Base/clear paint is pretty easy to fix if you fuck up. If it's laid correctly you can pretty much wetsand and buff out any imperfections.

 

ya what grit should i use for wet sanding?

 

I use 2000 grit to get any dust particles or blends I've made out of the paint. But for a quick scuff to get out any clear coat cloudiness I use 3000 grit. Use soap and water as your median to sand with, and clean the paper often (wipe it on a towel) to get off clearcoat buildup. If the paper turns while, that's clear, and will scratch the surface if you don't wipe it enough. Also, if you hear any "squeaking" when sanding, clean or change to a new piece of paper.

I change the paper usually 3-4 panels, depends how bad it is. I went through 18 sheets when doing the Civic.

As far as buffing goes, a good 3-stage polish system with a wool pad and 2-foam pads works great. I use both 3M sandpaper and their paint conditioning system.

I've used 1500 grit sandpaper before to take out paint runs but you really gotta be careful especially if you're a novice. It takes a good eye to read the clear and see how thin it is. Too thin and you're going to end up respraying.

EDIT: You can also use a DA with sandpaper but if you don't know what you're doing I wouldn't recommend it. You can leave DA swirls in the clear and then they're impossible to get out.

I ended up lightly scuffing the Civic completely with 2000 grit then going over with 3000 grit but that's a shit ton of work, and you probably won't need it unless the paint is really sloppy.


That's right after I got done spending 4 hours wetsanding/buffing.

 

how do you make the clear thicker or thinner? This is my first time painting so i really dont know much

 

Once it's on the car or when spraying? When spraying, you just change the amount of air versus paint/clear is being sprayed out. I'd recommend doing at least 4 coats of clear, I did 5 on the Civic.

Thinner coats tack better to the paint and tend to lay more evenly. I usually mix just a tad bit of clear into the paint mixture itself before spraying.

Once on the car, wetsanding is the only way to reduce the clear.

 

thanx for the info i appreciate it, car looks good by the way

 

Thanks. The neons are gone, don't worry. h: HIN is gay like that.

Find a junk fender or something and practice on it for a while till you get comfortable and a good result. Practice goes a long way. Everytime I paint something I learn something new.

 

ya maybe ill practice by painting my beater truck first

 

i got my paint gun today and ordered my primer which will be here on tuesday. Im planning on primering it on friday or saturday

 

Gravity feed>*
How much did that run you? I got a cheapo 90 buck gun(I got it reduced for 40). I really I got the gravity one. I was amazed how much paint went to waste. When I do more painting I'm going to shell out more and get a nicer gravity.