geo737
09-27-2009, 08:24 PM
Hey everyone, I've been working on the painting portion of my Ranchero project and here's what I've learned:
1. Red is opaque! make sure you seal and or primer all body work prior to painting with this color. I found some "missed" body work that was not noticed until after the first color and clear coats were laid down - had to sand down and re-shoot, major pain
2. masking tape will not leave a sharp demarcation line between colors. Use a fine line tape for demarcation between colors and or striping
3. If you are painting outside as I am, don't try to wipe away small bugs that get in the clear. Most times they will disappear with sanding and buffing
4. So far, the color consistency between batches seem to be very good. I have purchased from two different stores (convenience) and haven't found a noticeable difference.
5. I have one fender that is colored and clear coated, one that only has been painted. I am going to run an experiment with them - the one that is clear coated will be sanded and buffed, the other one will be color sanded, cleared, then buffed - want to see if there is a noticeable difference.
6. Put extra coats of clear on the sharp body lines - edges of fenders, wheel lips, etc. should help with burn thru during buffing.
7. Wear a respirator! Even though paint shop is lacquer based, protect your lungs. Also, wear gloves (nitrile works well), to protect your skin during painting and clean-up, as well as safety glasses to guard your eyes.
Sorry for the length of the post, but, hopefully, I can save some extra work for someone by learning from my mistakes.
1. Red is opaque! make sure you seal and or primer all body work prior to painting with this color. I found some "missed" body work that was not noticed until after the first color and clear coats were laid down - had to sand down and re-shoot, major pain
2. masking tape will not leave a sharp demarcation line between colors. Use a fine line tape for demarcation between colors and or striping
3. If you are painting outside as I am, don't try to wipe away small bugs that get in the clear. Most times they will disappear with sanding and buffing
4. So far, the color consistency between batches seem to be very good. I have purchased from two different stores (convenience) and haven't found a noticeable difference.
5. I have one fender that is colored and clear coated, one that only has been painted. I am going to run an experiment with them - the one that is clear coated will be sanded and buffed, the other one will be color sanded, cleared, then buffed - want to see if there is a noticeable difference.
6. Put extra coats of clear on the sharp body lines - edges of fenders, wheel lips, etc. should help with burn thru during buffing.
7. Wear a respirator! Even though paint shop is lacquer based, protect your lungs. Also, wear gloves (nitrile works well), to protect your skin during painting and clean-up, as well as safety glasses to guard your eyes.
Sorry for the length of the post, but, hopefully, I can save some extra work for someone by learning from my mistakes.