Activity
Mon
Wed
Fri
Sun
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
What is this?
Less
More
Memberships
Make it Match
192 members • Free
6 contributions to Make it Match
3d •
👋 Welcome to Make It Match!
Glad you're here! Whether you're just getting started with automotive painting or you've been spraying for years, this community is built to help you learn, improve, and connect with other painters who enjoy the craft. Take a minute to introduce yourself by leaving a comment below. We'd love to get to know you! Tell us: ✅ Your full name ✅ Where you're based ✅ A little about your background ✅ What brought you to Make It Match (or what you're hoping to learn) ✅ What's one paint job you've seen that you'll never forget? Everyone starts somewhere, and introductions are a great way to meet other members. Welcome aboard! 🎉
1 like • 2d
Greetings, fellow earthlings! My name is Ron Bell. I live in Jonesborough, Tennessee, up in the northwest corner in the Tri-Cities region. I've got almost no painting experience, but I'm eager to learn and I don't scare easily. I've got a bunch of projects (like 7 or 8) in the queue, so my wife suggested I just learn to paint them myself. I retired in 2020, and restored a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1, but it was almost impossible to find someone to paint it. I did, finally, find a couple guys to paint it in their garage, and it came out really nice, but it was a long road to get there. Now, I am working on an 1986 F150 that is completely blown apart, and sitting in primer, nearly ready for paint. Since this is my first attempt at automotive painting, I'm going to keep it simple and do an entire truck with dark shadow blue metallic. What can go wrong? And that is what brought me to Make it Match. I found Aaron on YouTube, and enoyed his videos, his systematic approach, and real world experience. Working through the classroom modules, I've already learned a bunch, and as I get into actually painting, I hope to learn how to fix the screwups that are inevitable. The one paint job I have seen that I will never forget (unfortunately) is the first paint job on my 73 Mach 1. It was SooOOoo bad. Tiger striping, fading under the rockers, not spraying the flanges on the top of the fenders, spraying the doors laying down, clear coat runs.... it was just a aweful. I was able to get the car and all the parts back, though, and after having the car blasted, was able to redo the epoxy primer, etc, and eventually got a really nice paint job on it. That is why the wife suggested I just learn to to it myself, and that is why I'm here.
11d •
Premium membership and Aaron's weekly chat
As soon as I found out that the premium membership had been reduced to $7/mo, I signed up. It's less than a beer at a nice bar, so for me, it was a no brainer. I showed up for the chat yesterday morning, and got a chance to have Aaron answer a bunch of questions specific to my project, and also provide advice on how to proceed on my project. If you're a pro, it may not be worth it for you, but if you're new to the auto painting scene, like me, it's definitely money well spent. Many thanks to Aaron for putting all this together, and for being so willing to share his knowledge with us all.
21d •
Booth ventilation - positive or negative pressure
I am getting started on building my paint booth. It will be modular, 12 x 24 ft, with 6 x 8 ft panels that will be fastened together. I've got a 5000 cfm exhaust fan, and was planning to use it to blow air into a plywood plenum, through a dozen intake filters, and then exhaust out the other end through exhaust filters. This will be inside my 40x50 shop that has heat and AC. It will pull conditioned shop air in, but I am uncertain if it can be just be exhausted through the exhaust filters into the shop, or if I need to make it a negative pressure booth, pulling air out and exhausting it outside. I was thinking of using zipwalls to allow me to enter/exit, and also for the truck parts to enter and exit. I would sure appreciate any info/recommendations anyone to help me figure this all out.
0 likes • 19d
@Aaron Jokela Thanks, Aaron. I guess I should order intake and exhaust filters, so I can figure out how to mount them. After your comments, I think I;ve come up with a few more ideas on how to build an exhaust plenum. I'll keep you posted.
3 likes • 16d
Thanks, guys, for the input. Based on your input, I'm going to change up my exhaust side of the booth. I'll keep y'all updated as it starts coming together.
16d •
Weekly calls and Premium Membership
Just an unsolicited thought from another member... If you've been on the fence about the Premium membership, I'd encourage you to give it a try. I've been attending the weekly live calls for the past few weeks, and because there were so few members, I've often had Aaron all to myself for an hour. Those sessions have probably accelerated my learning more than anything else. Now that the membership is only $7/month, I honestly think it's one of the best values out there if you're serious about improving your skills. I'd love to see more people join the calls — not because anyone asked me to say this, but because I think hearing other people's questions, challenges, and experiences would make the discussions even more valuable for everyone. Hope to see some of you on a future call!
2 likes • 16d
Wow! I looked at that, but it said $97/month, which I couldn't do, but $7/mo is definitely doable. I've already upgraded my membership to premium. Thanks, Esa, for letting us know about the membership fee change.
25d •
Aftercooler for my air compressor
So after watching Aarons recent YouTube video on bone dry air, I decided to share a picture of my aftercooler setup that I recently finished. I used a 10 x10 transmission cooler with AN to NPT fitings to connect it to the copper lines. As you can see in the picture, I put a water separator at the lowest point to expel any accumulated water each time it runs. I used a transformer from Amazon to convert from 240V AC to 12V DC, pulling off the compressor supply, converting it to 12V, so now the fan cuts on whenever the compressor receives power. The temp of the cooler intake line runs over 250F, but coming out of the cooler is only 84 degrees, and by the time it gets back to the tank, is about 75F. After 2-3 days of running here in NE Tennessee, I drained the tank and only got 1 oz of water out of it. I hope this helps someone.
0 likes • 24d
@Joseph Hansen Thanks, Joseph. That is why I posted it. If you have questions or need more details, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll help any way I can.
1 like • 21d
@Jp Argentino That was from the tank. I'm adding an hourmeter to the fan so I can tell how long the compressor has run, each time I drain the tank.
1-6 of 6
@ron-bell-1074
Retired from the Army, and career as a veterinarian. Now I am on to my next adventure, restoring old cars.
Active 5h ago
Joined Jun 11, 2026
Powered by