Question about lacquer paint

[Digger]

I got a quart of un-thinned Coach Maroon paint with a car I bought, and need to paint the two pieces of the spare tire cover.

There’re is no label on the can, just written with a sharpie that it is un thinned lacquer paint.

Can I just thin it with standard lacquer thinner from the hardware store? Do I, and/or should I add any hardener, etc, and is there anything sold off the shelf in California I can use? Any advice is appreciated.

[51 MERC-CT]

No hardener required.
Acrylic and Nitrocellulose lacquer thinners do come in different grades generally to control drying times depending on atmospheric conditions (heat,cold,humidity etc.)
You can probably use hardware store thinner but do a sample to confirm.

[Lanny]

Also, if you know someone at a paint store, see if they will put your
can of paint on a shaker for 15 min. or longer, if you can, a day or so
before you are going to use it.
Thinning will depend on cond's as 51 said, but generally you want to
use a slower drying thinner, and spray on some test panels to see
if you can lay down fairly wet coats so it flows out somewhat.

I would generally thin about 150 % or so, and allways stir it between coats.


.

[Digger]

Awesome advice, thanks so much

[36coupe]

Originally Posted by Lanny

Also, if you know someone at a paint store, see if they will put your
can of paint on a shaker for 15 min. or longer, if you can, a day or so
before you are going to use it.
Thinning will depend on cond's as 51 said, but generally you want to
use a slower drying thinner, and spray on some test panels to see
if you can lay down fairly wet coats so it flows out somewhat.

I would generally thin about 150 % or so, and allways stir it between coats.


.

I also have a gallon of lacquer. Does 150% mean 1 part thinner to 2 part paint.

[Lanny]

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Originally Posted by 36coupe

I also have a gallon of lacquer. Does 150% mean 1 part thinner to 2 part paint.

Well, 100% would be equal parts of paint and thinner.
150% would be 1 gal paint to 1.5 gals of thinner.




.

[Floyd]

The problem with "lacquer thinner" is that it is not a chemical name. Like salad dressing and pasta sauce, it is made up of various chemicals and we don't know what they are and how much. We just know that it will "thin" lacquer. Hardware store lacquer may work, but it will be made from the cheapest materials because 99+% of the time people will use it as a cleaning solvent and that is all it has to do. Also it could be straight acetone depending where you live. Since you are working with highly valuable paint ( you will never duplicate it if you screw it up) I recommend you visit your automotive paint store and tell them what you are doing. Buy the "lacquer thinner" they have and you will be assured of a good outcome. Besides, the price will be about the same as the unknown hardware/home depot material. You local automotive paint or the local automotive paint supplies store is your friend. You spend no more there but you get real advice and good product.

[34PKUP]

Originally Posted by Floyd

The problem with "lacquer thinner" is that it is not a chemical name. Like salad dressing and pasta sauce, it is made up of various chemicals and we don't know what they are and how much. We just know that it will "thin" lacquer. Hardware store lacquer may work, but it will be made from the cheapest materials because 99+% of the time people will use it as a cleaning solvent and that is all it has to do. Also it could be straight acetone depending where you live. Since you are working with highly valuable paint ( you will never duplicate it if you screw it up) I recommend you visit your automotive paint store and tell them what you are doing. Buy the "lacquer thinner" they have and you will be assured of a good outcome. Besides, the price will be about the same as the unknown hardware/home depot material. You local automotive paint or the local automotive paint supplies store is your friend. You spend no more there but you get real advice and good product.

Just wondering how your paint supply store "friend" knows what the conditions are going to be at the time that the painting is going to take place?

Who to blame when the 'friend" recommends a thinner that is too fast for a high humidity day.
Good way to find out what 'blushing' is.
Maybe the "friend" has a crystal ball?

[Digger]

Yes, more great advice, I will get it from Automotive Paint in Seaside, Ca., better idea than hardware store.

[beast4765]

Do not use hardware store thinner.Most labels say do not use to paint.A unopened can would bring $300 from someone who needs it.Good quality thinner is available,I bought some at Hershey last fall.I think Global still has it.I used coach maroon on my 34 Very nice color

[Bored&Stroked]

If you're not familiar with the different temperature conditions and various drying rates for lacquer thinner, then if you can find a good paint store, see if they have something considered "medium" dry time. In all the lacquer jobs I used to spray, I used medium the most, usually with some "slow" when I was really trying to get it to lay down (and on clear coats). What is most important is what you're spraying it over and the prep.

[Bored&Stroked]

The 'Restoration Shop' has lacquer thinners - in qts, gallons, etc.. You should try to spray lacquer in a temp range of about 65 - 85 degrees (and medium thinner will work for that). If you spray it when it is colder, then you'll probably get "blushing" (cloudiness) - so don't risk that. I'd probably start out with about a 1 to 1 mix, then thin it more as you lay down more coats. Depending on the number of coats and how well you spray, you may need to color sand with 400 or 600 after 3 - 4 coats - then apply 3 - 4 more. Make sure you are not "dry spraying" it - or you'll lose adhesion.

