I am new to painting. I have been learning as I have successfully etch primed my bare metals and covered most of my car with primer surfacer. I am getting better at using the gun and think I want to tackle the base/clear in future.
I know I will get a run or sag and some bugs or trash in my basecoat as I will be spraying in my garage. How do I fix that before I clear? I will be using Sherwin Williams products. The spec sheet on their base says base cannot be sanded except wet sanded to remove dust. It seems to say that you have up to 7 days to clear, after which it says the base must be removed. Afer I apply base can I leave it overnight and in the morning remove the sags, runs, or bugs somehow then clear. The flaws in the clear are less of a concern to me as I intend to wet sand to remove them and orange peel, and I will buff with my great Makita buffer. Comments from experienced painters are invited.

Generally it basecoat is easy to spray and should be applied in thin coats, it will have a slight texture when applied but will lay flat once it flashes off. You can wetsand imperfections out of basecoat then apply more basecoat before clear. I have wetsanded some solid colors and went directly to clear without problem but if there is a difference in color between coats this will show up when the clear is applied. Your best bet is to apply two coats of base over any sanded areas before clear is applied. Clean your garage well, wet down the floor and make every attempt possible to keep contaminants out of your basecoat.

how long do I let a run or sag dry before I try to sand it out? After sanding, how much of the panel should be resprayed with base? Say I had a sag 3 inches up from the bottom of the door. Do I spray the whole door, or just a foot or two around the sag I have sanded out?

if you get a run or sag in base coat you are putting it on way to think. base coat is meant to be sprayed in light coats, almost dry. clear on the other hand should be wetter (sprayed heavier) Im by far no expert but when I paint, I always use bc/cc and put the cc on light until the last coat and I put that on heavy (wet)

thanks for the info. I guess I'll have to spend some considerable time tuning my gun to ensure it goes on light.