Bumper Repair finished product what did I do wrong?

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:13 am
Hello

My first post here is about some body work I have taken on for my LS400. This was my first time doing something like this so I went ahead and did plenty of research and purchased all the necessary materials to do the job.

I want to know why my end result looks so bad at the blend line (not sure what to call it). The code is 1C9 its a Toyota paint code. I used a grey filler primer then a white primer and then painted the 1C9 and finished with a clear coat, all from rattle cans. I then waited a week and wet sanded with 1000 and 2000 grit (skipped 1500 because I don't have it) and used a polishing compound to finish the job.

Is there anything I can do besides sanding it all down and starting again? Any insight on where I went wrong? Could it be because I left the grey filler primer showing even though I painted over all of it?

Thank you in advance!
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 6:34 pm
visualnarrator wrote:Any insight on where I went wrong?


Thinking you could do it cheap

Using Rattle cans

Using cheap products

Not doing enough research
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 7:46 pm
Doright wrote:
visualnarrator wrote:Any insight on where I went wrong?


Thinking you could do it cheap

Using Rattle cans

Using cheap products

Not doing enough research


Well I’m sure someone with more experience could do a better job with the same materials. I may not have used top grade products that you would find in a good body shop but I didn’t buy the cheapest products either.

I clearly made a mistake somewhere that made it turn out worse than it could have been. I want to know if the problem is the paint being too different or if something else is the problem technique wise.

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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:56 pm
No one is trying to be mean or disrespectful but if you only knew how many posts we get like yours. Guys who tried and failed with rattle cans wanting to know how to fix the mess they made.

To begin with Silver and light colored Metallic paints are some of the hardest to get a good match/blend with.
Even using the proper materials and quality spray equipment it can be tough.

I personally wouldn't even attempt a rattle can paint job on a vehicle. It won't look as good or last long enough to be worth the effort. Rattle can paint has it's place and purpose and we all use it from time to time, just not on the exterior of our cars.

You can get regular automotive base and clear mixed at a local jobber and put in pressurized spray containers but they are expensive and to have a chance at getting it right the prep would have to be done correctly.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:58 pm
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:No one is trying to be mean or disrespectful but if you only knew how many posts we get like yours. Guys who tried and failed with rattle cans wanting to know how to fix the mess they made.

To begin with Silver and light colored Metallic paints are some of the hardest to get a good match/blend with.
Even using the proper materials and quality spray equipment it can be tough.

I personally wouldn't even attempt a rattle can paint job on a vehicle. It won't look as good or last long enough to be worth the effort. Rattle can paint has it's place and purpose and we all use it from time to time, just not on the exterior of our cars.

You can get regular automotive base and clear mixed at a local jobber and put in pressurized spray containers but they are expensive and to have a chance at getting it right the prep would have to be done correctly.


I understand. I am part of other forums where newbies come and ask seemingly annoying questions. Guess thats what I am doing here.

Thanks for the response.



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:05 pm
first it looks like you color is off quite a lot. your finished clear coat looks good nice glossy. i'm wondering In some of the pictures ( top two) it almost looks like you sanded the color after you put it down, ( that defiant line between the two colors) what's that about? It shouldn't be there if you did the blend correctly.
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:10 pm
'68 Coronet R/T wrote:No one is trying to be mean or disrespectful but if you only knew how many posts we get like yours. Guys who tried and failed with rattle cans wanting to know how to fix the mess they made.

To begin with Silver and light colored Metallic paints are some of the hardest to get a good match/blend with.
Even using the proper materials and quality spray equipment it can be tough.

I personally wouldn't even attempt a rattle can paint job on a vehicle. It won't look as good or last long enough to be worth the effort. Rattle can paint has it's place and purpose and we all use it from time to time, just not on the exterior of our cars.

You can get regular automotive base and clear mixed at a local jobber and put in pressurized spray containers but they are expensive and to have a chance at getting it right the prep would have to be done correctly.
\

Also I did have the paint done custom and put into spray containers, it wasn't off the shelf. The white was a three stage and the silver is a two stage. I had success with the white at least, but the silver was noticeably different especially at the blend.I figured maybe there was something I missed but maybe it comes down to the difficulty to match silver like you said poor prep.

The finish to me wasn't bad, no dripping or orange peel, clear coat looks smooth. I understand time will tell but its the colour difference and blended area that I messed up.



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PostPosted: Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:15 pm
badsix wrote:first it looks like you color is off quite a lot. your finished clear coat looks good nice glossy. i'm wondering In some of the pictures ( top two) it almost looks like you sanded the color after you put it down, ( that defiant line between the two colors) what's that about? It shouldn't be there if you did the blend correctly.
Jay D.


