Ok. I have gotten my car ready for paint. I have used a polyester primer sealer which says it's ready to paint right over. I have presanded the body with 400 grit, and will sand with 600 grit before I shoot. This is where I need help, I am starting off with the white top. Can someone lists the steps I need to take and times for in between coats and sanding no sanding... Do I spray the two coats and then spray the clear coat over it? Do I sand the white first and then clear coat it? How long do I wait before shooting the clear coat? Hours? Days? Lots of questions.... Thanks in advance for the replies.
easyissy is right, the parts house that sold you the paint should know. When I painted mine last year I used Martin Senour Crossfire. Base coat clear coat. I shot the base color, 2 coats. Let it sit for a couple hours and shot the clear. The paint guy at NAPA said I could shoot the clear within 5 days without sanding. But you need to call the paint company rep if the parts house doesn't know, and then change parts stores and find one that knows what they are doing.
Well I talked to one painter who said sand the 2nd coat of white with 1500 (1200?)grit to help eliminate any orange peel. The paint house doesn't seem to really know any tips. They can hand me or read me the paint manufacturers recommendations I am sure, but I would like tips from painters.
I have been able to find the P-sheets online from the paint manufacturer that will explain your time needed between coats/top coat.
get the paint manufactures tech sheets!! read the label on the paint can! are you spraying base coat-clear coat or single stage? If the people you purchased the paint from are no help you bought at the wrong place!!! Have you ever painted a car before? If not you may have bit off more than you can chew. With the cost of paint products you need to do your homework!!!!
I would agree with others if the place you bought your paint from can't or won't help you don't shop there anymore. Recoat windows are on the tech sheets. Sanding would depend on how long you leave things between coats, types of paint etc. Again all information that can be found on the tech sheets. You really haven't provided enough info for anyone to really help you. What type of paint, what brand, are you spraying out side, in a booth, baking, temperature when spraying, lots of variables.
I would also question sanding the primer with 600 before painting the car. Remember the paint has to have something to **** onto and I would think sanding with 400 would be enough. Just my opinion. Jimbo
Agree that #600 it too fine for adhesion. Regarding your paint supplier, they are required by law to have MSDS (material safety date sheets) available to their customers. And it is not just the legal issue. The reason everyone here says you need them is each paint system reacts differently. Primer/base coat compatibility, mixing ratios, correct hardeners, thinning ratios, as well as the very application information you request. Some will even give you air pressure recommendations. I've painted a lot and never leave the stove without a copy just to make sure things haven't changed with the system I use..
I may try someone else at the paint supply house, The primer tech sheet said to sand with 400-600 before painting over it, so that's where that came from. I am sure I can get the paint tech sheets. I was just looking for tips. I haven't painted a car before... It may come out bad, but I am going to try. Oh and they Paint supply house sells PPG. The person there is recommending Shop-Line from PPG as a compatible paint for the primer sealer I used. Which was Z-Chrome. Maybe the paint store may not want to give to much advice on painting for fear that if it turns out bad I might blame them. ???
ppg bc/cc wait 15-30 after base then clear, no reason to sand the base unless you wait more than 12 hours before you clear it then it needs to be sanded.
Hey , Learning to paint an automobile from a paint saleman is like learning to play golf from a guy who's never played the game There's a ****load of difference in experience from the paint counter, the mixing table & the booth! You're doing the correct thing by getting as much information on the subject as you can, but always check the products' literature, at point of sale, on the lable & over the internet for ALL the info you'll need to have a successful paintjob. There's a cat named Overspray, here on the HAMB, who's layed down some really good paint info. Se4arch his old posts for some great info " A government by the people, for the people " my *** !
600 grit WILL NOT cause adhesion problems. You're on the right track by asking questions. When you paint, keep it clean. Make sure you have a good base of primer and no spots of bondo showing. Air it off really well, use a tack rag to wipe all residue sanding dust off. Make sure everything is taped off properly so you don't get over spray anywhere you don't want it to be. You should have some sort off liquid cleaner like wipe all or pre clean that will clean the surface but not take off any of your primer. Tack it off again, then start to paint. 2 coats will work if it hides all your primer, maybe you might need 3. It depends upon how well the paint covered. Some paint covers better than other paint does. time in between coats its a waiting game, when the paint flashes, it called dry time, thats also depends on weather, how warm it is etc. You'll need proper reducer for the weather. Too slow of reducer in colder weather then it takes longer to dry or flash off. Too fast of reducer, it could actually dry before its on the car and come out rough. Kinda like the bears and the porridge thing..Could take 10 mins or so in between coats. Just be patient. In between coats just before you put on more paint, use the tack rag and wipe it down to get dust that has been floating around. just wipe it down carefully. Unwrap the tack rag and refold it so its softer. No need to sand before the clear, unless there is so much dirt that it might need it. If you do have to, just put a real light coat of color back on just to even it out. You can wait for an hour or so to clear. You can put as many coats of clear as you need, just don't rush it. no need to use the tack rag in between clear coats. The clear takes longer to dry than the color does. so if you use the tack rag, it'll make a big mess. Make sure you read all instructions. Just take your time and do your homework like you are. There is never a stupid question. Google how to paint cars. Probably lots of videos.
