I've already done two "final" skim coats on this quarter panel and I'm really hoping this will actually be THE FINAL skim coat, but I need to ask a few questions so I don't keep repeating the same mistakes.
1-What is the best spreader to use for Evercoat Metal Glaze polyester glazing? I've used a spring steel spreader and a plastic spreader, with both I have found too little glaze applied in some areas requiring me to go back and risk tearing what was already applied.
2-How thick should this final skim coat be?
3-Is it better to apply horizontally, vertically or another way?
4-Can I start sanding with 80 and then go to a finer paper? How fine before primer?
5-How can I maintain a nice gently curving, uniform indented crease (69 Chevelle just under where the vinyl top belt molding would go if I were putting one on (which I don't plan to do BTW)?
Thanks, I'm patiently waiting and will not be touching that part of the car until someone is kind enough to lay this out for me.
Rich

1. I prefer plastic. Apply with a little less pressure and you will get a little thicker application. In fact, you will learn to change the pressure along the way in a stroke to change the thickness where needed.
2. It varies from job to job. But usually it is about a 1/16" WHEN APPLIED. You don't want it any thinner because it needs that film to cure well. With an even pressure you will have no pin holes what so ever.
3. Makes no difference at all, yet it makes all the difference in the world. The thing is there is no way I could tell you which on your particular application. It is a "feel" that you will learn. Basically, if you are on a curve, you want to go with the curve not against it. That is the basic rule.
4. Yes, you can start with 80. But it would have to be a pretty large area for me to start with 80. 120 is actually pretty coarse for polyester putty and will cut it REAL fast. Just as long as you are using NICE SHARPE, NEW paper. I use a LOT of paper when I cut filler and putty. It is just the best money spent. This is not a time to try to save money. You need it to be SHARPE and cut RIGHT NOW to flatten the stuff.
5. Use a piece of smooth radiator hose as a block.

Brian, Thanks for the tips. I knew I could count on you to help me out! The only thing I'm not sure I understood was the part about going with the curve or against. Did you mean that the pass should be around the curve and not along the crest of the curve?
Thanks again,
Rich

Rich,you want to go "over" the crest and not "ride" on top. Let's say on the top of the fender of your Chevelle if you were to want to apply filler in the whole area from the top of body line over to the hood. You would spread it out down the fender front to rear or rear to front in the flat area. Then on the dip off the body line towards the hood you would need to spread it down off the line to the flat area. Or from the flat area up to the line.

Now, the funny thing is, like I said, you just can't say until you do it. Because as I typed this I thought, maybe I wouldn't do it that way! smile.gif It is hard to say, it depends what the area I was trying to fill looked like. I may spread it different, depending on what needed to be filled. For instance, if there was a crease that ran WITH that body line in the curved area between the top of the line and the flat area on the top of the fender, I would likely flex the plastic spreader in using my fingers to as close to the shape of the curve as possible and then spread the filler WITH the line, just like the crease. If I were to do this the was I previously described, the spreader would likely go in and out of the crease and not fill it. I hope I made that clear. If I didn't let me know.

Most times, I will spread it a couple of different ways before I settle on the best. No kidding, I will spread it out with the curve, then see that there are some big thick spots on created by the edge of the spreader. So I will then spread the filler that is there the other way over the curve and find that it is better. Or, that it is worse and I go back to the first way!

The thing is, do it anyway you can so that you are applying a little presure as you go to press out the air. Plus, make it as smooth as possible.

At this point is why you need to cut with NICE, NEW, SHARP, GOOD QUALITY paper. If you have these raised ridges caused by the the edge of the spreader, you need to have the nice sharp paper to CUT it down level with the surrounding area. If you are using wimpy paper you will "polish" the darn stuff going up and over the ridges and not cut it down flat.

This is the reasoning behind the " LAST FINAL SKIM COAT" method. You CUT the first coats of filler into the proper SHAPE. Not worring about pin holes, or perfection. Just get that darn shape. Then you apply the skim coat to basically only fill the scratches and pin holes and aid in the feathering. That is all the skim coat should be doing. Get the shape with the filler, leaving it a little low then use the skim coat so you don't hit the filler when you finish it off. You WILL hit it some, sometimes more sometimes less. But just don't have to hit it so much so that you cut into it and reveal pin holes or something like that.

Hope this helps smile.gif

Yes, I think I have it. This is one case where a picture would be worth a thousand words! I understand that in order to post a picture on this site it has to first be somewhere on a website? Too bad, I have a lot of digital pix I'd post if it were just a matter of copying from a file.
Anyway, it sounds like what you are telling me is, regardless of the direction I use to spread it, make sure that it goes on with a minumum of uneveness and ridges from the spreader.
I thought the direction might have an effect on smoothing spreader ripples, b/c I usually hold a long board in line with the car moving in a diagonal direction. My thinking was that the board should cut across the ridges from the spreader to cut them down. Running the spreader and the board in the same direction might cause the narrow board to conform to the ridges rather than cut them.
A friend of mine taught me to do body work many years ago when he used "Red Lead". I dreaded putting that stuff on b/c it never failed to mess up all my carefully sanded filler. You had one chance to apply it or it would tear, and I just couldn't get it to go on smoothly enough to sand out the ripples. I always sanded back to the filler and felt I'd gotten nowhere. The polyester glaze gives more working time and is easier to sand, but I (being a do it now and then hobbyist) still need the kind of help you've given.
Thanks for your patience and time,
Rich