What is most important (as with all paint work) is the quality of the underlying materials and the prep. I would do my finish sanding on the primer with 400 (wet) and if you use a pre-clean product before the color coat, always lightly scuff it one more time before you start to paint the color coats (sometimes I use ScotchBrite) - and blow it off.

Use a foam sanding pad block so that you don't get "finger marks" in your wet sanding (primer and color sanding). They are available in both softer and firmer styles. I use different ones for different contours. Always use a pad - similar to this when you color sand as well:

https://tcpglobal.com/products/mir-e7200_2

Make dang sure you have no oil/water in your line (hopefully you have a high-quality air filter). Best of luck . . . you'll do just fine!

Color Sanding Before Buffing: Depending on the paint thickness and how good of a painter you are, you should color sand before cutting/buffing. I'd probably use 800 or 1000 wet-or-dry for my color sanding (with a pad and water). Make sure that you sand "at an angle" so you don't create ridges in the paint. You'll need both polishing compounds (cutting) and a final glazing compound - with appropriate cutting/buffing pads . . . or by hand if you're not doing too much of it. Be careful around any sharper edges - or you'll buff through the paint.

Thinner:
https://tcpglobal.com/products/rsp-lt70-qt

[wga]

Digger - are you doing the painting in Pacific Grove area? Then a slow dry thinner. Depends on painting conditions. Air temp, surface temp, etc. Wait for the fog to burn off.

[deuce_roadster]

I would agree on all the advice except 1, I know from experience you can paint lacquer over 400 sand scratches MANY many coats and still see them. I would finish wet sand good modern build primer with 800 or 1000 before shooting color. Under no circumstance would I use lacquer primer. I have done many repairs with lacquer and 2 complete cars and I refuse to use it now except to repair a panel that already has it. Up here where I live blushing is more a function of the humidity then the temperature though both are involved.

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by deuce_roadster

I would agree on all the advice except 1, I know from experience you can paint lacquer over 400 sand scratches MANY many coats and still see them. I would finish wet sand good modern build primer with 800 or 1000 before shooting color. Under no circumstance would I use lacquer primer. I have done many repairs with lacquer and 2 complete cars and I refuse to use it now except to repair a panel that already has it. Up here where I live blushing is more a function of the humidity then the temperature though both are involved.

Good point - it all depends on the type of primer you're using (how hard/soft) as well as the number of coats of color. Also, whether or not you're using a sealer over the primer (which I always did). I used to put on a lot of paint back in the day . . . my good ole' Binks #7 with a Sharpe pot would lay it down and the materials were cheap. On full paint jobs I also had a "pressure pot" - which was a godsend for handling a lot of paint.

If you're trying to NOT put a lot of paint on it, then I agree with the 600 to 800 recommendation - same with the color sanding between sets of coats (I'd probably use 800 for this).

Also, I totally agree on NOT using lacquer based primers -- there are SO MANY great high-build primers today (though they cost 20x what we used to pay for a gallon. ).

[deuce_roadster]

Yes Bored&Stroked, I forgot to mention sealer as I never paint anything without using it. Once you see "alligator skin" appear seconds after shooting color you will never fail to use it in the future! Like the Binks #7 I have been using a DeVilbiss JGA-502 production gun since the early 70s with no drip cups. Yeah, I remember buying gallons of just about any color for $60/gallon, the expensive reds and oranges were $80, no catalyst required!

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by deuce_roadster

Yes Bored&Stroked, I forgot to mention sealer as I never paint anything without using it. Once you see "alligator skin" appear seconds after shooting color you will never fail to use it in the future! Like the Binks #7 I have been using a DeVilbiss JGA-502 production gun since the early 70s with no drip cups. Yeah, I remember buying gallons of just about any color for $60/gallon, the expensive reds and oranges were $80, no catalyst required!

I still have two #7's - just because they are 'Old Friends' and did such nice work back in the day. In modern times I switched over to HVLP type guns and it is a good thing - as given the price of even good primer, they dramatically reduce overspray and waste. I have both a high-end SATA gun as well as a pair of cheap "Finishline" Devilbiss guns. It is funny, I use the Finishline stuff the most - and for the price, the dumb things spray extremely well. Now for laying down clear - the SATA is the King.

Truth be told, the modern 2+ Stage urethane paint products are far superior to the lacquers, enamels, epoxy paints we used to spray. There is truly no comparison . . . especially in "price per gallon". Also, the unbelievable array of "out of the can" colors is extraordinary. Even if I had a bunch of lacquer squirreled away, I'd probably never use it.

[Digger]

Will be painting in a friend’s booth…what brand/type of primer sealer have you used?

Last night the Big Guy Upstairs was doing some “painting” of his own…I saw it building up so I jumped into the 34 and zoomed down there and got these pics. This is the car I need to paint the spare tire cover for, just got it last week.