I want to keep the grey 2k primer on my car because I like the colour and the look, but I want a little more protection and resilience against marks. I was thinking of clear coating/lacquering over it to help with this. Is that a good idea and will it actually help? Anyone on here done the same thing? BTW, the car's a race car which isn't on the road and is stored in a lockup Cheers.
Lacquer over urethane has no tooth or adhesion. However I know you can do it has I have heard of this and other weird stuff regarding paintwork. Test an area for lifting or whatever first. How long it will last without changes to the look is guesswork. If you are going to paint why not use urethane clear? I think satin finish is available.
I agree with the above answer (fiend42.... Another post snuck in while I was typing.)... It'll be tough to clear in lacquer, if for no other reason than the difficulty in keeping the gloss uniform. Plus, if you want it to shine like a decent paint job you'll have to color sand and polish it... Clean and sand it thoroughly, repair any sand throughs, etc., then clear it with urethane. You can probably buy the urethane and catalyst as cheaply as you can the lacquer and related materials, too. Just be careful with the urethane vapors....they're dangerous
Go find yourself some 'satin' clear ...it's available...(don't use lacquer-). Use a compatible manufacturer to your primer (if you know it) and once covered it'll look as good as your primer and you won't have to worry about marks, scuffs and fading. R-
sand primer with 600 grit---u should put down a ''wet bed'' before clear coating----in dupont it is the binder [150k]and balancer [175k] reduced and then clear coat --- it is my understanding that the clear coat will not stick to the primer with out the base coat[wet bed]
I agree with brian55lvr about putting down a wet coat of primer before the clear, but I think 600 is too fine, I would go with 400. Kustom Shop has a satin clear with hardner. I have painting several car with their satin paint and I love it. It layw down very nice and it has a very even shine, no gloss or dull spots. When I finsh my 47 that is what I'm going to use. Also if you ever have to repaint a panel it matches.
I had some areas on my sedan which we had repaired and wanted them to be protected but look like grey primer. The new metal was epoxy primed first and then painted in a Fiat light grey basecoat followed by a matt clear. Worked a treat and easy to wipe clean plus the metal is well protected in the UK weather.
This is actually the best advise, although the other responses are valid, will work, and are the right answer to the specific question... But... By the time you prep and clear the primer in a manner that will guarantee proper adhesion and give the look you want you'll end with as much or more cost and time invested then you would by just prepping and painting with a single stage satin gray the matches your color... Every manufacturer has a second line that is economical....DuPont, for example, has Nason. Their single stage urethane in basic solid colors can be bought for around a $100.00 a gallon plus the catalyst...about $40.00. I'm sure the others are the same price range and all are good quality paint.
Pretty sure that over in the U.K. "lacquer" means the same as "clearcoat" over here. I know they call lacquer "cellulous" over there. I think he is just looking to clear coat his primer.
That's how I read it too. Still, the answers are correct- don't clear the primer, lay down a basecoat first. ...also "Lacquer? I barely know her!"
I have clear over my grey primer and it has held up fine. PPG Flexed and Flat DCU 2060 Look at my avatar fenders. I wanted the two tone shiney and flat look I saw in Calif
I don't know about current primers and clears but 25 years ago we had a Model A style 2dr sedan that did exactly this. It was grey primer with black primer belt moldings. One weekend it showed up shiny. He scuffed it and shot clear on it. This was well before BCCC systems so I have no idea of what he used. The car changed dramatically. It was now just battleship grey. I liked it much better in suede.
Yep, often when you clear over primer, it becomes darker. If you like that color, shoot it in that color paint.
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