Clear Coat Question

Just got done painting my bike and have a small problem wit the clearcoat. I am using all duplicolor acrylic lacuers. On the clear coat it looked good when i shot it but the next day it has what looks like some "dry" spots, Not smooth like the rest. Can I wet sand it down some and repray the clear? If so some tips on what to use would be great. I will post some pics soon.

How many coats did you put on it? Also, check the can to make sure it really is lacquer...duplicolor is bad about not labeling all the enamels as enamels. Sometimes the only clue that it's an enamel is the recoat window. We had this problem on Chris's bike. The clear acted funny, and it turned out the Metalcast system is enamel, and we sprayed clear lacquer over it. Fortunately, the metalcast paint is pretty resistant to solvents after the curing time (which we didn't look at until later, thinking we had lacquer...oops). If you're spraying an enamel clear over lacquer, soon after the lacquer, it is possible the solvents from the lacquer are still coming up, but that will usually cause a wrinkle or lifted area. What you have sounds like some slight orange peel. Try to sand it out with 1000 grit, if you put two or three coats on it should sand out. Sand the whole thing out if you didn't do it yet. then buff it with 3m superduty compound followed with microfinishing compound, then/or maguiers professional swirl remover. You will have to use the swirl remover a few times if you skip themicrofinishing compound step, but it can be done.

It is definately lacquer. I have some Mothers buffing coumpound can I use this somewhere in the process? Thanks for the reply.

Try this.....WET-sand the pieces with 1000 or 1200 grit. Keep the piece AND the paper WET (clean water is all ya need...maybe drop or 2 of dish soap). I kinda lean towards a lite touch, not "cutting" too much at a time. Rinse with clear water, dry thoroughly. Then, use your Mothers (according to directions on can/tube). I use soft fresh terry cloth, some use cotton balls. Again, I use a lite touch at first then check results.
Ron recommended good products. You'll "compound", finish glaze (for lack of better term), then remove swirls.
BEST case scenario.....John68 will see your post and offer up advise/help. I used this stuff in my latest efforts and LOVE it.

In order to get a mirror finish you will need to go higher than 1000 grit during the wetsanding. I start with 1000 and end with 2500. Then I use a power buffer with polishing compound. Use at least 3 coats of clear with a good wetsand with 1500 grit in between. It is a little time consuming but the end product is well worth it. I like to have about 7 coats of clear. That way I can wet sand and buff out the small swirls and scratches every year and never have to worry about getting into the paint. Good luck.

If Mothers is the only compound you use, you'll need to sand alot more with the higher number grits, for sure. Still, 1500 wet followed by 1500 dry after the 1000 will usually do it if you use the gritty compounds like 3m. I left that out, sorry. Even 3m super duty won't cut orange peel, without a buffer ( even then you need most of it sanded out first), and the maguiers is very low abrasive...almost a polish.

Actually, with the gunmetal grey you used, 3 coats of just the color will buff to a high gloss, too. There is no clear on my bike, and that's the case. Very reflective. I can see the pupils of my eyes from 5 feet, even with my glasses on...mirror finish.
Using at least at least 3 coats of clear, or final paint color is important for the process I gave you above. With lacquer, if your surface prep was good, and your spray technique is solid, you don't need to sand between the clearcoats. They melt together anyway. I have sprayed three coats of lacquer clear straight out of a can that looked better than the buffed clearcoat on my fleetwood. Just waited for the coats to dry a few minutes. It's all in the surface prep. I try to keep it at 3 coats, one of which you will likely remove by sanding and the next one is buffed. Thick paint can chip a little more easily with the rattle can paints. Using Maquiers (or mothers) allows you to buff tiny scratches out, since they're often in the wax, anyway. Be careful for the first month before you get a good protective coat of wax on it. That's the hardest part for me, because i ride alot.

If you do all that, and finish with 1500 dry before you buff and polish, you'll be able to pick your teeth from 6 feet away in the reflection. Remember, easy on the edges, especially if you machine buff! Here's a freshly painted tailpiece straight from the can. Three coats of clear over universal gloss black wetsanded with 400 grit before the clear. Painted outside on a calm 75 degree day.



Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/11/11 10:04

In this one, you can see the CB antenna on the roof of my house to the right, as the tail bends down. Just to show you what's possible with spraycan clearcoat.

Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/11/11 10:09

Last one...you get the point.

Sorry, I just had to put this one in...I just took it. It's not about clearcoat, but about the comment I made about the gunmetal. This is gloss black lacquer, no clear. This shows my neighbor's house and the tree near it, and the clouds above it in the tail. Be encouraged, you'll get the dull spots out!

Post edited by: ronboskz650sr, at: 2005/11/11 12:07

ronboskz650sr wrote:

Sometimes the only clue that it's an enamel is the recoat window.

Hi Ron, would you mind spelling that out for me, what's the clue? Is it that "recoat anytime" paints are enamel?
thanks

Recoat anytime paints are lacquer. Enamels will say something like...recoat within 24 hoursor after 5 days" The before..after is the key. If you paint between those two times, the paint wil wrinkle because the top is partially cured, but not enough. Before the chemical reaction starts, it behaves like lacquer. For example, If you wait 16 hours on a paint with a 24 hour before time, you can sand it (not buff it), then recoat it. On the rattle can paints, there is no catalyst type hardener to speed the hardening, so I wait for the full window after my final coat, before sanding and buffing. You might sand before that and think it's cured, but if you buff it before that, you'll find out differently, and have to reshoot. This is rattlecan enamel in my experience. Not two-part enamel with a hardener applied via spray gun.

Lacquer -- got it.
Thank you sir!