Type of paint/clear??

[privatepang]

For those of you who have repainted your cars, just curious what type of paint you guys have used? Acrylic? 2 pack? Single Stage?

 

 

 

I don’t want a metallic, modern looking paint but still want a decent shine. My paintshop mentioned different acronyms for the type of clear to use as well and I honestly have no idea. He mentioned one of the clears gets a Bentley type shine to the paint but I’m worried that’s going to look out of place. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[MFX]

Stay away from acrylic, although that is pretty much a given at a professional paint shop. 

Basically your choices are either "Clear over base" or a "Solid Colour". Basically the difference is that in a COB the colour is a single stage product with a 2 pack clear that hardens over the top. That is the only way to paint anything with metallics or pearls in them. If you have a straight colour you can spray it as a solid where you can put the hardener into the colour. That way is often a little bit cheaper and probably closer to what Porsche did at the factory. You can still buff it, etc, but you are buffing up the colour itself (if you polish a solid red car you end up with a red polishing cloth).

My car is COB and that is what I recommend. You tend to get the best gloss out of that. As for brands, pretty much any of the major brands will do. The only time you may come into problems with the cheaper clears, is over white, where they may yellow off after many years in the sun. Most P cars don't get left out in the sun anymore so it is generally not a problem.

[SimonN]

My days of spraying cars were a long time ago and we used cellulose. What the hell happened to it? I did some research and it is still available in the UK but it doesn't seem to be over here. That was the easiest product to use. There were no nasty breathing issues and so long as you got enough on, it didn't matter if you got runs or orange peel because you simply wet sanded and then buffed. Yes, it was like cheating but in a day, i could get a finish that was better than anything you would ever get out of a gun.

I have a white car, so I am not keen on clear coat. If I do solid colour 2K, does it still work to wet sand and polish like I used to? Any advice welcome. I am also very concerned about home spraying with 2K and while I have seen the set up Jeff has done, back in the day I could spray cellulose without a booth and air fed mask. in fact, if the weather was right, I could do it outside and if it got dust, I simply cut back that area and just sprayed that bit in. because the car was going to get wet sanded, it was just a case of building up the layers again.

Or was I too much of a cowboy and I need to smarten my ideas up

[MFX]

My days of spraying cars were a long time ago and we used cellulose. What the hell happened to it? I did some research and it is still available in the UK but it doesn't seem to be over here. That was the easiest product to use. There were no nasty breathing issues and so long as you got enough on, it didn't matter if you got runs or orange peel because you simply wet sanded and then buffed. Yes, it was like cheating but in a day, i could get a finish that was better than anything you would ever get out of a gun.

I have a white car, so I am not keen on clear coat. If I do solid colour 2K, does it still work to wet sand and polish like I used to? Any advice welcome. I am also very concerned about home spraying with 2K and while I have seen the set up Jeff has done, back in the day I could spray cellulose without a booth and air fed mask. in fact, if the weather was right, I could do it outside and if it got dust, I simply cut back that area and just sprayed that bit in. because the car was going to get wet sanded, it was just a case of building up the layers again.

Or was I too much of a cowboy and I need to smarten my ideas up

You can cut an buff either solid or COB without any issues. You can get some Isocyanate Free clear coats in Aus' which aren't carcinogenic. You stil want ot have the proper mask though when you paint it. I am not sure where you get them from anymore, but they are available. I haven't used them in 10 years or so, and they were OK, but still not as good as regular 2 pack. 

I have also heard of a new wave of water based automotive paints which seem to be the way of the future, but I have never used them and I don't really know much about them, except that you have to use the correct guns, etc, for them so they don't rust.

[Stew F]

When I started repairing my fender it was recommended that I use2 pack. My car is grand prix white.  I've painted plenty of stuff over the years, but with acrylic. So I got the paint and all the other stuff. Then I decided to let the panel shop paint it. Should be ready tomorrow. The reason I got the panel shop to do it is.1)i've not used 2 pack before 2) the stuff is deady toxic so you need breathing air equipment, unless you have a death wish, and 3) I wanted a better job than what I was comfortable with what I might produce. I know a guy who nearly died after doing some2k at home without the right gear. He painted a boot lid, and was in IC for nearly a week.

My ambition sometimes outstrips my ability.

[privatepang]

Ok thanks guys. Good feedback

[Wanted]

Hi Guys,

Thought I would add my two cents worth.

My father owned a panel shop which I worked at for many years. I also was a rep that sold PPG paint and products for years so I saw a lot around different shops .Although being out of the trade for many years now, I still have an interest and always want the best possible finish when restoring and painting anything.

If you want quality then use two pack. Technology has come a long way and these prodcuts tend to have a lot less shrinkage then traditional Acrylic primers and Paints ( I used this when I first started my trade back in the eighties)

2K or solid colours were a great prodcut years ago but they have been slowly reducing the lead content in all of the colours to Nil and now they do not cover very well ( Opacity is poor) and the UV stabilisation is also not as good as it was so it will fade in a few short years.

So really the only option you have is COB - Clear Over base - First you put the Base colour down which dries to a matt finish and has no protective layer then you spray your Clear over the top. The base does not contain any hardeners only the clear coat.

In regards to Waterbase prodcuts - These are an Inititive from governments to reduce solvents. Everyone I have spoken to that have been using these products in a panel shop environment like the way that the Non - Solvent base does not react with any of the repair edges but it is a slower than normal Basecoat to use.

The silly thing that most people don't know is that like the solvent Basecoats there is no protection so you still require a clearcoat that goes over the top. The clearcoat has the Hardener which contains Isocynate. You also need a very clean environment which rules anyone out that does not have a spraybooth - Me included I was lucky for so many years to have access to a booth. So for me forget the Waterbase products.

Yes you can still acheive good results without a spraybooth with the normal COB system - certainly not ideal but can be done. I am currently repainting my two front guards on my SC. - No Booth!!

You will definately need a mask to spray any type of solvent paints and a good choice is Sundstrum which most Paint suppliers will sell these as an "Apprentice kit" in a box with filters for around $120.00

You can also sand the Clears back and either flow coat with another coat of clear or go direct to the buffing stage. If you are not confident with Two pack clears then you are best off sanding the clear back and then spraying another coat ( Flow Coat ) 

Others may have varying opinions as different tradesmen have differing ideas but this is mine- If I can help anyone out with any questions then I am happy to pass my knowledge on.

P.S. Use a quality paint eg: PPG, Glasurit(BASF) Standox, Spies Hecker, I am using De Beer paints at present which I have found very reasonably priced and have come a long way since they were introdcuced 20 years ago.

Cheers

Mark