HELP... Finishing

[jcsmith0919]

So I sprayed my boxes with black oil enamel and sanded with 400. My plan was to knock the very small amount of orange peel down, but the 400 caused the dull foggy look. I then decided to just keep going down to 1000 over the paint, but the fog is certainly still present.

I ultimately want to get a pseudo glass finish (nice but not perfect. I'm ready to be done). Should I keep going on the paint to 2000 grit, then buff that, or can I clear over the top of this fog and expect sanding and buffing the top coat to give me what I want?

[billfitzmaurice]

The 'fog' is normal. It won't go away until you've finished wet sanding (I use 3M Trizact 3000g for the final sanding), rubbed it out with compound, and then polished. Using clear coat is an option, but it goes on the base color coat before any sanding, and typically is only used with a base coat that it's made to be used with.

[DeZZar]

Depends what you mean by 'fog'. It shouldn't look 'milky' it should just look flat/dull/matte.

I always use a clear coat but that's just a preference. You still need to sand out the orange peel anyway.
​​​​
Before polishing you should make sure the enamel has fully cured. Full cure isn't the same as "dry". I wait a week before hitting it with a buffer for the cut, polish and wax stages. Wet sanding I start after 48 hours.

Wet sand to at least 2000 before polishing.

[johnnyrichards]

I am currently working on a pair that will be glossy. IMNSHO, base/clear us the best way to go. Spraymax 2K is worth every penny as a clear coat - you can't do better unless you know a professional automotive painter.

These will be wet sanded and polished sometime this cing week.

[dlr]

How do you sand those roundovers, with an orbital sander or by hand?

[johnnyrichards]

With ~1.5" strips of paper, like shining a shoe. Best way I can explain it.

[billfitzmaurice]

Two part clear coat is superior for sure, but the problem with using a spray bomb is the short pot life. It's no concern if you're going to use the entire can on a project, but if you don't what's left is wasted. A quart of two part clear coat for spray gun use runs around $50 or less, and you only need to mix as much as you need. Spray paint gear isn't all that expensive, and an air compressor has so many uses that you'll wonder how you ever got along without one.

[Waboo]

I am currently working on a pair that will be glossy. IMNSHO, base/clear us the best way to go. Spraymax 2K is worth every penny as a clear coat - you can't do better unless you know a professional automotive painter.

These will be wet sanded and polished sometime this cing week.

Very nice looking and slick finish. And red! Nice change from the basic black, white and gray cabinets.

[jcsmith0919]

So I think my "fog" is not the perfect kind. Although the smoothest I've ever sanded anything, I believe it's not perfectly flat. I'm thinking of respraying and just sanding to 220 and spraying clear to just get a satin finish. The black is blotchy. I'll attach a picture when I get home.

[LOUT]

Might that be the result of thicker/thinner spots from sanding?
If so, I'd guess the next coat (now that you've gotten the surface smooth and it has an underlying coat) should turn out evenly-colored regardless of whether or not you choose to sand it afterward again. Or are there other reasons for the paint's shade to appear speckled like that?

[DeZZar]

Hmm - yeah that's not right. Its not even black anymore? I'd say the black is gone and you've sanded through to the undercoat/primer.

This definitely needs a few more coats. Once you've got it perfectly smooth with 220 - I would run two more coats (at least) with a LIGHT wet sanding of between 400 - 600 in-between the coats. Then a couple of coats of clear. If you are going for a mirror finish then the final coat needs to be sanded starting at 800 all the way through to 2000 and then a cut, polish and wax. Wait a week at least before this final step.

This is the result (from rattle can spray paint):

[jcsmith0919]

Might that be the result of thicker/thinner spots from sanding?
If so, I'd guess the next coat (now that you've gotten the surface smooth and it has an underlying coat) should turn out evenly-colored regardless of whether or not you choose to sand it afterward again. Or are there other reasons for the paint's shade to appear speckled like that?

I agree and think there are thicker/thinner spots. When I spray and without sanding, it looks great for a sort of flat look, but as soon as I put sandpaper on it, it goes to crap. I'm going to respray the black and take a pic prior to sanding. Should I sanding to 220 between each coat? It lays down decently flat without it. I'm not sure if I should just spray, then go straight into clear coat. Thoughts?

[jcsmith0919]

Hmm - yeah that's not right. Its not even black anymore? I'd say the black is gone and you've sanded through to the undercoat/primer.

This definitely needs a few more coats. Once you've got it perfectly smooth with 220 - I would run two more coats (at least) with a LIGHT wet sanding of between 400 - 600 in-between the coats. Then a couple of coats of clear. If you are going for a mirror finish then the final coat needs to be sanded starting at 800 all the way through to 2000 and then a cut, polish and wax. Wait a week at least before this final step.

This is the result (from rattle can spray paint):

Yeah the black is very questionable at this point. It sprays great, but when I sand it seems like it goes to crap. I'm gonna lay another few coats down and take a pic prior to sanding.

[DeZZar]

220 is far too aggressive at this point. 220 is to prepare the surface before you start laying down color. You want several coats of black with very very fine sanding inbetween. I will often just lay down several coats without sanding to start with and then sand for the last few coats.

[a4eaudio]

jcsmith0919 I recently had a problem but it didn't look exactly like yours. I never knew for sure, but I think it was due to mixing different base products. It is frustrating because a lot of the different rattle-can primers, color, and clear coats, at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. are not clear about what their base is. (Enamel, acrylic, lacquer, etc. and some CANNOT be used on top of the other while some are fine.)

I have seen lots of different posts with good results, so clearly there is no ONE right way but here is a good thread (see post #11)...http://techtalk.parts-express.com/fo...ttle-can-gurus