Paint polishing

[Dazza]

I've just sprayed my legshield toolbox with rattle can cellulose, it's (surprisingly) not come out too bad realy, I had the colour matched at a local paint suppliers and it's a bang on match and the quality of the nozzle and paint helped.

There are however a couple of duller patches that I'm hoping will polish out - whats the preferred method of polishing ie how long to leave paint to harden / which wet and dry / which polish?

Cheers
Daz

[RICSPEED]

leave it a month at least i would think

[Dazza]

It's hanging on a radiator now - stinking the house out

[Andy Pickering]

It's hanging on a radiator now - stinking the house out

Have a natter with Cobby...a lot of us have seen first hand his rattle can paint jobs and i can tell you all a pro would be proud with all the gear..

Always remember a tip from him about putting the tins in warm water before using...and patience.

[Hotspur]

If you're in a rush, you can get get a bit of worn out wet & dry about 1500 to 2500 grit and a bar of soap. Nice and slow, and you'll flat it back, then a bit of t cut then polish. Don't rub it in circles though, because as mentioned above celulose will carry on shrinking for a month, and you'll see the marks. Use straight lines.



Pete

[wack 63]

I have found that warming the item and the aerosol before spraying helps ,I use a hot air gun.As for the dull patches I usually leave the part for a week then gently T-Cut the paint and finish off with wax.

[GBCS]

The thing that you need to remember about rattle cans, is that they are typically 80ish percent solvent, hence the reason the film thickness is so low when the paint cures.
The solvent content is important when you consider the curing time. The solvent, as well as gassing off to atmosphere, is drawn into previously applied layers of paint, and where applicable filler. 2 - 3 weeks should give a reasonable cure, after which I would suggest giving it a flatting down with 1200 - 1500 to remove any sinkage, and then apply a couple more coats (if you are after a top notch finish).
Just be aware though, that the paint sinks from the lowest layer. How many times have you seen the 80 grit sanding strokes in filler show through a top coat, that looked perfect when the clear went on. If you try and flat these out of a rattle can job, you are probably going to sand straight through it. Just as with your paint - make sure that your filler & stopper have cured properly before you move on to the next stage, prep makes or breaks a paint job, no matter what system or technology you are using.
Finally T-Cut :barfy: , it doesnt have much of a place in a modern paint shop (OK for making your grandads moggy minor look half decent). Once your paint is finished, give it a flat with 2000 wet & dry (soap and straight lines as previously mentioned) and polish it with one of the meguiars or 3M polishes.
Finally finish it with a glaze, glazes contain resin fillers, that will fill any minor imperfections and (should) leave you with a finish like glass.
Good luck

[paulmgreen]

Spot on .

[sean brady scooters]

if you really require top results ,then two pack systems are the way to go and that all proffesional spayers painters now use 2k for all the good /best reasons...

not saying that quite good results can,t be obtained from celly,but really its only for the DIY market and does have its probs and downfalls as results and cost effectiveness ...

[Dazza]

Never one to be overly patient, I've had the toolbox hanging on top of a radiator all day and night and flatted it back tonight, used some rubbing compound and polished to a lovely sheen with the help of meguiers ..not perfect but certainly good enough for me- happy days until I scratch it re- fitting it tomorrow