BEST way to achieve Depth of Shine - multiple (6) coats of clear??

[vtvette]

Hello all, I am a LONG time lurker here on the forums but this is my first post. I have been painting for over 15 years now, sometimes professionally as fill in work and many, many of my own cars. I am currently working on my own car, a 1993 Corvette Convertible. The color is Black and I am using PPG DBU base.

For this project I would like to achieve the absolute best depth of gloss and shine (reasonably) possible. I am using PPG 2002 clear, and bought 3M's Trizac pads for buffing.

I've heard before that by applying 2-3 coats of clear, letting it dry then block sanding and re-applying an additional 3 coats of clear a greater depth of shine can be achieved. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it true, even with today's high solid clears like 2002? Is it worth the extra effort?

Any tip's or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian
VTvette

[Len]

Hi Brian
I haven't seen that multiple sessions of clear applications add anything to the look of the paint. If you shoot three coats on using a "good" paint and a "good" gun then do a good job of sanding and polishing it should look as good as applying paint in multiple painting sessions.

When we are spraying a high-end show car we will usually apply three good coats of Glasurit high solids clear over our color then sand and polish within 48 hours. We then allow the paint to harden for a week or more then polish it again. This should give you a good hard shine that is flawless and as deep as anything you can achieve using other application variables.

[vtvette]

Thank you Len for the reply. I have the advantage of having a gun I've used for years (Devilbiss) and painting in a booth I've used for 15+ years so, I am spraying in very familiar territory which of course goes a long way to towards a superior finish.

I can lay paint very well - it's always come natural for me. Buffing it seems I had a little harder time with. It would take me quite a while to get all the sanding scratches out and achieve that perfect mirror finish. I've since watched many videos on Youtube, searched the forum etc and talk to the other bodymen in my area. As the car is black I want it to be as good a job as I can get but, of course I am working with the most difficult color to refinish. Hence the investment in the 3M Trizac pads. They are supposed to be a fantastic system, especially the 3000 grit pad. I bought 1500 and 3000 grit pads but, I may avoid that "urethane wave" if I do my initial blocking with 2000 grit, then use the 3000 grip trizac pad for a semi-polished finish before buffing?

Thanks Len for your advice.

Brian

[Len]

I don't have problems with urethane wave but if I thought I was going to have a problem I would use a hard block and some 800 or 1000 grit first then go over it with 1500 and 3000 grit Trizact. On a black Vette I would use a "good" sealer prior to applying my base coat so that I had no dulling caused by solvents being absorbed into the substrate.

[style]

Thank you Len for the reply. I have the advantage of having a gun I've used for years (Devilbiss) and painting in a booth I've used for 15+ years so, I am spraying in very familiar territory which of course goes a long way to towards a superior finish.

I can lay paint very well - it's always come natural for me. Buffing it seems I had a little harder time with. It would take me quite a while to get all the sanding scratches out and achieve that perfect mirror finish. I've since watched many videos on Youtube, searched the forum etc and talk to the other bodymen in my area. As the car is black I want it to be as good a job as I can get but, of course I am working with the most difficult color to refinish. Hence the investment in the 3M Trizac pads. They are supposed to be a fantastic system, especially the 3000 grit pad. I bought 1500 and 3000 grit pads but, I may avoid that "urethane wave" if I do my initial blocking with 2000 grit, then use the 3000 grip trizac pad for a semi-polished finish before buffing?

Thanks Len for your advice.

Brian

honestly sounds to me like you need roberts dvd,its like rehab it will do nothing but change your life for the better...

post sum pics!!!!!

[vtvette]

Hi Style, are you referring to the video "Spray Painting 101 2 Hour DVD" in the Videos for Sale section of this site?

I'm always up for learning something new!

Thanks for the info,

[Len]

Hi Style, are you referring to the video "Spray Painting 101 2 Hour DVD" in the Videos for Sale section of this site?

I'm always up for learning something new!

Thanks for the info,

No, he is referring to this one.

LINK

[vtvette]

Thanks guys - just placed my order. I'm looking forward to picking up more than a few tip's to improve my buffing skills. Can't wait to watch this!

Thanks for the recommendation!

[Henry]

Thanks guys - just placed my order. I'm looking forward to picking up more than a few tip's to improve my buffing skills. Can't wait to watch this!

Thanks for the recommendation!

Go to the CLASSROOM within this site. You can get there from any page by clicking on the HOME link at the top left of the page.
Then click on CLASSROOM where you will find tons of information especially sanding/buffing. Here is one below:

http://www.autobodystore.com/swirl_removal.shtml Check out photos 11, 12 & 13.

Here is another:

http://www.autobodystore.com/rsw.shtml This is the person who made the DVD you just bought. No matter what problems you are having with your finish, just post in the FINAL TOUCH area and you will get help.

He also created a polish/compound (that most of us switched to). It works extremely well over sanded (or OEM) paint for compounding and polishing with the one product by changing pads. You need to try the ORANGE pad he offers. Very hard to burn any surface with this pad. It transitions wool pad to foam, still with bite, to attack scratches. I really found this pad to be amazing. Hope some of this helps. Keep us posted. Henry

[vtvette]

Thnaks Henry for the additional tips.

That link is great - Tips like cleaning the pad with the wire brush, run the pad at low speed on your wet hand, etc - all those little tips are what make a good painter great.

Can't wait to see his video. I bet it will prove to be the best $20 I've spent in a long time. Certainly the best $20 I've spent on this paint job.

Brian

[vettnut]

I used the 2 separate days of clear coating method. I did this only because I felt it was necessary. I buffed through the clear. I had to reapply my base then clear the spot again. I decided to apply 3 additional coats days later. I was afraid of buffing through the clear again. You can cut and buff with less worry of breaking through.
Again, When applying coats of clear, when you touch the clear should it be stringy when you pull back your finger, before applying the next clearcoat. Is you 1st coat more of a tack coat? If that is true, then you are applying only 2 coats? How do I cure my bad luck/habit of getting runs in the clear? Is it possible to add a 4th coat in the same session? What gun are you guys using to apply clear? I used a Devilbiss purchased here. A great Mettalic Gun. Non- HVLP. Thanks RG

[style]

I used the 2 separate days of clear coating method. I did this only because I felt it was necessary. I buffed through the clear. I had to reapply my base then clear the spot again. I decided to apply 3 additional coats days later. I was afraid of buffing through the clear again. You can cut and buff with less worry of breaking through.
Again, When applying coats of clear, when you touch the clear should it be stringy when you pull back your finger, before applying the next clearcoat. Is you 1st coat more of a tack coat? If that is true, then you are applying only 2 coats? How do I cure my bad luck/habit of getting runs in the clear? Is it possible to add a 4th coat in the same session? What gun are you guys using to apply clear? I used a Devilbiss purchased here. A great Mettalic Gun. Non- HVLP. Thanks RG

just get a plus gun 1.3tip and slow down between coats and you will be fine..roberts video is top knotch,ive bought like5 of them cause people keep stealing them and then opening their own shops...