Clear coat over enamel question

[MovinTarget]

So my enamel is still curing but I know there are slight imperfections.

My concern is that if I try to smooth them out no matter how gently, the enamel's gloss will be diminished and applying the Clear coat over it *might* give the surface a gloss finish, but the underlying enamel will still appear dull from *any* sanding done...

Will that be the case or does a High gloss 2K poly make it look glossy all the way through again?

I can't have been the first to have this issue... If necessary I'll leave the imperfections and clear coat over them and call it "character" lol

tnx!

 

[bobdabilder]

post some pics. you should start to build up your clear coat before level sanding if you're worried about your base color coat. if you have ample base color coat, you can do a light level sand there. I would build up the clear then level sand but pics would help make the determination.

 

[bobdabilder]

the clear coat will make it glossy. but don't sand through that base color coat.

 

[MovinTarget]

After all I've been through I will *not* sand through the base coat!

The paint layer is pretty thick as I employed a "pouring" method (hence the long cure time)

The bass body in my profile is the what I did.

There are a few places where there were air bubbles that I wanted to smooth out

 

[bobdabilder]

ok. we're on the same page. you can smooth it out as long as it thick enough and it's cured.

 

[MovinTarget]

So the back is just a Black Enamel sprayed on, and I know for smoothing it between coats is that it got VERY dull when sanded.

I just didn't want that dullness trapped under the clear coat on the facade which, being much more chaotic can look good straight on and from a distance with the imperfections. So it's something that would be nice to smooth out but I don't want to dull the luster just to make it smooth. If the Clear brings back all the shine I'll smooth it with a superfine grit, if not I'll clear it as is.

Tnx.

 

[bobdabilder]

i think you're going to be fine. if you're concerned, level sand the base, shoot another coat of base, don't sand that base and shoot clear. That's what clear is for. I've always sanded my base coats then shot clear.

 

[bobdabilder]

Some base coats must be sanded to a specific grit before shooting clear. I think the 2k clear calls for this as well.

 

[MovinTarget]

Okay I will check. This is the spraymax 2K high gloss...

Thanks!

 

[manupulated]

Ive done it on a car once , the problem I see is that enamel takes a while to completly dry , if your enamel base coat is thick enough you can color sand and polish and I've done that too , messy but the shine still is amazing 10 years later

 

[MovinTarget]

Ive done it on a car once , the problem I see is that enamel takes a while to completly dry , if your enamel base coat is thick enough you can color sand and polish and I've done that too , messy but the shine still is amazing 10 years later

I know it takes a while, I'm giving it about 2 months in a dry ~68 deg environment... at least... It's been almost a month and I can still smell the faintest trace of solvent if I get my nose right up to it... I'm still going to wait b/c I don't want to mess it up!

Just curious, did you mean "color sand and polish" or "clear, sand, and polish"? I'm a noob so if there is such a thing as "color sanding" I've never seen that...

tnx

 

[Thumpin6string]

First off, if it is enamel and not base coat, It would need to be 100% cured or it will wrinkle when the clear is applied. Also, if it is enamel, I hope it was catalyzed with a hardener. If it is a base coat designed to be cleared, there is usually a 24 hour window that it can be cleared. If cleared after that it will de-laminate. That is why you see so many cars on the road with peeling clear. If base coat sits too long before clearing, you can usually put a fresh coat of base over it and then clear it. For graphics you can use clear base coat and then shoot the 2k clear. If it is enamel it will need to be sanded with 800-1000 grit before clearing. You may still have adhesion problems depending how compatible the 2 paints are. This is based on my 40 years experience in auto body restoration and guitar refinishing. Hope this helps.

 

[MovinTarget]

Lol it helps in now i am nervous!

This is, of all things, Testors enamel model paint so it may be different from car enamels for all i know.

Intetesting, I figured with enamels, you *had* to let all the solvents flash off before clearing... had not heard the "within 24 hours" part before.

Actually to be 100% clear (ha! Get it???), the facade is poured over with Testors, back and sides were sprayed with rust-o-leum gloss enamel.

Yeah i might be committing sins by doing what i am doing but i didn't want to invest in a gun... yet...

 

[manupulated]

Enamel paint can be water sanded and polished as (color sanding) next time as a base coat you could use a cheap airbrush and some airbrush paint and achieve a good base coat and can be clear coated 24 hrs after a light sanding with a soft scotchbrite pad

 

[MovinTarget]

Getting close to applying the Spraymax 2k glossy clear...

I will be doing this in an open area in my back yard, would this respirator be sufficient?
3M™ Half Facepiece Respirator Assembly 6291/07002(AAD), Medium, with 3M™ Particulate Filters 2091/07000(AAD), P100

The directions say the respirator needs to be a A2/P2 type(?)

I will be wearing separate goggles as well as I've read scary crap about this stuff...


mental note, next time I'm just going to rub on a million coats of Tru Oil lol