Mark i wanted to pick your brain on paint.
I painted w duplicolor bright metalic silver and i don't think i put it on wet enough which has led to an ever so slight rough texture. I've seen so mny different answers on wet sand or don't wet sand metalic prior to clear.
What are your thoughts on this? Sand or don't sand the metalic, then sand after clear.
Thanks!

 

Ha ha....I'm here. Check in now and then.

Nope, you don't want to wetsand silver before clear. Or pretty much any basecoat. You'll see every stroke of the sandpaper under the clear. It'll look awful and you'll have to re-do it. So, don't clear over wetsanded basecoat.

Best to either
1) Go ahead and clearcoat the paint as-is ...if it's real minor texture.

2) Wetsand it (or the worst areas) smooth with like 1000 grit or 1,200 grit. Make sure it's DRY, then mist (blend in) some new silver base on the wetsanded area/s. You don't necessarily have to re-do the whole vehicle if it's just a few areas. You can blend in the silver. Doesn't need to be heavy coats. Just so the metallic is good and you aren't seeing sand scratches.

If the areas are down low or below the beltline, nobody will ever see roughness down there.

The thing about silver/gold and other light metallic colors, ya often get *some* roughness of the basecoat after you 'fog it' at the end, to get good metallic lay-out. So to a certain degree, it happens. Even if you go look at some brand new cars/trucks real close (need to get yer eye right down there) you'll often see some roughness in certain areas. If this is a real high end job and you think it's too rough, then maybe you'll need to take it (or those rough areas) down and blend on a couple more coats. What you really want to avoid under clear is dry-spray. But doesn't sound like that's your issue.

Hope it helps

.

 

Hey im glad I found you or you found me. Just to preface my next question, I am not a painter. (obviously) I know just enough to get myself in trouble.
You said not to wet sand prior to clear, but on a two stage paint job, isn't your base a matte finish, similar to 2000 paper, and the clear is what makes the paint shine? Or is that only non metalic paints?
Since i will not be sanding down the metalic, will the clear help smooth things out?
I guess I just need to pick a small panel and hit it w some clear and see what happens.
Thanks for your help

 

You're right, the clear gives the matte base the shine (and adds durability & UV protection). But on metallic paints, the main thing is you want for silver (or any metallic) to look good is to have evenly distributed metallic lay-out. Meaning, no tiger stripes, dark areas, dry spray or chugging/mottling. When you clear over *evenly distributed* silver ....it looks good.

Sanding the base will totally disturb the metalflake. You will see every swipe of the sandpaper you made ...under the clear. The best thing to do is to paint some silver base on a piece of scrap metal. Wetsand half of it. Then clear the whole thing. You'll get what I mean.

 

After I started to look and feel the paint i decided to wet sand w 1000. I put it on too dry and it just felt horrible. Luckily i did order some more paint and clear (there goes the cheap paint job) and redid the whole thing. After the metalic and clear it looks decent. I need more clear though. The shine isn't quite there.
Thanks again for your help!

 

Looks like you made good progress.

You don't see those cars around much anymore (although I did talk to an owner of a nice original at a car show this past summer).

Keep up the good work...

 

You are correct. They did not hold up very well in the rust dept. I had on in NJ where I grew up but it go so rusty underneath, I had to get rid of it. I swore I'd find another one day. Here w are 30 yrs later and I found this 240Z two towns over in very good condition.