[kevin2502000]

If you wetsand it with 1000 grit before you polish it you will get there faster for the depth you want. If you can spray it like a professional you could jump to compounding. The good thing about wetsanding the clear you can actually see what you are doing.

[Mojoe]

ok....here's the steps:

NO primer, unless you covering up repair work. primer over perfectly good clear is nothing but a waste of time and money. if you do have repair work, or blemishes to fix, then you can use primer, but only if you happen to hit plastic or covering up bondo or something. it's wise to use an adhering agent if you are priming over plastic, or you risk a reaction or having the primer lift off the plastic as it flexes and you could possibly have a air bubble form. don't ask me how it can happen, getting an air bubble under your paint, but it can happen. if you can sand out all blemishes without hitting the plastic, then you don't need to prime. please....don't turn into one of these guys who has to prime over everything when they don't have to. you can...but if I see you do it I am going to shake my head and think, "what a waste". the only exception to that is when you are pinting say white over black, or something of that contrast. a light color over a dark color can be primed to not have different shades in your finished work....but most of the time you can get away with just an extra coat of base.

once your parts are all smoothed up (400 grit works fine for base coat clear coat, but only by hand. if you use a sander, you will likely have swirl marks in your finish. then lay on the base coat. base and color is the same thing, unless you are doing a tri-coat. DO NOT sand the base coat, and DO NOT listen to those who tell you you should. automotive paints contain pigments that have been through a lot of R&D at the paint companies to give the optimum color and depth. sanding your base coat defeats that purpose.

then tack rag it clean to get all the dust of. DO NOT push down on the tack rag. it has a wax like substance that removes the dust, and if you push down on it, it will leave a residue behind and you will get fish eyes. just lay the rag on the part and pull it across by one corner....the only pressure on it should be the weight of the rag itself. you can wash it down, but I wouldn't if I were you, unless you really have to. if you do have to, use just a drop of palmolive in some water. DO NOT use any chemicals.

TIP: hosing down your parts with clean water in an EXCELLENT way to check your work. water will act just like clear, and give you a better idea than just the flat appearance it has before painting.

then clear it.

after it is all painted and it has had time to cure, then you decide if you need to wetsand or not. you know...to remove orange peel and such. when you do clear the bike, make sure you have enough clear to allow for wet sanding, especially on sharp corners and edges as this is where you are most likely to break through the clear and hit the base coat while sanding. IF you do get lucky enough to have no orange peel or any blemishes (I doubt it...that takes practice), then you can just go at it will a quality liquid compound (do not use a paste) and a buffer.

good luck :

[kevin2502000]

ok....here's the steps:

NO primer, unless you covering up repair work. primer over perfectly good clear is nothing but a waste of time and money. if you do have repair work, or blemishes to fix, then you can use primer, but only if you happen to hit plastic (wise to use an adhering agent if you are priming over plastic, or you risk a reaction or having the primer lift off the plastic as it flexes.), or covering up bondo or something. but if you can sand out all blemishes without hitting the plastic, then you don't need to prime. please....don't turn into one of these guys who has to prime over everything when they don't have to. you can...but if I see you do it I am going to shake my head and think, "what a waste". the only exception to that is when you are pinting say white over black, or something of that contrast. a light color over a dark color can be primed to not have different shades in your finished work....but most of the time you can get away with just an extra coat of base.

once your parts are all smoothed up (400 grit works fine for base coat clear coat, but only by hand. if you use a sander, you will likely have swirl marks in your finish. then lay on the base coat. base and color is the same thing, unless you are doing a tri-coat. DO NOT sand the base coat, and DO NOT listen to those who tell you you should. automotive paints contain pigments that have been through a lot of R&D at the paint companies to give the optimum color and depth. sanding your base coat defeats that purpose.

then tack rag it clean to get all the dust of. DO NOT push down on the tack rag. it has a wax like substance that removes the dust, and if you push down on it, it will leave a residue behind and you will get fish eyes. just lay the rag on the part and pull it across by one corner....the only pressure on it should be the weight of the rag itself.

then clear it.

after it is all painted and it has had time to cure, then you decide if you need to wetsand or not. you know...to remove orange peel and such. when you do clear the bike, make sure you have enough clear to allow for wet sanding, especially on sharp corners and edges as this is where you are most likely to break through the clear and hit the base coat while sanding. IF you do get lucky enough to have no orange peel or any blemishes (I doubt it...that takes practice), then you can just go at it will a quality liquid compound (do not use a paste) and a buffer.

good luck :

One important step that even you have mentioned before is make sure to wipe off the area before the tack cloth with denatured alcohol. This removes any oil from your fingers or wax etc. I don't doubt YOUR ability with the 400 on the clear, but he has never done it before, I think 1000 is alot safer even though it may take a little longer. I didn't mind the 1000 with PLENTY of clean water rinses to dull everything up the same. P.S. I did follow Mojoes thread when I painted my stuff and thats how I acheived what I got, with patience.

