[Car_Restoration] 205 Gr Project Car

[steve@cornwall 100]

Never used that type of paint, but would assume that as you are adding thinners and the paint has not fully cured it should bond well enough if done now. Put extra on all the curved surfaces and edges as they are most likely to rub straight through when flatting off.

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

Hi steve

 

the data sheet says:

 

overcoatable up to 2 hours or after 48-72 hours according to film thickness

 

it seems the amount of paint I used was about right 1L =7m² at 50 u.

 

Would I have to rekey it or just spray straight on?

[steve@cornwall 100]

I would say that within the 72 hours just wipe down and paint. Although if you flatted one panel you could practice with settings on the gun/technique whereas spraying on what's there will just coat over the irregularities. I altered the fan adjustment when I cleaned the gun and have gone from a finish that needed just cutting paste to be flat to a finish I will need to sand too.

I've been able, in th past to be confident in getting a very reasonable finish with cans (although the quality of these seem to have dipped as fast as the prixce has risen) but this spray gun malarkey is a different matter.

I have an awful lot to learn!

[steve@cornwall 100]

 

This was my first attempt with a gun to repaint the front end. I was very happy with this and then over the next few months it began to crack until it resembled a Sun baked river bed! I applied too much,too quickly with a very small compressor. So I bought a bigger one and am trying again!

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

having a snoop around the net and found this guide to wet sand/buffing- does it seem about right?

 

how to wet sand and buff your car

 

I'm talking about basecoat/clear coat paint jobs here. You can wet sand and buff a solid colour single stage paint but not a metalic or a pearl. Usually I just say when you do single stage you simply need to accept that what you get is what you get and just accept it and leave it alone. So if you are using basecoat/clear coat here is how

1. Wash the car

2. Wipe the car with a mild solvent or commercially available wax and grease remover

3. Buy 3 or 4 sheets of each 2000, 1500,and 1200 grit wet and dry sand paper

4.Were going to walk down a ladder here and then back up again. I can’t see the condition of your paint so I can’t tell you which grit to use. Start with the 2000 grit if that seems to be leveling the surface great. If you determine that it’s just not doing the job go with the 1500 if that isn’t getting the job done go to the 1200. Now let’s say you have to use the 1200 after you have introduced throes scratches your going to have to cut the tops off of the scratch with the 1500 and then again with the 2000 grit. You can see you will be doing the whole job three times with this example so you want to get the job done with the finest scratch that will work.

5.Start with the finest grit, 2000 put a couple of sheets into a bucket of warm water and add a few drops of detergent (I just use what ever I'm using to wash dishes with at the time) and yes I almost always wash the dishes at my house. Let the sand paper soak for at least 15 minutes until it curls up we want the sand paper saturated. The detergent is for lubrication. Wrap the sand paper around a sanding block or a sponge and as you sand keep the surface wet and dunk the sand paper often a single piece of sand paper goes a long way if you keep it wet. When you are done the surface is going to look very dull and to bring back a shine we have to get rid of the sand scratches.

6. This is the point at which you need a piece of equipment; the standard of the industry is a 7” polisher you can rent these or purchase them form $75 -$400 Pads for the buffer are made off wool or foam. I like foam pads they don’t last as long as wool but I’m less likely to scorch the surface and I get better results. You will need two pads (a dense firm pad for compounding and a soft pad for polishing)

7. With old paint a rubbing compound was used to scourer the surface it had an abrasive in it but with modern urethane clear coats we need a rubbing compound that actually reflows the clear. Squirt some on to the surface and “butter it in.” That means spread the compound lightly with the polisher used at low speed and then let it sit on the surface thirty seconds or so to let the chemical action begin. You want to work areas that are four square feet or so before moving along operate the buffer at the lowest speed and don’t press down. Let the buffer do the work you are just there to guide it. Now it should be starting to look good. However you will see swirl marks the darker the color the more you will noticeable the swirl marks will be.

8. Hang in there we’re getting near the end. We are going to use a polymer sealant to fill throes swirl marks fill up the voids in the paint and give a gloss. WE ARE NOT GOING TO USE WAX. Wax is bad for paint it has always been bad for paint it was just the best thing they back in the good old days. Today with the advances in polymer technology we can make the paint stronger, longer lasting shiny 3M, Meaguire’s and Finish Kare all make good polymers sealants I use Finish Kare’s Polywipe. Go down to your local automotive paint store and ask them what they carry. Don’t bother to ask at the local parts supply house they just don’t know about this and will likely sell you wax. As far as how it is applied well that is very much like wax apply it with a soft cloth tee shirt material is good old cloth diapers are even better, work it in then let it have up for five or ten minutes. Next, buff with your clean sot foam pad. Work small areas at a time because you don’t want it to harden up it will get very hard and you will have a hard time removing it. Pay special attention to the hood and drivers side door those are the areas people look at closest.

9. Pay attention to the little areas like the edge of the hood and trunk lid get those spots clean before the polymer hardens

10. Pat your self on the back for a job well done.

[steve@cornwall 100]

That one is for a lacquered finish, I think the relevant part is part 7, were using the type of paint that needs cutting.

Personally I do it differently and it involves fine wet and dry paper , from 600 to 1200 grit and scotchpad type pan scourers. You need a light hand and to have assumed when painting that you need more layers of paint than any pro, because you're going to sand a lot back off.

 

I don't add detergent to my water, because I expect to rub through in places and have to paint small areas again.

 

I tend not to use a sanding block, because my prep is far from perfect and paper or scotchpad loose in your hand can follow shallow dips without dubbing off a ring of paint around them.

