Should you color sand the final base coat before laying down clear or do you color sand the clear coat? Also, should decals go under the clear coat? Thanks Rob
With the current acrylic base coat/clear coat systems I've never sanded the base coat. It is too soft and peels under even some very fine grits... Used to sand non-metallic lacquer finishes before clearing if needed to fix a big honkin' blem, otherwise did all the sanding in the clear. With metallics it is more likely to cause an appearance issue if you sand and then don't recoat. If you've got a very visible issue in the basecoat the Sherwin-Williams Ultra series instructions advise to wait 24 for that panel to cure, sand out or fix the issue, and then clear. That is the procedure I'd use if I had a largish run... It also advises applying the clear on panels coated with the base within 24 hours. Suggest you check the product data sheets for your system for the specifics of your paint system. You should be able to find them online... JMHO.
I totaly agree with 72GTVA. For the decals You may do what you whant. I am going to paint the "decals" on mine so no vinyl "stickers" but if I was to use some anytime I would not have the clear on top of it. To get it smooth, you will need a lot and I mean a lot of layers and sanding inbetween Just put it on, if you get a damage in the decal area its easier to fix without the clear covering it. If you choose to put clear on top of it be sure the vinyl in the "sticker" can be painted with the paint you are using
The key is to get everything perfect before you spray. The primer should be silky smooth and straight. Test your mix so you know you won't have orange peel, shoot it and you should not need to sand. If you are using water colors (water borne) for the base coat, watch the temp and humidity and run fans to keep the air moving as it dries. Using a wet floor to control dust is not advised when using water colors. Also, if you are using the water colors don't wait days to shoot the clear. You want to put the clear coat on as soon as the base is ready. I would put the decals under the clear coat. Putting them on top makes them stand out as decals. Think the old Trans Am hood look.
There is not one car in a car show that hasn't been color sanded. It's worth the time and effort no matter how flat and shiny the paint goes down.
I agree 100%. The problem is that the proper paint is illegal in most areas. Shooting clear over single stage is an option if it is not illegal as it is here in CA. Color sanding water colors adds 2 days to the paint job, and is not recommended for the novice.
That's absolutely true, but to get it shiny as a show car you have to do the sanding and polishing, but as you say a proffessional is needed
Well maybe you are right, I just hate the decals all together I rather paint it all on, depends but I even think it will be cheaper and for shure looks better.
NEVER sand a base coat before clearcoat, especially metallics. It will just leave a bunch of sand scratches in the color that wont buff out. As for clearcoating over decals, it depends on the decal if the solvents will damage the decal. Practically all of the decals we use at my shop we apply after the paint so we match the other side. Decals/stripes put on new paint have some kind of chemical reaction with the adhesive and the solvent evaporating out of the paint so they really stick good. You should wait about a week before sticking them on and keep everything dust free to do it. mostly keep your fingers off the sticky sides. One thing I'm glad about is no more of the woodie wall wallpaper.
Never had any scratches show thru once I laid the next coat down. Lucky I guess. And I never buff between coats, only the final clear coat.
I wouldn't touch the base coat with anything. Just clearcoat. I've shot most everything once or twice. Had a few show finishes that were single stage acy enamel just color sanded and buffed out properly. I don't like BC CC for solid colors at all.
CARB paint sucks rotten bananas. I use SS on my work vehicles, and have tried CC over SS. It bites. For a trailer queen the SS you can legally buy here is Ok, but the sun quickly chalks it up. There is a black market here for illegal paint, but as we are all believers in warmal cooling we would not even consider breaking the law. I repainted my daughters Honda front after she had a blond moment. Used water colors. Car looked bad afterward as the rear had orange peel on the bottom half and the front did not. And I did not color sand at all. Two coats of base, three coats of CC. A customer showed me his new Benz, SOS, Orange peel on the lower half. The finger paint is so hard to work with that now you get a crappy paint job on a $57,000 car.
MB lower body panels generally have stone guard sprayed on them under the paint causing the bad orange peel. Fortunately at my shop we havent been forced to use latex house paint on cars... yet.
