LOL Most people mistakenly believe that lacquer is easier. For a real quality paint job, one worthy of being called a lacquer job, it is work. I can't say why the OP used it, I am using it on a couple of current paint projects because I got it, sweat equity costs me less than cash out of pocket. This is pretty embarr***ing to admit. A couple of years back the wife asked me if I was going to paint my bike flat black. I asked her why I would do that and she said, "Well your bikes have always been flat black." Never the plan but I have sure screwed up a lot of lacquer jobs over the years.
Thank you everyone! So I think the plan is to get the rest of the orange peel off (in the picture I posted it is mostly gone on that side), and then paint some more. I found someone local to help me, and he said to turn the pressure down (I was using 40psi). I have I quart of paint left (plus hardener that I was told to mix 50-50) Is this enough to cover the car? Thank you again!
what type of paint are you using? You kind of hinted that it's acrylic lacquer. If so, why are you using hardener? A quart won't cover a car.
First, hardener is not used in Lacquer paint. It's only thinned down with Lacquer thinner and it's better if a high quality Lacquer thinner is used. As for the mix ratio, it's usually 1 to 1 but sometimes it's 2 parts paint, 1 part thinner. You're basically spraying "water", which is why you need to build up the coats. Make sure you let the fresh coat flash about 15 minutes, before you spray the next coat. When I sprayed my Nomad, I color sanded every coat with 600 grit wet/dry. Some painters color sand every other coat. Some shoot 5 coats and then color sand. Whatever you choose to do, after you color sand. wipe it down with grease/wax remover, Windex, Rubbing Alcohol. I used gas when I painted my Nomad but you get the point.
You are going to need a gallon of lacquer to cover that car. And you don't need hardener for lacquer. Also lacquer thinner is best bought according to the temperature outside that day. If you have alot of humidity on the day you want to paint I would wait until the humidity level goes down.
Looking at the picture of the color sanded car, it probably needs more body work, etc before it's going to look great. Might want to start at the beginning?
To start with , I would get that masking tape off if you can. Once tape gets wet and dries in the sun a few times, it becomes a real SOB to get off. I can't imagine painting out in a field with all the bugs and flying things around. You don't mention the type of spray gun, tip size, cfm or air pressure you used. The fact that you have both runs and orange peel tells me that you probably never painted a car before. I would get some 220 wet and dry and sand the whole car down with a rubber backing pad and start over. Prime the bare spots and seal the whole car before putting on the color. I would get someone that knows how to paint cars and paint it with a single stage or if you insist on lacquer, use a clear over the top. I would also get some one to show you how to cut and buff a car.
Some good advice, some misconceptions. Gotta ask...why do you have to put clearcoat over lacquer????? Even metallics in lacquer do not need clear over them., never mind a solid color. The only time we used clear was over graphics (flames, designs, etc.) or over pearls or candy. No a quart is NOT enough to do a whole car. At least a gallon is necessary, with all that primer showing. Agree with the others, might as well go over your bodywork and get it nicer before proceeding.
You don't have to put clear over lacquer but it adds extra protection and depth to the paint. You would be cutting and buffing the clear coat instead of the color coat.
Clear Lacquer won't offer anymore protection than a 50 year old Rubber. Look at all the "new" cars with clear coats that are fading. They look like they have a disease or something, and the paint can't be rubbed out. Instead, the car has to be repainted. As for depth, more color coats will add depth.
Was painting with lacquer when there were only two paints on the market: nitro cellulose lacquer and oil base enamel. I would get two gallons of lacquer and four gallons of good thinner for that car. Two parts thinner to one part paint is best with an absolute minimum of 1.5 thinner to 1 part paint. Ten to 12 hand rubbed coats should cover good. Lacquer is sensitive to humidity and will blush in an instant if the right thinner is not used for the drying conditions. Get a pint of lacquer retarder to adjust thinner for conditions. You cannot get the primer too slick for lacquer since it does not need "tooth" for the paint to "bite" for adhesion. Use at least 2000 and then buff to a mirror shine with a water based compound and wash with hot water and mild detergent like Dawn. I let lacquer primer cure for two weeks in hot sun before top coating or have a bank of heat lamps to cure in 45 minutes. Lacquer primer WILL shrink back so don't have any scratches for it to shrink into. Always have the gun set to the same pattern and volume and hold at the same distance from panels. You can vary the color by 2 or 3 shades with paint from the same can. This was why painters liked using lacquer for spot repairs as you could match an adjoining area just by spraying technique. The above is probably less than 10% of what you need to know about using an "easy" paint but maybe there are a few pearls in it. When I was a kid many body shops used gasoline for their wet sanding. OSHA probably wouldn't approve.
Hey, coilover, that's the first time in a looong time I heard someone repeat the "gas in the sanding water" trick. I did that, from a tip from an old timer, when doing a black nitro job about 20 years ago. Used Kerosene, though. It worked!
Hello everyone! I've done some bodywork, and the paint came out much better this time. Thank you all for the advice and wisdom!
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