Clearcoat laquer or not?

[alanscottj]

I've just spent the past week prepping and painting a side panel (first time sprayer!). Have done about 4/5 coats of cellulose Cadbury's Purple and I have to say it looks amazing! Really pleased with the result tbh (surprised myself!). Anyway, I am wondering now do I clear coat or not? What are the pro's and con's of a) doing or b) not doing it? And if I should clear coat how long should I leave the purple to dry and do I need to wet and dry it?

Many thanks in advance!

Scott

[Padge]

is it a solid or metallic ?
if it's solid colour are you pleased with the finish/gloss/depth ? If it's a metallic/pearl it will need to be lacquered, personally I would lacquer it anyway, flat it with 800 wet and dry, then 2 coats of 2K clear (a closed coat then a nice wet coat with a good MS or preferably HS clear)

[alanscottj]

is it a solid or metallic ?
if it's solid colour are you pleased with the finish/gloss/depth ? If it's a metallic/pearl it will need to be lacquered, personally I would lacquer it anyway, flat it with 800 wet and dry, then 2 coats of 2K clear (a closed coat then a nice wet coat with a good MS or preferably HS clear)

It is metallic - I have this clear coat in the shed:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/351751142889? ... EBIDX%3AIT

Should I leave the paint to dry for a few days then wet and dry - and clear coat?

[Padge]

Depends how long it's been in your shed, cellulose lacquer will be fine, if it's a metallic and you can get away without flatting it, then just paint it as is (after a bit of prep)
I would flat it, give it a couple of coats of purple, let it flash off then lacquer it
I haven't used cellulose for a few years, everything I do is in 2k, but if you're new to spraying or you don't have the correct PPE then cellulose would be a much better (safer bet)

[alanscottj]

Depends how long it's been in your shed, cellulose lacquer will be fine, if it's a metallic and you can get away without flatting it, then just paint it as is (after a bit of prep)
I would flat it, give it a couple of coats of purple, let it flash off then lacquer it
I haven't used cellulose for a few years, everything I do is in 2k, but if you're new to spraying or you don't have the correct PPE then cellulose would be a much better (safer bet)

Cool - will give it a couple of coats of lacquer tonight - heater has been on in shed for a couple of hours so it will be nice and warm in there

[coaster]

re you sure it's cellulose lacquer? Reason I ask is single pack acrylic is what's usually sold these days and it does not react well if you spill petrol on it (dissolves instantly). Do NOT use any abrasive paper or compound on metallic finishes before applying clear coat as you will end up with tiny solver flecks where you sand off the anodised coating of the metallic particles. Just wipe over with a tack rag and spray. Be careful though as I find lacquer will tend to run more easily than paint.

Good luck and keep that heat on for a few hours after you finish to prevent bloom

[holty]

hi, ive just checked your original post and that ready for use cadburys purple comes pre thinned, and must have some lacquer mixed in with it as it says on the advert you can buff it up later, i think i would just use a scotch pad on what you have already done, and give it a rub all over then put your lacquer on top, as colin said be careful its easy to end up with runs by putting too much on at once, 2 or 3 light coats with good coverage should do the trick,you can always buff the clearcoat up later when its dried . you should realy post some pictures so we can see your handywork,
good luck
holty

[alanscottj]

Went with the lacquer in the end. Did 3 coats then sanded down from 800 to 2500 using soapy water (in the bath, as you do) this got rid of the tiny bit of orange peel. The nipped to Argos and bought myself a electric buffer and buffed with G3 finisher. I have to say I was not looking forward to sanding down my new paint work because I thought it looked great but, WOW, what a difference the final sanding and polishing process makes!

This was the original:



A couple of days prepping including filling two holes where panel locks used to be:



First few coats of the Cadburys Purple - a fair bit of orange peel - but not bad for a first attempt:

[alanscottj]

The nearly finished product, still a couple of tiny scratches to polish out but I'm well happY:

[dazblakey]

Looks the part

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