Paint

Cobain03 said:

...anyone have likes/dislikes about acrylic enamel? ...

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Enamel - usually harder, tougher finish that doesn't require buffing - gloss finish off the gun. (I'm not even sure if it can be cut and polished successfully). It needs a longer drying time so a booth is almost a must for a great finish. Usually can't be easily repaired as spraying a small area leaves a 'dry' edge, this means repainting a whole panel.

Acrylic - Easy to apply base/topcoat. Quick drying and easy to fix (blends easily). Generally a 'beginner-friendly' solution.

Two-Pack: Forget about it unless you've got a booth and full protective gear.

If you decide to go with Enamel, and then want to repaint in Acrylic a few years down the track, the Enamel will have to be removed first. The solvents used in acrylic have a 'paint-stripper' style effect on the enamel. I recall hearing about a primer that allows acrylic over enamel but I can't say for sure if it exists.

My current level of ability dictates acrylic...

I've used both of those types of paint and lacquer too. My preference is BC/CC. It's much easier to paint and when you color sand and buff....Looks Awesome!!

Last time I painted over an existing job, I used a PPG sealer and didn't have any problems.

imo... single stage on solid non-metallic colors is an ok choice.... but if you are going to have any graphics or stripes... i would say bc/cc.... so the edge can be burried under the clear.

if you are using a metallic color and want to be able to colorsand/buff it... then you have no choice but bc/cc. i can explain it if needed.... just being lazy.

i paint harleys for a living..... i use nothin but base clear..... even on my own "car" projects. btw.... dont be cheap when it comes to buying materials...you get what you pay for.

ok...there are a few diff ways of doin this.

looking at your avi, i assume white w/ blue stripes.

#1 base the car white, lay out your tape lines...then base the stripes blue... i usually would over reduce the stripe color so i stay away from too much build up at the edge... blue for example is gonna cover excellent over the white anyway.

#2 base the center of the car blue.... make sure you paint MORE than enough area so you dont have any thin spots in the stripes after they are laid out. lay out the stripes.. base the car white.

pro/cons
#1 more traditional way of doing it..will use less blue base. down side...especially with white, keeping the base color clean of finger prints, pencil marks, overspray etc.

#2 easier to mask off the entire stripe to prevent overspray...than entire car. when it comes time to clear... you are filling the stripe up to "level" rather than trying to build up to the stripe. the white is gonna stay a lot cleaner...as its the last color before the clear. downside...it will use more blue base... and the white isnt gonna cover over the blue as well as say a light gray sealer.

clearing.... high solids clear is a must.... obviously you will be color sanding and polishing it to mirror finish. now the down side is..... you have to put as much clear on as it takes to get rid of the edge when its sanded/polished. as much as you dont wanna hear it... the best thing to do is gonna be to clear it...say 4 good coats, then color/block sand the clear to get rid of the edge... and re clear.

it might be possible to only clear the car once and be able to sand and polish it to get rid of the edges..... but, re clearing the car a second time will make the end result a lot nicer.... #1 your gonna be flow coating the clear over a nice flat surface, which means its gonna come out a lot smoother...less sanding polish time. #2... on the off chance you missed something.... you have a chance to fix it, tape bleed.... sand through on and edge...missed a spot with base...etc (no matter how carefull, and how much time you spend... this happens)

this advise comes from personal expierence... when/if you color sand for the 2nd clearing session... dont use too fine of paper... 400-500 wet.... no finer. the reason being... #1 it will take the edge down flatter and faster than 1000-1200, #2 i really like the idea of having a lil "mechanical" bite for the 2nd coats of clear... i have painted over 350 harleys... they all get cleared 2-3 times... never once have i had any kind of problem with clear falling off..... where i have seen paint jobs where the 2nd coats of clear come off with garden hose pressure...my guess... they cleared over 1000-1500 wet... no mechanical bite.

obviously these are the steps taken for some of the better paint jobs.... you can use the info to decide how nice you want to make your job....and what you have to look forward to labor wise. this might help too.... the major difference between a $5000 paint job and a $15,000 paint job......about $10,000 worth of labor.