Hello Jay, I applied the clear shortly after doing the colour base coat, I did not sand in between. I only wet sanded a week later to try and blend the clear as much as possible.

My guess for the paint being so far off is that the original cladding (20 years old) has faded or the place I got the custom paint done messed it up (possible), because the sample card (1C9 paint code) they showed me matched the cladding quite well when I was deciding on the paint colour. They tried matching it with their machine but weren't able to that day.

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 6:17 am
Righto, let's start at the beginning.

Good jobs start with good preparation and attention to detail.

101-1a.jpg


At this point I can see that the bar has been painted multiple times previously. Film thickness is now beyond painting again, without stripping back to plastic. But, I get that you just want to do a spot repair and you don't have to give a warranty on your work, should it fail.

All those thick layers of paint should have been feathered back, leaving no edge that can be felt. Maybe you did so, but your use of primer filler tells me that you may have relied on that to generate a new surface. Later shots showing what was probably solvent pop confirm this thought. Leaving any cracked paint under a new coating is a guarantee the the crack will come back - I'm referring specifically to the big horizontal one extending to the left (in the photo) from the primary damaged area.

Masking is part of attention to detail and, pardon me for being honest, yours is awful. Multiple pieces of tape, torn edges and poor coverage have led to the rough finish around this trim which can be seen in later photos.

Here's a job I did this afternoon. First an overall picture so you can see what was involved and then a close-up of some masking.

2020-06-19 19.41.12.jpg


2020-06-19 19.41.44.jpg


Notice how my tape completely covers the seal at the top (it actually wraps under the seal and I've pulled the tape up onto the cant rail to lift the edge of the seal away from the painted surface) while the one around the glass has a clean sharp edge that fully covers the face of the seal. Getting your masking right means that those vital edges of the job will not be giveaways that it has been refinished. When doing inset trims, like the one in your bar, use a single line of tape and position it so that it will fold down over the top edge of the trim, but not contact any part that will be painted. If your tape is wider than the trim, smooth it down over the joint and then use a very sharp blade, positioned in the groove, to cut a perfect line.

Next, priming.

101-2a.jpg


Lots of problems here, but, giving credit where due, you obviously did some research and tried to apply it in the backmasking of your paper.

See how your primer has bridged the gap between bar and masked off trim? That's what I was talking about earlier. More important though is that you've left yourself a long way short of space and sanded back your white primer to expose the grey.

Also important are the holes and rough finish. Holes from solvent pop due to too thick a layer on the primer filler and poor sanding.

I've found some better pictures. This is one I did a few weeks ago and took a series of pictures in anticipation of your post.

Repair done and ready for paint.

2020-05-25 03.09.39.jpg


Notice how I've used the same technique with the paper masking. Now zoom in on this picture and notice the markings on the tape below the light. Before I've even started painting I've planned my job out and marked where I will take colour and clear in the blend on the bar.

Also note the masking over the light in the bar. Similar situation to your trim but the edges are straight and do not touch where there will be paint. See also how I've used the 18mm tape around the edge, because, being narrower, it can be made to follow curves more accurately.

Continued in next post due to 5 photo limit.
Chris

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PostPosted: Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:01 am
Moving on.....

Now, after high build primer.

2020-05-25 11.04.19.jpg


See how I've softened and feathered the primer edges. Not so relevant to your post but I've also marked the grade of paper used and the limits. Again, planning ahead. Note how much space I've allowed myself for the blend on the bar.

Next, a value shade sealer. Just the same as you did.

2020-05-25 12.37.51.jpg


No problem on the bar but I left myself with very little room going forward the the rear door join. I was confident that my colour was good though, so risk was minimal.

See how I've completely covered the grey primer and extended beyond? This is so that I don't end up in the situation you have where the grey is visible, even through the basecoat that is to come in the next picture.

2020-05-25 12.56.47.jpg


In this picture look at the white paint on the yellow tape near the edges and note how I've faded the basecoat in. Almost nothing, bar a little overspray on the tape at the door to quarter join and see how it fades away down near the bar light. Above the body line again only overspray, which is why I'd sanded to P1500 up there but P800 below the line where I put basecoat.

Clearcoat on.

2020-05-25 13.08.43.jpg


Notice here that you can actually see where I put the clear on the bar, but stayed away from the paper. Here I tilted the gun away from the paper a little so as to get minimal overspray back toward the paper.

Continued next post.
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