So im losing sleep trying to come up w/ a plan of attack on how exactly I want to do this. The biggest concern is due to taping and recoat times. <TABLE dir=ltr border=1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=7><TBODY><TR><TD height=121 vAlign=top width=380> Dust free: 15-20 minutes Tack free: 1 hour Tape: 8 hours Polish: 8 hours Full cure: 18-24 hours Stripe Next day Deliver: 24 hours Decal: 48 hours </TD><TD height=121></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <TABLE dir=ltr border=1 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=7 width=585><TBODY><TR><TD height=25 vAlign=top> After 18 hours, surface must first be abraded with 600-800 grit to promote sufficient adhesion before recoating. So, lets say using this car as an example (just a random stollen pic from the site)(plus it looks great). How would the pros here do this as a basecoat clearcoat? My thoughts are spray the maroon (or whatever base color) later in the evening, wait the 8 hrs (as in, go to bed) per instructions for taping, and Get up bright and early to tape like theres no tomorrow just so I can get it cleared w/in the 18 hr recoat window. I dont know if I can do it, layout, tape, spray the scallop color, and clear all in the alotted time (which ends up being 10hrs) Ive done tapped off paint jobs on motorcycles before but was never rushing against dry time on such a large scale. (cars a '51 cranbrook) thanks , jeff </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Here's How I do it but I'm not a pro. So I'm sure there will be others who chime in with better stuff. Base Coat step one. If you are using a base/clear then base the whole car. Color sand the basecoat to remove any orange peel. This will take some time but the finished product will be worth it. If It's a single stage then make sure it's cured fully or catalyzed. Color sand and buff the whole car but do not wax it of course. If it's metallic then hope you have sprayed it correctly and are happy with the finish because you are stuck with it at this point. Apply grease and wax remover to the desired areas, tape your pattern in 3m fine line and fill in the base color areas with thicker tape and paper/plastic. Make sure everywhere you don't want paint is covered or bagged off well. One trick is to tape/paper the rocker and bottom of the car to the floor to be sure and protect the underside. If you are using a booth then its a different thing of course. Lightly sand again the areas to be painted with 600+/- and grease and wax everwhere again. Lightly seal in a tinted sealer for the exposed areas, apply scallop color. If its single stage then unmask and pinstripe to hide the tape lines. Wait the recomended time and then wax the whole car with a good wax. Start and drive everywhere. If it's a base clear then stripe the scallops and bury the whole thing in a really good clear coat. Color sand and buff, wax and drive the car everywhere. When you pull the tape be sure and pull it back on itself and slightly away from the fresh paint. This will save you anguish. Take your time color sanding it'll make sure you don't burn through the clear into the stripes and it'll make the finished product unbelievable. If you get a small run or sag in the clear or scallops take a razor blade and scrape across the top of it gently let it kick off and then csand it flat with a tool that fits the area. Never sand with your fingers unless they match the shape. The biggest one is don't try this all in one day unless you are practiced at it. You'll wind up with a big shitty mess you'll have to sand off. This I know from experience. It's totally acceptable to do this over a weekend or a week. Doesn't matter as you are after Bitchin' not fast. Good Luck and post pictures when you are done. Tim
wow, great write up and thanks for the taking the time to help. Could you ellaborate on the metallic part I quoted above? My base is a light green metallic that looks almost like silver due to the amt of met. Should I still let the base cure then color sand it? (I was under the impression that you dont sand the metallics ? heres my base color: (scallops will be white) jeff
When I do a quality job, I do the basecoat, followed immediately by a couple coats of intercoat clear. Not final finish clear, it is a clear that is really a basecoat formula, also called jamb in clear. Wait a day or 2, sand lightly, then tape and scallop. Remove tape within alotted "window" for the basecoat, then final clear. If you really want to get fancy, do half your clear, wait a couple days again, sand with 800, pinstripe then finish clearing it. The reason to put some clear over your base is so you dont get tape marks, or pull off pearl or metallic particles when you tape it off. Also, if you get a little "blow through" you only sand clear to get rid of it, not basecoat, which would require re-coloring it.
You cannot sand a metallic single stage top coat, that is correct. It will expose the particles and they will oxidize quickly. There are different opinions on basecoat metalflake. I have color sanded basecoat really light flake, but never a heavy flake soI can't give any feedback on this. You are alot safer if you try a test panel. This will give you the best feel for how much to lay down, patterns for laying it, and then you can also test the see if you can color sand the base coat. Be sure and clear the test panel as well this will give you a really good example and let you correct any parts in the process you may need to. Paint is expensive so really have what you are doing figured out. I color sand the color coats wether it's single stage or two stage because it makes a really flat surface for either the clear or to polish with no distortion. If you've noticed a really smooth clear coat but inconsistent color coat this is the most common reason. The second being not enough color coat or inconsistent patterns. You can't hide orange peel on a base coat in the clear so be careful with pressure and pattern. Of course this is where the color sand of the base comes in. Paint to the shine not the color change. Try to not look at the panel flat but at an angle and watch the shine change as the paint lays on, overlap at least 30% and try to keep a wet edge when possible. I love the idea of a couple of clear coats/jamb coats in between. That makes total sense and would have saved me some re-do time. That's a great suggestion and I'll use it next time I get into a multi layer job. Painting is a tough art and it changes on everything you paint. That's why I like doing so much, it's always a challenge. Probably why alot of my stuff gets the only color---Black. Good Luck, Tim
If you asked me to do the car above..... After it's prepped and sealed-- Spray out the gold where the scallops are, then a couple coats of intercoat clear. Wait an hour(or longer, depending on which thinner, shop temp, etc)and tape(mask) your scallops. Scuff what's exposed,clean, and fog white around the edge of your scallops, then tape(mask) the white stripe(if you don't have a striper friend, or can't pull a line yourself)after it dries the appropriate time. Go over what's now left exposed and scuff /sand/feather overspray from your scallops and outline, clean, tack, and spray your basecoat over the rest of the car. When the base looks good, allow it to flash, then untape your scallops and stripes. Clear the whole car, two-three good even coats, and go home. Next day, wet sand the whole car with 1000, then shoot another two coats of clear with a little slower thinner or over-reduced a bit. Open a beer and admire your work.
OKAY, Theres two ways to do this. I am working off the pic you showed, seal the car, then spray white base coat and top with a clearbase intercoat clear type product. i use sikkens and house of kolor. if I using sikkens I mix it off the mixing machine as a clear base coat. if useing hok i use the intercoat clear....now mask off the white with 1/8 inch fineline tape and spray the gold baseover whole car, top with intercoat clear, allow to dry, and now mask off the gold inside the fineline tape, spray the kandy brandywine, allow to tack up. now unmask the scallops and clear the car with 3 coats hok clear. i then let the car cure for a week, then i wet sand car and reclear with 3 coats hok flow clear, let cure a few days and wetsand and buff. I have a heated booth so i can control my dry times. On a job like this i ussually paint on an eve when nobody is around and i sometimes get done around 3-4 am after starting to paint around 5-6 pm.
this has been great, and gives me even more to think about, Altough, im not sure if thats a god thing or a bad All the replies seemed to confirm that I shouldnt try to get this done w/in one cure cycle. So that was good, I think I will now concentrate on just shooting the base color and then clearing that. Can I use the regular clear (urethane), as the intercoat? Say 2-3 coats over the base color, then after a day or two wet sand, scallop, then a final 2-3 coats of clear? thanks again guys, this has been really helpfull! jeff
earl, and finkd are two of the best we have on this board, listen. intercoat clear is a life saver on paint jobs like this.
The Jalopy Journal
