Great Clear for a Novice - even a caveman???

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 6:50 pm
Been on this site off an on as needed for quite some time over the years as I have delved into all thing autobody and these mid 50's Fords. Times have changed since the early 90s when I worked at a shop out in Manassas Park, Virginia. The helpful advice on this site has been invaluable. From the owner/moderator down the to guys that make only an occasional post, I would have to say that this forum is my go to place for all things autobody.

I came to this site knowing "jack" (and what i am experienced at you could put in a thimble! :allgood: ) and over the last few years have learned much about welding, prep, prime, color, and clear. My pieces don't look like professional panels but that's ok - I am satisfied with my build and getting oo's and ah's from the fellas that take a look at the work - they can tell I have put some quality time and effort into it. The car is going to be a daily driver and not a show car, but when I get ready to build a 60s Mustang for the wife on our 25th anniversary i will be light years ahead of the game.

The latest reminder of my thanks to this site, including its moderator, has got to be on that HC 2100 clear. I am a novice - if you look up the definition of the word there is a picture of me standing there grinning ear to ear with a paint gun in my hand lol. While the pictures at this point cannot do it justice, when the Tamco HC 2100 clear says it is "self-leveling" it ain't kidding.

Take this first example...

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Yes, that is a bug, and yes, that is picture of the two toothpicks I used as a set of tweezers to pull said bug from my freshly clearcoated trunk!

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It is difficult to see in the second photo but when that bug was removed the clear coat "leveled" out. 5 minutes later and I could not tell where the bug had been. Add to that my small mistake of having a one inch run during my 3rd coat (yes, I waited 30 minutes for the previous coat to flash, just got too close on my pass). I don't know if anyone would believe it unless I had a video but THAT RUN LEVELED OUT TOO.

Needless to say I am very happy with this clear - it almost seems like it was made for guys like me that are not that experienced, do not have a professional paint booth, and need a little "magic" from their products to get the job done. Just want to say again I am very grateful for the advice from you fellas out there who contribute, coupled with the products the owner/moderator has placed in the web store. (also like the Tamco 2K DTM High Build Primer)

Couldn't do it without you guys! :worthy:
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Milford, Ohio

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:55 pm
wow - thanks for that, you just made my day :-)

Now to be fair, the self-leveling thing is not unique to Tamco clears; when you get the mix right and the application right you will get some help from our friend gravity and the 'skin' effect of the clear curing a little more quickly on top than underneath, which will continue to flow a just a tiny rate more than the surface does.

I am very glad to hear that the site was a help to you and you found the products to live up to your expectations.

Most of the guys here I can't hold a candle to and the fact they take time to give advice is very, very appreciated.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 7:57 pm
Man, you are something to handle chopsticks like that. I would have made a bigger mess that the bug I was trying to get out.

I have a set of tweezers with extremely small ends on them for that kind of stuff.

Anxious to see some shots of that trunk lid. Looks very nice from what I can see in the pictures.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:16 pm
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:Man, you are something to handle chopsticks like that. I would have made a bigger mess that the bug I was trying to get out.

I have a set of tweezers with extremely small ends on them for that kind of stuff.

Anxious to see some shots of that trunk lid. Looks very nice from what I can see in the pictures.


^^^haha he must have the hands of a brain surgeon. I have some of the barbed needles but shake to much and usually make a bigger mess.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 24, 2017 10:38 pm
Dental picks and dental scalers for me picking out stuff... I've got these large oafish hands so something that has a long handle keep them steady. Hey, Chris, I still don't think you are giving that Tamco clear enough credit for the self-leveling thing.... We had a couple places on my grandsons door that would have given me some trouble if it had been even an ********** clear. Definitely would have distorted some with something like a PPG 2021 clear. Tamco clear took awhile but it laid down like glass.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:32 am
I got it to flow the other night. It flowed right off my bumper and all over the floor. :flatten: It was very easy to wet sand all the runs out the next day, though. I missed the part on the instructions that said "A third coat may be applied if buffing is planned after 30-40 minutes of second coat" and only waited 15 minutes for the 3rd coat.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:51 am
Yeah, that's pretty easy to do even when you know that....you can simply get in a rush and gravity will indeed take over.....
Metal, wood, fiberglass, we work it all... www.furniturephysicians.com We can restore the irreplaceable!

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:33 am
arrg wrote:I got it to flow the other night. It flowed right off my bumper and all over the floor. :flatten: It was very easy to wet sand all the runs out the next day, though. I missed the part on the instructions that said "A third coat may be applied if buffing is planned after 30-40 minutes of second coat" and only waited 15 minutes for the 3rd coat.


Easy to do when you are applying wet like you are supposed to. There is a fine line between perfect and runs. LOL
When spraying wet coats you have to wait until it flashes before applying more. This takes patience and what I do is set a timer so I don't get a head of myself. Even when the timer goes off I still touch the clear somewhere on the masking tape to make sure it is not stringing.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 10:05 am
this right here ^^^^ your lack of patience can be your worst enemy. just take your time.
Jay D.
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PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 7:52 pm
And some outdoor shots on this trunk... I got home tonight and decided to get it out, go over it with 2000 and then run the buffer real quick - still want to do one more pass but my wife came by at the end and just dropped her jaw and stood and looked at the trunk and then looked at me. :clap:

I just nodded lol!

Take a look - hopefully I can continue this trend through the build.

before cut and buff:
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and then after:
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Flat out - it's awesome stuff. Take away the amateur portion of this work and the products used would really stand out.

Now where did my wife get off to? :wink:
Home of Y Block Ministries
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