SoCal Jet Boats
Tech Talk => Gelcoat / Paint / Fireberglass Repair => Topic started by: GAWnCA on September 19, 2007, 06:42:12 AM
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I know, this talks about cars and metal work but it also applies to boats and fiberglass. Just insert BOAT and GLASS where it talks about CAR/RIDE/Etc. and Metal and it's a pretty good basic guide. Newer and better products are on the market as well. Once again, NOTE, most of the time spent on the paint job is in the preparation time.
This article was found on the Internet news groups and is intended only as a general help guide not an exact perfect method.
Lets say you have a typical ride with a stock paint job, that is alright, but it does show it’s age with a bit of sun fade, rock chips, and a couple dings here and there............
So you're wanting a new paint job, here are some of the basic steps that will get you there
1...Start removing anything that can be removed that will not get painted, like the bumpers, emblems, chrome trim, lights, and stuff like that.
2...Wash your car.. Use a grease fighting dish soap like Dawn
3... Block sand your whole car with 220-320 wet sand paper. Block sanding will not only keep your surface smooth and level, but will also provide tooth for the primer to come, and show you were the low spots are (dings)
4...After block sanding and finding your dings (they will be the only spots left shiny) use a marker or chalk and mark them by drawing a circle at least an inch around them.
5...Get a drill and attach one of those plastic grinding discs, and grind those spots down to metal. you can use a DA sander also
6...Clean off the area, it’s important that it is free of dust and oil
5...Prepare your filler and apply it to the area, then wait for it to cure.
6...After curing, block sand the body filler with 80 - 100 grit dry sand paper until it’s level with the rest of the body.
7...Clean off the area again and check for pinholes in the filler. Also clean off the area were you have rock chips
8...Use a 2 part glazing potty to fill any pin holes in your body work, and the rock chips.
9...level out the glazing putty by lightly block sanding it with 220-320 wet sand paper.
10…wash your car again
11…Roll your ride into your paint booth (or garage, shop, plastic enclosed carport or anywhere else you plan to paint it in)
12… start masking off your windows, and anything else you don’t want to paint that you couldn’t remove.
13… use wheel covers or jack up the car and remove the wheels, and leave it on jack stands.
14… wipe down the whole car with a tack cloth to remove any dust.
15… wipe down your car again with wax and grease cleaner, (or reducer) and let dry.
16… as the cleaner is drying, start mixing up your high build primer, if you have any bodywork on the car it is always a good idea to cover it up in high build primer.
17… spray a spot pass over you body work first before spraying 1 to 3 coats of high build primer over the whole car, (make sure the pattern overlaps by 10- 25%) waiting 15 to 30 minutes between coats for it to flash.
18… After spraying your last coat, make sure you clean out your gun before doing anything else.
19… carefully remove all the masking on the car, and let it sit overnight.
20… roll out your ride and begin block sanding with 400-600 wet until its nice and smooth
21… Open up your doors and remove any weather stripping, and plastic moldings, as well as your door panels, and mask anything else including the doorjambs, under the hood or where ever you don't want to paint.
22… wash your car again, and roll it back in the booth and mask
23… wipe down the car with a tack cloth followed by cleaning it with wax and grease cleaner (or reducer).
24… Mix up your base, and spray at least 2-4 coats of your base, waiting 15 to 30 minutes for it to flash between coats. (make sure to overlap the spray by 10-50%.
25… Clean out your gun real good wait about 2-3 hours and mix up your clear
26… spray one tack coat of clear followed by 2 to 4 wet coats of clear. (use the same spray pattern of 10-50% overlap) You won’t be able to tell when it flashes, so it’s a good idea to wait between 15 to 30 minutes between coats, or do the touch test.
NOT RECOMMENDED !!! DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!: THE TOUCH TEST....find a spot in the paint that will not be seen when the car is finished, about 15 minutes after spraying your clear, touch this spot with your finger, if it feels sticky or tacky then your ready for the next coat, but if it stringy and some if it clings to your finger as you lift it, then you still need to wait.
27… Clean out your gun REAL GOOD
28… wait at least an hour before removing the masking, then let it sit over night
29… the next day roll out your ride and let it “bake” in the sun for at least a day.
30… Put your car back together, and you should be ready for a cruse.
HOPEFULLY THIS HELPS SOME PEOPLE WITH THEIR QUESTIONS.
Anything below this is optional and is more toward a nice or show car type finish
1a… Now your ready to cut and buff, start by block sanding all the orange peel, and any debris or bugs that may have gotten in your clear off with 1500 -2000 grit wet sand paper
2a... Now lightly block sand again with 2500-3000 if desired
3a... Wash the car, and towel dry
4a… Start machine buffing with a medium cutting compound and a heavy wool pad
5a… Now switch to a fine cutting compound and a fine wool pad or foam pad
6a… buff again with swirl mark remover or machine polish with a fine wool pad or foam pad
7a… wash the car, and towel dry
8a… hand polish DO NOT WAX, APPLY A PURE POLISH ONLY
Put your car back together, and you are ready for a cruse
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NOT RECOMMENDED !!! DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!: THE TOUCH TEST....find a spot in the paint that will not be seen when the car is finished, about 15 minutes after spraying your clear, touch this spot with your finger, if it feels sticky or tacky then your ready for the next coat, but if it stringy and some if it clings to your finger as you lift it, then you still need to wait.
always , always...touch the paper you masked with (that should have some paint overlap) for this test...
never touch the panel you painted.....or if you do....NOT RECOMMENDED !!! DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!:
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10582/normal_000_1919.JPG)
(https://www.socaljetboats.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10582/normal_000_1920.JPG)
(see i do have some useful information here...)
