Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard/Ca
WOW! If I ever get around to paint my coupe I will sure have a lot to learn. You guys scare the sh#* out of me with all this strange talk. Every time I mention getting my car painted I am told why don't you it yourself. From what I figure it would cost about the same to buy the equipment as it would to have some else do it.
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Paint products and techniques have changed a lot since 'back in the day', and a lot of folks have a tough time getting that concept. Gone are the days of filler on bare metal, then lacquer primer, and then "thirty coats of hand rubbed lacquer" on the top.
The point that many here are trying to convey is that each brand and each product has different recommended procedures, and for the best results you need to follow them. For example, one particular PPG epoxy product that we use has a recoat window of something like 48 hours. If you spray your epoxy primer today and then the part sits in the corner of your garage for a few weeks before you get around to working on it, PPG recommends that it be scuffed and re-coated with the epoxy primer before you coat it with high build primer. Most people would say "Awww, just scuff it with some Scotch-Brite and prime it. It'll be fine..." and it might well be, but since PPG recommends against that, how lucky do you feel. Personally I'm not willing to gamble on such things, not when I already have several thousand dollars invested in materials and especially not when its a customer's car.
The old Sherwin Williams Ultra-Fill II was another product that would yield great results when used properly but required you to follow the directions. Aparently it would "skin over" if it sat more than a couple days and the sand scratches would actualy "heal" themselves leaving little for the next layer to bond to. Sherwin Williams recommended that if it sat more than a few days it would need to be re-sanded(or scuffed with Scotch-Brite) before re-coating.
So the thing to learn from all this is that a quality paint job not only required a good metal man, a good body man and a good paint man, but also requires some thought and planning. It ain't rocket science but it does take some atention to detail. Oh, and the old addage still applies in that you get what you pay for. If you buy your paint from Tractor Supply because its cheaper, well then, you know the rest...
Deron