><li>Apply primer over any repairs made to vehicle surfaces.</li><li>Adjust controls on infrared ovens, heat lamps, portable ventilators, or exhaust units to speed the drying of vehicles between coats.</li><li>Allow the sprayed product to dry and touch up any missed spots.</li><li>Operate lifting or moving devices to move equipment or materials to access areas to be painted.</li><li>Set up portable equipment, such as ventilators, exhaust units, ladders, or scaffolding.</li><li>Use brush to hand-paint areas in need of retouching or unreachable with a spray gun.</li></ul>