Technical Satin Paint Touch Up

Hello everyone. I'm new here and need some help.

I painted one of my cars satin with a satin clear coat. The base coat went on way better than I expected, however the clear coat went on misty and spotty. Made the car look powdery white. The weather has smoothed it out some, but it still has those leopard spots. I've seen a few post on here about how you can't cut and buff satin, and am curious if there is anything I can do to fix it. I guess also any advice on protecting it? Thank you!

 

Could try a white scotchbrite in straight lines, not guarantee, it would be trial and error. Or buff it with compound then dont use finishing compound.
http://www.woodcentral.com/woodwork...08/md/read/id/178012/sbj/scotchbrite-ratings/

Sounds like it needs sanded and recleared if it layed down milky. The satins Ive seen have a flattener added, if it was a powdered flattener it may not have been fully mixed. Not sure youll get the spots out.

I got a quart of semigloss urethane black (70% gloss) recently, when it arrived it had powder in the lip of the can and unmixed powder in the paint. Took forever to mix. Looks like they ran off some normal black and threw in the flattening agent.

We'll see what other advice comes through from the pros

 

I doubt there is any easy fix other then sanding and a re-spray. I've done satin paint jobs two ways. One is a base coat with flattener in the clear. The other is with just a base coat and no clear which makes it a lot easier should the need for a re-spray occur.

Gary

 

I have always been a guy that liked the primer look,hence the moniker hotrodprimer and I know from experience the flat/satin looks are impossible to keep looking good,they fade & spot out,stain and the clear coats are short on longevity.

I haven't figured out how to touch up or renew the look once it has been compromised,only thing I can suggest is repaint the car.

I have had excellent results with Kirker semi-gloss and it stays looking good regardless of repeated washings and sitting outdoors,I sold the pickup a couple of years ago but the finish still looked as good as the day it was applied seven years later. HRP

 

Never had a problem using Limco 3 black base coat and no clear on my 62 Impala wagon. Its been on the horizontal surfaces for years with no deterioration. Same with Y2K primer/sealer on my 63 BelAir. Just don't rub too hard when removing bird **** or sap or you'll create a shiny spot.

Gary

 

Hmm I don't really want to bother repainting it right now. I think I'll try buffing it as Indyjps mentioned. I ran a buffer over one section without a compound and it brought it back to the satin finish. What compound should I try? If I can't fix this paint job then next summer I'll re paint it with John Deer Blitz Black.

 

Blitz black will fade,I tried it and was not happy with the results.HRP

 

I heard somewhere that JDBB can be kept up well with 303 Aerospace Protestant, but I don't have any experience with it myself. I'll look more into that Kirker semi-gloss you mentioned

 

There's no need to bring Religion into this discussion! Protestants will not keep your paint looking good no matter how nice they are.
KK

 

Buffing or scotchbriting will even out the surface, even out dull and shiny. The milky or leopard spots is likely uneven flattening agent throughout the clear when shot, and will probably still be there. Its worth a try to see if you can get it more to your liking.

If it shines up too much, scotchbriting with a white pad will knock down some gloss, gotta go straight lines.

Again, no guarantee, posting pics of what you have going on will help.

 

I'm dead! Now I'm picturing astronaut missionaries. I meant "Protectant"

 

Alright I'm going to go with a light buffing and see where that gets me, and the scotch thing if needed. Any recommendations as too which buffing agent/compound I should use?

 

I would think buffing will shine the satin.

 

Welp worth a shot. Worse case a have a shiny car. I'll post pictures of how it goes

 

Was the weather humid when you sprayed the clear?
If so it sounds like blushing has occurred which means that the finish dried to quickly trapping moisture resulting in the cloudy appearance. This was a common occurrence in the fast drying lacquer days. Using a slow drying thinner was the preventative measure.
Heat from the buffing may be enough to dry it out. You might try some gentle heat from a heat gun on the cloudy areas or set it in the sun to warm.
Did you thoroughly shake the clear after mixing. The flattening agent has to be evenly distributed in the clear.

 

The paint has been on since late summer/early fall, so don't think it'll dry out anymore than it is now haha. I probably didn't shake it enough.