Restoration of 1997 Tacoma - Dodge Viper Blue Pearl

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 2:17 pm
Don't worry about the 400 scratches,2K clear will cover them but if you're not convinced you can use 600's to 1200's but 2000's is a big no no !!! Way to fine for good adherence.
Also it was pretty warm when you sprayed it,certainly by UK standards lol,so you might want to go with a slower reducer.....but do a test panel first :allgood:



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:54 pm
Just sand it down with either 400 or 600 grit and repeat the clear. What temp activator were you using in the clear? In those temps you want to use the slowest activator available.



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PostPosted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 8:39 pm
how many coats of clear ya got on it? if i read right you wanna sand with 2000 grit and shoot more clear? i think you may want to keep the grit no higher that 600. that way additional coats will have a surface to bite in to. but it could depend on how many coats of clear ya got layed on her. gonna look sweet in the end though!

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PostPosted: Sun Jun 03, 2012 10:27 am
coletrain777 wrote:Just sand it down with either 400 or 600 grit and repeat the clear. What temp activator were you using in the clear? In those temps you want to use the slowest activator available.


That sounds like a definite possibilty, like I said before it didn't look like it flowed out. At that temp with a fast reducer it could be pretty much drying as it hit the panel. And as everyone said don't go past 600 or the paint won't stick for long.

We all learn as we go and you learn more from mistakes, as painful as they may be. The first two cars I painted, I painted twice so I know the feeling :flatten:

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get it right once you practice a bit.
Rob

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:12 pm
Looks like it was shot with a primer gun IMO. Wet sand it flat with 600. Reclear. If base went on fine something was off or plugged up or something. BTW Can't take 400 scratches out with 2000. Too big of a step in grit....way to big.

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:01 am
timbo wrote:Looks like it was shot with a primer gun IMO. Wet sand it flat with 600. Reclear. If base went on fine something was off or plugged up or something. BTW Can't take 400 scratches out with 2000. Too big of a step in grit....way to big.

:pcorn:


It was not shot with a primer gun. Just saying this, but I am not that dumb. I didn't even use the same gun that I sprayed the colour with. I used a clear-only gun. with a 1.4 tip. I checked pressures and everything. I think the temp may have been too high as mentioned. I may have erred in the product. According to the instructions I did not need to use a reducer, just the hardener. I assume this is what is also being called the "activator" It was the activator that came with the kit, and I do not have the can any longer, but from what I can bring up on my files, it was the KC-212 hardener. I did not use a reducer, because the data sheet did not call for it. Was that my mistake? I need to figure out what went wrong before I try to fix this. Because I will not have the time to do the entire vehicle at once, is it possible to fix this one "section" at a time? I am thinking mask off the entire truck, and do say the front fenders and hood one weekend, then the following weekend re-mask and do the cab, then the third weekend re-mask and do the bed. Fortunately I did not do the inside of the bed because that will be getting a spray-in bedliner. Thoughts on this process for fixing?

On a side note, I layed on 3 pretty heavy (in my opinion) coats of the clear. I used an entire gallon of clear and didnt even shoot the inside of the bed. So I figure I have some allowances for sanding as long as I am careful.
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 4:03 pm
3 heavy coats of clear. You should be able to block it out with 600-1000 flat ok if you stay off the edges and lines. I would prep the whole bed one day/night then clear next morning. Next session prep whole cab one day/night clear next morning. My clear that I use has three different speeds hardener: slow, medium, and fast. Right now it's 90 plus with 70% plus humidity. I would choose slow hardener until October.
I think it is gonna be tough to get a real smooth job with that gun. But you should be able to improve alot if you run a few test panels. Start bumping the pressure up 2-3 psi each coat to see if it lays down any better. Gun speed and distance will have different effects as well. Try 6 inches. Post pics of the results and psi if you don't figure it out. I believe slow hardener and gun adj/technique will be your solution. My uncle bought a purple HF gun a month or two ago and I had to clean the oil out of it (fluid and air passages) and ream the metal chips out of it. It sprayed best at 36-38 psi with all wide open and the fan turned in just enough to even it out. BTW the fan is not that wide compared to a 3000 RP. Hope this helps.
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:01 pm
timbo wrote:3 heavy coats of clear. You should be able to block it out with 600-1000 flat ok if you stay off the edges and lines. I would prep the whole bed one day/night then clear next morning. Next session prep whole cab one day/night clear next morning. My clear that I use has three different speeds hardener: slow, medium, and fast. Right now it's 90 plus with 70% plus humidity. I would choose slow hardener until October.
I think it is gonna be tough to get a real smooth job with that gun. But you should be able to improve alot if you run a few test panels. Start bumping the pressure up 2-3 psi each coat to see if it lays down any better. Gun speed and distance will have different effects as well. Try 6 inches. Post pics of the results and psi if you don't figure it out. I believe slow hardener and gun adj/technique will be your solution. My uncle bought a purple HF gun a month or two ago and I had to clean the oil out of it (fluid and air passages) and ream the metal chips out of it. It sprayed best at 36-38 psi with all wide open and the fan turned in just enough to even it out. BTW the fan is not that wide compared to a 3000 RP. Hope this helps.


