Baking the paint though, is beneficial. Here’s a quick run down of one way to do it.
All of this is only based on what seems to help paint dry a little better. It still takes longer to actually cure. And the longer it can sit before sanding, the better. None of this is scientific, it’s just what seems to help.
]]>This is assuming all sanding is done, and the vehicle is ready for paint.
A note about using cleaners. Spray them on, fully wetting the panel, and use a dry lint free towel. A lot of times it works great to use a second towel to dry it better. Cleaners work by floating the contaminates up, and then being wiped off. They don’t work nearly as well if cleaner is just wiped on a panel.
]]>The answer, no. Here’s why. It’s probably obvious that spraying 6 coats of clear is pushing it about as far as you can. If you get the flash times right, it can be done without any problems. The biggest problem is solvent pop. With solvent pop, you will also probably see a lot of die back. Die back can also happen without it solvent popping. This is all due to the flash times not being correct, and/or spraying too heavy. Again, flash times are crucial.
Force drying, or baking, the clear coat will only force all those solvents out faster than they need to come out. The clear will begin to dry on the top first. When those solvents want to be forced out because of the sudden temperature increase, there’s a big chance of solvent pop happening.
True, it doesn’t always happen. As a matter of fact, it might not happen often at all. But, it is certainly not worth the gamble. An otherwise great paint job could be ruined, all because it ‘had’ to be baked.
Do yourself a favor, and just let it air dry. Let the paint booth run, even over night, and let it dry at its own pace. After it’s dry, the next day, then you can start baking it.
A good way to help it dry, is to bake it more after your 600 grit is done. It helps the clear dry a lot to go through several bake cycles after you’ve started wet sanding.
Painted at: The Refinery by Adam Krause
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The question then becomes, how much clear is needed to be able to sand it flat. The answer depends slightly on what clear coat it is, but generally, 4-6 coats will be needed.
The next common question? Is all the clear sprayed at once, or is it sanded and cleared again, a ‘flow coat’. The answer is all at once, and here’s why. When wet sanding clear coat, it cannot be sanded past the layers that were just sprayed, even if it’s more clear coat underneath. If you break through into the first round of clear coat, you will see a dull edge from the previously sanded clear coat. It will look like a bad blend edge.
All this means that no matter what, 4-6 coats of clear are needed, sprayed at one time, in order to have enough material to sand it flat enough. So adding a second round of clear coat only adds extra solvent, extra material, extra time, and a little extra die back from all the additional solvent.
The important part is knowing the clear coat you’re using, and being very particular with it’s flash times, and not piling heavy coats on.
]]>Essentially there are two options; paint with all the panels together, or paint all the panels apart. Some colors are better than others, and of course there’s always a chance, sometimes a good chance, everything will match perfectly. There is also a chance all the panels will be a slightly different shade. Is it really worth the gamble?
What’s the difference? It usually seems like a big task to, but in reality, it might be an additional 4-8 hours of work, at most. Is 4 hours worth the gamble of having to repaint an entire car?
This is the best way to make sure there’s no question at all about every panel matching perfectly. Never worry again about having that sinking feeling when the panels go together, after all the hours of wet sanding and buffing, only to find out everything is just slightly a different color.
Paint: The Refinery by Adam Krause
]]>Typically, prior to paint, I like to wipe the panels down twice with water borne cleaner, and twice with solvent wax and grease remover. Also, there is a lot of cleaning that takes place throughout the entire body work, primer, and prep process. Don’t short cut it!!
]]>The above car was body worked & painted at The Refinery by Adam Krause
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In the world of ‘high end’ paint, products are pushed pretty far; up to their limits. Usually 5 or 6 coats of clear are used in order to have enough material to sand it completely flat.
With this much clear coat, the heat from force drying it could easily dry the top first, and then force it to solvent pop. If that doesn’t happen, the clear could also loosen up with the heat and run or sag. Either situation is bad news. Air drying minimizes the chances of all this quite a bit.
I don't claim to be the greatest painter, but I have learned a lot of very important foundations that make a paint job extraordinary. Here they are:
•Dry Times. Everything needs to 'flash off' long enough, but not too long. Letting the solvent dry out is very important, whether it's sealer or base coat. The sealer should be allowed to dry for just about as long as allowed in the tech sheet. Each coat of base coat should flash off for at least several hours. Always be sure to stay within the time frames listed in the tech sheets so adhesion isn't an issue.
•Sealer. It's important and needed. The base coat needs a solid surface to lay on. Sealer is very non porous and gives a great foundation for the base coat. Always use sealer.
•Base Coat. Above all, every panel needs to match. Whatever the method, all the panels need to be sprayed together (loosely assembled, and spray panel to panel in one pass...'walk the car'), to ensure the color is exactly the same, all the metallic is orientated the same, etc. Even solid colors need to be painted together. It only takes a couple extra hours. Beyond matching, everything needs coverage. Don't be lazy, grab a bright flashlight and check over everything after each coat.
•Clear Coat. Flash times are crucial with clear coat. A good rule of thumb is that the clear coat should be stringy before the next coat. When it is barely still stringy, the next coat needs to be sprayed. (Some brands can be tacked up). This is very very very important. Don't go by the time, go by how the clear is actually drying. If too much time goes by, it is very possible to see the edges of each layer of clear when polishing. This is from each coat not melting together enough because of too long of flash times. Solvent pop can also happen. Don't clear too many parts at once, make absolute sure you can get everything coated in time. Also, don't spray too heavy, good medium coats are perfect. Depending on the clear, usually 5 or 6 coats is perfect to give enough material to sand flat.
]]>The key to painting engines? Keep the material as thin as possible. (And very good prep work). This means it's probably a lot better of an idea to de-burr and metal finish everything, rather than using any filler or primer. It's a lot of work, but the whole point is to show you the 'right' way. Also, I like regular epoxy sealer and regular base coat/clear coat (or matte). #paint #engines #matte #satin #deburring #work #lotsofwork #metalfinish #handfile #file #quality #details #fitandfinish #tylerkrauseinc
]]>Want to make sure all the panels match? When painting, loosely assemble the body before spraying the last couple coats of base coat. First, make sure there is full coverage in the jams, carefully put the panels together, spray the final couple coats, and then take it back apart to clear it. I know all the paint reps say it will match, and a lot of times it does. But with the level some cars need to be finished at, 3 extra hours is a very cheap insurance policy.
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