My questions: #1 - I painted with Finish 1 a week ago, I asked for Acrylic enamel and it says that on the can but... I have shot a lot of acrylic enamel and never used a hardener. But this stuff Mixed 4:1 with a hardener. The stick I used to stir the gallon with a week later is still sticky wet. The paint dried, though VERY slowly. Doesn't this sound like single stage? Like more of a paint and activator?? #2 - Second question, if I sand the whole thing down with 320, and re-shot (don't ask LOL!) with a true urethane single stage, can I do this with out a primer or sealer? I would like to just shoot over the top of what is on there. Thanks in advance
#1 - Alot of AE's use a hardener, some are also air dry if you prefer. The hardnener helps the durability and the gloss. If the stick you used to stir the un-hardened paint with is wet, that is most likely normal. As long as the paint on the car is hard, thats what matters! #2 - If you chose to re-shoot, you could do either. It is better to use a sealer, but it is also acceptable to just shoot right over whats there. Good luck!
I'd want to make sure the paint you just shot is dry enough to paint over, otherwise it could lift (solvent from new paint eats into the previous finish). How long ago did you paint it?
Acrylic enamel should eventually dry without a hardener, been years since I used the stuff and always added hardener, but probably be pretty slow without hardener, and will be many years before it ever cures all the way through. Since it is an air dry system, I don't think the hardener ratio is really all that critical, but seems remembering most ae to hardener ratios being more like 16 to 1 or 8 to 1. Different brands have different ratios, but 4 to 1 seems to be a pretty common urethane ratio. Urethanes cure by chemical crosslinking, and fresh activator and the proper mix ratio is a must for proper cureing, or it likely may never cure and fingerprint forever. Also rely on temps, so you really want metal temps to be above 60 and to stay there for awhile during and after application. If it was a urethane, and didn't cure properly, you really want to take it all back off and start over, not just coat over it. Acrylic enamel, specially if not activated, can be pretty sensitive on recoat, and is possible you could run into recoat lift. I'd try to see if you could find some product data sheets for that product, and see what it says about recoat. I don't see a problem with shooting urethane over acrylic enamel (other then the solvent sensitivity and possible lifting of the enamel weather urethane or enamel is shot back over it). Sealing would probably be smart. But even though you are now using a lot better system of urethane, if you don't remove the enamel, you still have that as a weaker link. Paint is only as good as whats underneath it.
Terry, be thankful you used the hardener, I would still use a sealer before recoating, depending on how long the paint has dried. This all depends on the compatability of the paint you just put on the car versus the paint your going to use! Just my .02
Is this the paint? http://store.planetcolor.com/sitemap.aspx This might be the product technical data sheet with the answers to your questions. http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/media/pds/English/AS810.pdf
acrylic enamel with or without hardner still needs air flow to help it dry. i suggest you get the car outside and let the air and sun help it dry before you attempt to sand it for respray. i would also run cold water over the entire car a couple of times a day to help it cure. the best thing to do would be to find someone with an oven and bake the **** out of it, if you sand thru any where you will need to prime those areas, then wetsand without sanding thru it so your edges don't lift. i'd be more worried about it wrinkling than lifting because of it not being fully cured. if you can't bake it, i would let it sit until you can wet sand without it balling up on the paper. after that i would put a couple of cover coats on it and then clear it and wet sand and buff the clear just to be safe. hope this helps.
http://www.sherwin-automotive.com/en/ProductHighlights/PaintSystems/Finish1.aspx This is what I used. It seems to be sanding fine, without balling up. But I think pulling it out in the sun while I'm at work tomorrow is a great idea. It will be a full week tomorrow since I shot the car. And I think as alot of you suggest, to be safe I'll shoot a sealer. Better safe than sorry! Thanks guys
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