I agree with this. As I am not a pro, I expected to have to do a lot of wet-sand and either buffing out or re-clearing. It will be a little while before I get the opportunity to take care of this. Funds and time are not on my side right now. I will post results and process as it happens. Thanks to everyone for the input.
If you cant go under it, around it, or over it, You need BIGGER TIRES!



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PostPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 3:24 pm
MarionB2BAuto wrote:Well the base coat went on beautifully. I love how it looks. I sprayed the clear onto the truck on Monday morning. I am not happy at all. I am not sure what the deal was, but I couldn't get a consistent bit of coverage. I had my gun settings right, the fan was perfect, and the air pressure was spot-on, but I was going too fast I think across the surface, and ended up with a lot of orange peel. I am now deciding on either doing a cut and buff, or waiting until I can get her in the booth again and sand her down with 2000 grit, then take m time to apply a nice, uniform, and heavier coat of clear. What do you guys think?

:allgood:


Hi,
I'm wondering if you got your clearcoat problem figured out?
Last time I sprayed clear it blew out just like that, was looking like that when it went on. It just wasn't coming together.
In an effort to save the work already done (I had airbrushed true fire flames on a mailbox as practice), I nearly poured the clear over it.
It flowed out and worked out ok for that particular job but the clear was on so thick some of it dripped off the bottom.
I'm Definitely NOT hoping to repeat that when I paint my truck in a week or so, so I'm curious if you came to a conclusion as to why it happened and if you were able to fix it.
I think for my problem it was a partially clogged paint gun.
Thanks,
Jerry

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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2012 7:38 am
JerryC wrote:
MarionB2BAuto wrote:Well the base coat went on beautifully. I love how it looks. I sprayed the clear onto the truck on Monday morning. I am not happy at all. I am not sure what the deal was, but I couldn't get a consistent bit of coverage. I had my gun settings right, the fan was perfect, and the air pressure was spot-on, but I was going too fast I think across the surface, and ended up with a lot of orange peel. I am now deciding on either doing a cut and buff, or waiting until I can get her in the booth again and sand her down with 2000 grit, then take m time to apply a nice, uniform, and heavier coat of clear. What do you guys think?

:allgood:


Hi,
I'm wondering if you got your clearcoat problem figured out?
Last time I sprayed clear it blew out just like that, was looking like that when it went on. It just wasn't coming together.
In an effort to save the work already done (I had airbrushed true fire flames on a mailbox as practice), I nearly poured the clear over it.
It flowed out and worked out ok for that particular job but the clear was on so thick some of it dripped off the bottom.
I'm Definitely NOT hoping to repeat that when I paint my truck in a week or so, so I'm curious if you came to a conclusion as to why it happened and if you were able to fix it.
I think for my problem it was a partially clogged paint gun.
Thanks,
Jerry


As we were talking about, I think the temperature was not on my side. I probably needed a higher temp reducer (slower) and my tecnique could use some refinement. I have not taken care of it yet. I had a bit of a personal crisis come through and have not had the funds or time to take care of it yet. I am even considering just sanding the clear down and buffing it out instead of re-clearing. It will cost me less I think, since my labor time is free.
If you cant go under it, around it, or over it, You need BIGGER TIRES!
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