[Mojoe]

Or no compound?

No compound, imho. at least not the paste. liquid polish is better. some refer to this as compound also, but just don't confuse it with that turtle was stuff that comes in a paste and is to gritty.

personally, I use Mopar liquid polish. if you have a chrysler dealer near you, pick a bottle up. I think it is like $10 or so, and it works great with an electric buffer.

One important step that even you have mentioned before is make sure to wipe off the area before the tack cloth with denatured alcohol. This removes any oil from your fingers or wax etc. I don't doubt YOUR ability with the 400 on the clear, but he has never done it before, I think 1000 is alot safer even though it may take a little longer. I didn't mind the 1000 with PLENTY of clean water rinses to dull everything up the same. P.S. I did follow Mojoes thread when I painted my stuff and thats how I acheived what I got, with patience.

umm, I don't think it was me that mentioned alcohol, as I have never used alcohol. and to be honest, I don't use tack rags either. my method of choice is palmolive, water and a micro fiber cloth. then I blow it dry with the air hose, then wipe it down again with a clean micro fiber cloth (like what you clean big screen tvs with), then blow it off again.

if I did mention the alcohol in the past, it was probably in a "ya, you can do that too", kind of way.

and also...no, do not use 400 on the clear. if it sounds like I am saying that, then let me correct it. I am saying you can use 400 on the primer or old clear, before the base. sanding before you base with 1000 doesn't give the base much to grip to. I use 400 on the clear myself, but only to remove heavy orange peel, then I move up to 600....all wet sanding. from there I let the polish compound and buffer take care of the rest.

and also, Kevin brought up a good point. make sure your hands are clean!!! clean doesn't mean spotless, though. you can have primer, base or clear residue that are dried on your hands and it won't hurt (all compatible), but make darn sure you don't have any oil, grease, sweat, or buggers from picking your nose. those are all things that can leave their mark in your finished work. if you have to pick up some greasy parts to move them out of the way or something, make sure you wash your hands before handling your parts.

[kevin2502000]

The one reason I primer over the old paint is because I would rather see a reaction with the primer vs. the base coat. I got so pizzed on that snowmobile hood because I would get reaction after my base in little spots. I just used plain old rustoleum auto primer to lightly spray everything. If it reacted, sand it down, wipe with alcohol, re primer. If it didn't react with the primer I didn't have any reaction with the paint to the primer. I got tired of having to wait till the base dried, the re sand and try again. the primer for me was a cheap insurance policy against reaction.

[itssmeebtchs]

Swet tat what I have been doing... I'm just waiting for my clear to get here... I did have to sand it down almost completely to begin with because the guy who had it before just didn't take care of it and all the paint was faded and peeling off.. I know he painted it because the title says purple and it was red.. but I'm almost done.. just waiting on clear.. and kev I did use the alcohol and the tack (with out pressing on it, so far so good.. no runs.. no blemishes and I had to bondo a few areas.. I wil post pics of the end result.. shoulda took pics of before, but I didn't. Also what do you guys think of acrylic lacquer? Someone told me I should have used it.

And I kno not to sand the base... just wait till th clear and if there is problems sand that and shoot more clear

Excuse my typing I'm on my phone and letters get missed every now and then

[Mojoe]

sounds like you are on the right track, but the clear will tell. do yourself a favor and just do one part to start with and make sure all is well. personally, unless you are very familiar with all the brands you are using, I would do just one part and let it sit overnight before jumping on the rest. I have witnessed awesome paint jobs right after the clear was done, only to see that the next morning it looked like someone threw acid on it. some reactions take time to develop. it would suck if you went through all that work and have it happen to you like that.

[itssmeebtchs]

Thanks, good idea. I would be a little ****ed

[itssmeebtchs]

How long after spraying clear should I wait to wet sand it?

[kevin2502000]

I waited a few days but it say on your can.

