Make gloss from satin paintjob?

Still working on finding out what paint was used to make this car satin. .this might be easier that we think, if we are lucky. Thanks, Mike

 

Covering with semi-gloss or gloss clear would add gloss, but..... Not only is there the potential compatibility issue that porknbeaner explained, the flateners in flat finished tend to cause cloudy/chalky look. Clear wont fix that cloudiness.

Just burnishing the surface with a course rag will gloss up some flat finishes. As others have mentioned, attempts to gloss up the finish could cause an uneven blotchy look.

 

I was going to let this thread slip under the waves, but it occurred to me, I've never used a buffer before!
I've hand buffed motorcycle tanks and such, but I don't even own a buffer. What do I want when I go to the store? If I find out what paint is on the car, the paint shop can help me with compounds and pads and such, right? Do I wet sand? What grit? Can I buff with the trim still on the car? Am I asking too many questions? I need to drink less coffee in the morning......

 

Bump for the morning

 

Mike, yes you can paint a car satin black on the cheap. The satin black on the wagon in my avatar is a BASF product called Limco #3, a urethane that costs $18.50 a quart. The hardener costs more then the paint. Its a base coat without the clear and it looks great. The finish is uniform with no stripes or cloudiness. If you want it shiny all it needs is to be cleared. To remove hand prints and bird droppings spray detailer does the trick.

That said, after an unfortunate mishap of my Daughter placing a box of books on the hood which left it scratched pretty bad, I needed to repaint just the hood. Had a little trouble getting the sheen just right to match the rest of the car. The tech man at the paint supplier suggested using a BC/CC with flattener in the clear. That matched perfectly. The only problem with this method was the price of the clear which is right at $100 a gallon. You have to remember the BC is nothing but color.

I personally like just using the base coat without the clear as if you ever want it shiny it can be done.

 

I did find out that the painter only charged the guy $800 for the job. Part of that is because the P/O removed all the trim, and the body has zero damage.
But that price really has me worried about what quality of paint he used. We are sure it was automotive paint, but that covers a large stretch in quality.
What I need to know now is what kind of buffer do I buy?

 

Get a variable speed buffer and a few soft pads, and some very very very fine polish like Liquid Ebony. Go with a VERY slow speed and no downward pressure. Let the weight of the buffer do the work of gravity. Keep the pad wet with the polish, and go slow. Did I mention to go slow? And stay away from edges. The paint will be thin on edges and 'burns' off easily. Make sure the buffing pad spins AWAY from panel edges, ridges, etc...not INTO the edges, ridges...otherwise you'll burn the paint off.

 

Good advice. Also, put some green masking tape on any peaks and/or edges to reduce the risk of burning through....

 

Now we're talking! Do I mask the trim? or just stay off the hard edges? When I did stuff by hand, I would do the flats first, and go back and blend the edges in. Is that the same here?
I think I can learn to do this.
I can wet sand with the best of them, so I kind of understand getting too aggressive with the finish.
Can I get this finish buffing by hand? If I can, then I could do the open areas with the buffer,and do the delicate stuff by hand.

 

Masking the trim is a good idea. And try to stay away from it with the buffer or you run the risk of tearing up the buffing pad, the buffer getting caught on it, pulling trim away from the body, etc. Ideally, remove the trim and do it all with the buffer then reinstall the trim. That'll net you the best results, but lots more work. Yeah, you can buff the edges by hand to blend it in. Either way, it's hard work, but rewarding.

The buffer I got is something like this one http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garde...000357392&track=pspla&kw={keyword}&adtype=pla, but I think I bought a refurbished one from Harbor Freight for about $35. It's nowhere near as good as a pro tool, but it works good enough for what I needed to polish.

 

Buffing flat black paint?!? $800 dollar paint job!?! Clear coat over unknown base coat?!? God, I need a beer!!!!

 

But from what I have been told, base only is not recommended as it is porous and water and such can get thru to the substrate.

Anybody know if this is true?

 

Don't believe urethane base is porous. Mine has been on there three years and looks as good today as it was the day it was put on. I also don't understand why anyone would try and buff a base coat to make it shiny. Thats what the clear coat is for.

 

Urethane base coat will hold up to the elements just fine. It does mare easy. A more durable solution is a flat clear top coat. It is as tough as gloss clear and does not mare.

 

jimbousman X-2. My hood and left door is just that. The rest of the car is base coat urethane without the clear. To be honest with you the base coat without the clear has a slight sheen and has held up very well.