 

I start with a wash of the panel with just water, so no grit causes scratches, and start with the scourer on the wet panel, you need a light hand, and your arm is going to ache, get some good beers in for the evening! I find the paint gets a hard skin on it which the pad gets rid of much more quickly than the paper. When you appear to have got it flattened wait a while for it to dry and it will be apparent how flat it is, the dips will have been less dulled by the scouring. When close to flat I use the fine paper to finish off. I do small areas at a time. As said above , start with finest paper and you'll know if you need more coarse stuff. Don't pre soak cheap wet and dry, the paper gets soggy and breaks up, although it's resistant enough at the grit side.

 

When this is done I use a cutting compound on the area (a more aggressive type of t-cut) to remove the abrasive scratching - this is where you can easily rub through the edges, but can put an even shine even on the orange peeled paint, fold the applicator cloth into a soft pad, this may well be all you require on the edges. I have recently discovered Farecla no3, used with water I've found this to be great for cutting back, a lighter touch with it as you come to the end of this stage gets a finer finish. I've only used a powered polisher once, and burned straight through the paint. All painfully labour intensive hand finishing.

 

Then polish. I was fortunate to be given a meguires paint finishing set for Christmas by my son, and this has 2 grades of finer cutting "creams" and a decent enough wax to give a nice finish.

 

Obviously I don't get professional results, but it lifts the look of the car considerably and as I'm not fitting New lights, trim, glass etc , for me it's more in keeping with the car an I've had very favourable comments from those who have seen it up close

Edited August 24, 2016 by steve@cornwall

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

Cheers steve I think in maybe need to spray another layer on ! Not sure it's going to be thick enough for a heavy handed amateur

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

Rubbing down has commenced!

[steve@cornwall 100]

Just found this, thought I'd share

 

http://www.collisionblast.com/2012/11/17/spraying-painting-tips-how-to-adjust-a-spray-gun-to-produce-professional-paint-job/

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

thanks steve

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

so against the advice of the paint shop we set about wet and drying the car.

 

It now looks a lot better- smoother but not perfect.

 

I intend to respay it in my mates new workshop sometime in October as there isn't really enough paint on it. In the men time we are practising finishing/flatting and polishing.

 

Results after rub down: (ignore the bonnet- it needs a lot more paint!!

Edited August 27, 2016 by Telf

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

heres the original just after painting:

 

 

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

so having had a read up online there is a lot of different advice about how long before you can add polish or wax etc etc. some say 45 days others say 7 days - anybody care to comment?

[And 15 1 Cars]

Get it on now to protect it I have a few cutting compounds for my composite moulds but I have a anti stacttic finishing one that is just canuber wax and a few other bits but it's a sealer basically for finishing get some thing like that on

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

So apply wax then polish?

[welshpug 1,621]

you can buff it quite soon but not wax it for a while.

 

you polish before wax, no point polishing after wax as you'll just be removing the wax!!!

[And 15 1 Cars]

I would use a finishing compound it will have sealers in there it's not a wax and not really a poilsh but mine has canuber in it still, as you have now nocked the top off it will start to age quicker, remember American hotrod program with buoyed coninton they wet sanded every car as even a perfect finish from the gun wasn't good enuf for them but they would be sold to owners that will wax them etc as once the top of the paint is nocked off it will start to age quickly.

 

But on one note if you say you plan on repainting it don't wax it as it mite bite you next time..

Edited August 27, 2016 by And

[steve@cornwall 100]

Agree on not waxing or polishing if you've not finished painting. It not really going to matte if th paint oxidized if you're going to top coat it later, and any trace of wax or polish will cause the paint to react and "run away" from the contaminant.

Looking good so far though.

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

It doesn't really look to great up close! The owners of the paint place told me to strip it and start again. Even after a very hard afternoon with the wet and dry I didn't get back to any of the primer that was added whilst we prepared/repaired so I figure the paint can't be that thin.

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

Today we took the bonnet off and resprayed it

its not perfect but we are learning!

The gun still didn't put a decent coat on until I released the paint hopper lid a bit - then it flew onto the bonnet

I guess it was creating a vacuum not allowing the paint to flow

you live and learn!

still a bit stripey but now there is loads of paint on rather than a micro layer so it should cut back

 

Hoping!!!

[steve@cornwall 100]

Looking good, now the real fun begins.

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

Cheers steve.

 

The rest of the car is getting a recoat. The paint just isn't thick enough to buff it properly so we are going to do it again.

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

Well more comedy on the painting front. After doing the bonnet I put it back on the car overnight. It rained- I thought no problem! its touch dry after all.....

 

WRONG! The water reacted with the paint leaving a nice rainy day effect GRR!

 

So how to fix.... I figured T Cut- seems to have worked Phew!

[Telf 222 2 Cars]

Steve,

 

Ive now resprayed the whole car. Its not perfect and needs some wet and dry work. Ive a question after my last experience.

 

Once the paint is flat (ish) how do you get it to look shiny again?

 

I found that although I got it flat last time no matter what I tried it just looked Matt. I tried polish and wax on small areas but neither helped.

 

Any advice would be great

 

 

Paul

[steve@cornwall 100]

Although all paint is different and I've never worked with your type , you are basically trying to restore the unblemished glass flat surface so it reflects the light straight back, so it's a case of using ever fine abrasives to achieve this. When the surface scratching is virtually eliminated the polish then fills the imperfections.This can be achieved with either paper or abrasive pastes, or more likely a combination of both. Personally I have found that t-cut actually cuts virtually nothing lately. Your supplier may be the best person to advise on which product is best for this and wether it is achievable with elbow grease or will require a power polisher.It does seem to me that in so many cases it's becoming virtually impossible to achieve good diy results as so many product constituents are being banned for ecological or health and safety reasons.