QuestionCameron,
To the best of my knowledge it is single stage paint. What kind, I am not to sure. But I have applied lacquer thinner to remove some old primer and it removed some paint as well. Not a whole lot, but enough to dull the finish. I have decent experiance with auto sanding and working with paint, but base coat-clear coat and since it is single stage, with no clear, I am confused. Hope that helps alittle. If not, I will take it in and find out. Also, I CAN spot paint without painting the whole truck? I am assuming yes and know that scuffing is required to allow the clear to stick. But what happens when clear sprays on the part that was'nt scuffed in order to bled?
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Followup To
Question -
I have a 41 chevy pickup that i purchased with key marks from the drivers side back fender to the passenger door, not to mention profanity etched on the hood and door. My question is can i spot fill the key marks and re prime and paint without having to re paint the whole truck? I have asked some body men and of course they want me to paint the whole truck and with a nice price tag. I'd like to do it in my back yard, ya know what i mean. save a couple bucks if possible.
thanks for any help.
Answer -
Absolutely...don't allow anyone to talk you into "feathering' your paint down in an attempt to remove the scratch...unless you want your truck to wave to everyone when you drive it around town.
Go to a “real” auto body shop store—the paint store the dealers use. Go in, and ask for top coat (it may be know buy another name, but basically it’s a 2 part catalyzed paste primer)...don't leave without buying a small squeegee--not a plastic spreader, and a wet sanding sponge.
Just apply enough top coat to, ever so slightly, overfill the scratch. Inevitably, the paint on either side of the scratch, as far 1/2" from either side of the groove, needs to be covered with top coat as well, to allow for wet sanding.
Let this stuff cure before sanding. Usually, the top layer of your work is going to gum up your sanding...that’s normal; but, after gumming up some sanding paper on a sanding blocks a couple of times, you should be able to make some progress. Start slow...use a hand sanding block…you could, first, dry sand with something fine just to get started—like 220 dry sanding paper; but if you've never done this before; its best to start with wet sanding...perhaps with 80 grit wet sanding paper, or if to fast...120 grit wet sanding paper. The advantage of wet sanding, is it will go slower, more controlled...and its nearly impossible for you so screw things up—as if you slip, and wet block sand an area you wish you didn't..you can polish it out later.
If you slip, and dry block sand an area you wish you didn't...you'll be e-mailing me.
Nothing says you have to use a block everywhere. For contour areas, get a bucket of water, wrap some of that wet sanding paper around that wet sanding sponge, and try that.
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You want to spot paint. Then my choice is lacquer. Therefore, you need to determine if lacquer can go over your present finish, unless your truck was ever re-pained in enamel...lacquer can go on it. As lacquer goes on lacquer and baked on factory, but you don't put it over anything that was previously squirted by MACCO three years ago.
Rather than going any further, I need to know if we're talking factory paint, or has you truck ever been re-painted...if so, do you know what it was painted with? If not, that paint store may know? That scratch mark may tell you...did the paint "chip" out, or did it smear. Do you have cracks in the paint. Do you have cracks around key holes where someone missed the hole, the key hit the paint, and the paint chipped?
Let me know, and we can continue...as there's no reason in going on about lacquer if you can't use it.
Sure...its an old truck...it was originally done in lacquer….great; but I need to know if enamel is lying anywhere on top of that original finish.
AnswerOK...about your clear coat adhering to your finish concerns, don't worry…
Go to a real Auto Body store—the store where body shops buy from.
Tell the guy at the Auto Body store that you're looking for a couple of clean-up solvents--one full strength to cut over spray, wax, and road grime; the other, moderate, to wipe down your work (including primed areas) prior to priming or painting.
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About spraying the "LAQUER" primer—make sure its not enamel primer.
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About the lacquer base color...you're not going to find a factory match, so the guy might want to use a camera to match your color—make sure "you" clean that spot. Me...if the vehicle is the original color (not necessarily the original paint), I just ask for a pint or a quart of lacquer mixed according to the book, AND ask for two mixing tubes for the base color—on, a lightener, the other a darkener; and match this myself IN THE SUN—not under shop lights.
As for thinner...ask for the one for the immediate conditions, as they sell different ones with different flash times depending on temperature and humidity—ask.
Also, buy a wet sponge and wet sanding paper—for wet sanding the top coat 180 or 220; for wet sanding the primer 360 or 400; for the existing paint areas adjacent to the areas you prime 600, but don't stray; (optional, if you still have reservations about spraying clear over paint that you have used a strong solvent over, then buy some ultra fine 1200 wet sanding paper to scuff these areas up. As what doesn't get shot, can be polished later).
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Prepping to paint, except for the primed areas, wipe the entire vehicle down with the strong solvent...you should have done this prior to doing anything else, but if you've been driving around, or if over spray or dust is on the vehicle, you must wipe it down again.
Now, prep the primed areas...using the moderate solvent, wipe down the primed areas.
Now, using the thinned basecoat, paint over the primed areas—no more.
Do not puddle the lacquer...I don't know how much solvent this finish can withstand, so get it on there one coat at a time, AND make sure it flashes off prior to a subsequent application.
When you feel you got the primer covered—6 coats?; then mix the base 50/50 with the clear, thin, and paint over the same area, but this time go out an inch or two beyond where you were. Do this for 2 coats, then mix the base 25/75 with the clear, thin, and go out an additional inch or two for a couple of coats. Then, every time the you use up half your paint, re-fill using pre-thinned clear mixture (no more base); covering everything plus an additional inch or so.
Lacquer sprays and dries WITHOUT a gloss. You have to wet sand it after a couple of days of drying, and polish. If you need to know how, ask.