 

You guys are missing the point. If I wanted flat, I'd leave the thing the way it is.
Thanks, Voodoo Twin, I'll go looking next week.

 

I'm following along Mike, I am in the same boat but I painted my car myself with a single stage paint and added a flattening agent. It came out with a real low satin finish but after a couple of years it is now flat. When I was painting the car I noticed that when I wiped it down it shined up so I did a panel and it looked like it could have been painted in the 60s. I plan to buff it out once I get my shop roof on to shade it from this Az sun. If it turns out like crap I can shoot a fresh coat of single stage on it again. And yes I could just shoot a clear over it like everyone else or I can try something outside of said box.

 

29sportcoupe, I got the chance this weekend to see some photos of the 47 just after it had been painted,which was about 4 years ago, and I don't know if it was camera flash or what, but it seemed more glossy in those pics than it does now.
I'm with you, I have nothing to loose, worse that can happen is a new paint job.
My salvation is that there is no bondo, or rust , or body damage of any kind anywhere on the car. Thanks, Mike

 

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Resurecting this old thread because I figured out the combination!
I went to my friends at English Color Supply here in my neighborhood, and they were really helpful.
I do suggest that if you have paint issues, the first place to go is to the store in your neighborhood that sells materials to the pros. They have a better grasp of what you need than anyone else.
My first purchase was a variable speed 7" buffer. Their advice was to wash the car several times with a "bug sponge" to get as much dirt and bird doo from the barn off as I could. then try to level the orange peel with 1500 grit. Then to buff with a finish wax to get the gloss I wanted.

 

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I figured out the combination!
I'm wet sanding by hand with 1,000 grit until I get the incredible orange peel leveled out, then buffing with a 7" buffer with BC1, a course compound, then polishing with the buffer with BC2, the finish polish/wax, then,whew!, hand laying on two coats of Meguire's gold carnuba wax.
It won't ever be a good paint job, but I won't have to strip and re-paint, and that's worth putting up with all the flaws in this paint. It looks surprisingly like a fifty year old, amateur enamel paint job. I can live with that.
I'm going to look like popeye, hand sanding all these panels with 1,000, but there are very light spots and very heavy spots. I already found a light spot, and sanded right down to the factory black. Hence, I'm reluctant to get out the DA, and try to sand with 1,000 by machine.
I'm keeping the car under covers as it's the time of year in North Texas when the trees start doing their thing, and I'm doing a section of body at a time.
Being retired, my time is free. I think I will take the car to my favorite detailers when I've done all I'm willing to do, and see how well they can get out the swirl marks this neube with a buffer is leaving. I'm guessing that by the time I get to the last panel, I will have this buffer thing down!

 

I don't know what is on there, and have had no luck finding out from the P/O.
Whatever it is, it's as hard as concrete! I'm wondering if it's some sort of epoxy appliance paint.
1,500 grit will just barely take the tops off the orange peel. And if you put any scratches in it, it's so hard you have to work extra hard trying to level those scratches. Whoever shot this mess didn't sand, or blow off, or tack rag any of the coats!
It's as if he rolled the car in the shop and just started shooting paint! Some of the tops of the fenders feel like 400 grit.

 

Mike,
It could be that is is genuine flat paint, some flat paints use a little grit to make them flat. If it were a flat epoxy it would or should at this stage of the game be as hard as a brick.

But it also lok like your elbo grease is starting to pay off, it surley is not going to be a perfect paint job, but you were not after the modern street rod look anyway were you?

 

Beano, if I can get the other four corners to look as good as the driver front, I'll go looking for a striper and call it good!
I'm not wanting a show car, I want something to drive around the neighborhood, and go to a few parking lot shows. Thanks, Mike

 

You are well on your way, face it neither one of us a Detroit Autorama money anyway, we may as well enjoy life.

 

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About halfway there.
1,000 grit wet sand on the really bad orange peel, buff with BC1, polish with BC2, hand wax with Miguire's carnuba gold. I can live with it.

 

It might be a bit late in the day to chip in, but aren't you going to have problems getting the striping to adhere if it's all buffed and waxed up?



Nice-looking Sedan, by the way.

 

I like the look, really appears to be 50 yr old preserved paint from the pics.

 

Dunno! I'm sure the stripers know something, they stripe cars that have been waxed every day.
I assume they have something to strip the wax off.

 

It's looking better already nice work! Hope to see it cruising around town soon..

 

You're in the same boat as me. Mine is shiny enough that I don't look like a rat rodder driving around with primer on my car, but not so nice I am afraid to leave it alone at Roundup. You ARE going to Roundup?