Where you paint will also dictate how good of a job you end up with. Are you painting in a booth? In a garage? Things like air movement, and temp & humidity play a large part in drying times, etc. I'm also going to add this post (see below) I did a long time ago, only because you mention it's your first paint job...please keep in mind, SAFETY FIRST! Something that needs to stressed here, and I only say this from 30+ years of painting cars in everything from driveways, to garages, to downdraft booths...safety first...this is something that gets a once over, "wear a respirator with new filters..."...good advice, but if you're doing this in an environment that does not have enough CFM of fresh clean air introduced into it, a respirator will only work so well for so long, then you are in an atmosphere FULL of evaporating solvents, and airborn paint solids, and catalyzed nasty chemicals that can KILL YOU GRAVEYARD DEAD!... not to mention the risk of explosion from s room full of solvent vapors...that being said, my suggestion is to rent a spray booth if possible, but you MUST at least wear a respirator, preferably a full face, forced air unit that covers the eyes, with pristine clean air coming from a protected source that will not be contaminated with paint fumes (found this out the hard way, stupid me...) Catalyzed paint, isocyanates and other nasty chemicals enter your body through your lungs, yes, but THROUGH THE EYES AND SKIN, ALSO! Aside from fresh air, you need to wear a paint suit, taped at the wrists and maybe ankles, and gloves, and a head sock,...TREAT SPRAYING PAINT AS YOU WOULD SPRAYING ANY POISON, because that's what it is, damage caused by misuse of automotive refinishing chemicals cannot be "fixed" with a trip to the doctor once the damage is done, well...Just my 2 cents worth...good luck with your paint job...
Thanks Guys. I am going to use a paint booth that belongs to my b.i.L. (hopefully), He called me yesterday and said his painter was taking off for a couple of weeks around Thanksgiving, so that looks like the time. I am going to see if he will let me sneak in there one night and try my hand at painting the interior trim pieces first. Kind of a get my feet wet kind of thing. I was going to buy my own respirator but just wear a long sleeve shirt and head sock. I think I might just get a paint suit, they don't seem to be that expensive.
One of the best pieces of advice I can offer a novice painter is to set up a test panel that you spray with each coat (2 ft square). This will let you check the flash/tack of the previous coat without touching your project. The better clears, are MUCH slower flowing and require longer between coats and a much lighter first "Tack" coat. IME, beginners tend to spray the clear coats without sufficient time between. Letting the clear coat set up a little longer allows it to flow out and reduces the likelyhood of geet un-evaporated solvents trapped between coats - this so-called solvent pop can create pinholes or worse, adhesion problems later. I will virtually guarantee you more problems from less time between clear coats than too much. The sanding of color coats is critical if you are psraying waterborne paints as any pooloing of the pigment will show in the final finish (its more like coloring a car with a magic marker than painting. If you are using traditional solvent based paints, I only sand the color coat to remove obvious imperfections, sags or trash in the color coat. Bottom line, if the pre is good the paint will be good, if the prep is sloppy Winfield can't save it. As my grandfather used to say..."Patience Jack***".
just sand it with 400 and seal it. when spraying any large panel as a roof, start at the rain gutter and work your way in, go to the other side and work your way out. two coats of color, flash, de nib lightly w/ 1000 grit and recoat til proper coverage is achieved. wait about 1/2 hour til flash time is reached, tack and clear waiting between coats until clear is tacky. if you plan on wet sanding and buffing, i would recommend 3 coats of clear. when you spray the body, do not put plastic on the fresh cleared roof. it's not rocket science, it just takes patience and common sense. pm me if you have any more questions.
Glad to hear you're renting a booth, it will make your job SOOOOO much easier, (and MUCH safer!) and the end result WAAAAYYY better than doing it in the home-made "garage booth". Sounds like you're asking all the right questions, and getting some sage advice! One of the best that's been mentioned already? PATIENCE! Don't try to rush it...and as stated before, even the best painter can't save a paint job with poor prep...a paint job truly is only as good as what's underneath it. It can take weeks to prep a car for paint, while laying it on can only take a few hours. Good luck! EW
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