paint question

Went to the paint store to get some paint for the dashboard on the '40, the guy tells me acrylic enamel is pretty much history.So I buy some basecoat/ clearcoat but I have had no experience with this, very little experience painting at all. My question is first: do you sand between the color and the clear, and second: how long can you wait before you clear? Thanks for any help.

 

Well it depends, for a dashboard I wouldn't bother sanding between coats. Most show quality paint jobs get wet sanded between each coat and are usually sealed with an intercoat clear between coats as well. For a dashboard I wouldn't worry about this too much the finish won't have much difference. As far as time between coats, that depends as well. What type of reducer did you get for the clear? Usually with a medium reducer in roughly 70-75* I will wait a ciggerette between coats, like 5-10 min depending on how heavily you lay it on. Same goes for the clear, again a medium hardener, 70-75*, 5-10 min. Good luck and if you have any questions I'll help you out as best I can.

 

Most 2 stage paints you do not sand the base coat. Each manufacturer of paint has different instructions for dry time and procedure. A true 2 stage paint base coat will look satin and dull when it dries so don't get worried. The 2nd stage,the clear is what will bring up the gloss and depth. If you try to sand the base you will end up with streaks and a big problem.

 

Thanks for the quick replies ! So I won't sand the base and I won't wait very long to clear. I did get the medium reducer, thats what the paint man recommended. What little I've painted has been acrylic enamel but it looks like it'll be hard to find now. From what this cost I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford to paint a whole car, it may be primer forever! Really appreciate the help, guys!

 

Out of curiousity, and maybe furthur help, what brand of paint did you end up getting?

 

For future reference,there are single stage urethane's available.You might be more comfortable with that!

 

painting instructions are usually on the can. if not get a data sheet from the paint store for the paint you are using. it will tell you how long to wait between coats, mixing ratios, all that stuff.

 

no and most basecoats need to be cleared witin a few hours,,depends on brand of paint..ya wait to long there will be no bond unless skuffed and you really dont want to do that to base..

 

I got Dupont Chromabase paint, no instructions on the can because they mixed me just a pint. But thanks to all the help here I don't foresee too many problems.

 

There are detailed instructions for all their paint products on the Dupont web site.