NFT5 wrote:I almost never use more than 2 coats and you have to intentionally flood it to get a run. So, it's expensive but already I'm using 30% less product than most on here with their 3 coats and its gloss off the gun means I rarely have to cut and buff. How much time do you spend on the job, after you've painted? I probably have the next one nearly out the door.

I have experienced this very thing in the last month.....I was doing 2 fenders on my winter vehicle (a driveway job). Used a very cheap clear and although it left a good shine, it needed a lot more product than the higher end clear I normally use on the bike parts. And yes, I have in the past lost time when I needed to do a cut/buff when I could of just had a few dirt nibs to remove and get onto the next job.

Talk about high jacking a thread.

A lot depends on whether you are doing repair work, restoring a classic or building a show car when it comes to clear coat application.

I do agree that buying cheap products is a waste of money and time. There are good products in the less than stellar price ranges.

Getting quotes for $800+ a gallon for base coat can be a bit intimidating. The tri-stage used on the '55 Chevy truck I did in the projects section was more than that from the big name brands. When Automotive Art's Motobase LV came back at $825 a gallon I decided to give it a try. Liked it a lot and have stuck with it since for metallic paints.

YEP, we kinda ran off the rails on this one...
Jay D.

to wrap this one up, I bought the axalta W&G, some towels from the paint store, and had another go with success for this problem. This forum is great and i thank all that helped. Reading the forum you have people that dont use W&G for similar problems to mine, you have people that only use W&G. I chose to W&G, then washed the car well with dawn, blowing and wiping the car dry with the towels i bought, then next day was paint day and i iso-alcoholed it before mixing paint, then tacked and sealed. sealer went on good. base went next