I am getting ready to paint my car and have a few questions for some of you more experienced painters.

In preperation for painting the whole car, I wanted to test the color/type of paint on the hood im getting rid of. I used Duplicolor ready to spray 'paint shop' paint. (like this http://www.anrdoezrs.net/image-3497329-10303745http://www.anrdoezrs.net/image-3497329-10303745http://www.jcwhitney.com/jcwhitney/product/images/large/G_29344G_CL_1.jpg (http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-3497329-10303745?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jcwhitney.com%2Fjcwh itney%2Fproduct%2Fimages%2Flarge%2FG_29344G_CL_1.j pg))

I only prepped half the hood because I was going to just try out the gun (which I was borrowing) on the other half.

I was really just trying to get an idea of the color so I didnt put as much work into it as I would have otherwise.

The prep I did was to sand it down with 80 till I was through the primer on most spots but not all, then backed it up with 120 to smooth it out.

I sprayed a filler primer down and then sanded with 320 to get everything even.

After that I sprayed 3 coats of color, and then 3 thick coats of clear.

I wasnt used to spraying laquer so I was adjusting my technique as I went so it wasnt as consistant as I would have liked.

After wetdry sanding with 1500 in some choice areas this is how it turned out http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/mrWilsoN87/040610_1225a.jpg

Since there was so much inconsistancy and changes in how i was working the paint Im not sure if I feel satisfied in either the paint or my skill with the paint to attempt the whole car. If you guys can help answer a few questions I might feel a little more settled in doing it myself.

First, the side that i didnt prep came out much better than the side I did prep. The car was in rough primer before hand and was not sanded, but I did lay that area on VERY thick on both the color and the clear. To get laquer to come out well do you have to lay it on very thick like that?

Secondly, on both sides I sanded through the clear to smooth it out and part of the way through the color to the point where some of the primer and old paint (primer) is showing through in speckled patches. If i were to 1500 the whole car before hand, and after each layer of paint would that solve dimples and ridges in the pant when I lay it down?

Also, how hard do you have to sand the clear coat, because I felt I ripped through it rather quick with 1500.

Lastly, should I use a polishing compound to finish up the smoothing of the clear?

Thanks in advance.

J C Whitney products says it all for me...........

You should spray medium coats to let the vapors escape.

Is all of this painting a new thing for you? Theres so much to learn about painting,I don't

think my fingers would last,typing out the stuff you must learn and do.

www.howardsbackyardautobody.com :beers:

My uncle used that paint on a refridgerator that he painted red with stripes, That paint is crap, Super, super thin and the clear was dull - He had some old urathane clear from a previous project and sprayed that on and it was 10X better. He had to put like 10 coats on the thing to get the color to cover and then the clear was crappy.

This paint covers NOTHING as far as minute scratches so you better finish the prep with at least 400

LK

It's a lacquer product, and well....... it sucks. Lacquer was a decent product in it's day, but since they took the lead out of everything, it's really bad stuff..... :yes:

Even the cheapest line of basecoat, like Nason or 4th Dimension, is light years above the stuff you have.

My uncle used that paint on a refridgerator that he painted red with stripes, That paint is crap, Super, super thin and the clear was dull - He had some old urathane clear from a previous project and sprayed that on and it was 10X better. He had to put like 10 coats on the thing to get the color to cover and then the clear was crappy.

This paint covers NOTHING as far as minute scratches so you better finish the prep with at least 400

LK


Okay, I would 100% stay away from the Dupli-color laquer. It is a waste of money. My grandfather was bugging me to paint is golf cart. He wanted me to try Dupli-color, because he watch some show that used it. It SUCKED.... In the end I sanded it back down and mixed some Omni base and cleared.

Point taken.

If I were to go with an enamel I can still clear and wetsand correct?

If your spraying lacquer you need to sand the primer smoother than the other types of paint before painting. Get your primer on and sand it with 600 grit. Spray your lacquer next. If it's metallic you'll need to clear it before final sanding and buffing. Once your paint has dried you'll need to "color sand" it smooth with 1500 and then 2000 (wet sand). Now you have to buff it with comppund and then buff it with a glaze (swirl mark remover). You should come out with good looking paint job after all that.