is clear coat necessary?

[newride]

Just finished a front fender and it came out pretty good for Rattle can results.
Do I want to put clear coat on it to protect? How many coats?
Peace,
Newride

[Black_peter]

You think it looks nice now, wait until you buff it and then clear coat it!! I would use as many coats as color..

[jmanor010780]

I am in the middle of painting (by can) my rear foot peg brackets black. I may be wrong but I think clear coating it may help it from chipping and may last a little longer. I am putting 4 coats on the pegs(I do not want the paint to run) maybe shoot 2 or 3 coats of clear just for the sake of not chipping I will take some pics when I get done.

[newride]

Thanks guys,
Jeremy

[Mojoe]

it depends on the paint you used. it may be too late now. if it is regular enamal, you should have cleared it when it was still a bit tacky. now if you clear it without some form of sandind so it has something to grip onto, it might just flake off.

[newride]

Black Peter has advised me to take my already painted fender and clear coat it by buffing it with thinner or mineral spirits.
Sorry, Iam new to all this....
Buff it with what? cloth, sandpaper, a furry monkey?
Can someone steer me in the right direction? I like how the paint came out, and would like to protect it.
Yes,
I did do a search....could not really find that exact point.
Peace,
Newride

[Mojoe]

Black Peter has advised me to take my already painted fender and clear coat it by buffing it with thinner or mineral spirits.

well, far be it for me to say BP is wrong, but doing that is risky as hell. first of all, buffing a freshly painted part with thinner is likely to result in the paint coming off cuz thinner will eat paint. and mineral spirits will leave fish-eyes in the clear.

my suggestion would be to wetsand it with 600, then give it another coat of paint. then once the paint has set a bit, but is still tacky, then shoot it with clear. it is the safetest way to do it without involving any other chemicals that could lead to trouble.

[Black_peter]

Thanks for the confidence Mojoe!!


What I did was after the paint had dried I used rubbing compound as a short cut. It smoothed out the paint and since it left a hazy finish it cut into the paint too. I then washed the compound off with water and cleaned it well with mineral spirits. The mineral spirits did not effect the paint. Then I clear coated. (I tested the compatibility of the mineral spirits first by the way..)

[Mojoe]

Thanks for the confidence Mojoe!!


What I did was after the paint had dried I used rubbing compound as a short cut. It smoothed out the paint and since it left a hazy finish it cut into the paint too. I then washed the compound off with water and cleaned it well with mineral spirits. The mineral spirits did not effect the paint. Then I clear coated. (I tested the compatibility of the mineral spirits first by the way..)

well....sorry man. I didn't mean to contradict you. I just felt I had to warn him. I had a small spot that had a flaw on a part I applied basecoat to, and 3 days later I though a little thinner might do the trick. I ended up having to sand and re-bese it. this happened on the bike I am currently working on.

as for the mineral spirits, I have never used it. so I really can't garantee what it will or will not do. everything I have ever "tried", aside from R-M 901 pre-wash, has caused problems. and even the pre-wash will if you don't follow behind with a dry rag to wipe it right off cuz it leaves a residue behind. you might not get a reaction, but you will see streaks under the clear.

but then again, you guys are rattle-canning it, I do believe. for some reason or another, you can get away with things with a rattlecan that you never could with a spraygun. it's weird.

and for buffing....next time try Mopar polishing liquid. the buddy who let me use his paint room last week told me that is what he uses on his polishing. he showed me on a car he was doing. unreal. you apply it in a good sized area and turn on the polisher...and man, what a nice job. it is so fine that it doesn't leave the swirls and scratches behind. it is what I will be using from now on. just go to a Mopar dealership and ask for it.

[newride]

Thanks Guys!
Peace,
newride

[Black_peter]

well....sorry man. I didn't mean to contradict you.

No worries!

but then again, you guys are rattle-canning it, I do believe. for some reason or another, you can get away with things with a rattlecan that you never could with a spraygun. it's weird.

That's true..

and for buffing....next time try Mopar polishing liquid.

I used to get this amazing stuff from a friend, it was German I think.
Amazing stuff you could use it everywhere, glass, plastic, paint.
Follow with a good wax and it was like the car was dipped in polyurethane.

[low900rr]

yes

[newride]

Well, I finished the fender......it came out bad again!
The clearcoat ruined it. There was some sort of reaction it seems. The clearcoat gave it texture, which I could have lived with if it was uniform. Kind of looked cool.
The real, re-occuring problem is that the right side of the fender has two shiny spots that keep coming through, no matter what I do.
I am going to strip it all the way down once more.
I have been sanding by hand. Have folks ever use the Black and Decker Cyclone sander?
I have used Krylon spray, but will try Duplicolor paint. Though it seems to hard to find Duplicolor around here.
Peace,
Newride

[steves]

What kind of clear did you get? It might not have been compatible with the basecoat paint.

[Black_peter]

What kind of clear did you get? It might not have been compatible with the basecoat paint.

+1
That's why I bought the clear off the same shelf as the base..
Same brand and type.. Sorry I should have made that very clear!
(Hey I made a little pun there!)