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always , always...touch the paper you masked with (that should have some paint overlap) for this test...
never touch the panel you painted.....or if you do....NOT RECOMMENDED !!! DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!:
(see i do have some useful information here...)
Good suggestion. I thought this was a pretty good write up for general information.
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thanks for the info, good reading and i learned something ;D
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# 29 where it says to roll your ride out in the sun and let it bake for a day in the sun.... I don't think I agree with this one at all. Those solvents that haven't had quite enough time to escape during the curing process can boil and ruin all your hard work.
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Then there is this write-up by Barry Kives at Southern Polyurethanes, Inc. http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com (http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com) They make their own products. Ask Jork about them.
The Perfect Paint Job
November 2007
Our goal is to accomplish a paint job that with a strong foundation, with a maximum gloss that will last for many years. This type of painting is not practical for the everyday production body shop but will serve you well when you do a restoration or a street rod job. We are going with the assumption that the metal, or fiberglass has been stripped of all paint.
Bare metal is always best cleaned with #700-1 waterborne wax and grease remover.
Mix enough #6600 series epoxy to spray two wet coats over the entire car. Spray one wet coat and let flash about 30 minutes, then apply a second wet coat. Let the epoxy set overnight and then apply body, or fiberglass filler and glazing putty over the epoxy. It is not necessary to sand the epoxy before applying the fillers, as they will bite into the epoxy, and feather great. When you have finished sanding all of the bodywork, you are likely to have some bare metal spots from sanding. Spray one wet coat of epoxy over all filler spots and over any bare metal spots. Let the vehicle set overnight.
The next day, you can start spraying the 2K primer over the epoxy. Once again, it is not necessary to scuff or sand the epoxy before applying primer. The most important thing to remember at this point, is spray one wet coat of primer, and let it set for 30 minutes before applying the second coat. Follow this procedure between coats of primer. This step, when abused, messes up more paint finishes than anything else! When all of the primer blocking and any necessary primer repairs have been done, it is always best to use the epoxy as a sealer. Mix up enough epoxy to go around the car with one wet coat, adding a double shot glass of SPI #885 urethane reducer, per quart. Let the epoxy set for 30 minutes. Stir one more time, and strain. Spray one full wet coat of epoxy over the entire car. The epoxy should set for 24 hours, then wet sand as needed, with 600-800 grit paper and then you are ready to base.
Next to rushing the 2K primer, rushing the basecoat is the second cause for the final gloss and depth of a paint job to look bad. It is very important use the slowest urethane reducer in your base that you can get away with, no matter what the outside temperature is. Just allow enough extra time for the basecoat to flash and dry. The difference between a very slow grade and medium grade reducer will show up in the final gloss. The slower grade also has better solvency and will give you far better adhesion. Spray the first coat, and let it totally dry, before spraying the second coat. It is best to wait 45 minutes between coats.
Option if basecoat isn’t perfect:
After two coats, the vehicle should set overnight, then do minor wet sanding with 1500 grit sandpaper to remove any orange peel or trash. Apply the next two coats with 45 minutes of flash time in between. Some colors require additional coats. If this is the case, again, wait 45 minutes between coats. Let the basecoat set overnight.
Tack off the next day, apply a wet coat of SPI-Universal, SPI-MS or SPI-HS Clear, and let the clear flash as needed. Let the first coat of clear set until you can lightly run you finger across it.
Spray the second wet coat of clear, let it flash until stringy, or slightly dry to the touch, then spray the third coat of clear.
From two days to two weeks after the job has been completed, wet sand the clear with 400-800 grit sandpaper, blocking out any orange peel or dirt. After wet sanding, let the car set in sun for a day then apply a wet coat of clear. Let the clear flash until it is dry to a light touch. Apply a second coat of clear, then 20-30 minutes later come back with a third coat of clear.
Let the vehicle set two or three days in the sun to help to get all of the solvents out and settle the paint job. If any wet sanding is required before buffing, sand with 1500 grit sandpaper, then set the vehicle in sun for two to three hours. Bring the car back into the shop, and allow it cool to room temperature, then buff.
If you follow these directions, you will have a durable paint job, with maximum depth and gloss over a solid foundation, which will last for many years to come.
Buffing / Compound Recommendation:
On your first compounding of 1000-2000 wet sanding scratches use PRESTA ULTRA CUTTING CREAM with a white twisted wool compounding pad and remove all of your scratches.
On your second step use PRESTA 1500 POLISH with a yellow twisted wool polishing pad or a foam pad. 2-4 quarter-size drops will do an entire full size pickup hood. With Presta less is better!
On your third step use PRESTA 2000 POLISH with a yellow twisted wool polishing pad or foam pad. 2-4 quarter-size drops will do an entire full size pickup hood. With Presta less is better!
I don’t care how aggressive a “cutting” foam pad is said to be a twisted wool compounding pad will out-cut it every time and use less compound to do it. Wool pads like to cut and foam pads like to polish. Period.
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;D I can not recommend Barry Kive enough. This guy is over the top fantastic and has supplied the paint and materials for many magazine cover cars. Best of all is that he provides you his personal cell phone number if you have any question or problem...... When mine went shithouse, I called him on a whim not expecting anything but a voice message only to get him while he was shopping at Home Depot. He took the time to bail my ass out........ He's so damn nice and helpful it's scary..
As far as the baking in the sun, if Barry says it, I'm there......
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Most top end spray shops have spray booths for baking the car finish to a hard glossy shine after spraying.
The problem of solvent popping or blisters is not from the baking, but more the heat too high, too much solvent used in spraying
or laying layers of paint too fast, not letting it enough time to flash off between coats.
The idea of putting your car in the sun the next day after spraying... cheap bake shop! ;) ;D
and have to agree with Chromey... excellent idea on touching the tape ;)
Good info GAWnCA! 8)
-Rebel