andymi16 0 Posted May 1, 2007 (edited) There have been some great rebuilds on the forum, so this is one for you paint guru's. I've well and truely stripped her down. Spent days preping her up. So now it's on with the fresh paint. I've not done much spraying at all, but i've always been keen to learn... so here we are. She's had 3 layers of base coat (cellelose), and the depth of colour is putting a big grin on my face. I've gone for Audi Mossino red. Question. Before I go on with the 2 pack laquer, should i buff the paintwork up and achieve a shine? Then laquer? At the moment the paintwork has a matt finish. I know the lacquer will give a glass effect but is there any tricks to acheive a shine before I laquer? Any help would be great. Thanks Andrew Edited May 1, 2007 by andymi16 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dj_mini 7 Posted May 1, 2007 I would think any kind of polishing would be the last thing you want as it the lauquer wont stick proberly! From my very minimal experrience spray a good coat of laquer let it dry properly then flat it back with some very very fine wet and dry to get a flat layer the finish will be very matt now then polish it up and the finish should turn to glass! Paint guy will now tell you how to do it properly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Richie-Van-GTi 71 2 Cars Posted May 1, 2007 you want a flat matt finish on the colour coat so the laquer lays smooth and brings out the depth of colour. If your unsure then just get an old bit of metal and paint that first, get the colour on then rub it back with 1600grit just to flat t off and make it look kind of dull and hazy then blow a layer of laquer on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paintguy 0 Posted May 1, 2007 Question. Before I go on with the 2 pack lacquer, should i buff the paintwork up and achieve a shine? Then lacquer? At the moment the paintwork has a matt finish. I know the lacquer will give a glass effect but is there any tricks to achieve a shine before I lacquer? No, don't buff or polish it. The basecoat is only there to provide some colour, the lacquer/ clearcoat adds the shine and protection It does help if the basecoat is smooth though, as your lacquer can only level out a certain amount of irregularity. So ideally you want a perfectly smooth and defect free finish that is matt os slightly satin in appearance. And don't leave it too long before you lacquer it. Most basecoats have a maximum open window of 16-24 hours. After this time the surface closes up, and the lacquer wont adhere as well as it should (if at all). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andymi16 0 Posted May 2, 2007 Thanks guys. Thats just the info I needed. After all the work so far I’d hate to mess up! There are some imperfections - just not perfectly smooth. Should I flat back with very fine wet and dry? Say 2000 grade before I apply the last few coats of base? Or should I leave the wet and dry until after the last coat of base? Paintguy - I was going to apply a few more coats of base before the laquer. Will the fact that it has stood for five days since the first three coats were applied have a negative implication on the next few coats of base? Thanks a million. Andrew Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paintguy 0 Posted May 2, 2007 A bit of wet and dry will be ideal for nibbing out the minor imperfections before you put your final coats on. 2000 might be a bit too fine, but by all means try it. Move up to something like 1200 if you need a more aggressive cut. I'm not familiar with the colour you are using. Is it a straight red, or a metallic/mica/pearl? If it's one of the latter, then I would never sand it just before lacquer, as the sanding can drag the flakes around, affecting the appearance once you've lacquered it. If I have to sand, then I'll apply another coat or two over the top afterwards. No need to do it all, as you can just spot over the areas you've sanded, as long as you flick it out around the edges to prevent getting an edge. I'd say it's a bit of a gamble as to whether you'll be able to paint over the existing base without sanding it first. The solvents in your basecoat are quite aggressive, and may well 'soak' into the underlying layers and provide good chemical adhesion, but if it were me, I'd prefer to do some kind of sanding, just to provide a bit of mechanical adhesion as well. Fully wet sanding the car would be a bit of a nightmare though, so I'd just give it a light going over with a grey scotchpad.Then apply your 2 final coats of base, allow it to matt off, and then straight on with the lacquer/clearcoat. Hope that helps, but if I've gone over your head with anything, just let me know Andy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andymi16 0 Posted May 3, 2007 Thanks Andy. You make complete sense. The paint is a straight red. (It's the Audi red on the RS4 that Clarkson raced a climber to the top of that famous mountain in france...i like!) I wanted something different to cherry red but without going the modern metallic route. I'll fully wet sand the car - it's only the main frame and wings. The bonnet, boot, doors, valances etc are off the car and yet to be started. Your rebuild pics we're the final push for me to do the restoration, totaly inspiring, great work! I'll load up a few pics on the weekend... Thanks again. Andrew Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paintguy 0 Posted May 3, 2007 If it's a straight red then ignore what I said about not sanding the final coats. I'd still avoid it if you can to keep the job clean, but it wont do any harm to the finish or colour By the way, I hope you'll be using a proper mask for that 2 pack, and thanks for the compliments Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andymi16 0 Posted May 8, 2007 Sealed Organic filters were at the ready! I gave her a gentle rub back then on with two more coats - she looked lovely! A little aprehensive when it came to the clear coat, but all in all it went well. A couple of small runs on one of the quater panels... What is the best way of sorting this? Flat back with fine wet and dry then compound with the rest of the car? Thanks again for the help so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Paintguy 0 Posted May 9, 2007 There are various methods, I've had plenty of practice If they aren't too large, then flatting them down is fine. Make sure you use a hard block, and tape up the surrounding area if needed. For real whoppers, I shave as much as possible off with a single edged razor blade first. The best tip (although it's too late for you) is to get as much of the run out as possible whilst it's still wet. I fine artist type paintbrush is dipped in thinners, and touched against the run. Capillary action 'sucks' the excess paint away Or just pile on loads more lacquer and make it run it's way to an edge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
