Guide coat

[mrtexas]

Anyone use a guide coat to finalize bodywork before color goes on?

I fogged on a contrasting color 2k primer to use as a guide coat. Haven't tried it before.

[Willit Stop]

I always use a guide coat. Then I block sand with long cross hatching strokes.Most auto paint stores carry guide coat in rattle cans.They are not meant to be used as a filler primer.Only for finding imperfections.It works.
Happy sanding.

[Roadster62]

It is a must if you want perfect panels. Remember paint is applied to show were you cut corners, or took the time to get things right. Bob

[Lawson Cox]

Always.

[john worden]

You betcha. Use it on filler as well. Primer is an expensive guide coat.

[19Fordy]

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Just as a point of information there is also "Guide Coat Powder" that you just apply and sand away. Pretty cool stuff.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/t...powder.189147/

[Kube]

Always use a guide coat - always. We also sand in four directions.
I've seen too many cars that were obviously sanded in only one or two directions. The fact that I can spot them, tells you that quite clearly, they are lacking in quality.

[Willit Stop]

All it is basically,is waaaay over reduced lacquer based primer of an opposing color.It doesn't take much. Just dust a little on and let it dry.It will be all sanded off if sanded correctly.Any imperfections will show up quickly.

[51 MERC-CT]

Seems to me that the use of guide coats came about with the use of catalyzed primers and the dry sanding process.
Prior to that, Acrylic lacquer primer/fillers were wet sanded most of the time with the use of a rubber squeegee to reveal imperfections in the primer.

[d.conrad]

I've painted probably about 50 or 60 antique cars in the last 50 years and I've always used the cheapest spray bomb from Wal Mart as a guide coat.

[scooder]

I also always use a guide coat, cheap rattle can misted over and wet sand, I've found this gave best results and was real easy to see what's what.
As mentioned above, you can get a dry guide coat black power thing. I use that on filler, obviously dry sanded.
All of my sanding is done by hand with blocks, the new way of sanding all things with a DA orbital sander I didn't get on with at all. With and without interface soft pads. Old way, for me, is better. Takes more time, but I'm a patient man.
I use abernet stuff for dry sanding. Don't know if it's called the same over there? It's the stuff that's kinda like an abrasive mesh, with its proper blocks it can be plumbed to a vacuum cleaner thing to suck away a good bunch of your dusty stuff. Much less prone to clogging and lasts well.
Martin.

[Marvin/TN]

Yep, always. I use either a contrasting primer or a cheap Wal Mart rattle can of black. Just a light mist is all it takes.

[bill3337]

Norton''s guide coat powder works really well, doesn't block up the sandpaper and give a 100% surface area coverage, I wouldn't block without it.

[theHIGHLANDER]

This is from my "...lazy like that." box. Last coat of primer, take some basecoat black and reduce it a bunch, almost like colored reducer, maybe a little more, but 200% is a minimum. Don't know about the rest of you but I reduce my primer a bit for a smooth application. I hate the hours it adds sanding primer peel so "I'm kinda lazy like that" and keep it smooth. "Get on with it! What's up with the black?" right? In my last coat I tint my primer and actually reduce it about 10% more than normal, almost like a sealer, nice and thin. I get a 100% (and then some) guide coat. Every pinhole, wave, sand scratch, panel misfit, all shows up with nearly zero effort on my part other than to tint that coat and go on to surfacing. Sometimes you'll get into a stubborn spot, maybe something that needs a touch up with a couple smokes of primer. A that point I rely on the powder. Not as easily viewed as my dark thin top coat but it's really effective. I never cared for the splattered rattle can approach. You can miss things, especially the little stuff. It's fine if your using a big long board to rough something in (you guide your filler sometimes too, right? I do...) but the 100% coverage is the only way, the easy way, and I shamelessly declare, the lazy way. Lazy because it's a step I don't have to take before I start making a mess. 1 more thing, the 100% tinted top/guide coat even works exceptionally well with wet sanding. Still a total guide, and wet sanding catalyzed material is plenty safe if you give a couple days cure time. Your results may vary, void where prohib-, aw screw it, you know the rest...