[itssmeebtchs]

No it doesnt say on the can.. half the label was missing I dont have a few days .... has to be up and going monday morning

[kevin2502000]

Not sure if this is what you used but try this link. http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/...son/496-00.pdf

[Mojoe]

The one reason I primer over the old paint is because I would rather see a reaction with the primer vs. the base coat. I got so pizzed on that snowmobile hood because I would get reaction after my base in little spots. I just used plain old rustoleum auto primer to lightly spray everything. If it reacted, sand it down, wipe with alcohol, re primer. If it didn't react with the primer I didn't have any reaction with the paint to the primer. I got tired of having to wait till the base dried, the re sand and try again. the primer for me was a cheap insurance policy against reaction.

that is why you find a brand that works then stick with it. I use Valspar or U-Pol only, and know from experience that it NEVER reacts with OEM automotive/bike/skidoo, or any other vehicle paints.

also, 99.9% of the time when you get a reaction, the primer is the culprit, which is why I personally choose to use as little primer as I can get away with. and actually, it's not even really the primer. I had a reaction once and it was all the same brand....primer, base coat, clear, but the reducer was 3M that I used in the primer, and that was what caused it.

Spray on your buildable primer and when that's dry wet sand with 600 grit.

I need to ask....what do you mean by "buildable primer"? in reality, all primer is somewhat buildable.

Hi-build primer is usually a primer like expoxy primer. this is a kind of primer one would use say on rims, where after sandblasting it is rough and full of pit from the casting. here you would use a hi-build epoxy primer so as to make the surface smooth. or on fairing parts that have been sandblasted down bare and leave a rough surface.

now for the "worry" part. usually a hi-build primer is 3 part mixing. you have the reducer (or thinner, depending on the brand), plus a hardener. THIS is where you are most likely to have a reaction with your base and clear....when using this kind of primer. even with being what I would call myself...an advanced novice, close to pro....I will wait at LEAST 24 hours before spraying over hi-build 3 part primer just because of fear of a reaction. I learned my lesson the hard way.

my advice, for what it's worth......stick with regular 2 part primer. you reduce and spray...that's it. the curing time is 10x faster and the risk of reaction is pretty much nil, providing you stick with compatible brands. even with all the same brand, you can get a reaction on hi-build primer if you are not familiar with the process.

[kevin2502000]

I need to ask....what do you mean by "buildable primer"? in reality, all primer is somewhat buildable.

Hi-build primer is usually a primer like expoxy primer. this is a kind of primer one would use say on rims, where after sandblasting it is rough and full of pit from the casting. here you would use a hi-build epoxy primer so as to make the surface smooth. or on fairing parts that have been sandblasted down bare and leave a rough surface.

now for the "worry" part. usually a hi-build primer is 3 part mixing. you have the reducer (or thinner, depending on the brand), plus a hardener. THIS is where you are most likely to have a reaction with your base and clear....when using this kind of primer. even with being what I would call myself...an advanced novice, close to pro....I will wait at LEAST 24 hours before spraying over hi-build 3 part primer just because of fear of a reaction. I learned my lesson the hard way.

my advice, for what it's worth......stick with regular 2 part primer. you reduce and spray...that's it. the curing time is 10x faster and the risk of reaction is pretty much nil, providing you stick with compatible brands. even with all the same brand, you can get a reaction on hi-build primer if you are not familiar with the process.

The 2 part you are talking about. It goes on as thick as you want and fills in the minor imperfections. I don't know what caused my reactions. I do think the culprit was something oily or greasy on the old stuff. I started to use the rustoleum because it dried just as fast and didn't have to mix it up to use. Nothing pizzed me off more than seeing it react then having to wait till it dried, sand it down again and try again. The gray rustoleum dried pretty fast and would curl right away. this was my experience but I am NOWHERE an expert. I did 1 car, 1 bike, 2 snowmobile hoods. Each one got easier and I learned from my mistakes.

[Mojoe]

The 2 part you are talking about. It goes on as thick as you want and fills in the minor imperfections. I don't know what caused my reactions. I do think the culprit was something oily or greasy on the old stuff. I started to use the rustoleum because it dried just as fast and didn't have to mix it up to use. Nothing pizzed me off more than seeing it react then having to wait till it dried, sand it down again and try again. The gray rustoleum dried pretty fast and would curl right away. this was my experience but I am NOWHERE an expert. I did 1 car, 1 bike, 2 snowmobile hoods. Each one got easier and I learned from my mistakes.

I doubt it was oil or grease. if you have oil or grease contaminating your work, it usually does so in the form of fish eyes, not reactions like going all krinkly and blistering up and such. a "reaction" is basically the base eating into the primer, or the clear eating into the base...or the clear eating into both the base and the primer.....or even the primer eating into the plastic of the fairing. it is a chemical reaction between the different layers.

grease or oil won't do that. it will just give you fish eyes or orange peel.